#good!lewis

I can't believe I let him get away with Vivi!

Lewis paced in his manor, the walls flickering and pulsing with his mood. He had overexerted himself. Let his rage get to him. If he hadn't blown up when Arthur pulled Vivi away, he could have easily followed them. Now, he was much weaker, and Arthur had a huge head start.

Just the thought of the blond made Lewis seethe with fury. Vivi was with Arthur. The man who killed him. He had to get her away from him, before he grew tired of her and killed her, too. He couldn't let Arthur just get away with what he'd done. He just had to find them again.

"Where would they be?" Lewis asked himself with a growl of frustration. "They were obviously on a job, but where could another case of the supernatural possibly be happening around here? Think, Lewis, think."

After a few more minutes of pacing, the ghost stopped in his tracks. "I'll just have to follow the road and hope that they didn't stray from it." He decided.

A deadbeat cooed questioningly at him from its perch on his shoulder. Lewis spared it a glance and a pat. "Yeah, I'm going to leave. I'll take you guys with me, don't worry. I'll reform the manor once I find them." He told the little pink ghost. The deadbeat trilled and wiggled happily before it vanished into Lewis's locket.

The ghost silently called all of his deadbeats to his side and allowed them to hide in his anchor as well. He was grateful for them. When he first formed, he was lonely. Lonely and confused. Then, they appeared. He thought at first that he had created them with his longing for company, but he later found out that they were just lesser, formless ghosts drawn to his power. 

Together, they formed a symbiotic relationship. Lewis gave them physical forms and they kept him company. They were useful, too. The little ghosts learned fast, and he taught them how to play instruments and sing. It was strange that they couldn't talk, but could sing. Lewis chose not to question it.

As nice as the Deadbeats' company was, Lewis still longed for the company of his friends. Friend, he had to remind himself. He only had one friend left, and he had to protect her from his other so-called friend.

With that thought in mind, Lewis set out. He knew that once he deconstructed the mansion, he would feel more energized. It was a good thing, too, since he wasn't feeling all that powerful when he reformed and still wasn't. He definitely felt up to finding Vivi, though. His determination restored some of his depleted energy.

As Lewis walked down the staircase of the main hall, the walls of the building became translucent and then transparent. By the time he was at the bottom, his feet hit the dirt of the now empty lot. The ghost lifted off the ground and floated toward the road where deep gouges had been cut by the van's tires when it sped away. Lewis stopped and stared down the road in the direction it had gone. Glaring at the star-speckled horizon, he gathered up some energy and shot off with a plume of pink fire flaring behind him.

Eyes narrow, Lewis sped down the road. A single thought encompassed his mind.

You can't hide. I'll find you, Arthur. - Lewis couldn't believe his luck. Only a couple hours later, he stumbled across the van parked in what appeared to be a large campsite among the trees of a forest just outside the bramble field. The lights were off and the usually loud engine was silent. They must be asleep. Perfect.

Lewis quietly glided toward the van, but he soon noticed a small light around the other side. He willed himself invisible and went to investigate. It was Arthur. He was sitting on a little patch of grass with his laptop on his crossed legs. The light from the screen made the bags under the blond's eyes look like nasty bruises and made the tear tracks on his cheeks glisten. It would be so easy. Just grab Arthur and drag him into the woods... Wait, why was Arthur crying? Lewis had to do a double take. What was he looking at?

Curiosity momentarily outweighing his murderous intent, Lewis floated closer and leaned over Arthur's shoulder. He saw a map on the computer screen, with various icons marking places. He recognized the logo for Kingsmen Mechanics, but the rest of the map was covered with little pictures of... him? Some were crossed out with Xs, but others were just his face surrounded by tiny question marks. Then there was the drawing of his ghost form with exclamation points and question marks in the spot on the map where his mansion had been located. 

Lewis was confused. Was Arthur... looking for him? But that couldn't be right. Arthur killed him. He knew exactly where he was: rotting away back in that damned cave. 

Then, startling Lewis out of his thoughts, Arthur spoke. "Where are you, big guy?" He whispered with a sniffle. The blond wiped at his eyes with his right hand before closing the laptop slowly.

The ghost watched as Arthur lifted the laptop off his lap and struggled to stand up with one hand. Suddenly, Lewis noticed that Arthur's left arm was gone. He jerked back, floating away from Arthur a few feet and stared, shocked. Sure enough, there was no arm attached to the blond's left shoulder. Lewis absently recalled that it was the arm that pushed him. Why was it gone? He remembered Arthur having both arms when he was chasing him through his manor. Or, maybe he didn't. Thinking back, Lewis realized that Arthur's arm was silver and shiny then. It was made of metal. A prosthetic.

He numbly watched Arthur slowly walk around the van and climb into the back, hunched over as if the whole world weighed on his shoulders. Dread began to creep up Lewis's spine. There was something wrong here. Something he missed. Then, hope replaced his dread. Maybe... just maybe his best friend didn't kill him. Maybe something else was at play.

Lewis thought back, back to when he was alive. He ran the memories before his death over and over again in his head. There was the cave. They went because there were rumors of an evil spirit residing in it. He remembered that Arthur was really scared to go in, even more than usual. Lewis had promised to protect him from anything that jumped out at them, and Arthur reluctantly agreed to go with. Then there was a split in the path. He and Arthur went up, while Mystery and Vivi went down. Arthur became increasingly jumpy and nervous, but Lewis didn't pay much attention to it, he was too busy marveling over the amazing view from the ledge.

Then... then Arthur pushed him. 

Lewis growled in frustration as he tried to remember every detail of those last moments. He remembered turning around to tell Arthur something, but his words died on his tongue when the green hand struck his chest. The hand was green. Arthur's whole arm was green. Half of his face was smiling and green. Green like the mysterious fog.

Lewis groaned and grabbed the sides of his skull. He messed up. He messed up big time. How could he have been so blind? Arthur wouldn't hurt a fly, so how did Lewis become so convinced that he murdered him in cold blood? He knew that Arthur was especially sensitive to the supernatural. He should have realized that there was something in that cave. He should have realized that was what killed him, not his best friend. Now he'd caused Arthur pain with his misplaced rage. It physically hurt to think about. He could feel the crack in his anchor grow deeper.

While Lewis was mentally beating himself up, he didn't notice the van doors open until Arthur's voice came from inside.

"Alright, alright. I'll go to sleep soon, I promise! I just want to check the engine one last... t-time..." 

Lewis turned around when Arthur's words trailed off into a frightened whisper. The blond was staring at Lewis, eyes wide as could be. His metal arm was back on, and it was frozen on the handle of the open van door.

Lewis realized with a start that he'd returned to visibility while he was lost in his thoughts. The two stared at each other for a whole minute until Lewis spoke.  

"Arthur, wait-"

"Viviiiii! Th-That ghost is h-h-here!" Arthur shrieked. The blond mechanic scrambled back into the van and slammed the doors in Lewis's face.

The ghost's hope quickly turned into shame and guilt. Of course Arthur was scared of him. He attacked the poor guy just a few hours earlier. Lewis growled angrily at himself and slapped a hand over his face. "You're an idiot, Lewis Pepper."

The ghost floated closer to the van doors and raised his hand to knock, but the slightly muffled voices inside made him pause.

"Oh god, Vivi, the ghost is back! He's going to kill me! I knew I'd be killed by something supernatural, but I don't want it to happen right now! I'm only twenty two! I have so much life left to live! Who will take care of my hamster?!" Arthur babbled hysterically.

Then came Vivi's voice. "Arthur! Calm down! Take a deep breath and tell me what's wrong."

Lewis heard Arthur take a rattling breath before he spoke again, a little slower. "It's the ghost! The one from that haunted mansion that tried to kill me! He's right outside! H-he's come to finish the job! Oh, Vivi, what do I do?" The mechanic sounded close to tears. It made Lewis's heart hurt.

The ghost found that he was suddenly reluctant to knock. Arthur was absolutely terrified of him, and with good reason. How would he react to finding out that the friend he was so desperately searching for was both dead and the ghost that attacked him? He would be crushed! Lewis didn't want that. It was obvious that Arthur was suffering enough already. Always on the road and stuck in a wild goose chase. Lewis wanted to tell them who he was, so they wouldn't have to keep looking for him, but he also didn't want them to know that their search was in vain. He was dead.

Lewis dropped his skull against the doors of the van with a hollow thunk. He didn't know what to do. He just wanted to ease his friends' pain. Especially Arthur's. He wanted to help them so much it hurt.

The ghost mentally counted to ten before lifting his head. He just couldn't tell them. He didn't want to cause them more pain. He could apologize, however, for attacking them earlier. They obviously didn't recognize him, and he would try to keep it that way.

