Something Wicked
 by Linda Schwartz

Disclaimer: KFTLC is not mine, but belongs to Michael Sloan and Warner Bros, I'm just playing with them for a while and I promise to bring them back in one piece (I hope)

Part 1

The 101st was a din of activity, suspects being brought in, officers milling around. All in all, a typical day.

Some of the detectives were busy catching up on their paperwork. The TV was playing in the background, Channel 3 news reporter Sandra Mason was relaying the latest rape which took place on the east side of town.

"The twenty-three year old college student was attacked in her apartment building as she entered the elevator, a man followed her inside and took her to the roof and raped her. This is the fifth attack, it appears to be a serial rapist" the reporter went on about the description of the assailant. She made her usual comment about the police doing nothing to stop him.

"Well, there she goes again," Blake stood in front of the TV, having a coffee and a donut, "doesn't she know how hard it is to hunt these animals down?"

"Yeah, she knows, she just loves to make us look bad." Strenlich commented as he got himself a cup of coffee.

Everyone turned once again to the set as the news broadcast continued.

"And this story should put us all in the Halloween mood. A house on Hemlock Street is said to be the site of some strange happenings. Neighbors said they've heard screaming coming from the house. The house belongs to the Stuart family. Jack Stuart is a highly regarded physician at Glen Cross hospital. We have a reporter standing by on the scene to give us more details of this unusual event. Nina."

"Thank you Sam." She turned her attention to the doctor,"Doctor Stuart, how long have these strange events been happening?"

"It started about a month after we moved in. At first it was little things, like the house would get cold, then objects would fall off the wall or above the mantel above the living room fireplace. He or she or whatever it is has let us know it's there. My wife and I have gotten used to it."

"What about your kids? You have two boys, right?" The reporter questioned.

"Yes, Jeremy and Ben. They were scared at first, but now they have gotten used to it. They think it's cool."

"Well at least we know of one house in Sloanville that really knows how to get into the Halloween spirit, this is Nina Jones reporting from Hemlock Street, back to you Sam."

The face of the roving reporter changed back to the anchor and the news continued. Strenlich shut the TV off.

"Okay, people we've got crime to fight. No time for listening to some crap about a haunted house."

The precinct returned to it's busy routine. "What's the matter, Chief, you don't believe in ghosts?" Peter looked up from the files on his desk that he'd been working on.

"And you do, detective? I didn't know the supernatural was part of your Shaolin training." Strenlich finished up his coffee.

"We're taught to open our minds to possibilities," Peter said as he watched Strenlich walk to his office. 'You'd be surprised at the things I've seen.' Peter thought to himself.

******************************************

"Mom, where should I put the pumpkins?" Jeremy asked his mother. The ten year old had joined his younger brother, Ben in the front yard of their house. They were sitting on the front stoop painting faces on pumpkins. They had gone pumpkin picking the day before with their father. He was at work and their mother was busy raking the last of the fall leaves.

"You and Ben did a great job, sweetie." She stopped her labors and came to inspect her sons' handy work. "I think that you can put a pumpkin on each end of the steps leading to the front door." There was a skeleton adorning the front door and a Jack O' Lantern at the bay window in front of the house.

Alice Stuart was so happy with her new home and all the talk about it being haunted only added to the ambiance. She went to the garage to get some bags for leaves.

"Weeeeeeee! Giggle!" she returned to the sound of her two sons jumping into the pile of leaves.

"Boys, I just raked those leaves!" she yelled. Jeremy and Ben stopped their laughing and stared at their mother. They waited for the scolding that never came. Instead, a smile grew on her face and she flopped down onto the pile and threw some leaves at her boys. They joined their mother on her pile and she hugged them.

"Let's go make some chocolate chip cookies." She suggested.

"Yeah!" they chimed in together. The threesome were having such a good time that they didn't notice they were being watched.

 **********************************

Caine had just finished another busy day of caring for the sick and the injured of Chinatown. He tidied up the apothecary room and checked his collection of herbs and various remedies. He'd have to restock his supplies soon, but not tonight. Tonight he needed to recharge his energy levels, restore his chi.

He brewed a tea that would quiet his spirit, it had been a most draining day. He had to strengthen many of the patients at the hospital during his 'rounds.'

He went to the meditation room and lit some candles. He walked to the middle of the room and folded his body into a lotus position. He began to settle himself into a meditative state, he reached out with his chi to check on his son. It had become a habit since their reunion. Once he felt Peter was safe he was able to calm his mind and center himself.

It wasn't long before he sensed it, a dark force. He tried to locate it's origin, but could not. A coldness creeped into his soul, it frightened him. In all the years of wandering, all the experiences he has witnessed as a Shaolin priest had not prepared him for something like this.

"No!" he cried out, his body fell back onto the soft mat beneath him. He lay there for a few minutes. He knew this evil must be stopped.

Part 2

Alice Stuart was putting the finishing touches on her roast. She and Jack had invited their friends to their house for dinner. Marge and Lloyd Johnson were old friends that the Stuarts met in college. They attended each other's weddings and had kept in touch over the years.

Now that they had moved into their new home, it was only natural that they'd be their first guests.

"Honey, did you remember to get the wine?" Alice called out to her husband.

"Yes, Alice, I put it in the refrigerator to chill.

The doorbell rang; Jack Stuart went to answer the door.

"Well, hello there," Jack greeted his friends.

"Hi Jack," Lloyd Johnson shook his friend's hand and stepped into the house.

"Marge, my dear, good to see you again." He kissed her cheek and ushered her inside and closed the door.

"Alice, your house looks lovely," Marge commented. Alice had joined her friend in the living room.

"I'll show you the rest of the house after dinner. Here let me take your coat." Marge handed Alice her coat and continued to look around the room.

"Mom! Ben took my Gameboy and won't give it back." Jeremy called down to his mother from the top of the stairs.

"Jeremy, we have company. You and Ben wash your hands and come down for dinner." Alice stood at the bottom of the stairs; her patience was wearing thin.

"But mom," Jeremy pleaded with his mother to help him with his younger brother.

"You heard me, Jeremy, or would you rather spend the evening in your rooms." Alice watched as the boys quickly turned and did as they were told.

Jack and Alice made their friends comfortable. Dinner went very well. The four friends caught up on the events in their lives. The Boys behaved themselves for change. After dinner, Alice sent them upstairs to play.

They gave their friends the grand tour of their home and gathered back in the living room. As the evening wore, on a storm has developed. Lightning lit up the sky and a loud clap of thunder could be heard.

Alice turned on the radio.

"Heavy thunderstorms have made their way to Sloanville, dangerous lightning may occur during these storms. We advise everyone to stay inside. We don't see any let up before morning."

"Oh my goodness," Marge shuddered at the next thunderclap, she hated storms.

"Easy, Marge, you and Lloyd are going to stay with us for the night." Alice told her friends.

"Yeah, we've got plenty of room," Jack seconded the motion.

