Rollie and Angie sat under a huge canopy set up for the midday sun. Sitting at a long table with Aidan on benches, they ate leisurely enough. Aidan’s face was covered in pulled pork barbecue as Angie winced slightly.

"Oh, he would be your son!"

"What, because he likes a nice barbecue?"

"He is getting way too much meat, Rol. Look at him, he looks like a little greasy pig!"

Rollie looked down and grinned at his son who had barbecue sauce from ear to ear and was heartily smacking his lips.

"Like the sauce, Aidan?"

"Yep!" Aidan replied, rubbing his hair with his sticky hand.

Angie scowled and reached into her bag, for the towelettes. Rollie mirrored Aidan’s suddenly upset face as she began to diligently clean him off.

"Mum’s a party pooper…." Rollie encouraged his son to repeat him.

"Part poop," Aidan echoed somewhat as Rollie lifted one eyebrow.

"She can be half of that too, sometimes," Rollie answered as Angie glared at him and then took another moisten towel and wipe her husband’s chin as well.

"I see you’re preening the family," Lucinda commented as she and John Grant made it finally to the table with their plates of food.

Angie only responded with a grunt, as Lucinda looked somewhat uncomfortable with the affable Mr. Grant now.

"Sometimes, just a hose is all that you can use," he chimed in, grinning as Rollie nodded in agreement.

"My father used that philosophy…and in the bush, a good dip in the creek seemed to do wonders…" Rollie added.

John Grant then launched himself into a lengthy discussion of Australia with Rollie while Angie was able to talk with Lucinda. The usually, bubbly actress was decidedly still put out about Grant’s sudden family.

"So, didn’t know about the wife and kids, huh?" Angie asked, softly, to Lucinda, her back away from Rollie who was holding onto Aidan and facing John Grant.

"Am I that stupid?"

"No…but Luce, why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you get yourself wrapped up in him, I mean, what about Marvin?"

"I don’t know!" Lucinda shook her head miserably and stood up, having not eaten a thing. Angie stood up as well, waving off to Rollie that she and Lucinda would be talking away from them. Rollie nodded and instantly went back to a tall tale with John Grant who sat completely enthralled with the Australian F/X man.

The two women walked down toward the river, passing the gardens, the people and found themselves alone. Angie sat down, her feet dangling over the side of the craggy slope down to the water as Lucinda pulled up her hoop skirt, still in costume and gingerly sat down, the ring settling as she let it fall.

"God, this thing is heavy! No way, no way I would have been a woman in this time period!" Lucinda complained as she then rolled on her side in the grass, the hoop popping up and exposing herself to the waist.

Angie laughed, for beneath the mountains of material and wooden frame was not pantaloons and lace but a pair of cutoff jeans.

"So ladylike!" she commented as Lucinda put a hand to her cheek and daintily fanned herself.

"So, you haven’t answered my question," Angie continued, seriously.

"I don’t know! What am I doing? Angie, please, tell me why I can’t seem to stop thinking about other men? What’s wrong with me?" Lucinda looked genuinely torn.

"Luce, this commitment thing, to Marvin…maybe you’re not ready. Maybe you don’t love him?" Angie asked, with tentative speculation.

Lucinda’s eyes brimmed suddenly with tears as she looked at her friend. Her lips trembled slightly as she wiped away a stray tear that had escaped.

"What’s love? I don’t know…do you? Of course you do, right? But I, I guess I can ‘act’ the part well, but what is it really?" Lucinda asked, as Angie’s crystal blue eyes blinked for a moment, taken back.

"I…I can only say what it is for me, Luce. I mean, Rollie- well, I have felt this way with him for so many years, it’s an ache when he’s not there, it’s joy and warmth with he is beside me, when he touches me…it’s what goes between us when we look at each other. I feel it here and here…" Angie told her, pointing to her stomach as she raised it to her heart and then finally, with both hands on either side of her head and swaying it slightly from side to side.

"Well, that explains it so well," Lucinda replied, flatly, making a face.

"Hey, you just know when you’re in love and then, when you love someone, the love broadens, and branches out and well…"

"Yeah, then you get a little itch and make babies, yeah…"

Angie rolled her eyes and sighed; "Yeah, something like that…"

"Tell me something," Angie asked then, looking out across the river, seeing a ferry on its way across with cars and passengers, "did you love Rick?"

Lucinda’s face reddened as she hung her head and played with the embroidered edges of her sleeves; "I …I thought I did."

"How was that?"

"I mean, he was wild, so full of life and energy! He was wonderful to make love to, and wonderful to just hang around with…he was so…"

"So? So like you?"

"Yeah, it scared me sometimes…"

"What do you feel, when you’re with Marvin. I mean, I’m not trying to pry or ask you anything, really, that you don’t want to say, it’s just that…"

"No, you’re not prying! I know you think we’re the oddest couple! I do! I mean, I’m so emotional and so into everything. He’s like, so controlled, so into this world of police stuff and well, safe."

