Matt had told Sean and Julia the same bullshit he had told Christian. He also  made them believe that Agent Sloan and a few other feds, had taken away ‘rubbersuit’  man, and that all was good in the world.

    He told his parents he was waiting for two agents to arrive to move him.

    The McNamara’s believed that, when Chad and Patrick, the couple killed in the house before the Harmon’s, rang the bell, flashed fake badges and told Sean and Julia that they were there to ‘debrief’ Matt before taking him to an ‘undisclosed location’.

    Chad suggested the McNamara’s say their goodbyes to Matt now, while eyeing Patrick. He liked Matt well enough, but it had been Patrick who talked Chad into helping Matt with this. And Chad suspected the reason for that, was because Patrick was hot for Matt!

    Julia hugged Matt, feeling oddly calm. Sean was tore up about the idea of not seeing Matt again, possibly forever. But Julia sensed something was wrong. She just didn’t know what it was. And that something was telling her that she would see her son again, because he wasn’t telling them everything.

    Or maybe it was the fact that Michelle had supposedly known about this the whole time. Considering what a selfish bitch she was, Julia just couldn’t see that part of it. Her putting herself in danger for Matt. But then again, the FBI agents were here, ready to take good care of her son. So there was nothing else to be said.

    Once they left the house, Julia resisted the urge to see if Michelle was still fucking that fake Ben Harmon guy. What was that all about? Clearly, the fake Harmons had had nothing to do with any of this? Or had they?

    Once they were on their way, Julia spoke.

    “Something about this whole thing isn’t right.”

    Sean, who now felt oddly at peace over the revelations of this evening, decided that now was the time to confront his wife over what he had  learned, before he discovered Matt was still alive.

    “Something isn’t right, alright. Before I found out Matt was alive, Michelle told me about Christian and you. In a perfect world, I’d put you out in the street right now.”

    Julia quietly gasped!

    “Michelle told you what?”

    “Stop, Julia! Just stop. Christian looked guiltier than hell! And whatever I think of Michelle, clearly THAT particular affair of Christian’s, is the one she can’t forgive.”

    Julia looked out of the window and began talking.

    “It was after we found out Matt had been raped in prison. It was one time. One moment. But Michelle came home and found us. Now she’s been holding it over both of our heads this whole time.”

    Sean said nothing. Julia looked over at him.

    “You don’t want to know how?”

    “I don’t care. She’s his wife. I’m your husband. We have a right to be upset. Now this explains her shit behavior towards us. It really was more towards you, wasn’t it?”

    “You’re taking her side?”

    “I’m taking my side. We’ve both been wronged.”

    “Sean, did you notice that Christian and Michelle’s cars were still in the drive?”

    “Why are you changing the subject? I don’t care about that! I want to know how we’re going to keep from getting divorced a second time!” Sean snapped.

    Julia now glared at Sean!

    “I saw Michelle before going in to that house! I saw her in the backyard, fucking that fake Dr. Harmon in the gazebo! So she’s not as innocent as she would have you believe.”

    Sean smirked!

    “Good. For. Her. You know what? You owe me a freebie.”

    Julia blinked.

    “A freebie?” she repeated.

    “Someone I can fuck that isn’t you!”

    “Sean, this is not just about Michelle sleeping with another man! We don’t know that those fake Harmons weren’t part of what happened to Matt!”

    “Michelle hid Matt in her home, at a great cost to her own safety and to her marriage. Jesus, Julia, that explains why she didn’t want Wilbur back at the house! So I would suggest you show a little more gratitude here!”

    Julia couldn’t believe what she was hearing!

    “So you’re saying what?” she asked slowly.

    “That one, Michelle put herself out there, so I doubt she’d fuck fake Ben Harmon, if he had had anything to do with any of this! Second, I’m telling you not to tell Christian anything about it!”

    “Oh my God! You’re joking, aren’t you?”

    Sean pulled the car over to the side of the road and faced her.

    “No. No I’m not. We’re going to stay out of Christian’s life for good. That is the only way for our marriage to survive.”

