You woke to the low hum of the air conditioning slipping through the vents. It was the only noise in the too quiet room. You rolled to find the bed empty beside you. The clock on the wall said 12:40 am. You hands found the empty pillow, it was cold. Either he'd been up for a while or he hadn't come to bed at all. You threw the covers back and found your footing on the hardwood. Sleep still heavy enough to make you wobbly.

Slowly and quietly you made your way down the hallway. Eyes scanning for his figure in the dark. The places you found him were as inconsistent as his sleep schedule. One night you'd walked passed him three times because he was sitting in the floor. Asleep against the living room wall. His body tense as if even in his sleep he was still ready for a fight. Sleep did not come easy for him, and most times came with a price.

Bucky was in the kitchen. He'd seated himself in one of the stools at the island that he was now slumped over. His head laid on his crossed arms as he stared into the darkness. His worn black shirt and grey sweatpants told you he had at least attempted to sleep. Sadness tugged at your heart at the distant look in his blue eyes. Physically he was here, mentally he was trapped somewhere else. You gently laid a hand on his shoulder. Softness crept into the blue as he slowly made his way back to you.

"Hey, handsome." you whispered when he finally looked up at you.

"Hey." he smiled. His voice thick from lack of use. You draped yourself over his shoulders putting your cheek against his. He took a deep breath and relaxed under you weight.

"Rough night?" you asked. He just hummed in response. You felt it more than you heard it. You lifted you head and placed a gentle kiss on his temple.

"Sorry." he said softly.

"For what? For being cute? For being sweet? For eating my terrible cooking? For dealing with my questionable music taste?" you punctuated each question with another kiss to his face. He chuckled, slowly setting up and pulling your arms tighter around him.

"Well, now that you mention it." he grinned.

"Don't you dare." you covered his mouth making him laugh.

"Fine. If you insist." he smiled resting the back of his head on your shoulder. A short silence fell over the dark room. His fingers tracing mindless shapes on your forearms as you held him.

"You're so patient with me." he said after a few more moments.

"You're human, Buck. And you're healing from wounds you should never have had to carry. Bumps in the road, even small ones, are inevitable." you brushed a stray strand of hair from his face. "And I love you. For you, I have all the patience in the world. Especially in the moments that you forget you deserve it." He turned his head just enough to look at you. His eyes glassy and full of emotions he couldn't articulate. He grabbed your arm and guided you around him then effortlessly sat you in his lap. His metal arm wrapped around your waist, flesh one cupping your cheek.

"I love you too." he whispered pulling you into a gentle but passionate kiss. Bucky didn't say those words often. Not because he didn't feel it, but because words failed him more often than not. Especially when it came to expressing how he felt. But you never had any doubt that he did. What he couldn't tell you he always showed you. He always made sure his actions made up for his lack of verbal confessions.

"Ready to go back to bed?" he breath ghosted against you lips. His every thought on display in the deep pools of blue.

"Very much so." you bit your lip, fingers playing with the stubble on his chin. A wicked grin spread across his face. You were all for dragging him back down the hallway. But not until you were sure his mind was at ease and he'd actually be able to rest when he was done with you. "But first, I have a different idea." He raised an eyebrow, clearly confused as you freed yourself and slid out of his lap.

You padded across the cold tile and flipped on the small wall lamp above the sink. Standing still for a moment as you both adjusted to the new light. Then with a smile you slipped into the living room. Flipping on the old record player and putting the needle in place. The quiet of the house filled with one of his favorite tunes as you stepped back into the kitchen. You giggled at yourself internally. You had to be quite the sight in the low light. Hair still a mess from sleep, his shirt that swallowed your frame and completely covered your sleep shorts. But he sat there and stared at you as if you were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. A blush crept over your face under his gaze.

"Dance with me." you held out your hand. He was on his feet and in front of you in seconds. Soft laughs joined the music as you swayed around the kitchen. One song melted into the next, but his rhythm never changed. Moving both of you to a beat that only he could hear. His eyes never leaving you as you moved. You could feel the tension finally leave his body just before he spun you. You giggled in surprise as he pulled you back against him.