"Sounds like a father…"

"No," Lucinda shook her head; "I don’t mean it like that, I mean he’s wonderful like that. I like that about him in that he is able to comfort me when I’m down and he doesn’t even understand, you know- this business! But, he’s kinda different from all the other men I’ve been with…"

Angie sensed something of a sexual nature and swallowed. She didn’t want to really get into a discussion of Marvin Vanduran’s sexual habits. She had never been the type to get into crazy, steamy discussions like that anyway. She always felt like the people that went on and on about their activities really didn’t have or understand the whole intimacy issue anyway.

"Oh Angie, you’re blushing! Sorry, hey- Let me tell you something, Marvin has no problem in that category, really!" Lucinda volunteered that much but did not go further as Angie breathed a sigh of relief.

Angie squinted her eyes slightly as Lucinda closed her eyes for a moment and smiled, her upper teeth biting down into her lower lip as she grinned.

"You know what? Maybe I should just study you guys…a case study of happy marriage, you think?" Lucinda suddenly stated, as she grabbed Angie by both hands and giggled.

"Oh no!" Angie replied, shaking her head and laughing as Lucinda pulled then on each hand, zigzagging them back and forth. She felt Angie tense up suddenly, hearing the escape of a slight cry then as Angie jerked her hands away.

"What?" Lucinda asked, stunned and then looked down at Angie’s wrists to see dark bruises around them both.

Angie pulled her sleeves down over her wrists and shrugged her shoulders, "Nothing, it’s nothing!"

"What? Are you crazy? What’s with your wrists?"

"Just a little bruising from hauling equipment, that’s all!"

Lucinda frowned. The bruising looked uniform and almost like two very powerful hands had exerted a tremendous amount of force on the insides of her wrists.

"Everything okay? Rollie didn’t….?"

Angie flashed a look of shock that turned to fright and immediately stood up, suddenly smiling nervously at her friend; "Come on, I see Rollie giving me the wrap it up signal! We need to get back. Aidan’s probably giving him a fit!"

"Angie?"

"Come on Luce, wardrobe is going to have a fit when they see you’ve rolled around on the ground in that ballgown!"

Lucinda remained behind as Angie hurried off. She lifted her dress and hoop, gingerly walking back toward the set. As she passed Angie, her friend’s back was to her, Aidan crying and fussy in her arms. Lucinda continued then, her mind racing as she stepped toward her trailer. Spying Rollie walking toward camera position two, she hailed him.

"What’s up?" Rollie asked, smiling, his roguish good looks innocently displayed at the moment.

"Come inside for a moment, now!" Lucinda demanded, under her breath.

Rollie turned his head slightly, seeing the direction of her stare. Angie was busy walking back toward the parking lot with Aidan.

"Luce?"

"Inside!"

Once he stooped in the entranceway of the trailer, two firm hands grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside. Lucinda then pushed him against the door, slamming it shut.

"What the hell are you doing to Angie?" Lucinda asked, releasing the material of his shirt and folding her arms across her. Her face displayed anything but the usual flirty grin that he was used to seeing.

"Luce? What are you talking about?"

"I saw the bruises!"

Rollie looked up at the ceiling. He couldn’t believe that Angie would tell anyone about what had happened to them last night.

"Look, it’s not what you think, and you’re thinking bloody nasty thoughts, Lucinda!" Rollie retorted, pushing away from the door as she jumped back at his tone. The look in her eyes made him realize that she was afraid.

"Luce! Really, it’s not that! I would never hurt Angie! You know me!"

He sat down on her couch, running his hands through his disheveled hair as she paced in front of him, the hoop of her dress knocking over things as she walked by him and back.

"I don’t seem to know anyone these days. If you’re lying to me, Rollie…I’ll.."

"Luce!"

Angie had entered the trailer. Lucinda looked down at Rollie with a glaring threat as Rollie stood up.

"I let John have Aidan for a few minutes after I changed him. I saw the two of you come in here and I…"

"Uh, we were discussing the next bit of block shots for the scenes by the river, Ange," Rollie volunteered as Lucinda breathed in deeply and slowly let out her breath.

"No you weren’t!" Angie countered, and turned to Lucinda, " Luce, you want to know what these are?" as she pulled up her sleeves, exposing her wrists, "You want to know what made you go crazy on that early morning of shooting down by the river with Judd? You want to know what made my fingers turn blue?"

Lucinda’s head was spinning and to make matters worse, there was another knock at the door and Stu Westburn popped his head in the door;

"There you guys are! I’ve been looking everywhere! You won’t believe what old man Eventyn told me about our ghostly friends!"

