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Chapter 158


AN: Thanks to Laureen for all her spectacular ideas for this chapter!!


As darkness fell on the eve of October 31, the clouds that had hung over central Iowa all day long finally parted, exposing a glorious full moon that cast an eerie glow upon the trick-or-treaters starting to emerge from their houses.

A perfect Halloween night, thought Claire as she flipped on the porch light and stepped outside, shivering at the chill that immediately accosted her. She still didn’t like the cold of a Midwestern fall, but she had to admit, Halloween did seem more festive and fun here in Clive, where the trees changed colors and she could hand out candy from the front porch of her house, rather than the doorway of her apartment. Trick-or-treaters from outside her building had been rare back in Tampa, and there hadn’t been many children in the apartment complexes she’d lived in anyway.

She was looking forward to seeing the trick-or-treaters this year, though that would be the only real highlight of her Halloween. Once the clock struck nine, and trick-or-treating hours ended in the neighborhood, she would be left with nothing to do but watch scary movies on TV and freak herself out in her dark house, all alone, her husband a thousand miles away in Biloxi.

She was trying not to feel sorry for herself, but it was hard. Jamie had only been gone a day, and she was already lonely. It just wasn’t the same as when she had lived alone in Tampa. There had always been things to do when she got bored there, friends to see when she got lonely. Here in Clive, she just felt isolated and trapped.

Once the babies are born, things will get better, she kept telling herself. Once she had twins to take care of, there would always be something to do, and she would come to cherish her alone time again. But right now, she hated it, and she couldn’t help but resent Jamie for dragging away from her friends and her job and every aspect of the life she had lived and loved back in Florida. It was selfish, and she knew it, but she had a right to be self-centered now and again.

Another chill ran through her as she knelt in front of the two jack-o-lanterns she and Jamie had carved the weekend before, her cold fingers fumbling with the lighter she’d brought out. It had been she who’d insisted on carving pumpkins to set out on the porch of their very first house, on their very first Halloween as a married couple. Even though Jamie wasn’t going to be around to spend the holiday with her, Claire wanted to at least honor the festivities. Jamie had humored her, carving an evil-looking cat jack-o-lantern, complete with pointed ears, to sit next to her silly-faced, cross-eyed one. They looked good, Claire decided, once she’d lit the candles in both and stepped back to inspect their handiwork. And in a few years, she thought, once the twins were old enough to help carve the pumpkins, there would be two more jack-o-lanterns in their midst.

Smiling, she turned to go back into the house.

It was not long before the doorbell started to ring. Armed with a big bowl of Skittles and Snickers, Claire greeted group after group of trick-or-treaters, from herds of junior high kids in gruesome zombie makeup or spandex jungle cat costumes, to pint-sized princesses, witches, and superheroes. Especially adorable were a preschool-aged girl in a Snow White costume and her little brother, who was dressed as Dopey.

“It’s his first time trick-or-treating,” explained their father, as he coaxed the toddler to hold out his plastic pumpkin pail. “What do you say, Benjamin?”

“Say trick-or-treat!” piped up the little girl, in a bossy, big sisterly voice. “Come on, Benji… say trick-or-treat!”

“Twick-oh-tweat,” the little boy finally mumbled, ducking his head shyly.

Claire suppressed a giggle. “He looks like more of a Bashful,” she said, smiling as she dropped a mini Snickers bar into the toddler’s pail. “And what would you like, Snow White?” she asked, offering the candy bowl to his big sister.

The little girl plucked a packet of Skittles from the bowl and chirped, “Thank you!” Unlike her brother, she was not one bit bashful.

“Thank you,” their father echoed, nodding to her, as he put a hand on each child’s shoulder and turned to lead them off the porch.

“Happy Halloween!” Claire called, smiling as she watched the little Dopey toddle down the steps, clinging tightly to his daddy’s hand. It wouldn’t be long, and she and Jamie would have a couple of little trick-or-treaters to take around the neighborhood. She couldn’t wait. Now that she was nearing thirty and getting past the years of drunken costume parties, she had come to the conclusion that Halloween just wasn’t as much fun unless you had kids.

Standing just inside the storm door, she rested her hand on her protruding stomach and wondered what her twins would be dressed as next year. “If your daddy has anything to say about it, probably a pair of Brazilian soccer players,” she murmured to the babies, laughing as she rubbed her belly. There was one good part about spending so much time home alone, playing housewife – her babies were going to be very familiar with their mama’s voice by the time they were born. She talked to them all the time, because there was usually no one else to talk to but the cat.