Lewis finally knocked on the door. "Hey, uh, could you open up, please? I promise I won't hurt you. I just want to talk." He pleaded. He tried suppressing his accent, as it would be a dead giveaway. It wasn't hard. He'd learned to talk without an accent as a young teen due to relentless bullying. He never had a reason to hide it around his friends, though. He just hoped he could keep it up.

Lewis could hear a muffled shuffling, then Arthur's voice. "Vivi! What are you doing?!" He shrieked.

"What? He said he promised not to hurt us!" Came Vivi's reply. She sounded closer to the door.

"Are you crazy?! He could be lying! I really don't feel like dying today!" "Think about it, Art! A ghost wants to talk to us! When will we ever have an opportunity like this again?" Vivi insisted.

"Vivi, no-"

Lewis took a startled step backwards as the van doors swung open and he was greeted by an excited Vivi. She quickly jumped out of the vehicle and stood uncomfortably close to Lewis, grinning like a madwoman. Lewis glanced behind her, and saw Arthur peeking out at them from the driver's seat, as far away from him as he could be. Mystery sat like a guardian in front of the seat, glaring at Lewis suspiciously. The ghost wasn't able to look at Arthur long, because Vivi caught his attention once again when she suddenly smashed her fist into his skull.

Lewis made a strangled noise as his head flew off his body and landed in a patch of grass several yards away from the van. He was struck with a feeling of vertigo while he watched his body stumble toward him, hands reaching blindly.

"Woo, that felt good!" Vivi laughed, shaking her fist. "You deserved that, you jerk!"

"Vivi! Are you bonkers?! Don't make the ghost mad!" Screamed Arthur.

Lewis's body finally caught up to his head and he was gingerly lifted back to his proper place above his shoulders. He dusted a few blades of grass from his skull and dug clumps of dirt from his eye sockets, but other than that, he was unharmed.

"Okay, yeah, I deserved that." Lewis agreed as he walked slowly back to the van. He moved gingerly, trying not to provoke Vivi again. He'd almost forgotten how scary she could be when she was mad.

Vivi fixed him with a glare and folded her arms. "Yeah you did. What the heck were you doing, trying to hurt poor Arthur back there!?" She scolded, shaking her finger at him.

Lewis rubbed the back of his skull and looked down at his feet guiltily. "Y-Yeah, about that..." he looked back up, gazing over Vivi's shoulder and into the van where he could see Arthur cowering in the front seat as he watched them warily. "I came to apologize. I... uh, I thought you were someone else. You look like the guy who killed me." It wasn't a lie, really. "I'm sorry for attacking you. It wasn't until you left that I realized that you weren't the man who murdered me." He said sincerely, staring Arthur in the eyes as he spoke.

Arthur looked away from the ghost's glowing gaze, but he at least looked thoughtful. Vivi, however, was absolutely ecstatic. 

"Wow! You're really self-aware for a vengeful ghost! Usually they don't differentiate between people and events, and only lash out at anything and everything. Ah- that was rude, wasn't it?" Vivi caught herself and backpedaled. "What I mean to say is that you're really something! Isn't he, Artie?" She turned to address her friend, but all she could see was the back of the seat and a few tufts of his hair poking out over the top. She puffed her cheeks and put her hands on her hips. "Arthur! He's not going to hurt us! Come out, he's perfectly safe!"

Arthur shuffled around in his seat and peeked around the edge just slightly. He looked scared and not at all put at ease by Vivi's words. "I-I think I'll st-stay in here..." he squeaked.

Lewis felt his anchor turn a darker shade. Arthur was so scared. He didn't know if he'd be able to make up for causing it. Vivi opened her mouth to tell Arthur to come out again, but Lewis waved a hand in front of her face to draw her attention away from the trembling blond.

"No, it's ok, i'm not offended. He doesn't have to do anything. I've scared him enough already." Lewis assured. He smiled, or tried to. He wasn't sure how successful he was with a jawless skull for a face. He must have shown his happiness enough to make Vivi brighten back up and delve right back into her questions.

"So, how are you here right now? I thought you were haunting that spooky house. Most ghosts can't leave the place they haunt." She said, eager to hear his answer.

Lewis waved his hand and formed a black plush chair to sit in, smirking internally at Vivi's awed stare. "The mansion is a construct of my power. It doesn't exist unless I want it to. I'm not bound to one place, really, so long as I have some purpose somewhere else." He explained.

Vivi was practically vibrating in excitement. "C-can you make it right now?!" She gasped. "Like, right here? I wanna see it!"

Lewis nodded and stood from his chair as it disappeared in a flare of pink fire. He turned to the large campsite clearing and raised his arms to begin forming the manor, but was interrupted by Arthur's indignant squawk. Lewis looked back into the van and was shocked to see Vivi trying to pull Arthur out of his hiding place. Mystery was barking angrily at her on the floor.

"Come on, Art! He's gonna bring back that cool mansion! It has beds! Real beds!" She told him excitedly.

Arthur held onto the car seat for dear life, eyes wide and terrified. "N-no! I'm fine with the van! No spooky mansions, please!"

"But Arthur, I want to sleep in a real bed!" She pleaded, tugging harder.

"Hey!" Lewis gasped, jumping into the vehicle.

Startled, the girl let go of Arthur, who stumbled and fell onto the floor of the van between Lewis and Vivi, practically at the ghost's feet. The blond mechanic looked up and froze at the sight of an annoyed specter standing above him. Mystery scrambled to Arthur's side and growled quietly up at the ghost.

Lewis pinned Vivi with a stern stare, arms crossed. "If he doesn't feel comfortable with me bringing back the mansion, then I won't do it. You shouldn't pressure him into doing something he's scared to do. The supernatural may seem fun and exciting to you, but he's obviously wary of it, remember?" He said firmly.

Vivi blushed in embarrassment. "S-Sorry Arthur. I forget how scary the supernatural is to you sometimes. I just get so excited." She said sheepishly. 

Lewis nodded gratefully to her before  looking down at Arthur. The blond was staring up at him with a shocked and thoughtful expression. Mystery had stopped growling, and instead watched Lewis suspiciously. Arthur flinched a little when the ghost lowered his hand down to him, but eventually accepted the help and got to his feet with Lewis's aid. Arthur stared at the ghost in front of him for a minute. Even with a skull for a face, he looked apologetic and sincere.

Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath before focusing back onto those eerie glowing sockets. "Alright. Let's see that mansion again." He said confidently. In the next moment, however, he seemed to deflate. "Ah, there won't be any more moving suits of armor or scary paintings or trapdoors, right?" He squeaked.

Lewis laughed. It was a light, happy sound. He nodded to the nervous man. "Of course not. Again, I'm sorry about all of that. Let me make it up to you!" The ghost led the two humans out of the van and told them to stand back while he constructed his manor.

Lewis suddenly felt excited. He knew that he was a particularly powerful ghost, and he wanted to impress his friends. So, with much more flare than needed, Lewis built the huge construct bit by bit before their eyes. Purple and pink flames lit up the night sky as the building grew higher and more extravagant than his last.

When Lewis was done, he felt weak. He couldn't stay floating, and instead landed on the ground heavily. Even then, he could barely stand and swayed on his feet. A hand met his shoulder and he looked over to see Vivi smiling up at him.

"I think you overdid it. We don't need a place that big, and you look a little worse for wear." She told him gently.

Lewis nodded jerkily and raised his shaking arms again. Once he got rid of a floor or two, he felt much better. The building was still huge, much too big for just three people and a dog, but Lewis wanted only the best for his friends. He needed to make up for what he put them through.

"Okay then, I'll give you a tour." Lewis told them, grinning internally.

Lewis had his deadbeats prepare two rooms for his friends while he showed them around. Much to the ghost's relief, Arthur seemed to relax the longer he was in the house. No paintings moved, neither did the suits of armor. The building was brighter than it was when he was in it last. Burning purple lamps hung from the walls instead of flickering candles, and the layout was easy to remember, unlike the maze it was before. 

Feeling accomplished, some of Lewis's depleted energy seemed to restore itself and he finished off the tour with a spring in his step. They ended up on the upper floor, in a hallway that started near the staircase in the main hall. There were four doors, two on each side of the hall. 

Lewis opened one of them on the left wall. Inside was a large bedroom. There was a huge, plush-looking canopy bed with dark purple velvet curtains by a tall bay window, a dark desk that sat next to a large bookcase full of colorful books, a wide dresser on one side of the bed, and a lamp upon a night table on the other side.

Grinning internally, Lewis addressed his guests. "These are your rooms! The doors across the hall are the bathrooms. Take your pick and get settled. I'll be happy to accommodate you for the night." He told them politely. 

If I do this right, maybe they'll let me travel with them. Lewis thought. He didn't want to go back to being alone. He'd forgotten how great it was to be with his friends, and now that he knew what it was like again, he didn't think he could go back to what he had before. 