"Okay, Lloyd?" Marge looked, questioningly at her husband.

"Sure, thanks guys. We don't want to put you out."

"Oh, don't be silly, you're not putting us out," Alice told them.

Alice showed the couple to their guestroom. It was a cozy room that had a double bed, a small fireplace, a dresser, and a bay window with a window seat.

"There you go, there are fresh towels in the linen closet for a shower."

Alice settled the kids into bed and joined her husband downstairs in the living room.

Marge and Lloyd took their shoes off and climbed into the bed.

Alice was busy loading the dishwasher, when she felt her husband's arms snake around her waist.

"I think that can wait until morning," he whispered into her ear.

"Jack, we've got company." She smiled and laughed.

"So, they're sleep." He turned her in his arms and planted a kiss on her lips.

Suddenly the door flew open; the wind had picked up.

"Oh!" Alice cried out, she began shaking.

"It's okay, darling, it's just the wind," Jack pushed the door shut and locked it securely.

Just then a loud thunderclap boomed, shaking the windows. A picture fell off the wall and onto the floor.

Alice threw herself into her husband's arms. He embraced her tightly against him.

"Honey, it's okay."

She tried to calm herself.

"Let's go upstairs, dear." He shut off the lights; the light shining from the upstairs hallway guided their way up the staircase.

Alice went to check on the kids. They were sleeping very soundly. She joined her husband in their bedroom.

"Honey, how are the kids?"

"They're fine, nothing seems to wake them up."

They changed into their sleeping clothes and slid into bed.

The wind was still whipping around the house, blowing at the windowpanes. Inside it was quiet; the occupants all tucked in their beds.

It was three am when Lloyd got up to use the bathroom. Marge laid in the bed facing the wall. She felt a hand on her back, rubbing her in slow circular motions. She smiled as she turned to give her husband a hug. Her arms were met with empty space. Her eyes flew open and sitting up in the bed, she scanned the room.

"Lloyd?"

"Yeah, honey," he said from the doorway.

"What? Where?" Marge was dumbfounded.

"What's the matter, Marge?" Lloyd quickly came over to the bed and sat next to his wife.

"I felt something touching my back, I was sure it was you."

"I was in the bathroom."

"I know someone or something was touching me."

"You were probably dreaming, dear. You know you've been having some strange dreams."

"I know what I felt, there was a hand on my back," she insisted.

"Well as you can see there's no one here, dear. Maybe we should just go back to bed and..." Lloyd stopped as they heard the sound of laughter in the hallway. It sounded like a young girl.

"What in the world?" Marge opened the door, she peeked her head out, and looked both ways. The hallway was empty. Footsteps could be heard on the stairs, like someone was walking up or down the staircase.

"Lloyd, it sounds like there's someone downstairs," she whispered.

They were the only ones up; the others in the house were sound asleep.

Lloyd and Marge went downstairs and as they came to the bottom, something drew their attention.

"Marge, look,"

They spotted what appeared to be a figure of a young girl, about 12 years of age. She appeared to be transparent. They watched as she slowly walked to the French doors, which led to the backyard.

"Daddy!" she squealed with delight. The doors remained closed as the ghostly image of the young girl disappeared through them and into the backyard.

Lloyd and Marge looked at each other then eased their way to the doorway. The scene they saw as they looked out to the backyard horrified them. They saw the ghostly image of the little girl, but she was no longer squealing with delight. Her small body was lying under the tree. It looked like her wrists had been slashed. Another ghostly figure was beside her.

"Oh, Emily...Emily." they could tell the man was weeping, and they saw the man gently lift the girl into his arms.

"Daddy," Emily called out to her father before her head fell back in her father's arms. The father pulled her lifeless body against his own as if trying to bring warmth and life back into his daughter.

Marge and Lloyd's hearts went out to them. Suddenly, the room got very cold and they saw the father's head lift up. A dark shadow was in the far corner of the backyard. The father stared at the shadow with a look that could only be described at hatred. Then the father pulled his daughter in a protective embrace and they disappeared before the couple's eyes.

The dark shadow lingered a few moments longer. Marge and Lloyd sensed that this figure was evil and that he was behind the sad scene that had been shown to them.

Just as quickly as the evil figure appeared, he dissolved into nothingness.

"Was any of this real?" Marge asked, awestruck.

"I don't know, dear."

They slowly made their way to the bedroom. Each lay in the bed not getting a wink of sleep. The storm finally abated by morning's light. Marge and Lloyd watched the sunrise.

Part 3

Alice could just about smell the coffee wafting up from the coffee maker. She had an automatic one and had it set to start brewing at eight am.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she leaned over to kiss her husband.

*Yawn* "Ah hmmmmm," he reluctantly opened his eyes and sat up in bed. "Good morning, darling."

"I better start breakfast, can you go check on the kids?"

Alice paused at their guest's bedroom. It was silent. She'd let them sleep a while longer before she woke them up. She padded down to the kitchen and began preparing the morning meal.

"Mom, do you know where my book report is?" Ben asked his mother as he came into the kitchen.

"Ben, you know it's your responsibility to be prepared for school," his mother scolded him.

She got the kids fed while Jack had made sure they were dressed for school. He didn't have to be at the hospital until the late afternoon. He left to walk the kids to the bus stop.

Alice turned at the sound of their guest's voices.

"Good morning, you two, how did you sleep?" She started pouring the coffee into mugs.

"Morning, Alice," Lloyd plopped down into a chair at the kitchen table. Marge just stood at the counter staring off into space.

"Marge, What's wrong?" Alice had put the mug of coffee in front of Lloyd and brought another over to her friend.

"Did you hear anything last night, Alice? I mean, see anything unusual?" Marge moved away from the counter to stare out the window.

"No, why?"

Marge told her friend what she and Lloyd witnessed. "I've never seen something so sad and frightening at the same time." Marge looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Take it easy, honey," Lloyd tried to calm his wife.

"I guess we should have told you this house has some spirits. Although we've never really seen them, we usually just feel it get cold or the pictures fall off the walls."

"Well this was more than just pictures falling off the wall, Alice," Marge was getting very agitated.

"What's going on?" Jack came in at that moment.

Lloyd filled him in on their ghostly encounter, as Alice talked to her friend.

"I'm sure there's some kind of explanation."

They heard a dog barking in the backyard. They went to the window and spotted a Golden Retriever digging frantically under the Maple tree that sat in the middle of the large backyard.

"What is Rocky doing back there?" Alice could see their neighbor's dog had wandered into their yard.

"What's going on?" Lloyd asked.

"That's the Lockhart's dog, he's from next door. He must have climbed under the fence and into our yard." Alice explained.

"I'll go see what has him so agitated," Jack went out through the French doors.

"He's a nice dog, the kids like to play with him," Alice kept talking about the dog, hoping that changing the subject might calm Marge down.

"Alice! Alice you better take a look at this," Jack called out to his wife. Alice ran out at the sound of her husband's voice, Marge and Lloyd followed close behind.