As the night wore on, the rush of trick-or-treaters slowed, and by eight-thirty, the doorbell rang only sporadically, as the last groups of kids trickled up and down the porch steps. Finally, at five-till-nine, when no one had come for nearly ten minutes, Claire decided it was time to turn off the porch light and lock up for the night. But when she turned to close the inside door, she suddenly gasped, nearly jumping out of her skin.

There, standing just on the other side of the glass storm door, where there had been no one seconds earlier, were two large, cloaked figures. One was very tall, a full head taller than her even, much too tall for someone of trick-or-treating age. The other was shorter, but still adult-sized. They both wore dark hoods and masks, so that she could not see their faces.

Her heart pounding, she stood frozen in the entryway, a few feet from the door. She wanted to grab the wooden door and slam it shut, locking them out, but they were closer to it than she was. If they wanted in, they could have the storm door open and block the threshold before she had a chance to close the inside door.

She inched toward them, thinking it would be best not to act suspicious. There was a lock on the inside of the storm door… if she stalled them at the door, she might be able to lock it without them noticing.

As soon as she started toward the door, the taller figure called out in a very low, robotic voice, “Trick or treat!” Upon closer look, she realized that his dark cloak was actually a Darth Vader costume. His companion was dressed as the evil emperor from Star Wars.

“Trick-or-treating hours are over now,” she called back through the closed door, dawdling behind it. Don’t let them know you’re freaked out, she coached herself. “And aren’t you two a little old to be out trick-or-treating anyway?”

Neither of them responded, though the Darth Vader guy did his freaky breathing thing a few times. Claire reached casually for the lock, trying to keep her hand from shaking. She could feel their eyes on her from behind their masks; it made her feel incredibly vulnerable, knowing that they were just feet away, staring in at her, yet hiding their faces from her.

Then Darth Vader spoke in his deep voice again, startling her. “Claire… I am your father…”

Claire stopped dead in her tracks, staring at him. He knows my name. Her mind began to race. Who was he??

Then the emperor let out a muffled giggle… a very familiar giggle. And, all of a sudden, Claire felt incredibly stupid. Stupid… and confused… because surely that could not be…

“Laureen??” she asked incredulously, her gaze now fixed on the person in the creepy emperor mask.

The emperor burst into full-out laughter, while Claire continued to stare in astonishment. Darth Vader remained completely silent, though, and her eyes quickly went back to him. She looked him up and down, but even before she observed that his height and build were just right, she knew who it had to be. Who else could have been responsible for randomly showing up with Laureen on her doorstep in a set of elaborate Star Wars costumes?

“Nick?!”

“God damnit,” Nick’s normal voice drifted out from behind the Darth Vader mask. “You just had to laugh and give us away, didn’t you, Laureen?”

Emperor Laureen giggled even harder, and Claire threw open the door she had been trying to lock for the last couple of minutes. “Oh my god! Get in here!!” she exclaimed, grabbing Nick’s black cape and practically dragging him into the house. He stumbled in, and Laureen followed, and they both pulled off their masks to reveal flushed, gleeful faces.

“Trick or treat,” Nick said again in his regular voice, flashing her an impish half-smile.

“This is a trick and a treat,” she said, looking at both of them in disbelief. “What are you two doing here??”

“We came to surprise you!” Laureen spoke up, grinning. “Are you surprised?”

“Hell yeah, I’m surprised! A little freaked out too, if you couldn’t tell, but… wow! I can’t believe you guys came all this way!” Still astonished, she looked between the two of them again and then said, “Come here!” She grabbed Laureen first, giving her a big hug, and then she hugged Nick. He seemed taller than ever in his Darth Vader gear, but he bent down to her height, giving her a hug that was more ginger than usual and less tight, as her belly was now starting to get in the way.

“Ahh, Claire, you look so cute!” Laureen burst out once Nick let go of her, grinning as she looked at Claire’s large baby bump. “I haven’t seen you in so long!”

In other words, ‘You’re bigger than I thought you’d be!’ thought Claire, hiding a smirk. “You’re gonna be shouting ‘Free Willy!’ by the time I’m ready to pop these kids out, but thanks,” she laughed.