Lewis made a noise like he was clearing his throat to break the awkward silence that formed between them. "So... I guess I'll leave you to it then. If you need anything, just find a Deadbeat and tell it to get me. They won't be hard to find, the little guys roam everywhere. I told them to not go into your rooms, though, so don't worry."

Vivi and Arthur nodded, the former excitedly while the latter did so nervously. Lewis turned to walk away, but Vivi stopped him. "Wait! I have so many questions! If I dump water on you, will your hair go out? If I were to break that lamp, would you feel it? If-"

Arthur came to Lewis's rescue and grabbed Vivi's hand. "Uh, Viv, let's leave the ghost alone. It's late, and I'm tired. You can ask him questions in the morning." The blond practically begged. He kept throwing Lewis wary glances, as if he was worried about how he'd react.

Arthur was clearly uncomfortable with him around. Lewis rocked back on his heels and clapped his hands. "Well... I guess I'll just... I-I'm gonna go." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder and turned away. 

Lewis internally berated himself as he floated away. Why were things so awkward? He knew why, but he still didn't like it. He longed for the closeness they once shared. It really hurt to see Arthur so scared of him. It hurt even worse to think about why he was so scared of him in the first place.

Maybe he should tell them who he was. Maybe that would be for the best, after all. Better to get the shock over with so they can begin mending their friendship. Lewis perked up just slightly. Maybe that would work.

The ghost turned and walked back down the hall, practically running. He skidded to a stop outside one of the doors and raised his hand to knock, but, like back at the van, the voices inside the room made him stop. It was Vivi and Arthur. They were both in the room, talking. Well, more like arguing.

"Vivi, we can't stay here! We have to get back on the road!" Arthur was saying.

Vivi responded quickly and angrily. "But think about how much we could learn from this ghost! He's heckin' powerful and probably ancient! He must know so much about the supernatural. Besides, we aren't going anywhere! You never tell me why we're traveling all over tarnation, anyway!"

Arthur sounded close to tears when he practically shouted back at her. "Easy for you to say, he seems to like you! He tried to kill me! I'm not going to trust him! We need to get back to our search. We need to find Lewis!" Arthur's words suddenly choked off and his voice became frantic. "W-Wait, no! I didn't mean to say his name, Vivi don't black out!"

Lewis heard a heavy thud that sounded like a body hitting the hardwood floor. Mystery barked in alarm and he heard Arthur curse. Worried, Lewis opened the door and rushed into the room without knocking.

He saw Arthur on the floor with Vivi's head resting in his lap. Mystery was next to him, licking Vivi's cheek. The girl was motionless, except for the steady rise and fall of her chest. She looked like she was asleep, but Lewis knew better.

"What happened?" He demanded.

Arthur let out a shriek of surprise and fear at the sudden appearance of the ghost. Even as his whole body trembled, he still unconsciously hunched over Vivi's body protectively. Same old selfless Arthur. Lewis would have smiled if he wasn't so worried, or had a face. 

"I-I didn't hurt her! I p-p-promise!" The blond gasped, eyes wide and wild.

Lewis tried to make himself look more unimposing, but he didn't know if he was successful. Arthur's body shook as the ghost approached slowly and kneeled down next to him. Lewis reached out a hand and felt Vivi's forehead, but the motion was useless as he couldn't feel warmth or cold very well anymore. He hummed thoughtfully and gently opened one of Vivi's eyes. They were glowing magenta. He gasped and pulled his hand away quickly.

"What? What is it?!" Arthur asked frantically, his fear of the ghost forgotten in his worry for his friend.

"That's magic. She's under a spell." Lewis murmured, outwardly calm. Inside, however, he was confused and frantic. Even as he gently lifted Vivi and put her in the bed with Mystery watching over her, his thoughts were going a mile a minute. That was his magic. He would recognize the color anywhere. That didn't make sense, though. He never cast any spells on Vivi. Unless...

"Was it something you said that caused this fainting spell?" He asked Arthur when he returned to the blond's side on the floor.

Arthur looked tired. So tired. "Yeah. There used to be four of us. Me, Vivi, Mystery... and Lewis, my best friend. He was this big guy with purple hair. Sweetest man around. He and Vivi were the cutest couple... but then we went on an investigation to a haunted cave and... something happened." Arthur grabbed his metal arm with his flesh one and stared down at it with glazed eyes. "I don't remember what; the doctors said I'm suppressing the memories due to trauma. All I remember is going into the cave, then waking up in the hospital down an arm, and a friend." Arthur began to tremble again, but not in fear. "Lewis was gone, my arm was gone, my memories of what happened to him were gone. So were Vivi's, but worse. She... she doesn't remember anything about Lewis. It's like he doesn't exist to her. She doesn't see him in pictures or anything! If I mention him, she'll either go all silent and absent, or she'll faint." Arthur's shaky voice lowered into a whisper. "I try not to say Lewis's name... but it hurts. I don't want to forget him, too..." 

So that was it. Lewis vaguely remembered seeing Vivi on a lower ledge as he fell. She must've seen him die, and he made her forget. Magic cast on the brink of death was powerful, even to someone who didn't or couldn't use magic when they were perfectly healthy. Lewis didn't even know how he could break the spell, even though he cast it. Or maybe... Lewis looked down at his anchor. It was cracked badly, and glowed a dull blue. Maybe if he showed Vivi the picture inside the locket like he had planned, she would remember... Lewis shook himself mentally. Making her remember something so awful as his death? He just couldn't do that to her.

Arthur sniffled, bringing the ghost out of his thoughts. Lewis realized with a start that he was crying. Arthur choked out a bitter laugh, the hand holding his metal arm gripped tighter until his knuckles were white. "It figures that it was magic that made Vivi forget. The doctors couldn't explain how she didn't see him in pictures, yet I still could. Is the spell on me too? Is that why I can't remember what happened to Lewis? Is there a way to break it?" He turned teary eyes up at the ghost sitting next to him. Lewis wanted to cry as well. Arthur looked so lost. He was in so much pain because of this fruitless search for him. He just wanted to tell Arthur that his best friend was here, right beside him.

Lewis was silent for a moment before he tried to speak, but Arthur cut him off again. He hunched his shoulders and looked away from the skeletal ghost. "Look at me, dumping all of my emotional baggage on you. You probably don't want to hear this crap." Arthur said bitterly. He moved to get up, but Lewis quickly wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him back to the floor. Arthur tensed, and turned startled eyes to meet glowing magenta ones.

Lewis knew immediately that he overstepped a line. Arthur looked uncomfortable and scared, so Lewis quickly let go of him. "S-sorry." He mumbled. 

Arthur looked away, still nervous. It seemed whatever moment they shared was gone, and Lewis cursed at himself. He shouldn't have touched Arthur. He almost forgot that the blond had no idea who he was and so far most of his interactions with him weren't all that positive. With a sigh, Lewis stood up. "I can't tell you how to break Vivi's spell, but I can tell you without a doubt that you aren't under it. What you have is exactly what the doctors said. Losing an arm is traumatic, so it's no wonder you're suppressing that memory. Maybe one day you'll remember." Lewis hoped that day wasn't coming any time soon.

Arthur still looked tired and sad, but his tears were dried and he seemed a little better. His now puffy red eyes didn't do much good for the dark bags under them, though. It looked as if Arthur hadn't slept for weeks. Lewis realized that he probably wasn't far from the truth. He remembered that Arthur always complained about how sleeping in the van hurt his back, so they would get a motel room as often as they could. Now, though, Arthur was so desperate to find him that he probably didn't bother paying for a room, or bother sleeping at all.

Lewis sighed and held out a hand for Arthur to take. The blond didn't hesitate as long as he did before, but he still flinched a little when Lewis gripped his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Now, you are going to bed." The ghost's glare stopped Arthur's protest. "Vivi will be fine. I'll have a few Deadbeats watch her. You, however, look more dead than I do. You're going to go into that room, and you're going to sleep." Lewis said sternly, practically herding Arthur out of the room and into the one next to it, while the mechanic kept giving him weird looks.

Lewis left as Arthur looked around and shut the door behind him. Once he was out of sight, he slumped against the wall and made a sound like a deep sigh despite possessing no lungs. This is going to be harder than I thought. He groaned. If he wasn't careful, Arthur would figure out who he was. He couldn't act as if Arthur was his best friend. He couldn't be his usual mother hen self. Arthur was a genius. It wouldn't take long for him to figure it all out, Lewis knew that. He just hoped he could postpone that revelation until he was properly prepared for the mayhem that was sure to follow.

After commanding a passing Deadbeat to keep an eye on Vivi, Lewis sank intangibly through the floor. He descended past the kitchen on the ground level, and into the basement where his coffin stood like a monolith at the back of the chamber. Lewis felt drained and weary, having spent too much energy so soon after reforming. He slowly floated over to the coffin and phased into it without bothering to open the lid. Once inside, Lewis retreated into his anchor. It was as close to sleeping as he could get, and he recovered energy much faster in this state.

