Summary:

Haunted house AU based on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.

Marianne and Dawn, still reeling from their father's death and desperate to get away from their interfering family decide to find a place of their own. Boggart Cottage is a perfect ten; Fully furnished, ocean view, no annoying neighbors. There's only one problem: It's haunted by the previous owner, Greg Boggart, a rough sea captain who wanted his home to be a place for retired sailors, NOT two women. Marianne and Bog clash, both refusing to back down, but little do either know more is going on beneath the surface than it seems. A curse, hundreds of years old, binds them together and a mysterious woman is determined to keep them apart.

Marianne gazed out the window as the car slowly wound its way along the seaside road. It was a blustery autumn day, the grey clouds casting a steely color to the ocean and the wind whipping the waves into a white tipped fury. Even the brightly colored leaves on the trees seemed darken in the face such a day.

If Dawn had been with her, she would have accused Marianne of brooding. She wasn't brooding, but honestly, it was the perfect day for it and she shouldn't have to apologize for her mood.

It was hard enough already to stay positive with the events of the past year. The death of their father had been months ago and the cancer had been slow, but no amount of time could have prepared them for the loss of their only remaining parent. Dawn dealt with it like she dealt with everything: putting on a happy face. Fake it until you make it, as Marianne put it. Dawn hated the phrase, but that was what she was doing no matter what glittery description she wanted to slap on it.

Marianne dealt with it, as her sister put it, by 'going hardcore goth'. Which was frankly ridiculous. A little dark eye shadow and a propensity for black did not a goth make. To Dawn, anything that wasn't pink and sparkly was 'goth'. Still, Marianne couldn't deny that their father's death had taken its toll on them both. Marianne had fallen into a deep depression followed more recently by a numb apathy. It was as if she had used up her emotional quota for the year and now she wasn't able to feel anything beyond the most basic things. At first it was a relief, but she had started to worry that this was going to be status quo from now on. She'd be in a panic about it this very minute if she could muster the emotional energy. As it was, boredom was now her greatest enemy.

Dawn was concerned, of course. She even tried to drag Marianne to a grief counselor. But it wasn't as if the counselor would be able to talk Marianne back into feeling again. Despite her fears, Marianne suspected it would just take time. After all, she had recovered from her ex-finance Gerard's betrayal. She could recover from this.

Even with Dawn's incessant attempts to improve Marianne's mood, she still missed her sister. Dawn would join her in a couple days after she had tied up some loose ends back home. No, home was the wrong word. They had lost their home to the expensive cancer treatments their father needed. The place where they abided for a short time would be more accurate. Their father had no extended family to speak of, but their mother's side of their family had offered to take them in until they could access the small inheritance their father had buried away before he started the treatments. Before the cancer ate away at his life savings until all he had left was his family.

So of course they took their aunt up on her offer. Where else would they go? Dawn didn't have a job and Marianne was juggling college with a part-time job. Marianne didn't make enough money to keep them in the apartment their father had rented and have enough left to eat. Staying with their aunt was the best option.

What they hadn't expected was the "well-meaning" advice and the "good intentions".

Dawn dear, I know you wanted to take a year off after graduating high school but you really need to look into college. There are some very nice financial aid programs –

Why, I don't see any reason why you would have to move out at all! You can stay with us while you go to college! Of course, you'll have to pay rent eventually…

Marianne, you mean you don't intend on finishing your degree? But you're so close to graduation it would be foolish not to!

And then, of course, the final straw:

It's been four months since he died. I know it's sad, but you need to move on with your life. You can't just waste away here.

Even Dawn was beginning to get annoyed with their overbearing aunt. They knew they couldn't wait for the inheritance, which would mature in two years. So Dawn got a part time job at a local pizzeria and Marianne started taking on extra shifts at work. She had the time since her depression had flunked her out of her last class and she had dropped out of college.