“Aww, no! It’s okay! Just think, this is the one time where you don’t have to worry about putting on weight, cause you’re supposed to! Enjoy it!” Laureen urged.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Claire assured her, grabbing a Snickers bar from her candy bowl. “I am!” Laureen and Nick both laughed, and Claire tossed a couple of candy bars at them, too. When Nick’s bounced off the side of his Darth Vader helmet, she giggled. “There’s a treat for your little trick, Darth Carter.”

“Aww, what, did I scare you with my awesome Vader voice?” he teased her playfully. “Hey, we could have shown up wearing Scream costumes instead. That was Laureen’s original idea.”

“It was not!” Laureen exclaimed, smacking him in the shoulder.

Claire snorted. “You would have never gotten inside if you’d been wearing Scream masks,” she laughed.

“I know; that’s what I told Laureen,” Nick said, straight-faced.

“You did not!” Laureen cried, and Nick and Claire both laughed. “The Star Wars costumes were Nick’s idea. We’ll show you mine.”

Claire watched in curiosity as Laureen and Nick exchanged glances and then started to strip off their costumes. Laureen got her emperor’s robes off quickly, revealing red track pants and a red t-shirt with the Mounds candy bar logo on the front. Nick had a harder time getting out of his Darth Vader jumpsuit, but when he did, he was wearing similar blue track pants and a blue shirt that sported the Almond Joy logo.

“Mounds and Almond Joy, huh? That’s cute,” said Claire. A little random, perhaps, but cute.

“You haven’t seen the best part,” grinned Nick. He looked over at Laureen again, who promptly blushed. Then they both turned around, and Claire saw the backs of their t-shirts. Nick’s said, ‘I’ve got nuts.’ Laureen’s said, ‘I don’t.’ At the first sign of giggling from Claire, they both about died laughing.

“Isn’t that great?” Nick guffawed, turning back around. He pointed at Laureen and added, “All her idea. She’s a genius.”

“I got the idea off the internet,” Laureen confessed, blushing again.

“Still! Genius!”

Claire was laughing; it was funny. But when she looked between Nick and Laureen, dressed in their coordinating Halloween costumes and giggling together, her laughter became more forced. A strange sensation was tugging on her stomach, a feeling she had not felt in some time. She felt… left out.

It was stupid; she knew it was stupid, but that was it. That was the feeling. She felt left out. Even though Nick and Laureen were both her friends, even though they had come all this way to see her, she got the impression there was something else going on, something going on with them that she was not a part of. And, even though she hated herself for it, it made her a little envious.

Since when had Nick and Laureen been such good friends anyway? Sure, Laureen had always had a fantasy crush on him, and yeah, there had been that supposed kissing incident on her wedding night, and okay, so she could recall a conversation in which she’d sort of encouraged Nick to give Laureen a chance… but… but somehow, in that moment, she’d never realized how she would feel if she actually saw them together… wearing matching Halloween costumes that referenced Nick’s nuts…

“We got one made for you too,” said Laureen, beaming. “It’s in the car… I’ll go get it!”

Before Claire could say anything, Laureen went back outside. Claire watched her jog up to a car that was parked along the street, a rental car, no doubt. Where were they staying? she suddenly wondered. If they had flown together and rented a car together, had they gotten a hotel room together too??

She looked over at Nick. “So… did you take me up on my advice about Laureen?” Might as well be frank and just ask, she figured.

Nick seemed to hesitate, scrunching his face up as he searched for the right words. “We’ve been hanging’ out,” was his final answer.

“Hangin’ out?” She raised an eyebrow.

Nick nodded. “Hangin’ out. She’s a cool girl.”

Claire nodded too. “She’s a great girl,” she agreed, and decided to leave it at that. She couldn’t tell if he was being completely honest with her or not, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t any of her business what Nick and Laureen had been doing, and it shouldn’t have had an effect on her either way. She was married. Nick was single. He was free to date anyone he wanted, and, judging by his taste in the past, it would be a relief if he was interested in a girl who was actually nice and normal. She should be happy for him.

If there was one thing Claire was good at, it was acting happy-go-lucky, even when she didn’t feel that way. But before long, she did start to feel that way again. She was glad Nick and Laureen had decided to come North for the weekend to surprise her and keep her company; she really was. After all, they were her friends, and as the night wore on, she realized that’s all they were. Friends, the three of them.