"This was a good idea." he laughed.

"I have one every now and then." you joked as he spun you again. "And as much fun as this has been, I would like to revisit your idea." shifting your tone and lightly tugging at his dog tags.

"Oh yea." he hooked your legs and hoisted you up. "My girl finally ready for bed?" his voice low and teasing against your ear as he wrapped your legs around his waist. You nodded in response, heat flooding you body waking up every nerve. The innocence of the moment before completely lost in something more intimate.

"Use your words, Sweetheart." his order just above a whisper. His eyes locking with yours.

"Yes." you breathed out shakily.

"Good girl." he said with a devilish grin and flipped off the light. You trailed kisses from his jaw to his shoulder as he carried you. A groan rumbled through his chest when you squeezed him tighter with your thighs. He flipped off the record player as he moved through the living room.

"You gonna let me take care of you now?" he questioned.

"If you insist." you playfully echoed his words from earlier.

All of you were in the common room. Voices raised with excitement as they planned the evening. Three years ago you had, somehow, managed to convince the rest of the team to go with you to the fair. It had always been a tradition of yours. The team had accepted you immediately, falling into place as if you'd always been there. But you were a private person, kept things close to your chest. Especially if they held sentimental value. So when you had offered to invite them to something so important, they practically leapt with joy. The night had been a blast even if it had ended with two minor injuries. John and Alexie had challenged each other to stand in the middle of one of the tilt-a-whirl rides. Which was fine until it, well tilted, promptly dropping them both to the ground. They were still laughing while they brushed themselves off. Yelena still had the video on her phone, and Bob had declared the night a new tradition for all of them.

Next to you on the couch sat Bucky. The only one quiet in all the chaos that was unfolding. Just watching the others in silent amusement. He never chimed in to the planning. Simply along for the ride and ready for a night away from the tower.

"If they get any louder the neighbors are gonna report us for disturbing the peace." you chuckled, nudging his elbow with yours.

"Pretty sure they've been through worse than Alexie yelling at an ear-breaking decibel." he grinned turning his head to look at you. Blue eyes locking with yours making your heart skip a beat. You'd grown close to everyone, but not as close as you were to the man sitting next to you. From early mornings in the kitchen when sleep escaped you to late nights he spent on the floor of your room when sleep was ripped from him. You'd gotten to know each other in the loudest quiet moments where walls weren't an option. And somewhere in the darkness you'd fallen for him. That was one secret you refused to let lay open, even in the comforting still of the night.

"You ok?" he asked softly. Referring to the reason that you had also been quiet. You had broken things of with your ex almost a month ago. He wasn't terrible but he definitely was great either. You'd grown tired of the back and forth and feeling like even after nearly eleven months the man didn't seem to know you at all. But he had called a couple nights ago and begged for one more chance to make it right. At first you had refused, but in the way he always had he'd worn you down until you had agreed. So he was going to meet you and the team there tonight.

"I don't know." you answered honestly. Your eyes dropped to the floor as you let out a heavy exhale. You didn't want to do it especially not tonight. This was your night, and it was probably going to end poorly.

"You don't owe him anything." Bucky stated firmly but gently.

"I know. I owe it to myself. To be certain." you looked back at him. You didn't necessarily miss him, you missed having that kind of connection with another person. Faulty as that one was, it was still there most of the time. He just nodded. As if he could hear your unspoken thoughts.

"I won't be far if you need me." he offered you soft smile.

"I know. You're the best, Buck." you returned the smile. You wrapped your arms around his metal bicep and put your chin on your shoulder.

"Five bucks says that by the end of the night Peter will dare John to jump off the top of the Ferris wheel." you whispered with a giggle. That earned a full laugh from him that he covered with his other hand to not draw attention.

"You're on." he said between breaths.