The minute they had saved a reasonable chunk of money they got on their computers and looked at houses for rent as far away from sunny southern California as they could get while still staying on the west coast; not wanting to leave the ocean they both loved so much. When Marianne found a rent-to-own listing for a four bedroom house overlooking the sea in Oregon she immediately fell in love. The price was unreal for what the place offered, leading Marianne to believe that perhaps there was some sort of caveat, but she couldn't help it. She had to see for herself.

She told herself that she was taking the trip to Oregon to look at multiple possibilities but she knew that wasn't the truth. The minute she set eyes on Boggart Cottage she knew it was the one. Even if it was filled with cockroaches and spiders, she she'd still want it.

As they drove up to the cottage, that opinion was cemented further. Boggart Cottage stood almost proudly against the grey sky, and though it was obviously neglected it was beautiful and full of character. Although the tree in front was quite possibly the ugliest thing she had ever seen, and it was right in front of the bay window. She'd have to take care of that. The car pulled to a stop and Marianne got out, Mr. Thangly, the landlord, hesitantly taking step behind her.

"Can I make changes to the property? Like – like that tree there? It ruins the view"

The wind blew very hard for a moment and Mr. Thangly looked about nervously.

"Uh – if you like – you – " He stuttered helplessly before unlocking the door and glancing at her pleadingly, "I suppose you want to see the interior of the house?"

"Of course!" What an odd question. Like she would drive for hours just to see the outside of it and be on her merry way.

"Are you sure I couldn't show you a rental – ah – more appropriate for two young ladies? I manage some very nice condo's north of here, and – "

"If I didn't want to see this place then I wouldn't be wasting your time by having you bring me here, would I?" Marianne couldn't understand why the short balding man had been so reluctant to rent her the place if, according to the listing, it had remained empty for so long. He ought to be jumping at the chance.

Thangly reluctantly pushed the door open and Marianne prepared herself for what must be a terrible interior if Thangly's reluctance was any indication.

Her footsteps echoed in the empty hall as she walked in, taking in all the details. Everything was dusty with neglect, but Marianne could tell the woodwork was gorgeous even beneath the layer of grime. The floors and stairway banister were a deep chestnut set against a dark green wallpaper; the color of the ocean when it was rainy but bright. Marianne looked up to see the house still had its original lighting, as the listing had said, and many of them were not electric. While the house was wired for electricity many of the appliances were fueled by gas. Which was a bit odd, but it didn't bother Marianne at all. Dawn would certainly find the dimmer lights dreary but Marianne thought it added to the charm of the place.

The door suddenly slammed shut behind them and she jumped, Mr. Thangly giving a dismayed yelp. Marianne fumbled in the sudden darkness for her phone, lighting her way to the closest light switch and turning the dial so that the bulb flared to life. Her heart still fluttering in her chest and feeling slightly giddy she turned to Mr. Thangly to see his pale face dead serious, the dim light of the bulb highlighting the dark circles under his eyes.

"Are you ok?"

"F-fine. Fine. Shall we continue the tour?"

He led her into the living room, and as promised it was fully furnished. The furniture matched the home in period, not overly modern but also not old to the point of dinginess. It suited quite nicely, and Marianne appreciated the simple but comfortable nature of it.

"It's not very updated, I'm afraid – "

"No, I like it." Marianne said, walking up to the coffee table, "I thought you mentioned the cottage has been vacant?" she said, noticing for the first time a cup of coffee that had been knocked over, and a newspaper on the floor. From the looks of it the coffee had been sitting there like that for a while. Hopefully it hadn't completely ruined the finish of the table.

"The last people to inquire about renting left in a bit of a hurry. They were only here for a night so I didn't really count it as occupied…" Thangly was still looking nervously about.

And he didn't stop in after to check the furniture for damage? What kind of landlord was he? Clearly he didn't value the furnishings from the state of the table. Marianne shook her head. Perhaps he was a bit eccentric, but if a crazy landlord was the price she had to pay to get the cottage at such a steal she was willing to stand a little madness.

Marianne wandered back towards the stairway, "I want to see the bedrooms."