As it turned out, Nick and Laureen had had their candy bar shirts made by a graphics company in Tampa, and in addition to the Almond Joy and Mounds shirts, they had had a shirt made for Claire, too. Hers was lime green and had the Doublemint gum logo on the front. Below that, right in the place that covered her pregnant belly, there was the slogan, “Double the pleasure, Double the fun.” When she pulled on the shirt, smoothing it down over her stomach, she found that the slogan stretched right across her baby bump (which was actually more of a “mound” itself.)

“Get it?” said Nick, grinning. “Double… as in twins.”

Claire had gotten it right away, but Nick looked so pleased with himself that she could not help but smile and say again, “That’s so cute… and clever! Thanks, you guys!!”

“We figured it’d be perfect for… for the twins,” said Laureen, and at the word “twins,” a strange look passed across her face. Claire didn’t think much of it; she knew that look. For the last two months, almost, everyone close to her had hesitated on the word “twins,” knowing that she had once been pregnant with triplets. It was hard for her to hear it too, but she was slowly getting used to the idea of two babies, instead of three.

Thankfully, no one mentioned the fact that Claire had once been pregnant with three babies, and she was glad. It was Halloween, Nick and Laureen had come all the way from Florida to make up for the fact that Jamie wasn’t there, and she was determined to enjoy herself and make it worth it, for them and her both.

As she eventually found out, Laureen and Nick had already been traveling for several days. Laureen had taken the week off from work, and she and Nick had flown into Chicago so that Laureen could spend a few days visiting her family and friends. Then they had hopped a flight to Des Moines late that afternoon, rented a car, and driven out to Clive. They were both tired from the traveling, and no one felt much like going out.

Luckily, Nick had brought entertainment, in the form of a plethora of his favorite horror movies, most of them of the ‘80s slasher variety, and a Ouija board. “Oh my gosh!” Claire exclaimed, tearing off the lid of the Ouija board box. “I haven’t seen one of these in years!”

“I love these things,” said Nick, running his hand over the Ouija board fondly.

“Me too!” chimed in Laureen. “My friends and I used to play with Ouija boards all the time in high school.”

“Oh yeah, same here,” Claire smiled, remembering countless sleepovers at which she and her girlfriends had crowded around the Ouija board, freaking themselves out as they tried to summon spirits and find out who they were each going to marry. “Ah, the memories.”

“Did you and the guys used to play Ouija on the tour bus, Nick?” asked Laureen with a giggle, and Claire joined in when she saw the look on Nick’s face.

“No, our favorite was ‘Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board,’” Nick joked in a lisping, effeminate voice.

“Ahh, ‘Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board’!!” Claire and Laureen both squealed, practically in unison. Nick looked rather startled. “How do you even know that game??” Claire wondered, smiling at him in amusement.

“Hey, I’ve got three sisters. I know what you chicks do at your parties. I used to crash BJ’s and Leslie’s.”

“Their friends probably loved that,” said Laureen, giving Nick a starry-eyed look, actually serious. Claire suppressed a smile. “We should play this though!” Laureen went on, taking the board out of its box. “I mean, it is Halloween and all. It’ll be fun!”

“Hell yeah!” exclaimed Nick, pulling out the planchette and slapping it down on the board. He looked up expectantly at Claire. “Got any candles?”

She laughed. “Yeah, lemme round up some.” As Nick and Laureen set up the board on the living room coffee table, Claire assembled a mismatched array of candles around them, on every hard surface she could find. Within a few minutes, the living room lights were off, and the three of them sat in the flickering glow of candlelight, which was just bright enough for them to make out the letters and words on the Ouija board in front of them.

The whole scenario was so ridiculous and funny, three adults huddled over a Ouija board like a trio of teenagers. But it was fun, too, and Claire was immediately drawn in when she realized how into this Nick and Laureen were.

Sitting in between the two women, Nick put his fingertips on the end of the planchette. Laureen reached out and put hers on one side, and Claire rested hers on the other. A rush of electricity seemed to surge up through her fingers as they brushed against Nick’s, and her pulse quickened.

This wasn’t right, she thought. Her husband was far away, and here she was, sitting at home next to her ex-boyfriend, her skin tingling at the lightest touch, just like a teenager on a first date. Granted, the whole Ouija board thing was teenager-esque anyway, but she had to get past these old feelings she had for Nick. They seemed to resurface every time he was near her, especially if things weren’t going well with Jamie, as they hadn’t been lately. She wondered if it was just hormones. Hormones… they were the cause for every other strange feeling and craving she’d had lately. So maybe it wasn’t so odd that, instead of mandarin oranges on her tacos, she was craving Nick.