----

At five you were all gathered near the main door. Bucky and Steve were taking their bikes, but the rest of you were trying to figure out who was riding with who. Tony had insisted on as few vehicles as possible. Stating we were going to enjoy not to take over the parking lot. You, Yelena, Natasha, Ava, Bob, and Clint all crawled into one large SUV. Thor, John, Sam, Alexie, and Peter into the next one. Tony and Bruce fell into his fancy sports car he also insisted on bringing. The two men on motorcycles lead the pack as you left the parking lot. It was a two hour drive so you all settled in. The girls fell into conversation while Bob and Clint took turns playing a video game one of them had snuck in. You leaned forward and wrapped an arm around the headrest of Yelena's seat.

"No. It's definitely not, we're just more skilled than other people." Yelena defended. Natasha had told her that participating in the skeet shoot was cheating since she was a trained ex-assassin.

"There's gonna be very skilled hunters participating, it's the same thing they're doing." you added and Yelena cheered.

"Not even close." Ava full belly laughed. Your eyes flicked to the road in front of the vehicle. To the motorcycles that were cruising about a car length ahead. The men were sat back and relaxed. Every so often the helmets would turn toward each other, no doubt communicating through the comms in them.

You were rolling into the parking lot before you realized how much time had passed. All the doors on the vehicle swung open in unison, everyone was ready to stretch their legs. There was plenty of room inside, but the seats left much to desire. Your back ached in an unfamiliar way while you stretched.

"All right. Don't burn the place down and if you get hurt by doing something stupid you paying your own hospital bill." Tony announced as he marched toward the gate. Pepper and Morgan waited for him having arrived earlier in the day for the daytime child attractions. Everyone slowly followed suit some conversations continuing from the vehicles. You fell in between Steve and Bucky who were picking on Sam for his ridiculously large sunglasses. You were about to join in when you spotted him. Your ex stood by the gate, hands in his pockets. Looking around for you. You didn't realized you'd stopped walking until Bucky put his hand on your shoulder. You looked up at him eyes wide.

"You don't have to stop, you don't have to even talk to him. We can just keep walking by." Bucky said his eyes flicking to the other man. You shook your head. You'd come this far, may as well see it through. He gave you a soft ok then strode to catch up with the other two. Leaving you there to do what you needed to do. You weren't even sure what that was anymore.

"Hey." you said as you approached him.

"Hey." He responded. That annoying arrogance washing over his face. You ignored the spark of rage and gestured toward the door. Once inside your were entranced by all the lights and the different music playing around you. It never got old, walking in and seeing all of it. Especially in the dark when all the lights were on. There was suddenly a large hand in the small of you back, then Bucky's voice was in your ear.

"Focus, Sweetheart. You're being left behind." he whispered. Then he was gone. The spot where his hand had been suddenly cold at the lack of contact. You looked to your right and sure enough your date had walked off. Still talking, having no idea you weren't there to listen. You rushed to catch up, pretending you had heard every word. He led you through the attractions stopping long enough for you to look at some of the booths. The whole time you hadn't been able to get a word in as he rambled about everything he'd bought in the last month. You eventually just stopped attempting to talk, that spark fo contempt growing into an ember.

The next stop was one of the many food concessions. He bought two corndogs and handed you one. Immediately turning on his heel and continuing his journey to wherever he was going. You stepped away from the stand and stopped, letting him get a little ahead of you. He knew you didn't like corndogs, that was his thing. You body instinctively tensed when two arms appeared at your side, relaxing at the peek of the metal on the left hand side. It gently plucked the corndog from your hands and the other one slid a funnel cake into them. You stared at it for a few seconds. It was just the way you liked them with strawberries and chocolate on top. You'd never told anyone that. You turned just in time to see Bucky taking a bite of the corndog as he melted back into the crowd while looking at you.