"The bedrooms? O-okay…"

They walked up the stairs and as they reached the top step Marianne's gaze met with a pair of blue eyes and she startled for a moment before realizing it was a painting set up in the hall. The man was older, perhaps in his mid thirties, his dark hair peppered with grey. His skin was weathered in the way that only days at sea could accomplish but his skin still glowed with youthful vitality, nothing like what she'd seen of the leathered skin of ageing people addicted to tanning. His eyes were a stark contrast against his tanned skin, quite striking, actually. They seemed to bore into her, as if they were looking to the deepest part of her and judging. He seemed like a very prickly sort of man, and Marianne found that she rather liked him for it.

"Who is that?"

"The late owner of the house. Captain Greg Boggart."

"Oh? How did he die?"

"Supposed suicide." Mr. Thangly said shortly, clearly uncomfortable with the subject. He kept looking around as if expecting someone to be listening in.

"Hmm…I wonder why?" Marianne said absentmindedly as she snapped a quick photo of the painting to show Dawn later.

"To save someone the trouble of assassinating him, no doubt."

A sudden deep laughter filled the hallway and Marianne glanced sharply at Thangly, whose mouth was firmly shut, then around the hall. There was no one else with them. Fear uncoiled inside of her and she was overtaken by the urge to laugh at the unexpected intensity of the feeling breaking through her apathetic haze. She wasn't sure whether to succumb to fits of laughter or run, but when Thangly grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the stairs she followed without protest.

The laughter followed them, growing louder and more menacing with each step. A sharp pop sounded to her left and she threw her hands up just in him to shield her eyes from the glass of the broken bulb. Thangly whimpered as he pulled her faster, each light they passed exploding until they were plunged into darkness again. Thangly fumbled at the door but it wouldn't budge as the laughter swelled around them.

GO AWAY

The voice was deep and gravelly, the words shaking the house from the sheer volume of it. Marianne clapped her hands over her ears as it echoed off the walls.

"Please just open I promise I won't bring anyone else here just please let me out I'm too young to die…" Thangly said in a rush as he shook the door handle uselessly.

Suddenly the door flew open of its own accord and they stumbled out, the door slamming shut behind them firmly.

Marianne's fear had melted away in the light of day and the desire to laugh won out. Mariann bent over, her hands on her knees as she caught her breath in between gasps of giddy laughter.
One look at Thangly, panting and looking very ill, confirmed that he had been just as surprised as Marianne. So it wasn't something he set up. The lack of camera crews revealing themselves told her this wasn't some sort of reality show she hadn't heard of. Excitement bubbled up inside of her as she considered what that meant. A guilty pleasure of she and Dawn was to load up on as much buttery popcorn as possible and watch those cheesy ghost hunt "reality" shows together. Of course they both knew the shows were just a set up, but THAT. That was undeniable. Marianne grinned. This really WAS the perfect place.

"It's haunted!" Marianne said, delighted, "That makes it all the more interesting."

"Interesting?" Thangly squeaked, "This house has driven me to drink. Four people I've tried to rent this house to and four people have fled. Boggart's last remaining relative lives in Scotland and she keeps insisting that I keep on my duties as executor of the estate instead of selling the property and bulldozing this place. Rent to own is the only way I can be free of this place!"

"Scotland, hmm?"

"Yes! She keeps insisting, 'oh when the right one shows up, don't you worry, they'll stay'. As if that is any comfort. You can see now why I didn't want to show you the place. I was looking for perhaps a young man with a strong constitution - "

"Hah! Most men I know would have been running for the hills by now. Anyway, you'll be happy to know I've decided I want the place. Can I start moving in my things tonight?"

Marianne was glad she had planned this trip so that it could be one way in the event things turned out well. She had a car full of belongings back at her hotel and Dawn would bring the rest in a couple days.

Thangly looked at her, flabbergasted, "You can't be serious…?"

"Yep! This is the place for me." Marianne put her hands on her hips as she surveyed the house with satisfaction.

Thankgly was looking at her as if she had a screw loose, but as he was surely eager to be rid of the place he didn't argue with her, "Sure, move in tonight if you want." He said with a sigh, "But I won't be held responsible if anything strange happens – "

"You know, all you're accomplishing here is making me want to move in more." Marianne said with a grin. She had always wanted an adventure. To explore. Well, this was the perfect place to start.