“So what should we ask first?” asked Laureen with a nervous giggle, making the planchette move around the board.

“Who will Laureen marry?” Claire chimed in, teasingly.

Nick chuckled, but Laureen said, “Hey, I’m starting to wonder myself! Okay, let’s do that – who will I marry?” She giggled, and they waited, their fingertips poised on the planchette. Slowly, it started to move, drifting downward toward the second row of letters. For a moment, Claire’s stomach turned over with the thought that it was going to land on the letter ‘N.’ But then, the planchette made a turn, slowing down as it slid across ‘Q’ and ‘R’ and, finally, stopping at ‘S.’

“S,” Claire exhaled, and she was surprised at how relieved she felt. ‘S’ for surprised… ‘S’ for stupid. This whole thing was stupid. It was just a game, the Ouija board; it wouldn’t have meant anything if it had tried to spell out ‘N-I-C-K.’ All that would have shown was that Laureen had a crush on him, which Claire already knew. She had to stop taking things so seriously.

The pointer slid one letter over to ‘T’ next, then moved up to the top row and landed on ‘E.’ Claire glanced over at Laureen, wondering if the sequence of letters meant anything to her. She was amused to find that, even in the candlelight, Laureen’s face was red with a blush.

“S-T-E,” Claire spelled out, even as the planchette started to creep slowly across the board again. “Could that be ‘Steve’? ‘Steven’? ‘Stefan’? ‘Stewart’?” She shuddered, remembering that guy Stew Jamie had set her up on a blind double date with. Pretty much the worst date she’d ever been on.

“Steve,” said Laureen in a low voice, as the planchette stopped on ‘V.’

“Oooh… who’s Steve?? Do you know a certain Steve?”

Laureen giggled. “I have a friend named Steve. I guess I had kind of a crush on him, in high school. I haven’t really seen him much since then, though. I lost touch with him once I started college, and since I moved to Tampa, I don’t have any of his contact information anymore.”

“Hm, well, you never know,” Claire said teasingly, giving her friend an exaggerated wink. “I mean, look at me and Jamie.”

“Yeah, aren’t you two the happy couple?” blurted Nick sarcastically, causing both women to look at him. Despite the tug-of-war of feelings that had been going on inside her all evening, Claire immediately felt defensive of her marriage and was about to retort when Nick’s eyes widened.

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said that,” he apologized quickly, looking slightly embarrassed. “It’s none of my business. I just meant… well, you’re here, and he’s in Mississippi, and things haven’t exactly been smooth sailing for the two of you lately.”

“I know,” Claire said shortly. “Thanks for the reminder.”

“Sorry,” Nick repeated, though he sounded less apologetic this time. She looked away, but she could still feel his eyes on her, studying her. He knew perfectly well that, despite her excitement over the babies, “happy” hadn’t exactly been the best adjective to describe her these last two months. It was really no secret.

“Hey, I’ve got another one,” Laureen spoke up, clearly anxious to change the subject. “We could ask what Claire’s going to have. You know… girls or boys?”

“No, no, no, don’t ask! I want it to be a surprise.”

“Aw, come on,” said Nick, jabbing Claire lightly in the shoulder. “You don’t really believe everything the Ouija says anyway, do you?”

“No, but I still don’t want to know what it says,” Claire insisted firmly. “Ask something else.”

“Aww, fine. Laureen? Wanna know what the sex of your kids will be?”

Laureen laughed. “Uhhh, not ready to start thinking about kids yet. Let’s summon spirits instead.”

They all broke into laughter at how casually she said that last part. Playing along, Claire replied, “Okay! Who should we summon?”

Silence fell, as they all thought.

“Paris Hilton?” suggested Nick finally. Claire and Laureen both gave him skeptical looks. “What?! She’s dead, isn’t she?” Nick added defensively. “Come on, let’s do her!”

“Let’s ‘do’ her? Oh, I’m sure you’d like to ‘do’ her,” Claire teased, elbowing him.

Nick made a face. “What do you think I am, a necrophiliac? She’s gotta be pretty decomposed by now.”

“Not to mention the many STDs she must have had when she was alive,” Laureen added, snickering. “That’s pretty nasty too.”

“True. But c’mon, it’ll be funny. Let’s contact Paris Hilton,” Nick insisted, and reluctantly, the two women agreed.

“You do the honors, Nick,” said Claire. “Summon the slut.”