The cotillion was richly produced in an evening shoot, complete with the sweeping grandeur of nineteenth century Eventyn. Dancing couples, handsomely costumed in full regalia were filmed in progressive sweeps and angles as a panoramic camera, complete with 360 degree rotation track filmed the lead actors as they danced slowly to the taped sessions of waltz and reels.

"Handsome couple," commented the husky, southern drawl of Hunter Eventyn to Angie as she sat on a blanket not far away with Aidan sleeping in her lap.

"Yes, Lucinda Scott and John Grant, Mr. Eventyn. I hope you find that they are doing your ancestors proud," she replied, but her voice was anything but pleasant.

"I am denoting a rather sour note from your pretty lips, my dear," he replied, as she looked up at him, her eyes revealing what he suspected.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude," she replied as she saw Rollie approached quietly from behind Eventyn.

"Mr. Eventyn, I’d like to ask you some things about your script and well, about what’s been going on here, lately?" Rollie asked, softly, almost genteelly as Hunter Eventyn nodded. As he stepped away, he groaned slightly, looking out the window into the darkness that had settled over the west wing of Eventyn.

Angie followed his gaze as did Rollie. They could see lights flashing in the distance and they were not reflections from the camera and lights inside the ballroom.

"Up to no good, damn their miseries!" Eventyn muttered, clenching his fists. Angie stood up, pulling Aidan up in her arms. He rubbed his eyes, yawning as he smiled at Hunter Eventyn.

"What’s that, Mr. Eventyn? Who is up to no good?" Rollie asked, hands on hips as Angie waited for his response as well.

"Come on then, Mr. and Mrs. Tyler. Let’s see if they’ll let you see their little skullduggery this evening. Must be this ball going on, got them all riled up!" Hunter replied, and started for the double doors, leading to the outside.

"Wait! I’m not taking Aidan anywhere! I don’t want to see anything but what is really going on here!" Angie demanded, her voice echoing suddenly in the hall. The taped music had been shut off and everyone was looking at her in the room. Gary Sanderlin did not look amused.

"Sorry, Gary- really," Angie offered in apology as she looked over at Lucinda, who had dropped her hand from John Grant’s shoulder, still in dance position.

"Gary! I need to take a break! Come on! Please!" Lucinda cut in, leaving her mark and headed toward where Rollie and Angie had been debating something very hot with the heir of Eventyn.

"Fine, everyone desert me, mock me, and just kick me, while you’re at it! Are we making a movie here?" Gary ranted, his hands up in the air as crew and cast readily took a break.

Outside, Angie and Rollie stood with Eventyn as Stu Westburn appeared, camera around his neck and some gadgetry in a knapsack over his shoulder.

"What’s this?" Rollie asked as Stu looked at everyone sheepishly.

"I, well, I got some things for detecting EMT’s and flux densities…and an oscillator and a couple of meters that I converted so that I could read trifield readings," he replied as Hunter Eventyn cackled slightly, puffing on his cigar.

"My friend, Stu here, is desperate to see some action," he told them as Lucinda approached, her dress making it difficult as she rustled toward them.

"What’s up? Are we going ghosthunting or what?" she asked, that twinkle back in her eye as Angie shook her head. Once Rollie had explained all that had been happening since Angie's screwdriver incident, Lucinda brightened and had been eager to get to the bottom of the mystery as well.

"I’m not going anywhere! Rollie and these guys are going up to the hill. Luce, I told you, you don’t want to get involved with this!" Angie warned her.

"Get real! I am involved, Angie! I can’t wait! After you told me everything! Just give me a second and I’ll be out of this dress in a flash!"

"A fetching sight, I’m sure," Hunter Eventyn commented as he winked at the actress who coyly fanned herself suddenly.

"Why, Mr. Eventyn, you devil, you!"

Rollie looked at Angie, the need to solve the mystery, the adventure of it all was glowing brightly in his eyes as she waved her hand;

"Go on! Have fun! Me, I’m just going to wait here for you guys. Aidan and I can entertain ourselves, no problem!" she replied as he ran up and kissed her quickly.

Lucinda squealed in excitement and raced to her trailer. Eventyn looked over at Angie and smiled;

"Now, don’t fret, Mrs. Tyler. I’ll have him home before the sun’s up. You stay close to the house, you hear? We’ll be back soon!"

"Sure, with what? Tales of ghostly soldiers fighting it out again and again, over the same little river for over 140 years?" Angie asked, shaking her head, not believing it.

"Will-O’-The-Wisps, Mrs. Tyler…demons now…unhappy fellas, for sure. The devil just won’t let them in hell either!" Hunter Eventyn replied, most seriously.

Stu looked at the two of them, his face paling slightly as he looked over to Rollie who was busy stuffing some items in a bag he was carrying.

"Rollie? You don’t think this could get dangerous, do you?" he asked, a bit nervously.

"No! Come on Stu, where’s that sense of adventure, mate?" Rollie answered, slapping him on the back.