"Alright. I'll take you back to my office so you can fill out the paperwork…"

A few hours later and Marianne was hauling boxes inside the house. It was suspiciously quiet now, as if the Cottage didn't believe she actually had the nerve to move in after the display earlier. Looking back on it, she could have imagined the laughter, and perhaps the lighting in the house was just a bit faulty. Dawn was usually the one with the overactive imagination but Marianne was sometimes prone to a bit of fancy there and again. Either way, it didn't matter. She loved this house and she was going to stay.

"You hear that, house? I'm here to stay, so no funny business. Don't even try it."

Thunder rumbled in the distance and Marianne savored the little thrill it gave her. If only Dawn could be here tonight. A dark and stormy night in a haunted house. It couldn't be more perfect if it tried.
Marianne placed the last box down in the living room and rummaged through it until she found the new light bulbs Thangly had been kind enough to provide. Of course, Marianne had insisted. Although she suspected she could have asked for a set of gold jewelry and he would have obliged at that point after the afternoon's events.

She carefully pulled each broken bulb from its socket and put a new one in until she reached the top of the stairs. She glared at the portrait of the Captain.

"You see what you make me do? Having to clean up glass shards and replace the bulbs all before even getting settled in my new home. So rude." She stuck her tongue out at the painting for good measure.

Lightening flashed, and for just a moment she could have sworn the painting changed. Marianne shook her head.

"Don't you sass me!" She warned, trying her best to ignore the tension building inside of her.

Marianne made her way back down the stairs and sat down at the couch to inspect the table. The cleaner she had left to soak had loosened up the coffee but as she wiped it away she could see it was far too late. The sticky residue lifted and revealed a stain and water damage.

"That idiot landlord…" Marianne muttered.

At least now that the table was clean she could make some dinner. There was nothing better than a bowl of Ramen and a good book on a stormy night. Ok, well maybe some homemade chicken noodle soup would have been better but Dawn was the one who could cook, not Marianne. She didn't intend on burning the place down the first night she got it.

Marianne walked through the halls flicking on all the lights as she made her way to the kitchen. Despite the fact that she enjoyed the haunted house thing she had to admit that now she was alone it did make her a bit edgy. These things were much better with Dawn around.

Marianne remembered that she still hadn't texted Dawn, who was probably wondering what was going on. She fished her phone out of her pocket and sure enough there were six new texts and a missed call from Dawn. Marianne had the habit of putting her phone on silent to avoid having to check it, a trait which drove Dawn bonkers.

Dawn: How'd it go?
Dawn: Is it nice?
Dawn: Your phone better not be on silent again.
Dawn: Answer your frikkin' phone!
Dawn: UGH! Why do you even have a phone if you never CHEEK IT!
Dawn: … *check. Seriously though, you've got me worried. Do we have a bates motel type situation going on here?

Marianne went through the phone files and sent the picture to Dawn.

Marianne: Check it out! The previous owner of the house. Apparently he died here and you won't believe what happened to me earlier!

Immediately the phone lit up with an incoming call.

"Hello? Who is this?" Marianne taunted.

"AGH! How could you leave me in suspense so long? You suck! Is the place haunted? I wish I was there right now! TELL ME EVERYTHING."

"Ok, ok, slow down." Marianne said, juggling the phone while filling a pot with water, "Boggart Cottage is wonderful. I signed the papers so we're all set."

"I figured THAT out, now spill the interesting bits."

Marianne proceeded to tell Dawn about everything that had happened that day, savoring her sisters hilarious and exaggerated responses.

"No way! You're pulling my chain."

"Ok, well maybe my imagination got away with me but it seemed very real." Marianne said, rummaging around in the boxes to find the one that held the food.

"So what's the mysterious previous owners name?"

"Captain Greg Boggart."