They joined Jack under the Maple tree; where he squatted by the trees base. He was looking down at the hole that Rocky had dug into the still wet soil.

"Oh my, those look like..." Alice began, she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Bones," Lloyd commented, he had come up behind Jack and was looking over his shoulder at the dirt encrusted bones.

"I think we better call the police," Jack went back inside the house to the kitchen to make the call. Lloyd managed to return Rocky to his proper home on the other side of the fence.

"Alice, you don't think they could be human do you?"

"Yes, they are Human," a quiet voice could be heard from behind the threesome.

They all turned to discover a man dressed like a transient.

"Who are you?" Alice entreated. Her eyes gazed at the stranger who stood in her backyard.

"I am Caine."

Part 4

"Caine? Caine who? What are you doing here?" Lloyd questioned him, he had stepped between the stranger and the two women.

"Are you responsible for this?" Marge indicated their discovery.

"No," Caine spoke quietly, he could sense the tragic events that had unfolded here many years ago. "There is a great evil here."

"Lloyd?" Marge came up behind her husband.

"Don't worry, honey, the cops are on their way." He whispered to assuage her fears. The police would take care of this weirdo.

"Well the cops are on their way," Jack had returned. "I see we've got company," he looked at the newcomer.

"Hello, Mr. Caine," Jack welcomed him. "Or is it still Councilman?" he put his hand out to shake Caine's hand.

"You know this man?" Alice asked her husband.

"You don't recognize him? He was the Councilman that was all over the news last year. He went against that developer, Abel Lennox," Jack explained. "What are you doing here Councilman?"

"I am no longer a Councilman, I am a priest and an apothecary in Chinatown."

"What are you doing here, Mr. Caine?" Alice asked, she finally remembered who he was.

"I feel much despair, a great tragedy happened here. Their souls are not at rest. An evil is tormenting them, must help them."

"Help them, help who? Who are you?" Lloyd's questions would have to wait. They saw a police car pulling up in front of the house. They cringed when they spotted the Action Three news truck pulling up right behind them.

"Oh, great, another visit from the media." Alice was not too happy having her house exploited by the reporters. She didn't like it the first time they came here to interview them about their haunting last week. At least she didn't have to see that Mason woman, Alice couldn't stand her. She saw the passenger door of the news van open and Alice's hopes were dashed when she spotted her "favorite" reporter exiting the vehicle.

"What is she doing here?" she asked aloud.

"Now, honey, I know how you feel about her." Jack knew how strongly his wife disliked Sandra Mason. She felt she had no business reporting the news, that she made a mockery out of it. Alice's late father was a newspaper reporter and Alice had followed in his footsteps. She had worked for a few years as a journalist, just before she had the kids. She took reporting the news very seriously. She had no respect for Mason's style.

"That crow has no business in the newsroom. She wouldn't know how to report the weather let alone real news stories." She clamed up and turned away as she saw the object of her disgust coming in her direction.

"Which one of you is Dr. Stuart?" one of the officers asked.

"I am," Jack chimed in. He explained about the remains that were found in his backyard.

"Mrs. Stuart can you tell us if this has anything to do with the recent stories about your house being haunted?" Sandra Mason had heard the police being called to this house on the police scanner and thought there might be a story that she could nab.

"Don't you have anything else better to do, anyone else you can harass, you nosy, inept, busy body!" Alice turned her back on the reporter and walked over to her husband who was still talking to the police. Lloyd and Marge were also being interviewed by other officers who had arrived on the scene.

Nickie Elder had been called in to examine the remains.

"Mr. and Mrs. Johnson do you have anything else to add?" The officer asked the couple.

"Well, there was last night." Marge mumbled.

"What about last night?" the officer questioned her.

"Oh it was nothing, it's silly." Marge insisted.

"I'll be the judge of that."

Marge relayed the events of the previous night and Lloyd added his own comments. When the word 'ghost' was mentioned, Sandra Mason made a bee line over to them.

"Come on, Tom, let's get a shot of this." Tom was the cameraman. He started filming the bones and got a shot of the house. Then Sandra motioned him over to the couple for their story.

"So, you say you spotted a ghost in this house?" She had her microphone right in Marge's face.

"It was more like two figures, then when we spotted them outside we could see them more clearly. It was a father and his daughter. They looked so sad, my heart just went out to them." Marge's eyes welled up with tears over the memory of what she had witnessed.

Sandra spotted Caine standing by the tree with Nickie Elder. He was kneeling beside the remains and was running his hands over them.

"Mr. Caine?" Sandra began her barrage of questions.

*********************************************************************

Peter had just made it back from booking another suspect. He'd been out on a stakeout with Jody and he wasn't looking forward to the paperwork.

"Hey, Peter, are you going to Delancy's? It's Karaoke night." Skalany teased him. She knew that Peter hated standing up in public to sing. Despite the fact that he had a wonderful singing voice, for some reason Peter was very shy about it.

"I don't think so, Skalany, the Captain wants these files on her desk yesterday.

"Oh, and since when has that ever stopped you from sneaking out and having a good time?"

Peter went over to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup.

"Hey, Peter, I think you're going to want to see this," Kermit called his friend and indicated the TV. The news broadcast was on.

"What is it, Kermit." Peter pivoted around and glanced at the screen. "Since when did you become a Sandra Mason fan? I thought the last time you had words with her you told her you'd stick that microphone someplace where the sun doesn't shine."

"Well, it worked, didn't it? In any case I'm not watching her, I'm watching her 'special guest'"

Peter glanced back at the TV and his mouth dropped open. "Pop? What the hell is my father doing there?"

"Maybe he was stopping by for some afternoon tea," Blake interjected, "Or maybe..." he stopped when he noticed he was talking to empty air.

Peter had taken off like a shot.

************************

The Channel Three news van was gone by the time Peter's Stealth drove up to the Stuart's home.

He spotted Nickie at the coroners van.

"Nickie, what's going on?"

"OH, hi Pete. There was some bones found in these people's backyard. Apparently the neighbor's dog dug them up. It looks like the remains of a child and an adult."

"Do you know how they died?" Peter could sense a deep sadness and fear as he looked at the body bags the bones had been placed it. One of the workers shut the van's door.

"No, I'll find out more when I get back to the office."

"Keep me informed, okay Nickie?" Peter felt the overwhelming need to help solve this case.

"Sure," he started to get into the van. "Oh, and Pete, your fathers' here," he called out to him.

"I know," Peter said softly as he strolled up to the front door to the house. **********

"Mr. Caine, what do you mean that these souls are not a rest?" Alice asked him, they had regrouped in the living room. She had made a pot of coffee and brought Caine some herbal tea. They all sat around the fireplace.

"I can feel their pain, they are not at peace."

"Do you know who they are?" Jack questioned him.

"I do not know their names, I do know it is a little girl and her father," Caine closed his eyes, he could relate to the pain of his own loss to this fathers. A tear ran down his cheek.