    “I’m not convinced that the fake Harmons aren’t involved in this thing somehow. I think Christian has a right to know everything.”

    “But neither of you thought I had a right to know squat, right?”

    “That’s not true! Sean, it was a mistake, it meant nothing!”

    “If it meant nothing then it shouldn’t have happened, should it?”

    “Sean....”

    But Sean couldn’t take anymore of her lying voice any longer. He took the keys out of the car and threw them at Julia!

    “You drive home--ALONE!”

    He then got out of the car and began walking in the direction from which they came! Julia jumped out of the car and yelled after him, but Sean refused to acknowledge her and kept walking--back towards the murder house.

                                                     ****

    The next morning would truly be a ‘new day’ for all concerned.

    Michelle had returned to the hotel late, looked in on Wilbur, then slipped into bed with Christian, who had only pretended to be sleeping. He had been too scared about his crumbling family to sleep, or notice just how long Michelle’s ‘walk’ had taken.

    Now she was getting Wilbur ready for school, while Christian was going about getting ready for a tummy tuck that morning. Michelle glanced over at him, while making sure Wilbur’s backpack was secure.

    “I’m going to be talking to Wilbur’s teacher about that ‘incident’, seeing my doctor, then I thought I’d go about renting us a house near Wilbur’s school. What do you think?”

    What Christian thought, was that Michelle sounded chipper and forgiving. Maybe a good night’s rest had cleared her head? Or maybe her walk had. But she certainly didn’t sound as if she were about to throw away their family.

    “I think I’d like to come with you to see the doctor and rent the house. I have a surgery scheduled this morning, then I’ll clear my calendar for the rest of the day.”

    The last thing Michelle wanted, was Christian with her today when she went to the doctor, since she planned on telling her husband, that the doctor had decided that sex was forbidden during her pregnancy. Some BS about it being high risk.

    But now he would hear everything. Michelle quickly decided she’d just have to fend Christian off some other way.

    “That sounds good.” Michelle smiled, just as her cellphone rang. She straightened Wilbur’s shirt and he walked over to Christian for inspection. Michelle rummaged through her purse and pulled out her phone, looking at the Caller I.D..

    It was Julia.

    Michelle answered.

    “Hello?”

    “Michelle? Put Sean on the phone.”

    Michelle turned away from Christian and Wilbur and casually walked over to Wilbur’s room via the connecting door, whispering to Christian that she was going to make sure that Wilbur hadn’t forgotten anything. Once in his room, she closed the door slightly and spoke.

    “What the hell are you talking about, Julia?”

    “I know you told Sean everything! Nice! Your life is falling apart so you’re going to fuck up mine too, hey?”

    “Sean’s not here.”

    “I know you’re with him in that haunted house of yours! Put him on! I guess you were his revenge fuck!”

    Michelle peered through the doorway to see Christian looking towards the door questioningly. It wouldn’t be long before he wondered who she was talking to.

    “Sean went back to the house when?”

    “Last night! Actually we were both there at first. We saw Matt off when the agents came to take him away. I also managed to spot you screwing your head off with that fake doctor!”

    Michelle blinked slowly.

    “You went back to the house and saw men take Matt away?”

    “Oh please! Stop pretending is if THAT’S the most important thing I’ve told you.”

    But it was. Because Matt couldn’t have gone anywhere and no men were arriving to take him away. The only thing she could think of, was that Matt got some other ghosts to cover for him or something!

    “I wasn’t at the house last night, Julia. So if you saw the fake Dr. Harmon having sex with someone, it wasn’t me.”

    “She was Black!”

    “Bitch, what the hell does that mean?! Just because you saw some Black woman fucking this man, it HAD to be me! Watch yourself, whore! I’m hanging up.”

    “Stop playing games with me, Michelle or I’ll call Christian and tell him what I saw! Now Sean and I left, then he left me in the car to go back to the house! I know it! And you were there so you must have seen him!”

    Michelle hung up, then went out to the other room.

