"Tarrant!"

Dayna's not-so-gentle scream made Tarrant jump straight up in the air. He landed with a thump on the bunk he had been lying in. "Dayna? What? Where?" He blinked, took a look at his surroundings and moaned, "No, not again!"

"Tarrant, you'd better have a good excuse for not answering me," Dayna warned over the ship's intercom. "Like being dead!"

"I feel like I am." Tarrant staggered across the room and punched the intercom. "There's no need to tell the Federation where we are, Dayna," he muttered. "What's the matter?"

"What's the matter?" she shot back. "You know damn well what's the matter!" There was a pause cold enough to freeze Servalan's eyelashes. "Where are you?!"

"I'm...." Tarrant looked around and shuddered. "I'm in another cabin. Give me a few minutes and I'll be right there."

"Another cabin?" Dayna repeated icily. "Whose?"

"That's what I said!" He snapped off the intercom with sufficient force, he hoped, to silence Dayna for a few minutes, then turned about. "Damn it, this has to stop." He clenched his teeth and fists tightly. "Do you hear me?" he shouted to the walls. "I said stop it!!"

#

An unseen Someone laughed in glee at the angry young man as Tarrant tore off the rather small pajamas he was wearing and tugged on his own clothes.

That same Someone let out a terrified yelp a few seconds later when he was tapped lightly on the shoulder.

*I would not continue this, Vila, if I were you.*

*Avon! Don't do that!" Vila cried, putting a hand to his non-existent heart. *Continue what?*

*You know very well what,* Avon said quietly. "Blake said there was to be no 'haunting' of Tarrant.*

*But I'm not haunting him,* Vila retorted.

Avon cracked a faint smile. *Not in the exact definition, no, but Blake will not take that into consideration.*

*Well, it's too bad if he does,* Vila snapped. *It was all very well and good for you two to go and have a bit of fun with Servalan, but me, I'm not allowed to, huh? Well, I'm not going to stand for it.*

*You're not going to stand for what, Vila?*

That was the trouble with being a ghost. You never knew who might pop up without so much as a sneeze to warn you. Vila had no idea what Blake might have heard or what he might do if he found out; if, in fact, there was anything Blake could do to him. Everything was just so uncertain in this new existence of his. *Uh, nothing, Blake. Avon and I were just discussing a project, that's all.*

*What kind of project?* Blake enquired, his eyes flitting from one face to another.

Vila refused to look at him. *Uh well, we hadn't got around to that part yet.*

Blake stared at him questioningly, then turned to Avon. *What project, Avon?*

*As Vila said,* Avon replied, without batting an eye, *we have yet to discuss the fine points.*

*I don't like it when I find you two together like this,* Blake stated with a frown. *It always reminds me of that time over Freedom City. You two both looked very guilty there.*

Avon's expression darkened. *You imagined it, Blake. You imagined quite a few things then. Like our invincibility.*

*Very true,* Blake admitted. *And you never did let me forget it either, did you?*

Oh no, Vila moaned. Now I've started a fight between them. All I wanted was have a spot of fun and now look what I've done.

*Blake,* Vila spoke up quickly. *We didn't break any laws there. Just had a bit of good clean fun, nothing else.*

Blake did not take his eyes from Avon's face. Fun? Avon having fun. Now why did it seem so hard to believe that? *Is that what you had, Avon? A bit of fun?*

Avon smiled cat-like. *You might call it that, yes.*

Blake smiled, too, but there was nothing pleasant about it. *Well, this is not Freedom City. Whatever you two are doing, stop it right now.*

*Why?* Vila asked innocently, wondering at his tone.

*Because something is disrupting the peace and tranquility of this place,* Blake told him. "I've felt it and so has Cally."

The thought intrigued Avon. *And you think Vila is the cause?* he enquired.

*I thought it was a joint venture?* Blake asked.

*I am merely an advisor, Blake,* Avon replied flatly. *Vila makes his own choices. *

*Well, stop it and now," Blake ordered. "I don't know exactly what is happening, but something is.*

*I...I didn't think anything could happen here,* Vila murmured in a frightened voice.

*None of us have any idea what might happen, Vila,* Blake answered in a calming tone. *But we don't want to take a chance, do we?*

If you're dead and the place you're dead in goes boom, what happens then? Vila didn't want to find out. He decided that maybe possessing Tarrant wasn't as much fun as he thought it would be.

#

Tarrant felt Dayna's angry stare the entire distance from the entrance to the flight deck to his position as pilot. Felt but did not acknowledge. Waking up for the sixth time in Vila's room, dressed in Vila's nightclothes and feeling the distinct pounding of a hangover took precedence.