You hurried to catch up to your date as you took a bite of the sweet treat. He yet again hadn't noticed that you were gone, much less that you had different food. He just kept yapping about his boat as you ate. Your head spinning trying to figure out the situation you were in. You couldn't see the dark haired super soldier, but you wondered if he could see you. Watching as you scanned the crowd for him. What was he doing?

"Wait here I'll be right back." you date said, snapping you back into the moment. But he was gone before you could say anything. You tossed the now empty plate in a nearby trash can. And then your eyes saw it. The rifle booth, and you practically ran over. There it was on one of the back prize shelves. The fluffy white stuffed animal you wanted so bad. It was a cat that was curled up asleep. You'd wanted it since the moment you saw it a couple years ago, but you hadn't been able to win it. You had to take down all the targets in three rounds to get it, and that last one was small and wicked fast. And it defeated you every time. You fished in your pocket for the cash to pay, holding it up to count it. Then it was carefully snatched from your hands. You looked up to yell at someone but stopped when you saw it was Bucky again.

"I think not." he chuckled as he stuffed the bills back into your pocket.

"Excuse me?" you questioned, voice cracking at the sudden closeness of his large frame.

"That's not how this works." he said and handed the man inside the booth cash from his own pocket. He slid off his jacket and held it out to you. You couldn't help but stare for a moment before you took the mass of leather, laying it across your now crossed arms.

"You don't even know which one I want" you stated. Still trying to catch up to the moment.

"You sure about that?" he chuckled as he picked up the fake gun and took position in front of the booth. You stood next to him as the man in the booth switched the game one. And you watched as Bucky used his ex-assassin accuracy to take down every single target. Even the one that had eluded you for so long. You would have to apologize to Nat later, it was definitely cheating.

Bucky sat the fake gun down and pointed to the back of the booth. The man picked up the little white cat and handed it to Bucky. Who then turned toward you, and you beamed at the sight of it.

"Bucky!" you squealed happily and reached for it. He took his jacket and replaced it with the stuffed animal. You squeezed it and buried you face in the fake white fur.

"What was that you said just a minute ago?" he grinned.

"Forgive me for doubting you." you looked at him over the toy and gave him a dramatic eyeroll. He laughed, eyes flicking over you shoulder. He carefully grabbed your arm and spun you around.

"I suppose your forgiven." his voice low was in your ear, you could feel his breath brush your neck as he spoke. The sensation and tone ignited a different fire in your chest. His hand dropped as your date reappeared in the crowd. You didn't have to look back to know that he was gone. Your whole body ached at his absence, heart hammering so fast it skipped a beat. Your brain wrestling with the shock. The funnel cake, the stuffed animal. Those were things you hadn't shared, yet somehow he knew. Had he been watching you?

"Sorry that took so long. Ticket lines are insanely long." you date said as he stopped in front of you. "Where did you get that?" he gestured at the cat.

"Rifle booth." you answered, but your voice was flat and distant.

"You ok?" he asked waving a hand in front of your face.

"Yea. No. I'm sorry. This isn't working." you blurted swatting his hand away.

"What?" he questioned.

"I'm sorry, I tried. But it's over." you said voice more firm this time. Before he had a chance to start another never ending sentence you turned away from him and disappeared into the crowd.

You wandered through the mass of people. Completely losing your sense of direction but you finally made it to the edge of the of the bodies. It didn't take long for your eyes to land on him. He was pacing in front of a photo booth, eyes on the ground. Your heart beat impossibly fast and your knees went weak. He stopped pacing and looked up at you, seemingly aware of your eyes on him. Confusion washed over his features. You took a deep breath, fear was winning. If you were wrong you were about to ruin the best thing you had. He tilted his head, the confusion melting into concern. You steeled your body and made your legs move, the fear melting away as you strode toward him.