    “Wilbur, don’t forget your colored pencils. I saw them on the table in there.” Michelle lied. Wilbur frowned, but went into the other room. He thought he had packed his pencils. Once he disappeared through the door, Michelle turned to Christian.

    “That was Julia. She called to bitch me out about Sean. He didn’t come home last night and she thinks he was with me.”

    “What?!” Christian yelled, pulling out his cellphone. But Michelle touched his arm.

    “There’s more.  Julia said some crazy stuff about seeing fake Dr. Harmon having sex with some Black woman outside of the house. And in the same breath she admitted that she and Sean were there when the FBI men came to take Matt to the safe house. Apparently, THEY did not see anything so...” Michelle trailed off, muddying the lie.

    “That crazy bastard kept saying you were carrying his children. It’s possible he found someone who reminded him of you, to have sex with and that’s what Julia saw...but I don’t understand her thinking Sean was with you?”

    “Sean confronted her about the two of you, got out of the car and returned to the house, for whatever reason.”

    “Okay, I’ll go over there and see if he’s there.”

    “Christian! You have a surgery scheduled. I will go over there.”

    “No! Now if Julia did see fake Harmon than he could still be wandering around.”

    “I’ll be careful. Really. Besides, I should apologize to Sean AND Julia for blurting out what I did. Maybe Sean and I can come to a truce if we have some alone time to work things out. After all, he’s probably going to be the god father to our babies, right?” Michelle smiled.

    Christian still didn’t like it.

    “If Sean didn’t come home last night, it was because of Julia and I.  Julia and I are the ones that need to handle it.  But it means I might have to miss your doctor’s appointment.” he said with disappointment. Michelle pulled on the lapel of his suit jacket.

    “I’ll live. Really. Go and take care of Sean with Julia.” Michelle said with a calm that she did not feel.

    Christian pulled her to him for a quick kiss, then let her go.

    “Call me after your doctor’s appointment.”

    “Call me when you find Sean.” she answered, her mouth forming a smile she didn’t feel. Would Christian listen to Julia about seeing herself and Ben last night? And if he did, would that really be so bad? After all, in her heart of hearts, Michelle knew she would not have gone to Ben last night, if she hadn’t truly believed her marriage to Christian was over.

    Then again, in her heart of hearts, Michelle didn’t really believe she had conceived twins with a ghost. The doctor’s visit today, would be the deciding factor on how she planned to live the rest of her life.

                                                                         ****

    Christian found Julia waiting by her car, when he pulled up to the house. He got out and walked over to her.

    “Did you see him yet?” he asked her.

    “He’s not answering. Your maid isn’t inside either.”

    “Or she’s being a smart ass and not opening the door.” Christian suggested, pulling out his keys. “Let’s go. If Sean is in there we’ll find out.”

    Julia nodded and she followed him up to the door. Christian put the key in, unlocked the door and stepped inside.
   
    “Moira!” Christian called out. Moira appeared in two seconds.

    “Yes, Dr. Troy?” she asked seductively.

    “Jesus! Mrs. McNamara rang the doorbell before and no one answered! Why?”

    “I was dealing with a problem.” Moira answered simply, looking at Julia.

    “Something to do with my husband?” Julia guessed.

    “He came by drunk last night. I figured it was best if he just slept it off. He’s upstairs in one of the spare rooms.” Moira told her. Christian frowned.

    “You got a drunk guy all the way up those stairs?” he asked.

    “He wasn’t rip-roaring, if that’s what you mean. But it was clear he shouldn’t drive.” Moira said primly. Julia looked at Christian.

    “You go to Michelle and see what the doctor says. If he’s been drunk, then I should handle this alone.”

    “Julia, we agreed to talk to Sean together.” he reminded her.

    “Yes, but I want my husband clear headed when we explain about our mistake. We both know Sean, liquor and hangovers. So go. I’ll be fine.” Julia assured him.  Christian touched Julia’s arm, then focused on Moira.

    “Michelle and I are selling this house. Matt left last night, so you can leave now.” Christian told her, before turning to walk out of the door. Julia noted that Moira didn’t look like she was upset, or in that big a hurry to go anywhere.