"Did you enjoy your little excursion?" Dayna asked in a voice dripping with acid.

Tarrant continued to ignore her, focusing his eyes on the familiar controls before him, forcing the painful throbbing in his head down with every bit of control he could muster.

"Tarrant?!"

"He can hear you, Dayna," Soolin said, coming to his assistance. Twice before she had seen Tarrant stagger out of Vila's cabin, disoriented and very obviously drunk. Why he had been there was a complete mystery to Soolin. The two men had never got along well, so why had Tarrant been in Vila's room. It made no sense.

"Oh can he?" Dayna stomped over to stand directly in front of Tarrant, hands on hips, glaring up at him. "Can you hear me better now, Tarrant?"

"Servalan could hear you," he snarled back. "Now get out of the way."

"Why don't you make me?" Dayna dared him to do it.

Tarrant closed his eyes and prayed for her to go away. But she was still there, glaring at him when he opened them. "Dayna, please. Not now," he murmured, massaging his forehead, trying to ease the pain.

Her tone went up an octave. She wasn't screeching but it wouldn't be long. "And why not now?"

"He's not up to it, Dayna, even I can see that," Soolin put in.

Dayna took a moment then to study her companion and realized the blonde was right. Tarrant had dark rings about his eyes and he seemed to have trouble focusing on the controls in front of him.

"Tarrant, are you all right?" Anger was momentarily forgotten, lost in worry about him.

"I wish I knew," he moaned, rubbing his temples.

"I think you should take him to the infirmary," Soolin advised. "I'll keep watch here." She half expected Tarrant to argue, but he didn't and that, too, set her wondering.

#

"Dayna, this really isn't necessary," Tarrant protested a bit later after she had run a complete series of tests on him.

"The med computer says otherwise," she said, reading the findings. "It says you're worn out, but it can't explain why." Dayna studied him carefully.

"Well I can't tell you either," Tarrant mumbled back.

"Where were you this morning?"

Tarrant flinched as if she had struck him. "I don't want to talk about it, Dayna."

"We have to, Tarrant," she went on. "Now, where were you?"

She'd never believe him so Tarrant closed his mouth and refused to answer.

"Tarrant, please." Dayna put a hand on his arm and looked deep into his eyes. "I'm only trying to help."

"I don't need your help, Dayna," he snapped. "It's something I have to face myself."

Dayna stared at him, shocked by the sudden anger in his voice. "Please, let me help you."

Tarrant shook his head slowly, almost wearily. "You can't. Believe me, Dayna, if I thought you could, I'd be grateful, but you can't."

"And I suppose Soolin can?"

"Soolin has nothing to do with this," Tarrant denied quickly.

"I wonder," Dayna fired back, her ire up and running again. "If it's Soolin you want, Tarrant, why don't you say so? I won't stand in your way."

"Dayna, Soolin is not...." It was no use arguing with her about it. Once an idea hatched in Dayna's pretty little head, he knew he might as well try breaking through a forcewall with a wet piece of protein for all the good it would do.

"When did you leave my cabin?"

"Early," Tarrant muttered back. Just as soon as he realized that it was not him enjoying Dayna's caresses. That it was as if he were a separate entity watching his body go through all the movements, but with one very important difference. Half of the 'movements' were not his. They were totally foreign to him. Not that Dayna had minded. In fact, she had enjoyed them very, very much.

"Why did you leave? I thought you were enjoying yourself." Dayna smiled at the memory. "I certainly was."

"I'm glad somebody did," Tarrant mumbled under his breath.

Dayna heard him. "What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded, hands on hips.

"Dayna," Tarrant said with a placating gesture, "please leave it alone. He left almost on the run.

"What's gotten into him?" Dayna snarled, kicking one of the med couch's supports in frustration.

"That may be exactly what he'd like to know," Soolin responded from the doorway. "I thought I'd come down to see how things were. Looks like no change."

Dayna glared at her. "Soolin, if you know something I don't, tell me."

"All right." Soolin walked over to the couch and leaned against it. "Haven't you noticed how jumpy Tarrant's been since Terminal, since we left Vila there?"

"Of course, I've noticed," she lied. She hadn't noticed at all.

"Then there's your answer."

"I don't understand what it is you're driving at," Dayna said, puzzled.

Soolin couldn't believe that Dayna had been so blind. "You don't recognize the tired drawn look, the rings about the eyes, the wincing in his features, though Tarrant does his best to hide it, whenever you shout at him? Dayna, think about it!"

