Alfie sat in his office, twiddling a tiger's eye stone around in his hand. His mother had cancelled all of his clients for the next week because she felt that he needed proper time off, not just the odd day whenever Alfie felt overwhelmed.

Alfie had nothing to do, other than waiting for Koda to arrive. Alfie knew what time he finished, and he could estimate the time Koda would reach his house from the college. Almost an hour after Koda's last lesson, he still wasn't at Alfie's home. Alfie didn't want to call or text because he didn't want to be a 'needy' boyfriend, though he was rather impatient.

Thankfully, Alfie didn't have to wait much longer because of the doorbell that rang loud through the house. He was about to get up to answer it, thinking his mother was in her studio and sometimes didn't hear the door, but she beat him to it.

Alfie listened with anticipation and soon heard footsteps approaching his door. Alfie knew it was Koda by the thick darkness leaking into his room before anyone attempted to knock. However, the person didn't knock; they stormed into Alfie's office and slammed the door behind them. Alfie made eye contact with Koda before he stormed over, grabbed Alfie from his chair and pinned him against the wall.

"I took a soul," Koda breathed into Alfie's ear before pushing their foreheads together. "I want your soul." Koda's hand lingered on Alfie's neck, but he never applied any pressure.

"Well," Alfie said and swallowed, not because he was scared, but because his love for Koda's sidekick side increased his levels of pleasure. "You can't have it."

"I want it."

"And I'm saying no."

Koda trembled, and their lips brushed together, but they didn't kiss. Koda respected Alfie's words and his hands eventually wrapped around Alfie's waist as he took control of his feelings. He pushed his face against the side of Alfie's face until he came to his senses and stopped craving the soul he wasn't allowed to take.

Alfie watched Koda lift his head with wide eyes.

"I uh..." Koda blinked back his muddled thoughts. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get so aggressive."

"Yes, you did." Alfie stared into his dark hazel eyes, showing him that he wasn't afraid. "I told you yesterday; I like this side of you in ways most people wouldn't."

Koda didn't waste his breath on apologising again because Alfie wouldn't accept it. "I took a soul."

"I feel it. Is that why it took you a while to come here?"

Koda nodded. "I didn't even care that someone had died. I wanted the soul more."

"Can't exactly blame you for that. It's the cycle of moving souls to the other side. You're just doing a job."

Koda noticed that he was still pinning Alfie to the wall and stepped back. "I guess. Though I wish I didn't get so weird."

"I'm into weird."

"I've noticed," Koda said, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck and blushing hard.

"You'll get used to it." Alfie cleared his throat and brushed down the front of his jumper. He hoped Koda's sidekick side would start to make more of an appearance. "Tea?"

* * * * *

Morlen pulled up outside the Willow's household as soon as he finished work. He wasn't successful in summoning the Reaper yesterday. He felt too foolish, and he didn't know what he was doing. Morlen decided that Alfie would help him, knowing Koda would be with the medium anyway.

He knocked loudly only the door, and Molly opened it with paint in her hair and a paintbrush in her mouth. She was holding a palette and didn't have time to say hello. Molly pointed down the corridor and hurried back to her studio, not wanting to lose her burst of creativity.

Morlen assumed she pointed in the direction of where his son was and headed for the kitchen. He could hear low murmurs as he approached the doorway. When he entered, he was presented with the sight of Koda and Alfie kissing and laughing.

Koda was sitting on a stool, and Alfie was standing between his legs with arms wrapped around Koda's shoulders. Koda's hands were on Alfie's waist when he whispered something in Alfie's ear, before kissing his neck and making Alfie laugh again.

Morlen stood uneasily in the doorway until Alfie noticed him and froze. "Morlen!" he said with surprise and Koda's lips parted from the crook of his neck.

"Dad," Koda said, sitting up with pink cheeks. "What are you doing here?"

Morlen rolled his eyes at their embarrassment. "I want to summon the Grim Reaper, and I need Alfie's help," he said bluntly.

"Wow, straight to the point, okay." Alfie peeled away from Koda and rolled his sleeves up. "Alright, but in return, I want you to tell me about suddenly being a medium."

"fine," Morlen muttered and crossed his arms, "but Reaper first."

"Deal." Alfie moved through the kitchen and down the corridor, expecting the Oaks' to follow him. He opened his office door and breathed in the waft of lavender. He couldn't wait for his routine of clients to start again. The ghosts were building up inside of him. "Alright, sit, hold my hands, and close your eyes." Alfie placed his knuckles on the cold wood of his table and Koda's warm palm connected with his immediately.

Morlen sat down, staring at Alfie's hand like it was covered in dirt.

"Hold my hand," Alfie repeated without a blink. As soon as Morlen's fingers touched him, Alfie grabbed it and slapped Morlen and Koda's hands together. "Draw the energy from each other." Alfie placed his hands over theirs like a protective shell, ignoring Morlen's frown. "Close your eyes and think about Nikki Pecan. Think about the way she looks, the sound of her voice, and the reasons you have for summoning her."