He opened his mouth to say something but you just grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him into the booth behind you. Once he was inside and the curtain slid closed you tossed the stuffed cat to the side and grabbed the other side of his jacket. Pulling him close, so close that your breaths mingled and danced off each others lips. But you hesitated, one last moment doubt just loud enough to stop you. Bucky took over, a victorious smile spreading on his face. He closed the gap and captured your lips in a tender kiss. You melted into him when he wrapped his arms around you. It clicked then, what he'd been doing all night. The point he'd been trying to prove. The connection you'd been hunting for had been right here all along. You would kick yourself later for your stubbornness, right now you wanted to celebrate his victory with him.

You were rudely interrupted by a flash of light. You pulled away confused when another flash happened. Bucky laughed loud and held up his hand to shield yours and his eyes from the light as it flashed two more times. You looked over at the control panel and joined Bucky in laughing. The stuff cat had landed on the capture button that turned the camera on. The strip of pictures slid out of the printer and Bucky grabbed them. Still laughing as he looked at them and then showed you. The first picture was of your kiss, the second of you both being utterly confused and the last two were of Bucky's palm. You snatched them from Bucky's fingers and stuffed them in your back pocket.

"Hey." he half whined.

"Those are mine." you smiled. "Get your own"

"Ok." he swatted the cat off the button and pushed it down. And he was on you again. This one wasn't gentle, you could taste his hunger. His lips whispering his want against yours as your tongues danced together. Your arms slid up around his neck fingers sliding through his hair. His metal arm pulled you flush against him while his flesh one cupped you face. The gentleness of the gesture a completely contrast to the roughness of his mouth, the combination made your head spin. And neither of you cared when the flashes went off again. Not pulling back until your lungs ached for oxygen.

"Take me home soldier." you said against his lips as soon as you could form words again.

"Yes ma'am." a devilish grin spread across his face. He grabbed the photo strip from the printer and stepped back out of the booth. You grabbed the cat and followed him out. As soon as your shoes were on the gravel he scooped you up and threw you over his shoulder as if you weighed nothing.

"Bucky!" you yelped.

"You walk too slow." he said with a shrug. You were gonna argue with him but his phone chimed and cut you off. You felt his body shift beneath you as he dug the phone out of his pocket. A low chuckle rumbled through him.

"What?" you asked, trying and failing to get free. He stuffed the device back in his pocket.

A frustrated groan left you as you sat up in bed. You'd been tossing and turning for hours trying, and failing, to sleep. Your body was screaming for rest but your mind wouldn't stop spinning. An hour here, twenty minutes there. The stress had you running a marathon mentally leaving your sleep schedule on shuffle. It felt like a personal attack from the universe. Some kind of karma for a wrong you didn't know you'd committed.

You forced your body to move. Your arms sore and aching, legs wobbly, as you crawled toward the edge of the bed. Your nerves and muscles roared in protest as you stood up and walked toward the door. There had to be something somewhere in this tower that would help you sleep. Even if it was only for a couple hours. Any sleep at all would be a welcome reprieve.

You slowly padded down the hallway. No real destination in mind, just following you feet. A smell wafted through the air suddenly, sweet and earthy. Tea. You brain finally placed the scent as it grew stronger. Who was making tea at two a.m.? You followed the smell to the kitchen. Thankful that something else was finally weaving itself through your thoughts. You rounded the corner to see Bucky. He was leaned against the counter, mug in hand. His hair was pulled back into a low, lazy bun. Wearing a black tank top and sweatpants. Unnecessarily put together, like he himself hadn't just crawled out of bed. He tilted his head when you walked in.

"Which crypt did they drag you out of?" he chuckled softly.

"Bite me, Barnes." you retorted. You dropped onto one of the stools near the island, legs refusing to hold you up any longer. He just chuckled louder turning toward the cabinets and pulling out another cup. He poured some of the tea into it and slid it toward you. Even in your sleep deprived state you easily fell into your normal banter with him.

"Is this the magic cure for insomnia?" you asked, fiddling with the handle.

"If it was we wouldn't be having this conversation." he grinned and took a drink of his. You carefully took a sip. The warmth washed over you breaking away a chill you hadn't been aware of. You took a deep breath as your felt your body untense slightly.