Laureen giggled. Nick smirked. “Okay… lemme think.” He paused, then closed his eyes and said in a lofty, exaggerated voice, “We are trying to summon… Par-” He stopped, his words swallowed up by giggles. Watching him crack himself up, Claire couldn’t help but laugh, and Laureen joined in too. “Sorry, sorry,” Nick laughed, clearing his throat. “Okay… lemme try again.” Sobering, he said again in a normal voice, “We’re trying to contact Paris Hilton… Paris-”

The two women slumped as Nick snorted and started laughing again, his fingers falling off the planchette. “I can’t do it,” he said breathlessly, wiping his eyes. “I sound too retarded.”

“I’ll do it,” Laureen volunteered, and when the three of them had gotten their laughter under control again and put their fingers back on the planchette, she managed to say, straight-faced, “We want to contact Paris Hilton… Paris, if you’re among us, give us a sign.”

Claire fought hard not to laugh as the three of them sat there, perfectly still and silent, waiting for the planchette to move. She closed her eyes, knowing that if she saw Nick’s face, she would lose it. No one moved. No one breathed. Then, after a few long seconds, she felt the planchette jerk slightly beneath her fingertips. Her eyes flew open just in time to see the planchette creep a few inches and then stop.

“Paris, are you with us?” asked Laureen. Claire could tell she had played with Ouija boards many times before; she knew the drill. Sure enough, the planchette began drifting towards the “Yes” at the top of the board.

Claire snickered. “What should we ask?” she wondered, looking at Laureen and Nick.

“When you were going to put out that album, did you really think you could sing?” Laureen asked. Nick snorted, and Claire giggled. The planchette moved off the “Yes” and hovered an inch or two away. Then it kept on going, stopping directly over the “No.” All three of them broke into loud laughter.

“At least you’re honest with yourself,” Claire snickered. “Okay, how about this one – Paris, exactly how many STDs did you have at the time of your death?”

The planchette circled around again, finally landing on the number 6. “Eww!!” Laureen and Claire screamed, giggling.

“Good thing I never hooked up with her,” Nick said with a shudder. “Okay, my turn. Paris… what do you think of Nick Carter’s latest solo album?”

Claire smiled, watching as the planchette moved slowly to the letter section and began spelling out an answer. ‘T’… ‘H’… ‘A’…

“That’s hot!” she burst out when it was done, cracking up. “Nick, you are totally moving it, aren’t you?”

“What??” Nick cried defensively. “Are you saying my album isn’t hot?” He looked totally serious at first, but then he offered her a cheeky grin.

“Ahh, you did move it!” Laureen exclaimed. “Don’t do that; it’s no fun if you move it on purpose!”

“Yeah!” Claire agreed, giving Nick a playful smack.

“Alright, alright…” Smirking, Nick said, “Let’s not call back someone specific, like a dead celebrity. It’s too funny. Let’s just see who we can get and play around.”

“Yeah, that’s more fun anyway,” Laureen agreed, smiling at him. “Okay, let’s try this…” She moved the planchette in a few sweeping circles across the board and then let it come to rest in the top center. “From here on out, no one moves it on purpose – got it?”

Nick and Claire both nodded their agreement.

“Okay,” Laureen said again. “Now… is there anyone here with us?”

It took almost a full minute, but finally, the planchette began to move. None of the three of them were moving it; at least Claire didn’t think they were. She studied Nick and then Laureen, as the planchette crept across the board, stopping over ‘Yes.’ Their faces were both set in concentration, their eyes fixed on the pointer, tracking its movement. They looked as innocent as she was.

“Someone’s here,” Laureen breathed, and Claire could tell she was getting into it. “To the person who moved the pointer… what is your name?”

Rather than moving to the rows of letters, the planchette moved straight across the board to the word ‘No.’

Claire blinked. They all stared.

“Okay then,” said Laureen. “You don’t want to tell us your name. Well then, can you tell us if you’re someone who has passed on?”

Very slowly, the planchette crept back across the board, landing squarely on ‘Yes.’ A chill ran through Claire. She wasn’t sure if she believed in this Ouija stuff or not, but she had to admit, it was downright freaky when she really thought about it.

“How did you die?” probed Laureen, asking the very question they were probably all wondering.

A long thirty seconds passed with no action, and they all sat perfectly still, waiting in suspense. The hairs on the back of Claire’s neck stood on end. When the planchette gave a jerk, she nearly jumped. This game was way too nerve-wracking.