Lewis saw the two Deadbeats flee the suddenly tense atmosphere, but he didn’t pay them any mind. He could only stare like a deer caught in the headlights. Arthur gazed right back with glazed eyes wide with horror and disbelief. He looked devastated, like the world was crumbling right before his eyes.

“A-Arthur…” Lewis choked out, but trailed off. What was he to say? Hey buddy! I’m dead, but it’s ok!

“You… you’re a ghost?” Arthur’s eyes filled with tears, and his voice trembled. “Lewis… no, you can’t be Lewis!” He suddenly shouted. He glared scathingly at the ghost, trembling hands clenched into fists at his sides. “This has to be a trick! Lewis isn’t dead! Lewis would never try to hurt me! He- he isn’t… he isn’t gone. He can’t be…” Arthur’s snarled words tapered off into a broken whisper. He looked away from Lewis and stared down at his feet as his shoulders shook with suppressed sobs.

This was happening too fast, too soon. Lewis hoped he had another day or two before he had to face Arthur. Of course, nothing ever went to plan. Now he had to find a way to keep from losing his friend completely.

“Arthur…” Lewis started again. He scrambled for something to say. “I… Yeah. I-It’s me.”

Arthur’s head snapped up and connected his gaze to Lewis’s. He didn’t speak, only stared. His eyes were wide, pupils tiny pinpricks against gold iris, glazed with tears. They darted to and fro, studying every detail of Lewis’s skull face, trying to find some sign that this was all a cruel trick.

“No… you aren’t Lewis…” Arthur insisted, covering his face with his mismatched hands as he shook his head from side to side.

Lewis stared back at his best friend, heart aching. Arthur was in denial. He knew that what Lewis said was true, but he didn’t want to believe it. It would take more than words to convince him completely. Lewis wished that he could take it back. He wished he hadn’t confirmed his identity. He could have thought up some excuse, told Arthur that he was wrong, that he had no idea who Lewis Pepper was. He didn’t know how Arthur was going to react to this, and that scared him. It was too late, now, though. He had to face this. There was no backing out.

Lewis took a deep breath he didn’t need and looked away from his hysterical best friend. He clenched his fists, tensed his shoulders, and counted backwards from ten. He made a decision. He hoped it was the right one.

With a flurry of fire, he changed. He felt a light pressure curl around him, like putting on a coat, only all over. He just hoped that his human projection looked better now than it did when he wore it last.

When Lewis opened his eyes and looked up at Arthur, he knew that he’d succeeded in convincing him of his true identity. Arthur’s eyes were even wider now, a feat Lewis thought to be impossible. The rest of Arthur’s face was devoid of emotion. He just stood there, motionless, staring up at the ghost that now looked exactly like his lost friend.

Lewis dared to float closer. “Artie-”

Arthur screamed.

Lewis recoiled, losing hold on his human projection and reverted back to his skeletal appearance in shock. Of all reactions, this one wasn’t one Lewis was prepared for.

“Lewis?! You-you’re dead! Why?! How?! Why are you here!?” Arthur shouted, wild gaze frantically darting over Lewis’s form. Then, his eyes snapped up to meet glowing ones, full of horror. “You… you tried to kill me. You tried to kill me! Wh-What did I do?! Why would you-” Arthur’s hysterical babbling suddenly cut off with a choked gasp. He paled as white as a sheet. His gaze darted to his metal arm and stayed there. For a whole minute, the kitchen was dead silent as Arthur stood, frozen, staring down at his prosthetic. Then, he began to tremble and his breathing picked up until he was hyperventilating. Lewis quickly realized that Arthur was remembering.

When the most heart-wrenching of sobs began falling from Arthur’s trembling lips, the ghost snapped out of his shock and floated forward, arms reaching out to comfort.

“A-Arthur, don’t-”

Arthur’s gaze snapped back up to Lewis, and the pure, unadulterated terror in his eyes made the ghost stop dead. Arthur’s whole body trembled as he stumbled back a step. He clutched his metal arm to his chest, gripping it so tight that his flesh hand was white. He frantically shook his head, and Lewis worried briefly about Arthur’s neck. He didn’t take another step closer.

“D-don’t!” Arthur practically shrieked. “I-I didn’t mean to! I didn’t want this! P-please believe me! I never wanted to… to…” the blond’s pleas fell away with a hysterical sob. “Oh god! O-Oh god, I killed you! You’re dead! Lewis, I’m so sorry! I’m sorry I’m sorry I'msorryI’msorry-”

Lewis could only watch with a growing sense of horror and guilt as his dear friend fell into hysterics. Arthur apologized over and over as he stared not at the ghost in front of him, but through him, seeing something that Lewis couldn’t. He tugged harshly at his blond hair as he buried his hands in it, shaking from head to toe. It quickly became unbearable, and the ghost couldn’t stop himself from acting.

Despite Arthur’s choked scream and his desperate scramble away, Lewis caught him in his arms and held him tight against his chest. Arthur’s breaths left his lungs in harsh, gasping sobs, between which came whispered pleas for mercy as he struggled frantically against Lewis’s unyielding grasp. Lewis only held tighter, afraid that if he let go, he would never get the chance to hold Arthur ever again. He pinned the struggling man against him with one arm and raised the other to slowly run his fingers through spiky blond hair soothingly, whispering reassurances. He was nearly drowned out by Arthur’s own hysterical voice.

“Calm down, Arthur. I know. I know, okay? I’m not going to hurt you. I’d never hurt you. I swear.” Lewis hushed softly. He repeated the words over and over, hoping they’d get through his friend’s thick skull.

It took a while, but Arthur’s struggles and pleas slowed, and eventually stopped. Lewis didn’t know if it was because he tired himself out, or if he believed his words. Either way, Lewis didn’t dare let go or fall silent just yet.

“I promise, Arthur, I forgive you. You didn’t mean to kill me, and I’m so sorry I tried to hurt you. I was wrong. I know that now. Please don’t be afraid of me, Artie. I still love you. So much,” Lewis whispered firmly as he loosened his hold just enough to rub Arthur’s back in soothing circles.

The two stayed like that for a while. Arthur’s heart-rending sobs had fallen to pitiful whimpers and sniffles, but Lewis knew that his words got through to him when he felt a pair of mismatched arms wrap around him in return. Arthur clung to him now, his face buried in the folds of the ghost’s suit as he began to hiccup.

Lewis chuckled quietly. Arthur always hiccuped after he had a good cry. It didn’t happen often, but the sound was familiar and put Lewis at ease somehow. It was a while before one of them spoke.

“You’re a ghost, Lewis.” Arthur whispered brokenly. He sounded so sad. It hurt Lewis’s already cracked heart.

“I know.” Lewis murmured, petting the top of Arthur’s head.

“You’re dead.”

“I know.”

“I k-killed you.”

“No you didn’t. That wasn’t you.”

“This is all my fault.”

Lewis sighed and pulled slightly away from Arthur, just enough to tip his head up and make him meet his eyes. “Are you even listening to me? That wasn’t you. I realized what happened after I found you again. You turned green, Arthur. That’s a sign of possession, as in, something else was in control of your body. It wasn’t you.” Lewis gently tapped his knuckles against Arthur’s forehead. “When will this get through your thick skull? How many times am I gonna have to say it? Because I will say it a hundred times every day until you believe it.”

Arthur gave a tiny, wobbly smile. “It’s going to take a while, Lewis. I can’t just… forget what happened, especially after only remembering it just now.” Then, everything else Lewis said seemed to register. “E-every day? So, you’re staying?” Arthur looked hopeful.

Lewis nodded, smiling. “Of course I’m staying. Who else will make sure you take care of yourself? Did you think I was going to just move on or something after this?”

Arthur let out a breathy laugh and wiped at his eyes. “I don’t know, man… everything is just so messed up.” Arthur broke eye contact and instead stared at Lewis’s magenta ascot. He picked at the material with his fingers nervously. “This doesn’t feel real…”

Lewis laughed. “Of course it isn’t real. This whole body is just a projection. My suit isn’t made of real cloth.”

Arthur snorted and thumped his metal fist against Lewis’s chest. “That’s not what I meant!” He sighed and slumped against the ghost, as if he lost the strength to stand. “It’s just… I’ve been looking for you for nine months, Lewis. I thought that whatever happened to Vivi’s memory happened to you. I thought that you were out there somewhere, lost and confused. I was going to find you and bring you home… alive.” Arthur reached up and lightly touched his metal fingertips to the heart that beat a sad rhythm against Lewis’ chest.