    “Your husband is in the third room on the left.” was all Moira said as she walked off. Julia shook her head in wonder, staring after the attractive maid,  before walking up the stairs to find her husband.

    When she ventured down the hallway, Julia  heard the distinct sounds of moaning and cries. And not cries of distress. Her breath caught in her throat, as she saw that two rooms, directly opposite of one another on each side of the hall, were the only ones with doors wide open.

    Julia slowly walked down the hall, stopped, and looked into the room on the right...

    Sean was lying on bed with his throat cut! Julia screamed and ran into the room to him!

    “OH MY GOD, NO! NO! SEAN! SEAN!” was all she could scream, since he was dead and had clearly been so for some time! Moira had said he was passed out up here but that couldn’t be! That woman had known her husband was dead...

    Suddenly, Julia turned to look behind her. There was a couple having sex in the room directly across from the one she was in. A man was pounding wildly into a woman from behind. A young woman with some sort of flower in her hair...

    “Se....Sea...Sean?! Wh...wh...” Julia stammered, looking from ‘Dead Sean’, and over towards the man that looked like her husband, fucking some twenty year old that looked vaguely familiar, for some reason.

    Sean stopped what he was doing. He had heard Julia’s screams, but even in his current, undead state, he was still angry. Angry at her and Christian. He had wanted his wife to see him fucking someone else!

    Sean walked over to her in the room and stared at his body. Matt and Vivien had heard Julia’s cries and came running as well.  Ben hung back, glancing in the room where the ‘Black Dahlia’ ghost was. She was getting up from the bed and putting on her clothes.

    “Sean...wh...Matt? Why aren’t you gone?” Julia asked in a shocked whisper.

    Chad and Patrick appeared and Julia recognized them as the FBI agents that were supposed to take Matt to safety.

    “Tell me what’s going on? Tell me now! Matt? Sean?”

    Matt touched her shoulders.

    “Dad is gone. Someone killed him. You have to leave and forget what you’ve seen...”

    “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND??? I’M NOT LEAVING HERE! MATT, THE GANGSTER...HE KILLED YOUR FATHER....” Julia trailed off looking at Chad and Patrick. What was this? If that mobster had killed Sean then why were these two here? Why was her son still here?

    Vivien stepped forward.

    “Julia, stay calm. Please. We can explain. Sean IS dead but we’re all...”

    “Ghosts.” Ben interrupted, stepping into the room as well. Julia glared at him.

    “I saw Michelle with you last night and she denied it! But I did see you with her, didn’t I?”

    Ben half looked at Vivien, before nodding. Matt put an arm around Vivien, which Julia now noticed.

    “I have to get out of here. You tell your father to stop playing jokes and meet me outside!” she snapped, addressing Matt. She muscled her way out of the growing ghost crowd and was about turn back to say something, when she looked at naked Sean Ghost.

    His throat now looked like his dead counterpart’s! Julia put her hands up to her mouth, screamed and turned to run. And she was doing a good job of getting away until Hayden, who appeared out of nowhere, stuck her foot out tripping Julia McNamara, so that she went tumbling down the stairs head first. She broke her neck on the second to last stair.

    Ben was the first to get to her! He glowered up at Hayden, who shrugged.

    “It was an accident.”

    Matt and Vivien grabbed Hayden and dragged her off, while Sean, who put on one of Christian’s robes that was still in the house, knelt with Ben over Julia’s body. It was not long before Julia herself appeared.

    “Is that me? Sean, oh God, I’m sorry about Christian! Look what’s happened to us!” she moaned.

    Ben slowly stood up. He had come to a decision. It would be selfish to ask Michelle to stay in this house and raise their babies. There was too much violence and murder here. It wasn’t right or safe. He knew this. He had always known this. And yet for some reason he had hoped he could make things different. But the ghosts in this house didn’t change and this house itself didn’t change. It just kept claiming lives.