"Mind too loud?" he asked as you took another sip. The playful tone replaced with genuine concern. You nodded savoring the new wave of warmth.

"Never ending loop." you said sitting the cup down. He nodded in agreement. He knew. He knew all too well.

"Come on." he stood up straight from the counter.

"Where? Why?" you questioned as he put your cups in the sink.

"I'll show you what I do when I can't sleep." he offered you his arm. You wrapped yours around it, using him to steady yourself as you stood up. "But first, I have to swear you to secrecy."

"You keep me from hitting the floor I'll keep whatever secret you want." you said pointing at the cold tile. He laughed quietly and led you out of the kitchen. Walking slow so that you didn't have to struggle to keep up.

What felt like an eternity later, but really wasn't even a minute, he led you into the common room. You were surprised to find Bob sitting on the floor in front of the couch. He smiled and waved when you entered. His bright blue pajamas illuminated by the flickering screen.

"Hey, Bucky." he greeted. His voice just above a whisper.

"Hey. We've got company tonight." Bucky responded as you sunk into the cushions behind Bob.

"That's fine by me." he beamed offering you water and popcorn. You politely turned them down as Bucky laid a blanket over you and handed one to the other man.

"How long has this been going on?" you asked looking between them.

"Couple months. Give or take." Bucky answered. He sat at the opposite end of the couch covering his legs with the other end of the blanket he'd laid on you.

"I have trouble sleeping too." Bob explained. "One night I figured watching tv might help so I ended up here. Bucky was already here doing the same. He didn't say anything, neither did I. Just stared at the tv."

"Does it help?" you asked hopeful.

"Sometimes. Most times it's just nice to not be alone." Bucky said as he relaxed into the cushions. Bob nodded in agreement. He scooted to the middle of the couch so you had a clear view of the tv. Your heart broke a little. Not just cuz they also suffered from having sleep ripped from them, but that they chose to deal with it silently. But you were also happy that they'd found a way to cope with it together. Even if it was just sitting in silence while the tv played nonsense. It felt like an honor for them to have let you into their little bubble. The one solace they had on the nights were their world refused to quiet enough to let the sandman make his rounds.

None of you talked after that. Just stared at the screen. You weren't even sure what was playing, just that it was a cartoon of some sort. And you had no idea how much time had passed when Bob stretched out in the floor and slowly drifted off. You felt your own lids growing heavy. Somewhere between the mindless cartoons and the warmth that Bucky's body heat was spreading through the blanket, your mind had finally shut off. They were right, not being alone really did help in a way you couldn't explain. For the first time in weeks it was silent in your head. You snuggled deeper into the blanket and let sleep carry you away.

The light twist in your bladder made you roll over in bed. A whimper escaping as the urge grew stronger the more you woke up. You forced your sleepy eyes open and looked around. The room was completely dark except for the small amount of moonlight that crept in through the cracked curtain.

You listened hard. There was the soft tick of your mother's clock, the sound of someone snoring, and the barely audible sound of a breeze. But the house was practically silent. Which was going to make your late night trip even more difficult. Your stepdad was a light sleeper and would be furious if he found you out of bed.

Carefully, you sat up in bed, still listening to the house. When no new sounds came you slid off the mattress. The humidity of the night air had settled on the hardwood, making it wet and a little slick.

"Do not get out of bed after dark." your mother's words echoed in your head.

You thought of just getting back in bed. But your bladder screamed at the thought so you took a couple careful steps. Doing your best to avoid the floorboards that creaked even under your small frame. Away from the flow of your fan the humidity also clung to your skin making your steps a little sloppy.

You paused in front of the window, looking out into the dark yard. The trees that decorated it kept the moonlight from piercing most of the blackness.

"Don't stare into the dark unless you want it to stare back." this time it was your grandpa's voice.

You quickly adverted your eyes to the floor. Your heart picking up it's pace at the thought of something outside looking back in. Your grandpa had told you stories. Some his own, others that had been passed down or shared by people he'd met. Stories of things that go bump in the night.