Dayna did and what she realized set her teeth on edge. "You think that...but it's impossible. Vila's dead."

Soolin nodded, relieved that Dayna saw the connection. "So was Avon, but that didn't stop him, did it?"

"You're mistaken." Dayna glanced in the direction Tarrant had taken and realized he was headed the wrong way if he was going to his own cabin. "You have to be."

"I hope I am," Soolin murmured gently, coming up beside her. She knew how much Tarrant meant to Dayna. "I really do, but I can't help making comparisons with what Vila went through when Avon 'borrowed' him. And there's been other things as well."

"Other things?"

"Where Tarrant's been waking up at for instance," Soolin explained. "When you were screaming for him this morning, I saw him coming out of Vila's cabin."

"I was not screaming, I was only...." Dayna stopped, her mouth slightly open. "Vila's cabin? Well, maybe he was only there looking about. Maybe Vila had borrowed something of his and Tarrant was trying to find it."

"There are a thousand maybes, Dayna, but I don't think any of them fit. I think Vila has been 'borrowing' Tarrant to have himself a little fun."

Dayna sat down rather quickly and swallowed hard. Last night, Tarrant had shown her some little tricks she had not dreamed possible. Subtle touches which had sent her soaring and then when she had thought the moment had come, he had broken away, dressed quickly and fled from her room. The "why" was beginning to dawn on her and she was not very happy about it.

"Why that little sneak!" Dayna erupted angrily. "How dare he do that to Tarrant? How dare he do that to me?!"

"So now you understand what I think is happening. The only reason I caught on was something Tarrant or rather Vila said when he tried to proposition me last night."

Dayna looked at her surprised. "Last night? But Tarrant was with me last night."

"Not all night, I wager." The look on Dayna's face gave Soolin her answer. "I thought not. No, when we were on Xenon, Vila tried then." She smiled slightly. "Persistent little pest he was, too. I finally had to threaten him with my gun to make him leave me alone. But one little phrase stuck in my mind 'Please, Soolin, the Federation told me I could never do it, never.' I guess he forgot he wasn't in his own body anymore or else thought I would not remember."

"But if it's true, what can we do about it?" Dayna murmured. "I mean, how do we get rid of Vila or at least make him leave Tarrant alone?"

Soolin shook her head. "I was hoping you might have an idea."

"Damn him," Dayna snarled. "I'd like to squeeze his scrawny little neck."

*Squeeze whose scrawny little neck?* a voice enquired from behind her.

Dayna jumped forward, whirling about at the same time, her hands raised to strike.

*Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," the voice advised.

"Didn't you?" Dayna shot back. "What do you want now?!"

*Want? Why nothing. I just wanted to check and see how you were getting along.*

"As if you didn't know," Dayna exclaimed. "Blake, I thought you had some decency in you, but now I see I was wrong."

*Dayna, what are you talking about?*

"Why don't you show your face, Blake? Ashamed?" Soolin challenged.

Blake popped into existence directly in front of Dayna. *Why should I be ashamed? What's bothering you both?*

"Don't play coy with me, Blake!" Dayna cracked. "I know what Vila is doing to Tarrant."

*What Vila is doing to...* There was a very loud rumble in the air which nearly deafened the two women and Blake vanished, leaving Dayna and Soolin staring at each other in shock.

"I don't think I'd like to be in Vila's place right now," Soolin ventured.

#

When you're a spirit, there is no matter or anti-matter, there is only here and there. If someone wants to find anyone, you merely think of that person and whoosh, there they are. Arrival is instantaneous and unannounced. After all, most spirits are decent-minded individuals. It's the few bad ones that give ghosts a bad name, what with all their wailing and moaning about.

Roj Blake was not wailing when he located Vila Restal; he was rumbling like an angry volcano.

*Vila! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?*

Vila was engaged in animating the very drunk personage of one Del Tarrant. Vila/Del dropped his drink and fell back in his chair.

*Uh let me explain, Blake, please,* Vila pleaded, stepping clear of Tarrant's body and holding up his hands in defense.

*You'll do that and Avon as well,* Blake ordered. *Now get out of here!* He moved one step toward Vila who shrieked and vanished.