    “Christian and Michelle will be coming back here today,” Ben said, “and when they do, you two have to convince them somehow not to come back. Not even to get their things.”

    Julia squinted at Ben.

    “What about US? How are we going to get out of here?”

    Sean’s jaw clenched.

    “Honey, Ben has just told us that we aren’t getting out of here. When Christian and Michelle get here, we have to make sure it’s understood that they will need to care for our children as well.”

    Julia shook her head!

    “I am NOT dead! I’m just unconscious or something. And there’s no way that Michelle is raising my children or my granddaughter!”

    Sean grabbed Julia’s shoulders and steered her away from Ben, and the sight of her crumpled corpse. Ben looked towards the front door. Michelle was coming here to tell him about her doctor’s appointment. He would tell her then, that he never wanted to see her again. And he would need Vivien’s help on how to accomplish that.

                                                            ****

    Michelle knew something was wrong, when it took too damned long for the doctor to come back to the office with some x-rays. Then her suspicions were heightened, when he wanted to perform more tests.

    They were confirmed, when during one of the doctor’s abscences from the exam room, Michelle heard her gynecologist talking to his secretary about asking her permission to publish something in a medical journal about her pregnancy.

    Uh...WHY?

    Dr. Henry Salvo returned and found his patient dressed, which surprised him, since he was about to tell her that he wanted her to get checked into a hospital. Christian appeared and Michelle had to admit that she was grateful for the use of his hand to squeeze to death!

    Dr. Salvo was glad to see his patient’s husband as well.

    “First of all, Michelle, I believe you when you say that you just found out you were pregnant. I saw your records from your hospital visit from the other night. The babies looked to be about six weeks.”

    “But?” Christian asked, looking confused. What was going on here?

    “The babies now look, after one day to be about five months along. Michelle, you’re belly isn’t even distended! And worse yet...”

    “There’s more?” Michelle asked gravely. Damnit, Ben had said these babies were his but she never really believed that in her heart. With all that was wrong, these twins had to be his.

    “Apparently, one of the twins has his hands around the other’s throat in your womb. I’m going to check you into the hospital immediately. We need to perform a c-section.”

    “At five months?!” Christian almost howled. “What the hell is going on? Why would these babies have grown so fast?! And one is choking the other? Jesus!”

    “I would like your permission to write about your case in a medical journal. I think this happens in third world countries...”

    Michelle doubted that! Christian wasn’t going for it!

    “No! I won’t have anyone publicizing our tragedy here!”

    “Your names would not be used, of course!” Dr. Salvo insisted, looking desperate, eager and inappropriately curious about this fucked up situation. Michelle pulled her hands from Christian’s.

    “What are the babies chances at five months?” she asked quietly.

    “We’ll put them in incubators, of course. But honestly, if one of the twins is choking the other, at least that one has a fighting chance.”

    “And the other one?” Christian asked.

    “We won’t know until the procedure is done. But you might have to choose.” Dr. Salvo said.

    “Choose?” Michelle asked.

    “We might find that in order for one of the babies to live, the other will have to die.”

    Suddenly, these babies were very real to Michelle. And she didn’t want to choose. She wanted them both.

    “Dr. Salvo, could Michelle and I have a moment alone?” Christian asked. Dr. Salvo nodded and left the office, closing the door. Christian then looked at his wife.

    “Michelle, I’m going to ask you this once, and then we’ll never speak of this again: are these babies mine? Did you fuck someone after you caught Julia and I together? I mean I just don’t think that I would have a hand in producing such a fucked up situation.”

    Michelle stood up and thought about slapping his face. She then decided he wasn’t worth it. She turned and walked towards the door, opening it, then slamming it  behind her. She wasn’t going to the damned hospital! She was going to see Ben. She had to tell him what was happening. She had to ask him what she should do? Which baby should she choose? Which...

    No. She had to go to the hospital and make sure that one of these babies didn’t get choked to death. Ben would have to wait.

    But Michelle Troy left her doctor’s office, got in her car and drove home--to the murder house.