Nick stifled a giggle, smirking across the board at her. He had seen her jump. Claire shot him a dirty look in return, smiling beneath it.

“Shh, watch… it’s spelling something,” Laureen hissed, pointing to the board. They all watched, stringing letters together in their heads. ‘R’… ‘O’… ‘B’… “Robbery?” Laureen asked, when the planchette stilled once more. “They died in a robbery?”

“That’s scary,” said Claire, and, indeed, another chill ran through her. She wasn’t sure why, but one of her greatest fears had always been of someone breaking in. Ever since she was young, she’d always taken care to shut doors, lock windows, close curtains. She hated the feeling that someone could be watching her, sneaking up on her, creeping in while she was asleep…

“Yeah,” Laureen had just barely said, when the planchette started to move again. ‘I’… ‘W’… ‘A’… ‘S’… “I… I was…” Laureen read along as the planchette continued to spell. ‘T’… ‘H’… ‘E’… “I was the…” ‘R’… ‘O’…

Laureen gasped, as the planchette slid over the ‘R’ a second time. “Robber?? He said, ‘I was the robber.’”

Chills raced down Claire’s spine for the third time. She glanced from Laureen, who appeared tremulously excited, to Nick, who simply looked unfazed. “Nick, are you making it move again?” she asked, a note of desperation hanging from her words.

“What, you think I’m trying to scare you?” One corner of his mouth turned up in the usual smirk. “I’m not.” When Claire gave him a hard look, he took his hands off the planchette and held them up in defense. “Honest to God, I haven’t been moving it. Not since we called Paris back.” He smirked again, seeming amused with the whole thing.

Claire bit down on her bottom lip. “Guys, I don’t wanna play anymore. I know this is probably just bullshit, but… just in case, I don’t want my house getting broken into by any robber ghosts.”

Nick snorted. “Robber ghosts… that sounds like something from Scooby Doo. ‘And I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn’t been for you meddling kids!’” He shook his fist cartoonishly.

Laureen giggled. Claire cracked a smile. “I know, I know… I’m being stupid. It’s just, this stuff freaks me out… you know that.”

“I know,” Nick said, setting his joking air aside. “I guess that’s enough Ouija-ing tonight. Laureen, you’re the expert – how do we get rid of the robber ghost?”

“We say goodbye and good riddance,” replied Laureen, moving the planchette to the word ‘Goodbye’ at the bottom of the board. She waited a few seconds, and then she pulled the board right out from under the planchette and turned it over, setting it back on the coffee table upside down. “Hopefully that will stop any robber ghosts from hitting your house tonight, Claire.”

She gave Claire a playful smile, which Claire returned, feeling silly. She was probably too old to take any of this seriously, but in a way, it was because she was older that she did take it more seriously. She wasn’t just a little girl who could count on her parents and big brother to protect her from ghosts and burglars and monsters under the bed anymore. She was the parent now – or soon-to-be – and it was up to her to protect herself, her unborn children, and their home while Jamie was away. The thought of intruders did make her nervous. She was extra glad Nick and Laureen were there now, being that it was now getting late on Halloween night.

She would never forget how terrified she had been on the Halloween night she’d spent alone in Nick’s house, when the burglar alarm had gone off for no apparent reason. The police and home security company had never figured out exactly who or what had triggered the alarm, and it still unnerved her when she thought about it. What if someone had broken in?

Here at the house in Clive, she and Jamie had no fancy security system. No one expected to be burglarized in an ordinary, middle-class neighborhood in the suburbs. Sure, people still locked their doors when they went to bed at night, but in the summer, windows were left open, and anyone who really wanted to break in would be able to find a way. Ransacking a few houses in the suburbs would surely be much easier than trying to break into Nick Carter’s mansion. And at five foot, four inches and nineteen weeks pregnant, Claire had little hope of trying to defend herself or her home against an intruder.

Shivering, she crossed her arms tightly over her chest, hugging herself a little, and looked again from Nick to Laureen, who was packing the Ouija board back into its box. “I’m really glad you guys came,” she said sincerely, in case she had not said so before.

“Anytime,” smiled Nick, resting a hand on her shoulder. Laureen nodded emphatically.

“We knew you wouldn’t want to be alone on Halloween.”

Claire laughed. “You know me too well.”

“We sure do!” Nick agreed. “Now, let’s watch Scream.”

He gave her a devilish smile, and she slugged him playfully in the shoulder. “Ass. Can’t we just watch, like, Hocus Pocus or something on the Disney Channel instead?”