"Boggart? What a weird name. Then again he was an odd looking dude…"

"What do you mean? I thought he was kind of handsome." Marianne said thoughtfully, "He looked very intense with those steely blue eyes"

There was a crash behind Marianne and she jumped around. A box that had been stacked on top of another box had fallen and scattered its contents all over the floor. Marianne sighed. Of course that was how she was going to find the food box. She slowly started picking up the items off the floor.

"What? Seriously? You've got some strange tastes in men. Hey, what was that noise?"

"Nothing. Just old Greg knocking things over. I think he's pretty miffed at me for sticking around."

Dawn laughed, "Oh come on, you can't really be serious about this haunting stuff."

"Guess you'll just have to come here and find out for yourself!"

Marianne finally found the ramen amongst the mess and placed it on the table. Now to figure out where the matches were so she could light the stovetop. Maybe she could convince the landlord to at least update the stove, but until then she was stuck with the old fashioned way of doing it.

"You sound better…more like yourself. It's good to hear." Dawn said seriously, and Marianne was surprised to realize it was true. She was joking around with Dawn like she had before…everything. It felt good.

"Yeah, this place makes me feel more like…me. It's hard to explain. I really like it here."

There was muffled cursing on Dawn's end, "…oh I better go. Auntie is on a rampage about us moving and she's headed my way. I'm gonna hide in the closet."

"Good luck!" Marianne said cheerfully, and turned back to the counter as she ended the call.

Wait a minute. Where was the ramen? She had just put it there, but it was gone.

Marianne looked around and was about to give up when she spotted it on the stairway. She walked out of the kitchen and picked it up suspiciously. She hadn't been in the entryway after she found the ramen. There was no way she could have misplaced it there.

"You're going to have to do better than that Greggy boy!" She said, hoping talking aloud would help to ease her nerves.

Why did Dawn have to hang up? The storm was picking up in strength and the wind was howling through the trees now, the branches scratching ominously across the roof. She skipped back to the kitchen humming cheerily, hoping to dispel her fears with a little bit of goofiness.

"La tee daa! You don't scare me you old grump!" She said in a sing-song voice.

There was an abrupt flash of light and the power went out in time with the following boom of thunder. Marianne cursed, pulling out her cellphone and turning it to flashlight mode. Of course one of the rooms that featured electric lights exclusively would be the kitchen. Marianne propped open the door so some light from the hallway filtered into the kitchen, lighting it dimly and casting strange shadows on the walls.

"You know what? No. Nope! I'm gonna enjoy a nice bowl of soup and nothing will stop me from doing that!" She said a lot more confidently than she felt.

Gas stoves worked without electricity. She just had to find a match to light the stove. After some rummaging she finally found a small box. She lit the match and brought it down to the stove but just as she got close enough it blew out, the sudden flare of light gone and leaving her in the shadows again.

"Oh come on!" She tried again but the same thing happened. Marianne stood up and put her hands on her hips.

"If you think you can annoy me out of this house then you have another thing coming mister!" She said, frustration overcoming her anxiety, "Now you had better let me light this so I can have dinner like a civilized human being!"

This time when she bent to light the stove it lit, and she straightened with satisfaction, "See, now that wasn't so hard, was – " She stopped short when she saw something in the corner, illuminated by the flickering flames of the stove.

Marianne whipped around to face it, but it was gone.

"Wha – "

"I don't think this constitutes a civilized dinner." A voice said behind her and Marianne jumped with a yelp. She backed herself towards the counter, and, keeping her wits about her, grabbed a knife from the holder near the stove, brandishing it in front of her defensively.

There was a man in her house. A very solid, non-transparent, man. For a moment she thought it was a burglar but as she took in his face she recognized it as that from the painting.

"…Greg?" She said in disbleif.

"I didn't realize we were on such familiar terms. Then again you seem like a very brash woman just coming in here and claiming my cottage as your own."

"Well then, what should I call you?" Marianne said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I prefer Bog. Not that it matters, because you will be leaving."

"I will not! I'm paying to rent this house fair and square and you can't make me leave!"

"Do I need to continue my demonstrations to convince you?" He took one slow step towards her and Marianne raised the knife.