Morlen felt nervous. He had never tried to get into contact with his birth parents. He had often thought about them, but anger overtook him when he thought about the people they left him with as a result of being abandoned.

Koda thought about the quirky elderly lady who taught art. Miss Pecan was stern, but fair, and got the job done. She was never too harsh and was good at giving second chances. She had given Alfie more chances than he could count.

Alfie called the Grim Reaper's name softly, reaching out to them, picturing the darkness clouding his mind and thought about the presence of such power.

Koda felt Alfie's hands tighten against his knuckles. Koda almost opened his eyes, but he had to concentrate.

Alfie suddenly felt very sick, like he had gone on a wild roller coaster with a stomach full of ice cream. He was on a never-ending drop to the pit of the paranormal realm. Summoning the Grim Reaper was a significant strain on his energy, especially when he felt death resisting. "Stop messing around," he muttered. "Morlen. Close your eyes," he said without opening his own.

Almost a minute and a half went by until the sickness spread to Alfie's head and he let go of the Oaks' hands to squish his temples. Alfie winced and doubled over in excruciating pain. Drops of blood hit the floor from his bleeding nose.

"Alfie?" Koda quickly moved around the table and crouched in front of the medium. "I knew it was too soon to make you do this," he said after lifting Alfie's head and seeing the pain in his eyes and blood dripping over his mouth and down his chin. Koda tried to press tissue's to Alfie's nose, but he slapped his hand away, wanting to do it himself.

"The Reaper is here," Alfie sighed, leaning back in his chair.

Morlen bolted to his feet when there was a knock on the door. Molly popped her head into Alfie's office. "Alfie," she hissed and nervously glanced behind her. "Your teacher is here! Well, the-the Grim Reaper."

"Please, call me Nikki."

Alfie turned on his chair just in time to see their art teacher stepping into the room. Her eyes avoided Morlen and Koda. They settled on Alfie and stayed on him.

"Sorry, I know my presence strains mediums. I should have told you that I planned on visiting."

Alfie grumbled and crossed his legs, waiting for his nosebleed to calm down.

"Right then," Miss pecan said and made herself comfortable on the couch by the back wall of Alfie's box-like office. "I guess it's my turn to provide answers to your questions. So, ask away."

Alfie and Koda looked at Morlen who was staring at a spot on the floor somewhere near the teacher's feet. "If you are my mother, then why are you only just saying this now?"

"Because I promised myself that I would never tell you. Then our paths crossed enough where I had reason to believe we might be able to share the same path. I am your mother. The Reaper part of me lives a very challenging life. I didn't want to raise a child when I knew I wouldn't be much of a mother."

Morlen nodded along to her words. "So you left me with two people who treated me like shi-"

"I didn't know," Pecan said quickly. "I didn't have a choice over who got to adopt you. The adopting agency thought they were good people. They were until you started talking about ghosts. It was easier for them to separate themselves from you because you weren't their child by blood. I didn't know they would be horrible to you, but at least I got to give them an early death."

Those who raised Morlen were killed before Koda was born. They both died from strokes only a few weeks apart.

"Look, I don't care that you gave me up for adoption or whatever. That part of my life is over, but did you really have to tell me now? Couldn't you have waited until my life calmed down a bit?" Morlen ran a hand through his hair. He felt extremely emotional. His blank eyes and flat mouth had been trained over the years to fool people that Morlen Oaks didn't feel anything other than pride.

"I guess it wasn't the time. I don't know why I told you. I should have waited, but the truth is out, and you can go forward with this new information. Just because I told you that I'm your mother doesn't mean that you must have me in your life. I gave you away because I couldn't raise you. I would never expect you to find room for me now," Miss Pecan said and took her glasses off so she could rub the bridge of her nose. "Wow, I'm not used to these emotions."

Alfie tilted his head when her energy stopped feeling so cold and started feeling heavy, the familiar heaviness of guilt. "I'm gonna go wash my face," he said, noticing that his nose had stopped bleeding, and feeling like he was intruding on a private conversation. As Alfie left the room, there was a presence behind him, and he turned to see Koda following his trail.

"Dad didn't want to be left alone with her, so naturally I left him alone with her," Koda said, smiling on his way up the stairs.

"You're dealing with this very well," Alfie commented before turning on the taps, watching the water twist around the curve of his sink.

"It's easier to accept new people than it is to lose people," Koda said and perched on the side of Alfie's bath. "It's all a bit weird, but it is what it is."

As Alfie splashed lukewarm water on his face, he admired Koda's growth. Koda was healing. "Morlen's not gonna get angry, is he?" Alfie asked before splashing his face again.

"I don't know, but if he gets angry with Miss Pecan, all I have to say is, good luck dad."