"Caine, are you okay," Marge touched his arm.

"Yes I am all right. I, too, lost a child. My son."

"I am so sorry," Marge sympathized with him.

"I was very fortunate, I found my son again." His face lit up when he mentioned this. He explained how he and his son thought the other was dead and the fifteen years of separation. "There is so much joy in my heart, there are no words for it. The father had such joy with his daughter until an evil visited them, a darkness which cast out the light. It is here, even now."

"Is that the shadow?" Lloyd remembered the events from last night." Is that the evil you're talking about?"

"Yes," Caine replied. "It is preventing their souls from going on. I must help them."

The door bell rang, Alice went to get the door. "Look, if you're another reporter, I've given my last interview. " she said to the handsome man at the door.

"I'm a cop, Mrs. Stuart,"

"I've spoken to enough of them, too, " she thought about shutting the door in his face.

"Ma'am, I'm Detective Peter Caine with the 101st precinct," Peter showed her his badge.

"Caine? You're not related to..."

"Peter?" a calm voice said from behind her.

"Pop?"

"Well, that answers my question," Alice stepped aside. "Please come in."

She closed the door and followed them back into the living room.

Part 5

**Warning, there is some violent content. This chapter could be rated "R".**

"Pop, what are you doing here?" Peter asked as he sat down. Alice poured him some coffee.

"I sensed a great evil in this house. It must be dispelled before they can be at peace. I must assist them."

Marge filled Peter in on the events of the previous night.

"So what happens now, Pop? How are you going to help them?"

"I must meditate," Caine said quietly.

"Meditate? What will that do?" Jack asked the priest.

"I told you Marge he was weird," Lloyd whispered to his wife.

"My father's methods are different, but they work." Peter defended his father.

"I will connect with the dark spirit, ask him to leave this house. I must ask you to all leave this room."

"Leave the living room, why?" Alice was perplexed.

"I feel this is where they evil presence is strong," Caine began to take some candles out of his pouch and place them on the coffee table. "I must have some time alone to center myself."

The Stuarts and the Johnsons filed out of the living room and went through the kitchen to the den. All were perplexed as to the validity of the priest's claims, but were afraid to do anything else. It seemed to them a crazy thing to be doing, trying to meditate and communicate with an evil that might or might not be there, but neither of them had any other suggestions to handle the situation. It was best to comply with Caine's wishes and hope that he wasn't crazy as Lloyd implied.

Peter stayed behind to help his father prepare the room. They moved the couch back and set the candles in a circle and lit them.

"Are you sure this is going to work, Pop?" Peter asked him.

"I do not know, my son, but I must try."

Peter's hand rested on his father's shoulder and he squeezed it. Their eyes met. "Be careful," he whispered and he left the living room to join the others.

Caine folded himself into a lotus position in the middle of the living room. He took a deep breath and opened his mind. At first there was nothing but silence in the room, then he felt it, a shadow. It was small at first, then it grew. Caine kept himself calm.

*Why are you tormenting these souls* he reached out to the entity.

*Ha, ha, ha*

Caine could hear the maniacal laughter, it seemed to emanate from all around him. It chilled him to the bone.

*You will release Emily and Jonathan and you will leave this house,* he implored the spirit.

*No, she belongs to me, I took her, she wanted it. She is mine forever, MINE.* The laughter returned, even louder this time.

As Caine concentrated on this dark force, he saw a vision. Events from the past were shown to him. He saw the father and daughter. He could feel a sense of loss between these two, a loss he knew all too well.

"My wife, no, how can I go on without her?" Jonathan turned to see his seven year old daughter in the doorway. Her face was a stone mask as if all the life had been drained out of her. He could see that the death of his wife would be hardest on her. She had lost her mother. How were they both going to cope?

Weeks after they buried her, Emily had become very withdrawn.

"Please, Emily," her father coaxed. "You must eat something. Your friends from school have been asking for you."

But Emily would not respond. She continued to stare out the window as if waiting for her mother to return home. It took all the father's efforts to get his daughter out of her shell, but with patience and love she finally became more outgoing.

Then, one day Emily was walking home from school, she usually walked with a friend and stayed at that friend's house until her father got home from work. On this day her friend was sick so she decided to walk home alone. She made it to the front gate of her house. She had her keys out. Just as she opened the front door a hand came over her mouth. A man pulled her into the living room and over powered her and raped her. Her father came home a few hours later and discovered his daughter huddled in the corner by the fireplace, sobbing.

Jonathan had called for an ambulance and the police had been brought in. He discovered at the hospital that his daughter had been raped. The police never caught the suspect, but he had an MO and they had put two and two together. The suspect was Jarred Green, he was a serial rapist, he liked young girls. He had been in prison, but managed to escape.

"Do not worry, sir. We will catch this man," the police tried to reassure Jonathan, but no trace of Jarred Green had been found.

Caine saw what happened next.

Jarred became obsessed with Emily. One night he came back and tried to attack her once again. He had disabled the alarm system and sneaked into the house. Jonathan saw him and took out his gun.

"Get your hands off her you son of a bitch!"

Jarred laughed at him. He tried to use Emily as a shield. Jonathan liked to go hunting so he knew how to handle a gun. His anger and fear for his daughter took over. He aimed and shot Jarred in the head, killing him instantly.

Life for the father and daughter was never the same.

Caine's heart was already racing at this point, but the next vision tore his heart out.

Several days had passed since this incident, Jonathan was looking for his daughter. Her favorite place to hang out was under the maple tree. He found her there, her wrists were slashed. He discovered a razor blade at the base of the tree next to her, a pool of blood soaking the grass under her.

"Emily! No!" the grief-stricken father lifted his child in his arms and rocked her. Her head moved slightly as she gazed at him.

"Daddy, I'm sorry."

"Emily, you didn't do anything wrong. Why, Emily, why." The tears rolled down his face. He held her closer as he felt her life ebbing. She was dead, his life meant nothing to him now.

In less then two months, Jonathan was dead. His heart too overcome with grief to go on.

Caine had tears on his cheeks as the vision ended. He felt an affinity with Jonathan. After Peter had died, or so he thought, he felt so empty that he, too, could have gone down the same path as Jonathan.

But some voice inside him would not let him give up. The essence of his son would not allow him. He was fortunate to find his son again.

This evil was the spirit of Jarred Green, reaching out to destroy all that was good in this house. He wanted Emily, to keep her here and his hatred for Jonathan also would not allow him to rest in peace.

*I will not allow you to harm them.* Caine called out to the evil spirit. He gathered his chi strength in an effort to drive it out. *Be gone, Jarred Green, Your reign of terror is finished.*

*No!* the evil refused to be banished. Several objects flew around the room, hitting Caine. A picture frame hit him in the head.

"What's going on?" Jack heard the commotion in the living room.

"I don't know, you all stay here." Peter told them as he ran to check on his father. He got to the doorway in time to see the turmoil. A poker from the fireplace struck his father in the side, piercing him.