The ghost sighed and took Arthur’s prosthetic hand in his own much larger one, pulling it away from his anchor. He stepped out of the embrace and held the hand in both of his, stroking a thumb over the cold metal. “I’m sorry, Arthur. Nothing about this is ideal. We all lost something that night, but nothing can change what happened. We can only move forward.” Lewis reached out and cupped Arthur’s cheek, wiping away some of the lingering tear streaks under the blond’s eyes. “It will be hard, I know.  Like it or not, we’ve changed because of what we went through, but only time will tell if we can grow and move on despite it all. Whatever happens, I’ll be there for you and Vivi every step of the way. I promise.”

Arthur gave Lewis a watery smile and rubbed the back of his flesh hand over his eyes. “Ah, man, there you go again, making me cry. I’m the one who should be apologizing, yet here you are busting out the pep talks. You haven’t changed a bit.” Arthur’s expression suddenly changed to one of confusion and worry as he sniffed the air. “Say, do you smell something burning?”

“Huh?” Lewis followed Arthur’s example and sniffed. The stinging smell of acrid smoke assaulted him. “Your breakfast!” Lewis gasped, horrified.

The ghost quickly left Arthur’s side and rushed to the oven. The door flew open and let a few wisps of smoke escape and drift toward the ceiling. Lewis cursed and pulled the two hot pans out. He groaned and poked at the food with a conjured fork.

“Aw, man… I hope you like your eggs well done, Arthur.” Lewis griped.

Arthur walked over and peered around the ghost. “It’s just a little burnt around the edges. I’ll still eat it, you know I’m not a picky eater.” The blond scrunched up his face and waved a hand in front of his nose. “I wouldn’t object to opening a window, though. I’m not a fan of the smell of smoke.”

Lewis gave the food one last glare before he turned around to do as Arthur asked. “Yeah, it it does smell pretty bad.” He muttered.

Lewis was halfway across the kitchen when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks with a gasp. Arthur stared at Lewis’s tense back questioningly and slowly approached the motionless specter.

“Lewis? You okay, buddy?” The blond called hesitantly.

Lewis slowly turned to face Arthur, who quickly noticed what looked like skin creep over his skull. It took a minute, but he was soon staring up at a very human-looking face. The only thing that didn’t change was his suit and his spooky eyes, which were wide and absolutely sparkling.

“Holy shit.” Lewis whispered in awe.

Arthur, confused, raised his eyebrows and gestured helplessly. “What are we holy shitting at? Speak to me, dude.”

Without warning, Lewis grabbed Arthur and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. The ghost laughed long and loud as he twirled his friend around the kitchen.

“I can smell! Holy shit, I can smell things! Do you know what this means, Arthur?!” Lewis cried happily. Arthur could only wheeze in reply, but that didn’t seem to faze the ghost. “Something is happening. I don’t know what, but whatever it is, it’s something amazing!” Lewis suddenly plonked Arthur back on his feet and began pacing the kitchen, hands gesturing wildly. “This is so strange! Ever since I came back, I didn’t have a sense of smell, but it’s suddenly returned! Why, though? Why now?” The ghost continued to pace, even going as far as walking vertically up the wall as if it were nothing and across the ceiling. He paced upside-down for a while as Arthur watched, slightly horrified. “What else can I get back? I would love to taste things again. Do you think that’s a possibility? Maybe I’ll be able to feel warmth and cold next. Ah, maybe that wouldn’t be for the best. What if my flames burn me when I try to use them?” Lewis’s hair was flickering and spitting sparks in his excitement as he babbled. “I wonder what brought this on? Maybe it’s because of you, Arthur? Maybe by letting go of my grudge against you, I’ve regained something that I lost?”

Arthur could only dazedly watch his friend walk literally all over the kitchen, completely baffled. Lewis always had a problem with pacing when he thought, but this was ridiculous. “Ah, Lewis, maybe we should ask Vivi about this? She’s the expert.” He suggested.

Lewis halted, luckily with his feet planted firmly on the floor, not the ceiling, and turned to Arthur with the biggest, brightest grin on his face. It made his heart skip a beat. “You’re right! I bet Vivi would love to figure this out!” Lewis seemed to remember something. “Oh! Vivi! We should probably get her up so she can eat breakfast with us.” Lewis beamed down at Arthur and playfully clapped him on the back, which in turn knocked the air from his lungs and sent him sprawling to the floor.

Lewis gasped and quickly crouched down to help the wheezing man up. “I’m so sorry! I guess I don’t have the best control over my strength, huh?” Arthur only groaned into the tile floor and didn’t attempt to stand. “Arthur? D-did I really hurt you? Oh jeez. Here, let me get you up.”

Lewis grabbed the motionless Arthur around the waist and began lifting him, but he didn’t get far. Something smashed into the side of his head with so much force, he was sent flying into a kitchen cabinet. While he could still feel pain, it was usually dulled and easily ignored, but whatever just hit him hurt like hell. While Lewis was trying to make sense of his now rapidly spinning world, he heard Arthur’s voice.

“Holy shit, Vivi!” Arthur shrieked. The ringing in Lewis’s ears nearly drowned out the blond’s words. He could swear he was seeing literal stars.

“Oh my god, you’re alive! Where are you hurt? I’m so sorry, Arthur. I should have listened to you. I should have never trusted the ghost or left you alone! I must’ve fallen asleep and now you’re hurt!” Vivi cried.

Lewis struggled to make sense of the blurry blue and yellow shapes moving around in front of him, but his head hurt so bad that he couldn’t think straight, let alone see.

“Vivi! You-you just hit him! With a bat!”

“Hell yeah, I did! It’s a good thing I had this in the van. I knew all that ghost defense stuff we bought in Amity Park would pay off! If that ghost dares to even take one step toward you, he’ll get another taste of anti-creep stick!” Vivi crowed.

“W-what?!” Arthur gasped. “But those things hurt ghosts!”

“I think this is just a regular bat, actually.” Vivi mumbled.

By that point, Lewis’s vision was beginning to clear and his splitting headache was fading. The ghost groaned and sat up against the damaged cabinet, rubbing at his eyes and temples in an attempt to alleviate the lingering pain. He heard Arthur gasp and looked up in time to see the blond scramble to his side.

“You’re okay!” Arthur said, relieved. He reached out and gently touched the side of Lewis’s head where the bat had struck, wincing. “Ah, jeez… a hit like that could have caved a skull in. I don’t see anything, though. Do ghosts bruise?”

Lewis shook his head and used the countertop to pull himself to his feet, where he swayed unsteadily for a moment or two. “I don’t really have blood, so I won’t bruise, but damn did Vivi sure try.”

Arthur winced sympathetically. “I’m sorry, dude. I didn’t even hear her come in.”

“Um, can someone please explain what’s going on?”

Lewis and Arthur turned to face Vivi, who had her arms folded, the cursed bat still clutched in one hand as she glared at them. “I wake up, find you gone, come running down here only to smell smoke and see you lying face down on the floor at the feet of the ghost who tried to kill you yesterday, yet now you’re all buddy-buddy with him?” Vivi said, pointing at Lewis with the bat.

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck nervously while Lewis fidgeted next to him. “Ah, we kind of made up last night. He’s actually pretty cool.” The blond said lamely.

Vivi raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what is Mr. Cool-Ghost’s name, then?”

“It’s Lew- wait, no.” Arthur stopped himself just in time. If he said Lewis’s real name, Vivi would just blank it out. “U-Um… well… h-his name is-”

“Lou. My name is Lou.” Lewis butted in.

Arthur glanced at him and smiled gratefully. “Y-yeah. Vivi, meet Lou, who is totally undeserving of the anti-creep stick’s wrath,” he said pointedly, glaring at the mentioned weapon. “He was only trying to help me up.”

Vivi winced and looked at Lewis apologetically. “Oh yeah, sorry about that. I just panicked when I couldn’t find Arthur.” She said sheepishly.

Lewis waved a hand dismissively. “No harm done. It’s actually kind of sweet that you’d beat a ghost off with a bat for your friend.” He chuckled with a dazzling smile.

Vivi stared at Lewis for a moment or two, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks. She leaned over and whispered to Arthur, “When exactly did the skeleton turn into a hot dude?”

Arthur burst out laughing, and Vivi’s blush darkened. She none-too-gently whacked Arthur’s back with the bat and he shut up quick.

“Sorry, sorry.” Arthur wheezed, rubbing his now aching spine. “It’s just… you have no idea, Viv.” He chuckled with a mischievous smirk.

Vivi hummed and leaned closer to Arthur, eyes narrow. “What do you mean I have no idea? Do you think Lou is hot too?”

Arthur’s face flushed pure red and he squawked, “Wh-what?! O-of course not! Why would you think that?!”

Lewis laughed at his friends’ antics and quickly added his two cents. “I’m hurt, Arthur. You don’t think I’m attractive?” He said with a pout.