Reminded of your goal by a twinge in your bladder, you took several quick, soft step around the foot of your bed. The hallway was small but looked massive in the moment. The only light was the light from the bathroom spilling out from behind the mostly closed door. One that was left on by your mother at the request of your little sister. And you were thankful for it as you'd been to afraid to admit that you were also afraid of the dark.

You took the 8 short steps down the hallway to the bathroom door. Reaching your hand up to push the door open before freezing. There was a new sound in the darkness. On your right in the direction of the kitchen. A low, raspy, wet sound of breathing. As if who ever it was was trying to breathe while their lungs were full of water. Every other breath was slightly choked and seemed to echo through the empty space.

Suddenly the whole house felt wrong. The hair on your arms stood up and goosebumps flooded your skin. The hot summer air was now bone chilling cold. You could see your shaky breath in the cool air. But you didn't move. You kept your eyes locked on the door in front of you.

The unsettling breathing drew closer and closer. From the corner of your eye you could see feet appear in the light. The toes were too long, the skin too pale. The breathing now sounded as if it were right in your ear. You could feel it brush your face. Tears stung in your eyes, your breathing uneven as sobs threatened to rip free. You didn't know what to do. You couldn't scream, even if you could physically manage it, you weren't supposed to be up. The fear of the thing beside you and the fear of getting in trouble started an emotional war inside. Making the tears slide down your cheeks.

A long gangly finger appeared in your peripheral. Like the toes, it was far too long, and the skin was far too tight. It looked as if the skin lay directly on the bone. It twitched as it reached out and touched your cheek. Sliding up and collecting one of your tears as it slid down. The finger lifted from your face rotating slightly as if they were studying it. The breathing changed slightly, dropping in pitch and picking up in choke. A laugh, it was laughing at your fear.

From somewhere deep inside a surge of bravery came over you. You shoved your hand forward pushing the bathroom door open. Light flooded the hallway and everything vanished. The breathing, the finger, the air was hot and sticky again. A sob finally slipped free as you jumped into the bathroom and shut the door behind you. On the other side you heard shuffling and then a giggle that sounded as if it had come from a small girl.

You sat there in the floor sobbing, the urge that had led you here long forgotten. Too afraid to go back out into the hallway, back into the dark. After a while you heard movement in the hallway again and something pushed against the door. You jumped away from the door and it pushed open. On the other side was your mother. She frowned when she saw you clearly disappointed that you were in there. But her face softened when she saw your state.

Childhood These take place in the home I grew up in and in the various houses we moved to (Age 6 - 15)

First Encounter

The One In The Corner

Mother?

It's Not Just A Storm

It Hides In the Dark

Just Outside the Window

When We met

Inside the Bed

It Whispers

Goodbye, Grandma

That's Not My Sister

The Upstairs Bedroom

It Shouldn't Bounce Like That

The Smell of Smoke

Don't Look At It

We Don't Have A Dog

Scratching

I Didn't Touch You

Footprints

Teenage Years The take place in the house of the friend I moved into after leaving home (Age 16-17)

The Bell

Mirror, Mirror

Lights Out

The Thing In The Kitchen

The Man In The Hat

What Was That?

The Screams

The Storm

It's In The Trees

Don't Open The Door

It's Still Here

Adulthood These take place in the houses I've lived in as an adult up to the apartment I'm currently in (Age 18-35)

Within These Walls (Part 1)

Within These Walls (Part 2)

Within These Walls (Part 3)

Within These Walls (Part 4)

The House That Time Forgot

The Rocking Chair

The Flies

Writing On The Mirror

The Woman In the Shadows

We Meet Again

Don't Answer

I Hear It Walking

Where Are The Dogs?

The Water Is Wrong

Missing Keys

Saving Grace

You Should Have Listened

Still Watching

Beloved Pet

The Giggle

Afraid of the Dark

It Doesn't Like That One

Knocking At Every Door