Blake snorted in satisfaction and turned back to Tarrant. The pilot was staring blindly straight ahead, a half-smile frozen on his lips. He was dressed in Vila's pajamas, the front of which reeked of soma. Blake shook his head sadly. *I'm sorry, Tarrant,* he murmured. *I didn't know.*

*Come now, Blake. You suspected something.*

Blake turned about to find Avon resting on Vila's bunk. *I never suspected this, Avon.* His gaze darkened. *Nor did I think you would be party to it.*

Avon stared right back at him. *This is none of my doing, Blake and you know it. What Vila does is his own business and no one else's.*

*But you taught him how to do it, Avon, even if you were not conscious of the fact.*

*So now you think to switch the blame to me? Why? Give me a reason for it, Blake.*

*You don't like Tarrant. You've made that imminently clear in the past.*

*Exactly. And that same dislike would prevent me from doing such a thing to him. Do you honestly believe I would don the body of someone I dislike? Think about it, Blake. Think about it.* Avon gave Tarrant's limp form a glance, then disappeared.

Blake stared at the empty space, then sighed. *Well, Tarrant, I guess we'd better get you out of those things and into your own clothes again.* But the question was, how to do it without doing the very thing he planned to take Vila to task for. Fortunately, rescue arrived in the form of Dayna who had gone looking for Tarrant.

*I'm glad you're here, Dayna. Tarrant needs help and I've no way...." Blake began.

"Go away, Blake! Leave Tarrant alone. All of you keep away from us!" she demanded.

*Dayna, I didn't know about this, honestly. Vila was doing it all by himself.*

"Of course he was, and the rest of you just sat back and let him do it."

*That's not fair, Dayna,* Cally spoke up, popping into existence next to Tarrant. She studied him carefully. *He'll have a terrible headache. Vila must have tried to break the galactic drinking record.*

"Cally, how can you stand up for him after what he did?"

*I am not standing up for Vila, Dayna. He will receive strict punishment, I swear it.* She glanced at Blake who nodded in agreement. *And we will not trouble you, any of you, again.*

The finality in her voice made Dayna feel suddenly very sad. "I didn't mean to sound like that. It's just that Tarrant is special to me."

*I know,* Blake answered. *But you were right. It is time we settled into our proper place. The dead should not interfere with the living any more than is necessary.*

"Are you going away then?" Dayna asked.

*I think so, yes.* Blake sounded unhappy about that. *Otherwise, the temptation for something like this again might prove too great.*

*Not for me, it wouldn't,* Gan spoke up. *I've never known the freedom I have now, Blake.*

*I'm happy for you,* Blake told him.

*As long as I am with Avon, I am content,* Cally added with a smile.

Dayna put her arm about Tarrant's shoulders. "The same goes for me, Cally. Tarrant will never be Avon, but I don't think I mind too much."

*I will not comment on that statement,* Avon replied, appearing next to Cally. His arm went around her waist and pulled her close.

*Since this is a farewell, we might as well all be here,* Jenna announced.

Her arm linked with Blake's. He smiled down at her.

*Not quite all of us,* he remarked. *Vila! You've an apology to make,* he ordered. *Now, if you please.*

*An apology?* Vila muttered, popping into view. *Why should I apologize? Tarrant always picked on me, made me risk my neck. No, I won't apologize.*

*Then you can stay here,* Blake stated. *We're leaving.*

*Leaving? To go where?*

Blake shrugged. *Haven't decided yet. But you will remain here until you apologize.*

*You can't enforce that, Blake. All I have to do is...* Horror spread across his face. *What's happened? I can't do it anymore.* He glanced up at his companions and saw them all staring intently at him. *It's not fair. All of you picking on me this way. I was only having a little fun. You remember fun, Blake. You've not been dead that long. Come on, let me go. Please!*

*Apologize, Vila,* Avon prompted.

*No.*

*Then I'm afraid you're stuck,* Jenna stated. She glanced at Blake, nodded once and disappeared. Gan joined her a few seconds later, then Cally and Avon.

*Make up your mind, Vila,* Blake said quietly. *Apologize and come with us or stay here, trapped on this ship.*

*You're not being fair,* Vila cried. *None of you are.*

As angry as she was with Vila, Dayna could not help feeling sorry for him. "Blake, maybe if...."

*No, Dayna,* Blake interrupted. *There are no ifs. Apologize, Vila and be quick about it. The others are ready to leave.*

Vila looked up with a miserable expression on his face. *I never thought all of you would gang up on me like this. I did no more than what Avon did to me.*

*There was a difference, Vila. You agreed to it. Avon did not take possession without your consent.*

*Blake, please. Don't make me apologize to him. I was always begging someone's pardon while I lived. It was the only way I knew how. Now, though, now I am finally my own person.*

*And because you are your own person, you should be more responsible.* Blake cocked his head a tiny bit and nodded. *Be right there. Time is running out, Vila. Choose.*

Vila heard the silent summons as well and shuffled over to where Tarrant sat in his drunken stupor in the chair. *I'm sorry, Tarrant.* He glanced at Blake to see if that would suffice. It didn't. *Let's get you out of those things and back into your own. Look how messy you were. You ruined my favorite pair of pajamas!*

#

When Tarrant opened his eyes an hour later, his mind felt clear and whole. Better than it had for some time.