Arthur’s blush extended past his neck and covered his face with his hands, mortified. “You two are unbelievable! You’re going to team up against me!” He cried.

Lewis’s laugh was booming, and while it had a terrifyingly distorted echo, the two didn’t seem to care one bit. The ghost once again clapped Arthur on the back, taking care to not knock him off his feet again.

“Don’t worry, Art, I’ll take your side every once and a while.” Lewis said. Arthur only groaned loudly behind his hands as the ghost guided him to the dining room table. “Now, sit down and eat, you two. Your food is cold already.”

Vivi happily took a seat, eager to eat as always. “You made us breakfast?”

“Yeah. Had a lot of fun doing it too.” Lewis said as he went to retrieve the omelettes.

He heard Arthur snicker. “Yeah, you should have heard him, Viv. He was singing his heart out in here with his little ghosts.”

Lewis would have objected, or blushed if he could, instead he simply warmed the food back up with a quick flare of controlled fire, and dished it. He brought the plates back to the table and set them in front of his friends.

“Sorry. They’re a bit burnt. I’m a little rusty in the kitchen.” He said sheepishly as he used his powers to conjure silverware for the two humans to use. “I could grab something for your dog to eat, too.” Lewis sat down at the head of the table and looked around. “Where is the little guy, anyways?”

Vivi looked up from her plate briefly, cheeks full of food. “I dunno.” She mumbled before swallowing. “I’ll call him.”

As she did that, Lewis eagerly watched Arthur take a bite of his meal. The blond’s face lit up and he practically melted into a happy puddle. “Oh my god. I missed your cooking so much, man.” He groaned before digging in without another word.

Lewis chuckled. The warm flame in his chest grew at his friend’s praise and he couldn’t help feeling proud of himself. Lewis watched two of the most important people in his life happily enjoy what he made. The ghost closed his eyes and rested his chin on the palms of his hands as he felt himself relax. He simply basked in the presence of his dear friends. He heard their heartbeats and felt the energy of their souls, flickering with life. Vivi’s was an energetic pink color, while Arthur’s was sunset orange with just a hint of green. They were alive, and while Lewis himself wasn’t, he found that he was somehow content with that.

Then, a third energy joined the others. This one was an overpowering crimson, writhing and shimmering with an almost oppressive magic. Lewis opened his eyes quickly and stared at the source in confusion and unease.

“Mystery! There you are! Come on, Lou has some food for you!” Vivi said happily, leaving the table to collect her pet.

The sound of a shattering plate pierced the air, followed by a chair clattering loudly to the floor. Lewis turned his attention to the noise and was shocked to see Arthur with his back against the wall, trembling uncontrollably. His metal arm was spitting yellow sparks as it rattled and convulsed. Arthur looked positively terrified, even more so than he did before, when he thought Lewis was going to kill him. His wide eyes were trained on Mystery, full of such a potent horror that it brought about an intense urge to protect him in Lewis.

The ghost left his seat and firmly planted himself between Arthur and Mystery, who looked both shocked and nervous, two very human emotions that looked out of place on a canine’s face. Lewis pinned the creature with a fiery glare.

It didn't take long for Lewis to 'wake up.' Only a few hours later, his body reformed from his anchor and he felt much better. He marveled at how quickly he regenerated for a moment. Usually it took up to six hours, sometimes more when he felt particularly drained like he did earlier, but this time he was only in his anchor for somewhere around three hours.

Lewis phased out of his coffin and asked a passing deadbeat what time it was. The little pink ghost mimed a clock's hands with its stubby arms, showing that it was approximately four o' clock. Lewis nodded to the ghost to dismiss it, but the deadbeat tapped his shoulder after he turned away.

"What is it?" He asked. The little ghost hid one arm behind its back and reshaped its antenna-like head protrusion into a familiar split cowlick. "Arthur? Something's wrong with Arthur?" Lewis questioned, alarmed. The deadbeat shook its head and mimed sleep before it shook its head again. "He's awake?" The deadbeat chirped happily and nodded.

Lewis thanked the little ghost and hurriedly floated up through the floors. Why was Arthur awake at four in the morning? Did he even sleep at all? Lewis worried for the blond's health. Arthur was usually so energetic, and with him on the road and running on only a few hours of sleep, he was bound to crash at some point. Probably behind the wheel of the van, with his luck.

Lewis arrived at Arthur's room and phased right into it without knocking. Sure enough, the blond was awake, sitting on the bed with his laptop in his lap. Lewis had thought the bags under his eyes couldn't get any darker, but they did.

"Arthur!" Lewis exclaimed.

The blond shrieked shrilly and practically threw the laptop at the trespassing ghost. "HOLY SHIT DON'T KILL ME!" He screamed.

Lewis easily caught the laptop before it could crash into him or the floor and instantly felt guilty for scaring Arthur, but he just couldn't help it. It was one of his ghostly quirks. Now, however, he wished he didn't have it. Arthur was panting and clutching his chest with his flesh hand, wide eyes wild and trained on the ghost in his room.

Lewis raised his hands in surrender and floated closer to the bed. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, but you shouldn't be up! What are you even doing? You should be sleeping!" The ghost grabbed the comforter from the mattress and flipped it over Arthur's head. "Go to bed."

Arthur's fear and confusion gave way to anger. He shoved the blanket off and yanked his laptop out of Lewis's hand. "None of your business." He mumbled. He looked annoyed and defensive, but most of all he just looked tired. Arthur stubbornly opened his laptop again. "I don't know why you're so concerned. I don't sleep much nowadays and I'm perfectly fine."

Lewis would have raised an eyebrow if he had them, but he settled for floating over Arthur's shoulder to catch a glimpse of what he was doing on his laptop. The blond was quick to shut it and glare at the snooping specter, but Lewis had already seen what was on the screen. It was a word document, mostly blank, simply titled 'nightmare' and the day's date. The only word on the document was 'green.'

It was then that Lewis realized exactly why Arthur was awake and he wanted to bash his skull into a wall. He should have seen this sooner. Arthur was having nightmares. He was somewhat prone to them back when Lewis was alive, but he only had bad ones once or twice a week. Now, however, Arthur had the buried memory of that night in the cave under his belt. Lewis wondered what he saw. His best friend's death, or the loss of his arm? Lewis didn't think he wanted to know. What he did want was to hug Arthur. He wanted to tell him that everything was okay, but he couldn't. It hurt to watch his friend suffer, unable to comfort him.

"Nightmares, huh?" The ghost said awkwardly, fingers twitching where they rested on the bed next to Arthur's hand. He wanted to touch the blond. Hold his hand. Do something.

Arthur hunched his shoulders and drew his arms close to himself defensively, an angry and embarrassed flush on his face. "So what? I get nightmares, no big deal. I don't remember what they're about when I wake up, anyway." Arthur looked disappointed as he said those last few words, staring down at his laptop sadly. "I wish I did..."

He knew he was dreaming about what happened that night, Lewis realized. Arthur was trying to remember by writing down what he saw before it left him. It was obvious that despite all these months since the incident, Arthur hadn't learned anything important from his nightmares. Lewis wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or sympathetic.

He did know one thing, though. Arthur had to sleep. There were only a couple hours of darkness left, but Lewis could easily make the room perfectly dark after it was light out. Arthur needed at least four more hours of sleep, but he was likely to have another nightmare in that time. Lewis searched his mind for something he could do, and soon came up with an idea.

Back when he was alive, he would sing Arthur back to sleep when he had a nightmare. The three of them sleeping together in the van or a motel always helped keep the dreams at bay, but sometimes one slipped through. Lewis was always there to help him get back to sleep. Vivi, too. Obviously he couldn't do that now, but he could offer the next best thing.

"You know..." Lewis started. Arthur turned to look at the ghost sitting beside him. "The Deadbeats love to sing. I'll bet if you ask them nicely, they'll sing you to sleep. They would probably sing to you the whole night if you wanted them to."

Arthur looked thoughtful, and a bit embarrassed. "I'll, uh... keep that in mind." He stared at Lewis for a moment longer, brows furrowed and expression confused as if he were trying to figure out what the ghost was thinking just by looking at him. Finally, he gave a little smile and shrugged. "Vivi was right. You really are something. You have to be the strangest ghost I've ever met, but... I'm glad for it. Thank you- er, I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." Arthur looked even more embarrassed now.

Lewis internally panicked. What was he supposed to say?! "Ah... I- um... I don't remember my name." He managed to say. "J-Just call me whatever you like." Lewis retreated from the room after that with a quick, "Sleep. Please. Or I'll hide your laptop," said over his shoulder

He didn't notice the searching look in Arthur's eyes as he watched the ghost leave.

Once he was out of the room, Lewis quickly asked a couple Deadbeats to go in to both keep an eye on Arthur and to offer their talents. The little ghosts were ecstatic to have the opportunity to sing for someone, and happily phased through the door and into the blond's room.