They all laughed. In the end, they settled for Young Frankenstein, which Nick had brought among his stash of slasher flicks. The movie’s end found the three of them close together on the couch, feet on the coffee table, a big blanket spread over their legs, and an empty bowl of popcorn resting on Nick’s lap. As Claire reached for the DVD remote, Nick yawned loudly. “Man, I’m tired. And it’s only midnight. Guess I’m getting old.”

“I’m right behind ya, buddy. I’m ready for bed too,” Claire agreed, turning off the DVD player. “So… are you guys up for driving back to your hotel, or would you rather just crash here? I’ve got room,” she offered, secretly hoping they would say yes to staying with her. She would feel much better with two other people in the house… not to mention, she would rather not wonder what kind of hotel arrangements Nick had made for himself and Laureen. (Two separate rooms? One suite with two bedrooms? One room with two beds? Or just one room with one big bed? Just how close had they gotten?)

Nick and Laureen exchanged glances, coming to a silent consensus. “We’d be happy to chill here, if you’ve got room,” said Nick.

“I said I did,” Claire chirped, smiling. “I can’t promise the accommodations will be as nice as a hotel, but… here’s what I’ve got to offer – the babies’ room has no furniture and lots of boxes in it, so that’s out, but there is a guest room with a bed that one of you can sleep in. As for the other, there’s… a couch. Either up here or downstairs in the basement. Take your pick.”

The decision was made quickly. Ever the gentleman, Nick insisted that Laureen take the guest room and martyred himself upon the couch. “I’ll stay in the living room,” he said. “No stairs, and closer proximity to you two ladies, in case the robber ghost strikes.”

Laureen and Claire both laughed, though Claire really was glad to know Nick would be nearby.

“Are you sure you’re alright with sleeping on the couch?” she asked him, once Laureen had gone off to get ready for bed.

Nick scoffed. “Are you kidding? I can sleep anywhere. Don’t you remember, we used to crash on the couch all the time?”

Claire smiled, remembering the many times they’d woken up on the couch together like a couple of college kids, hungover and surrounded by empty beer cans and greasy pizza boxes from the night before. Those had been the days.

“I know. But you said yourself, you’re getting old. Just making sure you’re not too arthritic for couches now,” she teased, jabbing him in the ribs.

He poked her back. “Remember now, you’re right behind me.”

“Oh, you don’t have to tell me. I’d never survive a night on the couch now; I’d stay awake just trying to keep my big ol’ belly from rolling off all night. I need a big bed with room to sprawl… that’s the nice part about Jamie being gone.” She smiled, looking forward to sliding beneath the sheets and sprawling to very center of the bed if she wanted to.

Still, though she was tired, she knew sleep wouldn’t find her right away – it never did these days. It was getting harder and harder to sleep, what with the trouble she had to go to to find a comfortable position, and all the worries that ran through her head at night, worries about the babies and her marriage and her life choices about… things… people…

She looked up at Nick. “Well, anyway, let me grab you some pillows and blankets.” She went to rummage through the linen closet in the hallway and returned with an armload of spare blankets and quilts and a couple of pillows, which she arranged into a reasonably comfortable-looking bed for Nick. “There you go,” she said. “Seem okay?”

“Seems perfect,” said Nick with a smile.

“Okay. I set out extra toothbrushes in the bathroom, and there’s toothpaste on the counter. Is there anything else you need that I’m forgetting?”

“Nope, I think I’m good. Everything’s great. Now go to bed,” said Nick with a wink, giving her a teasing grin.

She smiled back. “Alright. Well, feel free to knock if you need anything. Goodnight…”

“’Night, Claire.” Nick seemed to hesitate a moment, then reached out and pulled her into a quick, impulsive hug. “Thanks for letting us stay.”

“Thanks for coming,” she replied, smiling, as they released each other. “Seriously, I feel much better with you guys here.”

“I figured you might.” Nick winked again, reminding her how well he understood her. Better than Jamie did most of the time, she realized again.

Wanting to sigh, she told him goodnight one last time and retreated to her room, closing her door behind her. She got ready for bed and slid beneath her sheets, planting herself in the very center of the bed, just as she’d wanted to. But as she’d suspected, it took a long time for sleep to find her.

Early into the morning, Claire lay awake, torn up with the knowledge that Nick was sleeping just a few rooms away and that, though she was legally and sacredly bound to someone else, she was still in love with him.

***