"Pop!" he screamed as he rushed forward and dragged his father out of there. As soon as they exited the living room it was silent again.

Peter held his father in his arms and looked at his wound. There was a gash in his left side, right above the scar Caine had received when he had first come to Chinatown, and had his run in with Jack Wong and his friend.

"I'll call an ambulance," Alice ran to the phone. Jack came over with his medical bag to examine Caine.

"There is no need, I will be all right." Caine managed to say through his heavy breathing.

"Pop, you're hurt, Let them take care of you."

"This wound is pretty deep," Jack made his assessment.

Peter tried to be optimistic, but he was scared, instinctively he concentrated on giving his father his chi strength.

"What the?" Jack had come over to examine the wound. The bleeding was stopping in front of his eyes and it appeared to be healing. "In all my years of medicine I've never seen anything like that."

Peter held his father against him and stroked his cheek. "You're going to all right, father," he kissed his him on the forehead.

"Yes, my son, thank you." Caine relaxed into his son's embrace. The ambulance came, Jack helped them load Caine in and climbed into the back. Peter held his father's hand and refused to let go when the paramedics told him he had to ride up front. He sat next to his father and they sped away to the hospital.

Part 6

Peter paced the floor of the ER, waiting for word about his father's condition. He had reluctantly released his father's hand when they wheeled him into the exam room.

The doors finally opened and Jack Stuart came out to find Peter.

"How is he?" Peter let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"He's going to be fine, the wound wasn't deep. They're going to finish stitching him up. He should be ready to go soon.

"Thanks, doctor," he whispered as he followed the doctor to the exam area.

"Does this type of stuff happen a lot?" Jack asked him.

"With my father, you learn to expect the unexpected."

They reached the cubicle where his father was being bandaged up.

"Pop, how are you feeling?" he asked his father as he helped him on with his shirt.

"I am fine, my son," he began buttoning up his shirt, "Thank you."

"Don't scare me like that," he placed his hand on his father's shoulders and squeezed.

"I did not mean to, my son."

Suddenly his father's eyes squinted shut, like he was in pain.

"What's wrong, Pop," Peter asked him

"We must go back to the house." Caine had opened his eyes and was staring blankly.

"My house, why?" Jack had been standing off to the side, waiting patiently to talk to Caine.

"Your family and friends are in great danger. We must go, quickly." Before Peter could say a word his father had jumped off the exam table and was out the door. Peter and Jack glanced at each other and followed after Caine.

Marge and Lloyd stayed with Alice. After the strange events going on around the house. There was no way they were going to leave her alone. Alice stood out in the front yard and waited for her boys to come home from school.

"Hi Sweetheart," She greeted them as they got off the school bus.

"Hi, mom," they said in stereo.

Alice laughed as she and the children walked back into the house.

"Hi, boys," Marge greeted them from the kitchen, she and Lloyd were each enjoying a cup of coffee.

"Hi, Mr. And Mrs. Johnson," Jeremy said walking over to the counter, grabbing a cookie out of the jar, and went upstairs to join his brother. They knew they had to do their homework when they came home from school before they were allowed to do anything else.

"Do you think Mr. Caine is going to be okay?" Marge asked Alice.

"I hope so," she poured herself some coffee. "He looked so pale when they took him to the hospital." Both women fell silent for a moment, at first not wanting to broach the subject that they knew would be discussed next. Marge then cleared her throat after taking a sip of her coffee.

"Can you believe all these strange happenings, Alice?"

"No, I never dreamed this place was haunted."

"What are you gong to do, Alice? I mean do you think you and the kids are in danger?" Marge asked her.

"I don't know anymore. I thought it was just something different, something harmless. But after what happened in the living room I just..."

"MOM!" Alice dropped her coffee mug at the sound of her children's screams and rushed upstairs, Marge and Lloyd ran after her. They got to their door and heard banging noises. Alice tried to open the door but it would not open.

"Oh God, I can't open the door!" She screamed out in terror, she desperately wanting to get to her children. Lloyd pulled Alice out of the way and tried to ram the door open with his shoulder. It would not budge.

"Mommmmmmm!!!!!" the terrified cries from the kids could be heard.

"Jeremy? Ben? It's Mommy! I'm here, honey. I'm coming." She tried to allay her kid's fears, but she was having a hard enough time quelling her own fears.

Lloyd kept on hitting the door. Marge held her friend and stood off to the side. She was just as terrified for the kids as Alice was. Lloyd finally kicked the door as hard as he could and it broke open at the side. He rushed in ahead of the women.

The room was a wreck; toys were all over the floor. The bookshelves were pulled off the walls, the books lying in piles on the floor. The kids were huddled together in a corner.

"Jeremy! Ben!" Alice rushed to her kids; she checked them out to see if they were injured. Jeremy had some cuts and bruises on his face and hands. Ben was still sobbing.

"Get it off, get it off!" Ben whimpered.

"What, sweetheart, what do you want me to get off?" Alice looked at her son. Marge saw something on the boy's skin. She lifted his shirt. There were welts on his back; they were erupting on his skin.

"I don't believe this," Lloyd whispered, he was stumped as to what was going on.

"Oh my GOD!" Marge screamed out.

"What! What's wrong?" Lloyd grabbed his wife's shoulders.

"Look!" she pointed at the mirror on the wall. Written on it were the words: YOU ARE MINE!

"Let's get out of here!" Alice scooped Ben in her arms and Lloyd guided Jeremy out of the bedroom. They quickly hustled down the stairs and to the front door.

Marge tried to open the door but it wouldn't open. "I can't get it open." she said frantically, she was starting to panic.

Lloyd tried to pry it open. Alice quickly ran to the French doors in the back and found they, too, were not opening. They tried the windows and even the skylight; all were sealed shut.

"What the hell is going on!!!!!" Lloyd screamed out his frustration. They were all locked in. They were a prisoner in the house.

The house suddenly got very cold and they could hear a maniacal laugh coming from all around them. They huddled in the living room.

"Oh please somebody HELP US!" Alice screamed out.

Part 7

'Oh, somebody, help us!' Caine heard the cries. He was sitting in the backseat of Jack's car. Peter was beside him in the passenger's seat and saw his father stiffen.

"Uh" Caine gasped in shock and surprise.

"What it is, Pop?" Peter turned around to look at his father.

"It is back, the evil. He has found someone new to torment." Caine said hoarsely as he tried to talk himself.

"Who?" Jack asked him. The disturbing occurences had him frightened.

"Your family," Caine answered him.

"Oh my God!" Jack exclaimed, pushing his foot down on the accelerator

"Pop, can you feel them?" Peter questioned him, he was as anxious as Jack was to get back to the house.

"Yes, they are in great danger." Caine tried to center himself; for he knew he would need all his strength to battle this evil spirit.

"What are we going to do?" Marge cried in a panic.

"I don't know," Lloyd was frantically trying to pull the windows open.