Lewis stood there for a few minutes. Soon, the soft sound of music filtered through the door, followed by quiet singing.

"I saw a ghost on the stairs,

And sheets on the tables and chairs,

The silverware swam with the sharks in the sink,

Even so, I don't know what to think."

Lewis quietly chuckled to himself. It was ironic that Arthur would choose that song, but it was a good one to fall asleep to. Sweet with just a touch of melancholy. He remembered singing it to Arthur a few times before. Lewis felt a little spike of pain in his heart. How he wished to be the one singing to Arthur. It was an odd feeling, considering the fact that he was completely prepared to kill Arthur just the day before. Now, though, that rage was gone. Love and guilt filled the space in his heart where it once resided. Bittersweet.

Lewis reluctantly floated away from Arthur's door to check on Vivi. In a few hours, he'd start making breakfast. He was excited to cook for someone again, even if he couldn't eat what he made himself. It was nice to do something for his friends. Lewis sang quietly to himself as he floated through the halls of his home.

"I've been longing for,

Daisies to push through the floor,

And I wish that plant life would grow all around me,

So I won't feel dead anymore."

A few Deadbeats heard his song and appeared at his side, humming along. Lewis gave the little ghosts an affectionate pat. He didn't know what to do for the next four hours besides cook. When he was alive and had time to kill, he would clean, but the mansion was always spotless upon creation. He supposed he could see what he had to cook for breakfast. He hoped Vivi didn't eat all the food he had stocked up. The only reason he had it was for when he killed Arthur to 'protect' her and take her in.

Lewis winced at the memory and stopped singing. He felt so foolish, to think that Arthur willingly murdered him. He had put so much thought and planning into his scheme to kill the poor man to protect Vivi, yet Lewis didn't spare much thought on reviewing the actual events of his death. He just hoped he wasn't too late to mend their friendship.

Lewis shook himself out of his dark thoughts. There was no use in wondering, all he could do was try to make up for what he did. Starting with an amazing breakfast for his two friends.

He floated across the main hall and into the kitchen located under the arch of the left staircase that branched off of the main one. The kitchen was big, identical to the one back in Pepper Paradiso, with plenty of counter space and a large stove.

Lewis opened the fridge located next to the stove and scanned its contents. Vivi and Mystery had wasted a lot of food when they made those sandwiches the day before. He would know, he felt every piece of meat, cheese, lettuce, and bread pelt him as he flew into them.

Lewis groaned. He'd spent the last of the money he took from his corpse on that food. He refused to steal, and instead tried to make himself look normal and buy groceries for Vivi on his own. His disguise just didn't work. If he didn't concentrate at all times, his 'skin' would become transparent and show his skull underneath, and he couldn't figure out how to change his black suit into something more casual. Most alarming, his eyes were larger than they should have been, more like the sockets on his skull face. Not to mention the fact that they were pitch black. The only reason he was able to get the food in the first place was because he threw the money at the screaming grocery store cashier and ran away.

Lewis really didn't want to do that again.

Sighing, Lewis closed the fridge and left the kitchen. He couldn't start cooking right then, anyways. It was at least four hours, he hoped, until his friends would wake up. He wanted them to sleep longer, particularly Arthur, but Lewis knew that they didn't like to stay still for long. It was one of the things he loved so much about his friends.

Smiling internally, Lewis glided through the mansion, searching for something to do. He eventually decided to retreat to his 'room' and do some remodeling. There was no reason for it to continue to be dark and scary anymore. When Lewis was done renovating, the room was smaller and looked more like a bedroom than a crypt, but with a coffin. Lewis debated on whether or not to get rid of the coffin too, but decided against it. He was still a ghost, and the coffin was fitting. Lewis was allowed to be dramatic. It was just who he was.

The room still lacked that lived-in feel, though. Lewis chuckled a little to himself. Maybe lived in wasn't the best word. Even so, there were no personal items in the room at all. It was nothing like his bedroom in the apartment he and his friends rented back in Tempo. There were no alpaca plushies, or Sailor Moon posters. Lewis wondered what happened to that stuff after he died. He hoped they didn't get thrown away. He remembered that he kept some of his belongings in the van. Maybe they were still there?

A few minutes later found Lewis ransacking the van for his stuff. At first he didn't find anything. His box of things wasn't where it was supposed to be. In its place was a plastic tote of what looked like spare parts for Arthur's prosthetic. After he moved that, however, he found a small cardboard box, shoved as close to the van wall as it could be, completely out of sight.

The ghost dragged the box out and studied it. It looked like a shoebox with an old, worn label that Lewis couldn't make out. It was light, and he couldn't hear anything bounce around when he shook it, but Lewis was still curious about its contents. It was obviously hidden for a reason, most likely by Arthur. So, without wasting a moment longer, Lewis opened the box.

Lewis stared for a moment, confused. He pulled out a medium sized, well-loved Alpaca plush with soft lavender fur that barely fit in the box and held it in his hand. It was one of his favorite stuffed animals. He'd had it since he was a little kid. It was always on the shelf above his bed back at the apartment, never in the van. Lewis realized that Arthur must've taken it out of his room and put it here. Why?

Lewis returned his attention to the box, where a piece of purple cloth lay bunched in one corner. The ghost carefully sat the stuffed animal in his lap and reached into the box to pull out the cloth. He was surprised to find that It was one of his ascots. He owned a lot of them, but most were his favorite shade of purple. The one in the box was one such ascot, but it was rumpled and had what looked like oil stains in a few spots.

Lewis stared at the two items in confusion. Why would Arthur have these hidden in the van? Well, if Vivi saw them, she would surely ask questions that Arthur didn't want to answer again, Lewis surmised. If that was the case, why keep them in the van at all?

Upon closer inspection, Lewis noticed a few blond hairs stuck in the material of the alpaca's fur. With a pang of sadness, Lewis realized why Arthur kept the two items in the van. They were for comfort. Arthur likely tied the ascot around his own neck, or maybe his wrist, if the oil stains meant anything. It wasn't hard to believe that the blond would cuddle with the plush when he missed his best friend. Arthur was the one to give him the alpaca all those years ago, after all. It was important to both of them.

Feeling both touched and sad, Lewis collected his two belongings and left the van, sure to put everything back the way he found it. The ghost slowly made his way back to the crypt, and lovingly placed the stuffed animal on a conjured shelf right next to his coffin. The ascot he neatly folded up and slipped into the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

Somewhat satisfied with the crypt for now, Lewis returned to the upper floor and found, much to his dismay, that it was only five thirty. He'd never had such a problem with time before. Days always seemed to blur by when he spent them stewing in hatred. Now, he seemed to have greater awareness of... everything, really. All he could think about before was exacting his revenge and getting Vivi back.

Now Lewis was bored out of his mind. He searched and searched for something to do, when he heard the quiet singing of a passing deadbeat. Music! He hadn't written a song since he died! He could probably conjure a copy of his trusty violin and some blank manuscript paper. Hopefully the paper wouldn't vanish forever when he deconstructed the house.

It took a few tries, but Lewis was able to create a working violin. The paper was easy to make, but now that he had everything he needed, he was stumped on what to do next. What kind of song did he want to write? He wanted it to be happy and bright. Then, Lewis remembered that he already had an unfinished song he'd started a few months before the cave fiasco. It had been coming together nicely, a sweet little song of love. It wasn't even for Vivi, specifically. It was for both his friends.

Lewis smiled to himself and tried to call up the manuscript for the song, and was pleased when he was able to conjure a perfect copy. The ghost gathered up the papers and his violin and sped off to find a secluded room where he could work without worry of waking his guests. He knew the manor like the back of his hand, so it didn't take long to find one such room. Once he was there and ready to play, he ran into a small roadblock. He had no chin or neck to rest the violin against. It took a few minutes of fiddling and altering to figure out, but Lewis was able to hold the violin just under his jaw. It was awkward, but he was determined to make it work. With no further delay, Lewis happily began.

As he fell into the familiar routine of tuning his instrument and testing out what notes fit best, a pleasant warmth began to bloom in his chest. It wasn't like the blistering heat from the fire of rage that used to drive him. This was a soft and controlled flame that made him feel warm all over. He was happy, the happiest he'd been since he died. It made him feel more alive somehow.

As Lewis played, he didn't notice the colors of the manor become brighter, and the dim halls become less dark and foreboding. He didn't notice the gaggle of happy Deadbeats that joined him in his song. He didn't even notice the deep crack in his dull anchor recede just a little, and its color brighten to an almost turquoise glow.