Dayna kissed him gently on the lips and smiled at him. "Feel better?"

"Better?" He thought about it for a few seconds, then nodded. "Much. What happened?"

Blake had promised her that Tarrant would have no memory of what had been happening and it seemed he was right. "Nothing to worry about. Just some post-trauma."

Tarrant glanced about. He was in his own cabin, in his own clothing. Nothing seemed awry. And yet, he was sure there had been something.

"I'm glad you're better," Dayna murmured, sliding onto his lap and hugging him.

"So am I," Tarrant smiled in answer, returning her hug. "But you know, I was so sure...."

"Hush," Dayna ordered. She rested her head against his chest. "Tarrant?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you really feeling better?"

Their eyes met and he smiled broadly. "Would you like me to show you?"

Dayna smiled back. "I'd like that just fine."

#

*What type of punishment do you plan for Vila?* Jenna asked Blake when he and Vila rejoined the others.

*Punishment?* Vila squeaked in a terrified voice.

*What you did was unforgivable, Vila,* Cally said sternly.

*And clumsy,* Avon added.

*Thanks, big brother,* Vila muttered.

*What did you call Avon, Vila?* Blake asked.

*Huh, oh, nothing.*

*So what's for us now, Blake?* Gan enquired.

*I told Dayna we were leaving and we are.*

*To go where?*

*I'm not sure yet, Avon. But something has been calling to me for some time now. I think I'll find out what it is.*

*And he'll drag the rest of us with him,* Avon commented to Cally.

*You don't have to come, Avon,* Blake advised. *None of you.*

*1 had enough of your lectures while I lived, Blake. Just lead the way and we'll follow, as usual.*

*What if it's dangerous?* Vila piped up as they began to drift away in the direction Blake indicated.

*I hope it is,* Gan said excitedly.

*Gan, are you crazy?* Vila exclaimed.

He chuckled. *Just teasing you, Vila.*

*What do you suppose we'll find, Blake?* Jenna asked.

*I honestly don't know, Jenna.*

*Don't worry, Jenna. Blake will make sure we find out.*

*Avon, have I ever told you how glad I am you're here?*

The question stopped Avon in his tracks, he stared at Blake for the longest time at a complete loss for words. *No, Blake, you haven't,* he finally said.

*Well, I am.*

*Blake, do we have to go wherever it is we're going?* Vila asked timidly.

*Yes, Vila. Unless you want to wait here for us.*

*Oh no you don't. I don't want to end up some drifting space ghost.*

*Then stop complaining and come on,* Jenna ordered. *You're falling behind.*

*Stop going so fast. I'm not as good at this as you lot are, you know. I haven't been dead as long. And my feet or whatever they are feel like they're starting to ache and my back hurts too. Blake, why didn't you help me when I was changing Tarrant's clothes. Spilt the whole beaker of soma on the floor and then...*

#

Vila's voice trailed off into the oblivion of the netherworld, unheard by two other entities who shared their plane. Servalan said nothing, could do nothing but glare malevolently as Blake's party passed the dark web of torment where she lay bound, the unwilling slave of a one-eyed madman.

*You've no idea how happy I was when you arrived here,* Travis advised. *And such a dramatic arrival at that. Did you really believe there was a ship waiting for you, my dear Supreme Commander? Alas, in your madness you did. To rush off that cliff so expectantly only to find yourself here, reunited with me.* He laughed coldly. *As you toyed with me, Servalan,* Travis sneered, *now it's my turn.* He flexed his artificial arm and saw how mesmerized she seemed by the movement. *You never quite understood the abilities of my arm, did you? The ease with which I could crush a man's throat or a woman's for that matter.* He cupped her chin in his left hand, smiling in anticipation. *But you will, Servalan. You will.*

#

Vila had just caught his second wind when something froze him in his tracks. He turned slowly about, looking back the way they had come. *Did...did you hear something?* he asked, certain he'd heard a scream of terror.

*Nothing for us to worry about, Vila,* Blake announced after a moment's silence. *No, nothing for us.*

the end

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