"Mom, I'm scared!" Jeremy screamed out while Ben was clinging to his mother in terror.

Alice held her children against her body as the room started getting very cold.

The pictures on the mantel fell to the floor and one chair in the corner overturned on its own.

'HA, HA, HA' the sound of laughter malevolent could be heard echoed inside the room.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Lloyd guided the little group out of the living room and into the kitchen.

Marge tried the doors they wouldn't budge.

Panic had set in as they huddled in the kitchen trying to decide what to do next.

******************

Jack made it back to his house in record time and was out of the car before the engine had completely shut off. He ran quickly up to the front door, intending to jerk it open, but found it wouldn't budge. He was going to ram it.

"Wait!" Caine cried out to him, Jack stopped his feeble attempts to force the door when he heard him. "If you rush in, you will only endanger your family and friends further.

"But I can't just stand out here and do nothing." Jack said as he stared desperately at the house holding his loved ones hostage. "Something has to be done."

"Something will be done. My son and I will rescue them." Caine declared as he glared at the house. He could literally feel the malevolent force which threatened the occupants radiating from the abode.

"What can the two of you do against this, this thing!" Jack demanded to know as hie frustration grew.

"You must trust us, we are a team," he declared as he caught Peters grim expression. "We will get them out."

Caine put his hands on Jack's shoulders. Jack could feel some strange energy passing into his body. It had a direct calming effect on his frazzled nerves.

"All right," he whispered. He walked over to a tree and leaned against it.

"Pop, how are we going to do this?" Peter asked him.

"We must draw the spirit out, my son." Caine began to walk towards the house. Then he detoured around to the back of the house; Peter followed his father, wondering what his enigmatic father had in mind.

Caine made a beeline for the big maple tree that stood in the middle of the large backyard. He touched the tree very gently and closed his eyes. Peter stood next to him, watching very closely.

'Pound, pound, pound,' Peter quickly turned his head and saw the people in the house desperately pounding on the windows. He could hear them crying out to them to save them.

"Pop, look!" he touched his father's shoulder.

"Yes, I see. We do not have much time. The evil wants to destroy everyone who threatens him." Caine took some deep breaths and folded himself into a lotus position at the base of the tree. He looked up at Peter and reached out his hand, beckoning his son to join him.

Peter immediately dropped next to his father. They moved to face each other and held hands. Peter looked into his father's eyes.

"I will need your strength to help drive this spirit out, my son. Are you ready?" His father asked him.

"Whatever you need, Pop. But do you think it will be enough?" Peter was a little scared, but he had joined his chi with his father before, he trusted him implicitly.

"I believe we will be able to, but there is a great danger." He warned Peter.

"Isn't there always?" Peter tried to lighten the mood.

"It would appear our life is filled with danger. We must hurry," Caine had closed his eyes and was centered himself.

Peter closed his eyes; he felt his father's energy reaching out to him. Peter reached back and together, they joined their chi strength in order to do battle with the evil being in the house.

Part 8

"What is going on out there" Marge paced the kitchen frantically, as soon as she'd spotted the Caines entering the backyard.

"I don't know" Lloyd watched the two men walk over to the tree and sit down at its base.

"Are they taking a siesta?" Marge began banging on the glass windows on the kitchen windows to get their attention.

"Jarred Green, you will leave this house, you will not harm these people." Caine shouted knowing this evil spirit was very strong and that he would need Peter's help to defeat him. Peter's spirit had grown in strength since their reunion and after Peter had finished his Shaolin training, his powers of insight had strengthened considerably. He and his son could truly be a 'team' on a more equal plane. "Peter," his father whispered gently in Peter's mind, "No matter what happens, you must remain silent. I will do what must be done to defeat this evil, you will be my 'back-up'"

"Okay, Pop," Peter relaxed completely, for he trusted his father. Even as a novice in the ways of the Shaolin, he could sense the evil being in the house, somehow knowing when the being had been alive, he had been a career criminal, a rapist and a thief. The entity was even more dangerous now that he was non-corporeal than he ever was as a mere mortal.

Peter would do whatever it took to drive him out. He focused on giving his father his chi, even though by doing so, it left him very weak and vulerable.

"Ah! What is this?" Jarred Green's voice was heard echoing throughout the house.

Alice and the boys were huddled together in a corner of the kitchen and Marge and Lloyd were holding each other as they were stood in the middle of the kitchen. Their eyes were fixed at a spot near the French doors, on what appeared to be a fog hovering in front of the doors. It slowly turned into a vortex, the wave moving upward, faster and faster until it took the shape of a man.

"It's, it's him! The dark shadow we saw in the backyard. He's the one who attacked that poor girl and tormented her father." Marge cried out in recognition.

"Yes, honey, it is." Lloyd held his wife closer against him.

"Mommy, I'm scared." Ben exclaimed as he wrapped his arms tighter around his mother.

"It's all right, baby. No one is going to hurt you."

Jarred Green stared out into the backyard at the two figures under the tree. The older one he recognized. It was the priest who had tried to drive him out earlier. Now, he had returned with a younger man. He could hear the older one speaking, trying once again to drive him away.

"It won't work, Caine, Emily is mine as are these other poor, pathetic souls inside this house. I will destroy anyone who gets in my way!" he started laughing when, suddenly, he gasped. He felt the pull of the two Shaolin working in tandem, their combined forces weakening him greatly.

"Nooooo!" he felt his body being yanked closer to the door. Jarred grabbed onto the door jam, his fingers digging into the wood. Desperately his mind worked to find a way to save himself.

"You will leave here. Now!" he heard Caine's voice rumble in his thoughts.

"Never, Caine! I'll kill you first." He answered back.

"Pop, is it working?" Peter's voice echoed through the link.

"Peter, no, you must remain silent." Caine quickly warned him, but it was too late. Jarred stared out at Peter a malevolent smile crossed his wicked features.

"So, he's your son, huh?" the evil being smiled malevolently as he closed his eyes and suddenly disappeared. The house became very quiet.

Marge and Lloyd went over to Alice and the boys to check on them. "Are you all right?" Lloyd asked breathlessly.

"Yes, we're okay," Alice stumbled away from the corner where she and her boys had been huddled. "What about you two?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Marge assured her.

Lloyd walked over to the French doors and tried to open them. They clicked open at his slightest touch.

"We're free," he felt like a prisoner who was just being released from his prison.

"Jack!" Alice called out,. Her husband heard her from out in front of the house where he'd been pacing. He quickly ran to the back and wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her.

"Daddy," Jeremy and Ben said in unison as they gathered in a group hug with their parents.

"What do you suppose happened?" Marge asked quizzedly.

"I'm not sure, but those two over there had something to do with our rescue." Lloyd indicated the two forms sitting under the big maple tree.

The group glanced over to the two Shaolin.

"Peter?" Caine had felt his son's chi flowing freely into him while he was confronting Jarred Green. Now he felt nothing. He opened his eyes to see Peter suddenly slumped against him. His son was lying like a rag doll, lying limp in his arms.