"Back in California?" Stu replied, wincing as Rollie ignored him and greeted Lucinda back in T-shirt and cutoffs.

"Ghostbusters!" she shouted, but quickly put her hand over her mouth as people nearby looked at her curiously.

"Heard you guys were going up on that haunted hill! I want in!" John Grant walked over, his ballroom jacket and cravat removed, his shirttails out.

"Bloody hell! We have our own army now!" remarked Rollie, shaking his head.

"Waahoowa! Let’s get going!" Hunter Eventyn shouted and led his party out to the westward slope toward Seven Pines hill. Rollie turned around once, seeing Angie with Aidan standing beside the western doors of Eventyn. The movie set was emptying out, the crew and rest of cast relaxing in their trailers. It seemed only Angie and Aidan were watching the band of ghost detectors making their way up the hill.

"Come on sweetie, Mr. Eventyn said we could walk around the house. Now that those nasty tour guides are gone, we can really look at stuff! It will be fun!" Angie told her son who was ready for anything now that he had napped.

"What happened to the lights, those dancing lights?" Stu asked, dismayed as the reached their summit and looked around the deserted hill. Lucinda went with Rollie down to the riverbank and came back empty as well. Stu had set up his EMT detectors. The needles did not register a thing. They stayed there for over an hour as disappointment set in. Hunter Eventyn slowly smoked his cigar and looked down Seven Pines hill to Eventyn Plantation. As the group talked about their disappointment, he was busy watching the way the candles flickered in the ballroom of the west wing. As the moon began to pull away from the clouds and the stars appeared overhead in clearing, he smiled.

"Don’t touch, Aidan. We just look," Angie warned her son as they paused near the painting in the hallway over the front door. They were standing on the magnificent winding steps that encircled both sides of the foyer at the level of the painting of Hunter Eventyn, the first. Angie was looking at the eyes of Eventyn, accusingly.

"Creep," she said, and smiled at Aidan who clapped his hands suddenly.

As they made their way up to the second floor, Angie could see the tasseled rope tied off that blocked the stairs to the third and final floor of the magnificent house. Hunter Eventyn had said she could look at the house….all of the house? She wondered, curiously. She bit her lip and looked down the spiraling staircase to the foyer floor below. Even Hunter Eventyn the first, was not in view now.

Very gently, she lifted the rope up and stooped underneath with Aidan in her arms. Gingerly, she proceeded up the stairs. She could tell that the cleaning of this area of the house stopped at the top of the third and final landing.

"Hot here!" Aidan remarked as Angie nodded. She was in a massive room, the carpeting worn and tattered. On either side of the room was a hallway leading to the east and west wing. Old pictures, furniture in disrepair, and junk were stored all over the place.

Angie was about to go back down the stairs, her nose twitching from the dust and cobwebs when she heard the muffled sound of voices. At first, she thought it was from below, that people had entered the ballroom down below and were setting up for the ballroom shooting again. But as she took the first step down, the voices grew louder and she turned, stepping back up on the landing. Aidan was strangely quiet in her arms.

She slowly crept toward the west wing, the sound of the voices louder. She couldn’t make out what they were saying and she really knew better than to just wander around in someone’s private house but, her curiosity was so compelling that she kept moving toward the voices.

"You won’t find it!"

Angie’s head shot straight up as she felt the hair on her neck rise. The voice was threatening, male and seemed to be all around her suddenly as she then heard weeping. A woman’s voice, muffled and then more weeping.

"Please! Please no!" suddenly rang out in eerie distress and Angie hugged the side of the hallway, her breathing coming in short, raspy breaths.

"We’re getting out of here!" Angie told Aidan, her legs suddenly feeling like lead as she turned to go back to the stairs.

"You’re not going anywhere!"

Angie looked at the sudden light, bright in her eyes, like a globe at first and then the silhouette of a tall man took shape as Angie hugged Aidan against her.

"I’m sorry, I got lost!" she stammered out, as she hugged the wall again and inched toward the stairs.

"Please! I beg you!" Angie heard the woman’s voice clearly behind her and a second bright light appeared, blinding her at first as a smaller, feminine shape began to develop, and walk toward her.

"Oh God, what’s going on here?" Angie shouted as Aidan began to cry, his mother’s fear and tenseness scaring him.

She looked back at the tall man, blinking her eyes as the familiar coldness began to envelop her. Blue! his jacket was blue, dark and tattered with gold bars, epaulets at the shoulders. Angie struggled to stay calm but the woman behind her neared and she was instantly paralyzed.

The fleeting reaction of flight was overtaken by the almost complete act of asphyxiation as the tendrils of supernatural lights in the shape of the threatening man and the pleading woman converged into her, running through her there in the dusty hallway. She heard screaming and wondered if it was her own voice then before she collapsed into the most bone aching cold she had ever felt.