                                                                          ****

    When she arrived at the house, she noticed Julia’s car there and sighed. She didn’t have the time to spar with her AND try and see Ben. Suddenly, Michelle felt tired.

    Moira appeared.

    “Mrs. Troy? What’s wrong?”

    “Where is Dr. Harmon? I need to see him.” she asked weakly.

    “He’s upstairs. He’s expecting you in ‘your’ room, whatever that means.” Moira said, but she knew. The whole house knew. Michelle nodded her thanks and walked up the stairs. Time was of the essence. She couldn’t have surgery like this without telling the father of her babies what was going on.

    Her cellphone rang in her purse and Michelle knew it was Christian. She didn’t want to talk to him right now. She had to see Ben.

    Michelle walked to the door of the room that she and Ben had almost made love in, that one time. She closed her hand around the knob, turned it and...

    Ben and Vivien were lying naked in bed. The bed that was supposed to be theirs. Ben slowly removed his arms from around Vivien and stood up.

    “Michelle.” he said quietly. Vivien stood up as well. Michelle blinked.

    “Michelle, you were right about love still being between us, “ Vivien said, “really, you brought us back together.”

    Michelle dragged her eyes off of Vivien’s naked body, and back over to Ben.

    “After we were together the other night, all I could think about was about much I loved Vivien and what a mistake I had made with you.” Ben lied. “I’m sorry. But Christian can be a better father to the babies than I can. He can actually leave the property.”

    Michelle just stared at him for a long moment, then spoke.

    “One of the babies is choking the other. I am going to hospital to get a c-section. One probably won’t survive. I thought you should know that. I won’t be coming back.” Michelle said, then turned to leave the room. Ben and Vivien looked at one another, before Ben hurried after Michelle!

    “Michelle! Michelle, wait!”

    Downstairs, Christian slammed into the house! Damnit to hell! He KNEW Michelle had come here! When she left the hospital the other night with Constance, THIS is where she had come! Why the hell would she not go to the hospital? Why would she come here?

    “MICHELLE?! MICHELLE, ANSWER ME! YOUR CAR IS OUT THERE!”

    A noise from down the hall caught Christian’s attention. He frowned and walked in that direction, eventually getting to the basement door. He opened it, saw a light on and a shadow moving.

    “Damnit, Michelle! What are you doing down there?! I have a right to know if those babies are mine!” Christian snapped, running down into the basement.

    But he didn’t find Michelle down there.

    Fucked up Baby Thaddeus, dressed in his telltale old woman dress, leaped up at Christian’s throat, tearing it out! Christian screamed loud enough for Michelle and Ben to hear him! They hurried downstairs to the first floor, then down to the basement!

    Thaddeus was still sucking on the very dead Christian’s throat when they found him.

    “THADDEUS, GO AWAY!” Ben yelled. Thaddeus disappeared, but Christian’s dead body still lay before them. Ben turned to Michelle and wrapped his arms around her.

    “Michelle, go to the hospital. We’ll take care of this. There is nothing you can do now.”

    But Michelle crumpled in his arms!  Ben moved some of her hair away from her face.

    “Michelle? Michelle what is it?”

    “I don’t know! I don’t know! It hurts! I can’t drive! What was that thing? Christian...”

    Ben managed to get her up the stairs and scream for Vivien and Moira, who came running...as did Sean. They helped her to the living room couch, laying her on it. And there was no time for modesty, as Sean yanked up Michelle’s dress and pulled down her panties.

    “There’s a head coming out!” Sean yelled. “Michelle, you’re in labor!”

    “No, no, no!” Michelle gasped. “I’m only five months and I don’t even know how that happened!”

    Tate and Nora watched from the hallway, looking quite pleased. Soon, there would be two new additions to this house.

    Meanwhile, Julia slowly walked down to the basement and found new ghost Christian, staring in shock over his dead body. He frowned when he saw Julia.

    “Julia? What’s happening?”

    “What’s happening is that we’re dead and can’t get out of this house. And if I can’t get out, your wife for damned sure isn’t.” Julia vowed.