"Peter!" Caine moved Peter so he was lying flat on the ground. He ran his hands over his son's body, trying to accertain what had occurred.

"Ah!" he moaned as he discovered the cause for Peters condition. It was as he feared it to be; Jarred Green was exacting his revenge against Caine for trying to banish him. He was inside Peter's body. "No, you WILL NOT DO THIS! LEAVE MY Son's body!" He tried to connect to Peter, but Jarred kept pushing him away.

"Hahahahahaha," the laughter came from Peter's throat but it was not Peter who was laughing. It was Jarred in control of Peter's body. "I have him now, priest. Your son is mine!" Peter's eyes opened up and looked up at Caine, the look on his face was one that Peter never showed to his father. 'HATRED.' Thats what the glare in Peters eyes said to him silently and it made Caine's blood run cold. He had to save Peter from this evil before it destroyed him.

Before Caine could react, Peter's right hand reached out and grabbed Caine by the throat, trying to strangle him. Caine's hands reached around Peter's arm and applied pressure to a point on his arm; it made him release the fingers from around Caine's throat.

Jarred tried to get up, but Caine held Peter's body to the ground. He didn't want Jarred to take off with Peter being his helpless victim.

"No, release him NOW!" Caine concentrated on driving Jarred from Peter's body. He felt Peter's body jerking up against his body. He looked down at his son and could see Peter was struggling to breathe. Jarred was now in control of his son's body. And he was using that control to suffocate the young man.

"You won't win, Shaolin. If you make me go, I'm taking your son with me, straight into hell itself if I have to!"

"No, I will not permit it." Caine pulled Peter against him; it was eerie for the onlookers from the house to watch. They saw Caine pulling his son into his arms, rocking his body. It reminded them so much of the scene they had witnessed between Emily and her father. They felt so helpless to assist Caine and his son; all they could do was watch.

"H-help me father, please." Gasp. Peter's body arched against his father as he gasped for air. Caine held Peter down.

"No, my son, do not leave me. Do not let him win!" Caine held him tightly; he sent his chi into his son's body. He was face to face with Jarred and shocked to see how much he had taken over Peter's body. He was murdering his son, slowly and painfully. Snuffing out his air, his chi, and his life.

Suddenly, Caine was thrown off his son's body. He landed hard against the tree. He fell against his left arm, hearing the snap which indicated the limb had been broken. He winced in pain but he had no time to think about this.

"I've won, Shaolin! Hahahahaha!" Peter's body stood over him. He crouched down next to Caine and grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Your son is mine! Say goodbye to this life, priest. You're about to meet your end!" Jarred didn't want Caine to die slowly at his son's hands. He wanted both of the Caine's to feel his limitless power over them. To have his son watch helplessly as Jarred used his body to kill his father was tantalizing prospect and he relished the thought of it. Then Jarred would take over Peter's body completely and destroy the life force inside it, taking it for his own. He would live again!

Jarred grabbed a branch that was laying on the ground next to the tree and swung it against Caine's head causing a large gash on the left side of Caine's head. The blood dripped from the wound down onto the side of Caine's face. Caine reached out with his good hand and hit the branch in such a way that he snapped the branch in two.

"Good trick, Caine!" Jarred lifted Caine up again and threw him against the tree. Caine felt himself growing weaker. He found it difficult to face Jarred when all he saw before him was his son's face. "This has been fun, priest, but I'm putting an end to it." Jarred had Peter's hands around his father's throat and was applying pressure to cut off his air supply.

"Stop it, you're killing your own father!" Alice screamed. Jack had run into the house to call the cops. Lloyd tried to run over to them beside tree. He ran into an invisible wall Jarred had erected to keep any help from reaching the beleaguered Caines.

"Hahahaha, that's the whole idea. I want to get rid of this worthless piece of filth." Jarred smiled inwardly. 'yes priest, die..... DIE!"

Jarred felt something inside, "What? No no I won't... You can't make me. You don't have that power. No.. No! STOP!" Jarred released Caine and stood up. The face was wincing, as if in pain. He ran the hands over his chest, then ran off towards the middle of the backyard where Peter's body suddenly dropped to his knees.

The hands went to his head. "NO! NO! AHHHHHHH!" After screaming, Peter's body fell to the ground and lay very still.

Caine slowly and shakily made his way shakily to his feet and over to Peter. He went to his knees beside his son and ran his good hand over his son's body.

"Is he alive?" Alice asked him. Marge and Lloyd and the kids had come over as soon as Peter collapsed to the ground. Lloyd heard the sirens coming up the street and had gone out front to direct the police and the ambulance to the right house. Jack started towards the Caines intending to help, but his confusion slowed his pace until he finally stood near Kwai Chang Caine paralyzed by what he had witnessed.

Caine didn't answer; his concentration was completely focused on the still form of his beloved son. 'Peter, no my son. Do not leave me.' He reached out with his mind, desperately looking for his son's essence. 'Please, my son. Not again. I could not bear to live without you. PLEASE!' he pleaded as tears fell down his face. His hand rested on Peter's chest, willing it to start moving.

A hand touched his cheek at the same time he felt the chest beneath his hand move upward. His eyes snapped open and he looked into the familiar hazel eyes, which looked at his face. "Peter?" his voice broke.

"Father?" Peter's voice whispered. "You are okay? I didn't, I mean Jarred didn't make me..." he couldn't find his voice over the emotion that made his throat tighten. He hand continued to stroke his father's cheek, his fingers tracing the gash on his father's head. Regret showed clearly in his eyes.

"No, my son. You did not hurt me. It was Jarred who caused these wounds, not you. Though, I do not know how he was destroyed." Caine ran his fingers through Peter's hair, needing to touch his son.

"He was going to kill you, Pop. I tried so hard to stop him. He thought he had succeeded in killing me, but I did my own 'shaolin trick' and found a way to drive him away. I guess I'm a chip off the old block after all, huh, Pop?"

Caine gently lifted Peter with his good arm and they held each other in a fierce embrace. "Yes my son, indeed you are. I love you." He kissed his son's cheek. Peter whispered in his father's ear, "I love you too, Pop."

Part 9 - Finale

Peter opened his eyes very slowly. His vision was fuzzy at first. Finally, after blinking a few times, he got a clear picture of his surroundings.

He was in a hospital. He had been in and out of hospitals so many times, he'd lost count.

'Why am I here this time?' he ran the question through his head as his memory came back to him.

"Ah, Detective Caine, I see you're awake." A nurse said pleasantly as she came into the room. She began to check his vitals, then took his chart and made some notations on it.

"Hi, Debbie, " From his many visits there, Peter already knew many of the nurses. Debbie was one of his favorites.

"I thought I told you to try to stay out of trouble," Debbie playfully chided him.

"Well, I like coming to visit you." Peter said jokingly. The smile on his face vanished as he remembered exactly what happened. He remembered Jarred Green had taken control of his body and how he tried to use him to kill his own father. That memory tore at his heart, even after his father had told him he wasn't to blame.