Lewis let himself get lost in his music, twirling to and fro gracefully. All else fell away. It felt so good to let everything go and just enjoy himself. He'd almost forgotten how playing felt. He didn't realize how much he missed it until he relearned what he was without. It seemed he was rediscovering a lot of things in the past several hectic hours. It was confusing, and he still had some conflicting feelings, mostly about Arthur, but even those were beginning to fade away. Despite the confusion, despite the sudden changes, despite the guilt, Lewis knew that what was happening was good. It was good for him, and it was good for his friends.

The ghost worked on his joyful, lilting melody for what felt like mere minutes, but must've been hours, because one of the Deadbeats tapped him on his shoulder. Lewis was startled out of his concentration and lowered his violin to look at the little ghost questioningly. The Deadbeat trilled and flew over to a shuttered window that definitely wasn't there a minute ago, and flipped up the cover. It was bright and sunny outside.

"Oh, dear." Lewis said as he flew over to the window and checked the position of the sun. It looked to be around seven or eight o' clock, give or take. He wasn't very good at telling time that way. "I'd better get to making breakfast before the others get up."

Lewis hurried to the kitchen. He felt sad to leave behind the pure joy he felt in that room, but he reminded himself that he enjoyed cooking just as much as he enjoyed playing his violin. Even though Vivi usually made dinner when they were home, Lewis's cooking was saved for special occasions when they could splurge on the more expensive ingredients he was used to working with. He loved what he did. It was just another thing he needed to rediscover.

However, as Lewis opened the fridge to gather ingredients, he hesitated. It had nearly been a year since he last cooked. Lewis was worried he wouldn't be able to even do it anymore, considering his sense of smell and taste were non-existent. All of his senses other than hearing, sight, and touch to some extent, were dulled to a shadow of what they used to be when he was alive.

Lewis shook off those thoughts and rekindled his determination. He had to be optimistic. This wasn't for him. This was for his friends. Even if he couldn't smell or taste what he was making, he would do his best, and that was all that mattered. Hopefully the end result was palatable.

The ghost didn't have much to work with, only a carton of eggs, a gallon of milk, raw bacon, a whole ham, and some vegetables. Things that Vivi couldn't or wouldn't put in a sandwich, obviously. Though she probably would have tried anyways. She got food poisoning on more than one occasion from experimenting with meals.

Lewis considered what was left in the fridge and ran through his arsenal of recipes for something suitable. Omelettes came to mind. Or maybe a breakfast quiche. Arthur didn't much care for most quiches, though, despite enjoying other foods with the same ingredients. Arthur wasn't a picky eater, though Lewis questioned his friend's palate sometimes when it came to a certain favorite pizza, but even he had some dislikes.

Lewis pulled out the carton of eggs, cherry tomatoes, a bag of spinach, the bacon, and a half-empty bag of shredded cheese. He noticed with some amusement and slight disgust that he was down two sticks of butter. Who put butter in a sandwich? Vivi and Mystery, apparently.

Lewis deposited the ingredients onto a counter where he could work and ran through the recipe in his head. As he began preparations, Lewis quickly found himself falling back into routine. All of his previous worries left him, and he worked with confidence as soon as he started.

It felt just as natural to simply create the utensils he needed as it was to use them. It was just like what he felt when he played his violin. As Lewis chopped the spinach with practiced hands, he felt everything come back to him. The joy of cooking he'd completely forgotten about in his previous rage now filled him with warmth and contentment.

Lewis prepared the spinach and tomatoes with ease before moving on to cooking the bacon. He cut up a few strips and put them in a skillet. He paused above the stove, and eyed the burners. Curious, he decided against using them and instead simply held the bottom of the skillet and let his hand ignite with spectral fire. Lewis laughed when the bacon began to sizzle. He was his own personal stove. He couldn't stay like that long, though, because he needed two hands to beat eggs, so he lit one of the burners and let the bacon finish cooking there.

While he waited, Lewis cracked eight eggs into a bowl and whisked them. It was at this point that the ghost began to hum, which in turn attracted a pair of wandering Deadbeats. The little specters curiously watched their keeper cook, as they'd never seen him do it before.

Lewis paused in his humming and said, "can one of you grab me the salt and pepper shakers?"

The smallest Deadbeat of the two happily did as asked. Lewis was bemused to find that he now had a sack of flower sitting on his countertop. He stopped beating the eggs for a moment, took the bacon off the stove, deposited the meat onto a plate and poured the grease into a bowl before he addressed his charges.

"You guys don't remember what salt and pepper is?" He asked them. The Deadbeats shook their heads in reply. Lewis smiled sadly. "I guess it makes sense. Most of you were almost faded away by the time you found me." He sighed. Lewis rolled up his suit sleeves and turned to the gaggle of ghosts floating in his kitchen. "I guess I'll just have to teach you. I could use some help around the kitchen." The Deadbeats looked absolutely thrilled and immediately began to sing and twirl around the room. Lewis knew that he would regret this decision later.

With Lewis attempting and failing to instruct and command the little ghosts, the simple task of making breakfast became a whirlwind of flour fights. While Lewis quickly put a stop to the fight by telling them to sing a song to direct their boundless energy elsewhere, the mess still remained.

They were happy to sing, and chose the song that was sung to Arthur. It was odd how the Deadbeats seemed to have a hive mind when it came to music. If Lewis knew a song, so did each and every Deadbeat, and if one was singing, the others knew and would begin singing the same song even if they were on the other side of the mansion. While the ghosts sang happily, Lewis quickly cleaned the kitchen. He just couldn't stand cooking in a mess.

It didn't take Lewis long to clean, and went right back to work on breakfast with his Deadbeats when they began the next verse. It seemed now that they had a second outlet for their energy, the little ghosts were much easier to direct. Lewis put one to work on preheating the oven, while he explained everything he was doing to the other, knowing that if he taught one, the rest would know.

"See, salt is a seasoning, and pepper is a spice. Technically spices are also seasonings, but salt isn't a spice. Anyway, with seasonings, especially spices, you only put in a little, unless you're trying to make something spicy. Get it?" Lewis looked up from his pepper shaker and bowl of eggs at the Deadbeat to see if it was listening. The poor thing looked confused. Lewis chuckled and put away the pepper. "You know what? Disregard all that. Just remember that when you're helping me make food for Arthur, don't use a lot of pepper. Arthur can't handle anything spicy." The Deadbeat seemed to understand that, and nodded excitedly.

Lewis beamed proudly at the ghost before returning to the bowl of eggs and explained the recipe to it. He was just about to add some of the leftover bacon grease to the eggs when he felt something tap his shoulder. Lewis just barely stopped himself from dropping the bowl in surprise and turned around quickly. He saw the other Deadbeat floating behind him.

"What is it?" He asked. Then, he noticed the lack of music. "Why'd you stop singing?" The Deadbeat cooed and tapped Lewis on the forehead. "You want me to sing with you?" The Deadbeat nodded excitedly and let out a happy trill. Lewis smiled internally. His little charges always seemed to enjoy themselves most when their keeper sang with them.

Lewis chuckled and finished adding the grease to the eggs and mixed them. "Alright. You guys must really like this song. Where were we?" The ghosts began to sing once more, and Lewis chimed in. His deep baritone melded well with the Deadbeats' higher voices. His heart pulsed to the beat, a tiny crack just barely visible against its happy yellow glow.

"I'd rather waltz than just walk through the forest," Lewis sang joyfully, swaying from side to side as he whisked the mixture in the bowl. "Someone grab me those sauté pans." He said between lines, gesturing to the mentioned pans that hung above the stove.

"The trees keep the tempo and they sway in time,"

Lewis accepted the pan and poured half the contents of the bowl into each. He didn't bother with the stove and simply used his spectral fire again. He rested a pan on each of his flaming palms and carefully danced around the kitchen with the singing ghosts.

"A quartet of crickets chime in for the chorus,"

Lewis felt light and warm, as if he were a spark drifting up from a fire. He'd missed this. Missed feeling so free. He didn't realize how stifling and restraining his rage was until he let it go. If he could still enjoy things like music and cooking and the company of his friends... maybe being a ghost wasn't so bad. It wasn't great, but he could live with it. He felt more alive than he did before.

"If I were to pluck on your heartstrings, would you strum on mine?"

Lewis returned to the counter with the pans and spread cheese, bacon, spinach, and shredded cheese liberally over the half-cooked sheets of egg. He conjured a spatula and folded the omelettes in half. Both pans went into the oven.

As Lewis closed the oven door, he took a step back and beamed down at the two Deadbeats excitedly watching the omelettes cook through the glass. He felt proud of himself. He didn't need to taste or smell anything. He just needed to rely on his instincts and visual cues, and he could cook just as he used to.

"You've still got it, Lewis Pepper." He declared.

Then, the tiniest of gasps from behind him made all of Lewis's elation and warmth leave him in a rush. The ghost spun around and froze at the sight he was met with. There, in the doorway of the kitchen, stood Arthur.