"Pfft! Didn't even phase me. That stuff was so cliché. Maniacal laughter? Slamming doors? Geeeettt ouuuuuuttttt…." Marianne mocked, wiggling the fingers of her free hand menacingly, "What did you get that from? Haunting for dummies?"

Bog cocked his head to the side, seeming bewildered at her response for a moment before recovering with a sneer.

"And what do you think you're going to do with that knife? Stab me to a second death?"

"You look pretty solid to me."

"I'm not."

"Are too."

Bog rolled his eyes and proceeded to walk through the wall, and then back again, "There, satisfied?"

Marianne paled and lowered the knife, "Uh – yeah."

"Great. Now pack your things and leave."

Marianne shook off her surprise. Ok, so she hadn't imagined it. This was for real. That, or she was having a mental breakdown. Either way, she had to fight it. Real or metaphorical she wouldn't let any obstacle keep her from Boggart Cottage.

"No." She crossed her arms and glared at him.

"No?" Bog threw up his hands impatiently, "Blast it all! What must I do, woman? Set the cottage ablaze?"

"You won't do that. You're obviously trying to scare people off because you like this place, and don't want to share it with others."

"Ooooh, brilliant deduction Sherlock! Thrill me more with your amazing powers of reasoning." Bog said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

He didn't fool her. He was nervous because she was on the right track.

"Why are you even here?"

"What kind of question is that?" Bog said with a sigh, leaning on the wall and tapping his foot impatiently.

"Well, don't ghosts haunt for a reason?"

"How would I know? Do I look like some sort of blasted expert?"

"Well you ARE a ghost.."

"Well if you're so smart, then tell me what's the meaning of life? You should know since you're alive, right?"

Marianne frowned, "Ok, ok. Point taken. Still, you have to want something."

"So what if I do?"

"Maybe we could make a deal." she suggested.

"A deal? What madness are you spouting now?" Bog rolled his eyes, "I don't have the patience for – "

"Yes, a deal. You let me live here, and I'll help you get what you want."

"What I want is for this to be a home for retired sailors. So you can see how you being here would put a damper on that goal!"

"You could have written a will before offing yourself. Then you wouldn't be in this position in the first place!" Marianne countered.

"I didn't 'off' myself! It was an accident and the fools who found me just assumed the worst." Bog muttered.

"You still could have written a will."

"Well I didn't expect to be dying so soon, obviously." He growled.

"Well…" Marianne said slowly, "What if you let me live here, and when I leave I'll do everything in my power to make sure your wishes for the cottage are fulfilled."

"And when, pray tell, do you plan on leaving tough girl?"

"I don't know. I might want to live here the rest of my life. I love it here."

Bog grumbled loudly, "The rest of your life?"

"How else do you expect to get your way? You can scare off people till you're blue in the face but that won't turn the house into a place for retired sailors. Mr. Thangly wanted it bulldozed to the ground."

Bog snorted, "That simpering fool? He wouldn't dare."

"Maybe not. But if he can't rent it out to anyone it's bound to happen someday."

Bog seemed to consider for a moment, then he sighed, "You may have a point."

"Right!" Marianne brightened, "So we have a deal?"

"On a trial basis!" Bog said warningly.

Marianne put up her hands, "Okay, okay."

"And there will be conditions. I'll have to think about it."

"Fair enough."

There was a sudden sizzling sound and Marianne turned to find the water boiling over. She turned the heat down and quickly added the seasoning and ramen block.

"Hey, one more thing – " Marianne turned to see he was gone. She grumbled, "You could have at least turned the lights back on!"

They snapped back on after a moment, having waited just long enough after her request to startle her. The bastard.

"Oh, real mature!" She shouted as she dumped the ramen into a bowl.

Looked like she really had her work cut out for her with this place. The thought should have made her tired just thinking about it, but instead she felt excited about her future for the first time in months.

A/N: I have uploaded this to other sites but figured I would put it here as well to see if I could reach any other Strange Magic fans :) Thanks to abutterflyobsession for the prompt that started it all!