He must have blacked out after that. All he remembered now was waking up here. "Debbie, what am I doing here?"

"Dr. Stuart brought you in. He said you had passed out after a traumatic experience and you might be suffering from shock. He wants to keep you here for observation."

"What about my father?" Peter couldn't get the picture of his father being hurt by his hands. The images made him feel angry and guilty for his part in it.

"He was taken to emergency. He had a nasty gash on his head and his left arm was broken."

"Oh," Peter uttered as he closed his eyes; ashamed of what had happened, he turned his head away from the nurse.

"Can I see him, " he whispered.

"Peter, what's wrong?" Debbie put a hand on his shoulder. "Your father is going to be fine. They just had to stitch him up and set his arm. Dr. Stuart wants him to stay overnight, too. Just to make sure there is no concussion." She pulled up the covers over Peter.

Everyone in the hospital knew the Caines and how close they were.

"You know, I think if you play your cards right I think we can arrange to have him brought up here and you two can bunk together." She said conspiratorially. She noticed that he put his head down on the pillow and closed his eyes without answering. She figured he needed to rest and she quietly left.

As soon as he heard the door close, Peter opened his eyes. Finding out his father might be joining him would normally have made him very happy, but now it made Peter very uncomfortable. He didn't know what to say to his father or even how to say it. He got up and walked over to the window, staring blankly out at parking lot which was seven stories down.

*****

"We're almost finished, Mr. Caine, just one more stitch and... There you go." Dr. O'Connor was one of the residents in the ER. He had tended to Caine when he was brought, now he was putting the final dressing on the wound.

"Thank you," Caine said quietly. He had remained quiet while they x-rayed his arm and head, and while they set his arm in a cast and stitched the gash on his head.

Dr. Stuart had come back to check on the progress. "Ah, Caine, I see you're almost ready to go to your room. I was just checking to see what is available."

"I do not wish to stay," Caine said emphatically.

"I want you to stay overnight for observation, Caine. You took a nasty hit on the head. I just want to make sure there is no concussion." Jack could tell by the determined look on Caine's face that he wanted to leave. "I'm going to put you in the same room your son is in."

Jack saw Caine's eyes light up at the mention of his son.

"My son, he is all right?" Caine started to get off the exam table, but Jack put a hand on his good arm to keep him seated.

"He's fine. After what he's been through I thought it would be best to keep him overnight. Your son has a reputation for being stubborn, I can see now where he gets it from."

"Yes, we share certain, uh, qualities?" Caine smiled, thinking how many times the ancient had mentioned how stubborn they both were.

"The nurse will be here in a moment with a wheelchair to escort you to your room."

Caine sat quietly as he was taken upstairs. He tried to calm his spirit; the battle took everything out of him. He reached out to his son with his chi, needing to know in his heart Peter was safe. All he could feel was Peter's distress. He would need to have a talk with his son.

"Okay, Mr. Caine, here we are." The nurse stopped in from of room 715. She opened up the door, wheeled Caine into the room, and then over to one of the beds. They immediately noticed the other bed was vacant.

"Now where in the world is Detective Caine? He was just here a short while ago." She said shaking her head in disbelief.

"I believe I know," Caine said, sighing. He wanted to go to his son, but he would have to wait for his son's return.

Peter stood by the pond in the solarium; the room had been a donation by some wealthy benefactors. Peter had been one of the first visitors to this room during one of his many 'visits' to the hospital.

Water always had a way of calming him; it didn't matter if it was a lake, stream or a pond. He sat along side the pond; he stared at the koi that swam in the rippling water.

His mind kept replaying the events. Intellectually, he knew that he had not been in control of his own body. The fact that it wasn't his fault didn't make him feel better.

Peter still felt intense anger over the years he had lost with his father while they were separated. Jarred Green had fed on that anger. Now, he wondered if he could ever really hurt his father? Could he lose control like that? He'd seen alot of awful things in his life as a cop. He'd seen parents beat up on their kids, husbands beat up on their wives.

He had recently been on a case where an elderly man's son had abused him. The son had begun to hit his father until he finally killed him. Peter took great pleasure in arresting the dirt bag.

At the time, he couldn't conceive of a situation where he would ever hurt his father.

**Peter** a gentle voice echoed in his head.

"Pop? You okay?" he concentrated on sending warm feelings to his father.

**Yes, my son, I will be all right.** Peter felt the feelings of love coming from his father.

**Please come when you are ready, my son. We must talk.** He felt a calmness coming from his father so strong, it surrounded him.

His father was always so patient and giving. Peter was so happy to have him back in his life. He still couldn't find the words. He slowly made his way from the solarium to their room.

"Ah, so here is our hero!" Alice Stuart greeted Peter as he came into he room.

"I'm no hero, Mrs. Stuart," Peter said from the doorway. He made his way over to the empty bed, but first he stopped at his father's side. They exchanged glances. In those few moments, much was passed silently between them. They would talk later.

"Please call me Alice. Yes, you are a hero. Both of you are." Alice had stopped at the hospital to see how the Caines were doing and to thank them for saving the lives of her family and friends. She brought flowers for them and she had found a place for them on a small table by the window.

"Without you, we would have all died. That spirit was evil, pure and simple. What was it you did?" Alice had always been curious about the supernatural.

"Honey, there you are. I think the Caines need their rest." Jack put his arms around his wife. "Who is watching the kids?" He asked her.

"Well, Marge and Lloyd went home, and the kids are staying at a neighbors." Alice explained.

"I have to agree with my wife, you two are heroes," Jack checked Peter and Caine's charts.

"We did what was necessary," Caine told the couple.

"Yeah, it's a Shaolin thing." Peter added. His father looked over at him with what looked like pride in his eyes.

"Well whatever it was, thank you. Come on, dear, I'll buy you lunch." Jack guided his wife out the door of the room.

"You'll both have to come over for dinner one evening as our way of thanking you." Alice extended the invitation, then left them alone.

Silence echoed in the room. Peter was avoiding looking directly at his father; instead he stared at his folded hands in his lap.

"Peter?" his father called softly to him. Peter looked up at him.

"I'm sorry, father. I know to feel guilty serves no purpose. It's just that Jarred unleashed the darkness inside of me. To think he almost made me..." he couldn't continue.

"My son, you must not blame yourself, Jarred Green was a very powerful evil. It was he who was trying to destroy me, 'NOT' you. Please, Peter; do not go on this way. It will only wound your spirit. I can not allow that to happen to one who means more to me then my own life."

"Pop, I love you."

"And I love you, my son." Their conversation was healing the wounds that Jarred Green had opened.

"Pop, when we get out of here, can we go away someplace? Just the two of us? Another stop on our thousand mile journey?"

"I would like that very much." Caine smiled. "Only no camping trip."

"Okay, Pop," he laughed loudly, remembering what happened the last time they went away together. "No camping."

End