“So, tell me Suho, why exactly am I only hearing about this now?” Suho winced at the accusing tone, and the pointed glare Kris was shooting him through the grainy webcam feed, but he had expected nothing less. With both leaders busy taking care of their respective teams, in addition to working and other responsibilities, they hadn’t had much time to talk lately. Suho also hadn’t wanted Kris to flip out over something he had no control over, so until now he had refrained from telling the older man about what had been going on with Baekhyun. After what Kyungsoo had told him at the bookstore, however, he knew that he would have to tell Kris everything. Suho knew he couldn’t deal with this alone anymore.

“Well, things have been kind of busy here, and anyway I didn’t want to worry you…” Suho rambled, knowing it would do nothing to placate Kris. He understood why Kris was so angry; he would have been too in that position. They both cared about everyone in EXO, but Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were special. They had been there with Kris and Suho almost since the beginning, and the four of them were like family. As the older ones, Kris and Suho felt responsible for the other two, and always did what they could to look out for them. For Kris to learn that he had been kept in the dark, unable to do anything even if he wanted to, must be difficult.

“Isn’t keeping secrets exactly what got Baekhyun into this mess in the first place? Because he didn’t want to worry anyone? , Suho.”  Kris paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Exploding at Suho now wouldn’t help anything. “Alright, so what are you planning now? Obviously you want something, or I doubt you would have told me at all.”

“I would have!” Suho defended, though even he wasn’t sure that was true. If things had simply ended with Baekhyun’s discovery of the pendant, chances were Suho would have never said anything. The look Kris gave him said that he knew that as well as Suho did. “Okay, fine, I called because I need your help. Kyungsoo said that sometimes distance can help, that the spirit can only or will only follow so far. So, I was thinking, perhaps we should move up our little surprise.”

“That would be great, except for the fact that we had planned on having another couple of months to save – ” Kris stopped, realizing then exactly why Suho needed his help. He sighed, because there was no way he could say no. “I’m paying for this, aren’t I?”

“Only half!” Suho corrected, as if that made things any better. “I managed to scrape together enough to cover half of what’s missing, I just… need you to cover the other half.”

“Fine. Not like I really have a choice, right?” Kris didn’t really mind that much, not when the situation was so serious, but he was going to give Suho hell about it for not telling him sooner anyway. “Just know that it isn’t going to be me Tao murders next time he wants to go shopping and I have to tell him no.”

Suho grinned, not even bothered by the threat. He couldn’t wait to tell the others. “It’s for Baekhyun, Tao won’t mind.”

Kris just rolled his eyes at that; Suho was right of course, Tao was going to be ecstatic when he found out. It was then that he remembered something he’d been meaning to ask Suho about. “Speaking of those two, you wouldn’t happen to know why I came home a few weeks ago to Tao crying about breaking Baekhyun’s heart, would you?”

“Ah, so he did tell him then,” Suho said, smiling. He was glad to hear that Baekhyun had actually taken his advice. “Well, I guess Baekhyun’s ghost problem isn’t the only thing I didn’t tell you about. Things over here have been rather interesting.”

“How so?” Kris asked, eyebrow raised. He didn’t know why Suho looked so happy over something that had probably hurt Baekhyun a lot.

“I told you about Chanyeol right? Our new member?” Suho asked, continuing when Kris nodded. “As I’m sure you already guessed, he and Baekhyun didn’t get along at all at first. Or rather, Baekhyun didn’t give them a chance to get along – he blew up at the poor kid on his first investigation, among other things. But, believe it or not, Baekhyun eventually stopped being stubborn and the two of them totally hit it off. They’re practically attached at the hip.”

“And?” Kris wasn’t sure where Suho was going with this, or how it related to Tao.

“And, a few weeks back Chanyeol confessed to Baekhyun. Baekhyun came to me for advice, saying that he didn’t know what to do because he thought he had feelings for Chanyeol but wasn’t over Tao,” Suho replied, watching as realization dawned on Kris’s face.

“So you told him to confess to Tao? Why?” Kris asked, puzzled. Sometimes he really didn’t understand Suho’s logic.

“I figured if Tao rejected him once and for all, it would help him move on,” Suho answered, frowning at the look Kris gave him. “Hey, it worked! Baekhyun and Chanyeol started dating not too long after that.”

“Well… that’s good, I guess. I was starting to really worry about him, and I can imagine he needs someone now more than ever,” Kris said. Then his tone turned protective, “Chanyeol is good for him, right? I can’t approve one hundred percent until I meet him, but I trust you wouldn’t push Baekhyun to be with someone who isn’t good enough.”

“Kris, I haven’t seen Baekhyun this happy in a long time, even with a psycho ghost potentially trying to kill him.” Suho smiled as he thought of the pair together. “They haven’t been together long, but honestly I think they’re pretty much made for each other. Another Kyungsoo and Kai for sure.”

Kris nodded, satisfied with that for now. “How are those two doing then? And Sehun?”

“Oh! Well, that was the other interesting bit of news.” Suho had been dying to tell Kris this piece of information since he had found out the day before. “According to Kyungsoo, they’re apartment hunting. Together.”

“It’s about time,” Kris said, rolling his eyes, though he was obviously happy for them. “What’s Sehun going to do then?”

“Not sure, though at the rate things are going, one of us is going to be losing a team member soon.” Sehun of course wouldn’t say anything about it, but Suho had the feeling that things were starting to get pretty serious.

“Oh, you mean him and Luhan?” Kris snorted at that. “Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if I have to look for a new case manager as soon as he finds out that Sehun will be living alone. I guess that’s another pair that will be overjoyed with our plan.”

“I cannot wait to tell them!” Suho said, practically bouncing in his seat with excitement at the thought. “I think I’ll have to –” he was cut off as his cell phone began vibrating on the table “oh, sorry, I have to go. It’s Kyungsoo, hopefully calling to tell me he’s heard from Chanyeol and Baekhyun is okay.”

Kris frowned as the webcam feed was cut off, trying to process everything he had learned from that conversation. And the amount of money that would be coming out of his bank account – sometimes, being the leader really .

Worry filled Chanyeol all over again as he slipped his phone back into his pocket, staring at the bathroom door. After a few minutes of waiting he had called Kyungsoo to tell him that Baekhyun was with him, and what the older man had said about Heechul, but now that the distraction was gone Chanyeol could only think of Baekhyun’s face when he’d left the room earlier. Many emotions had been present there, confusion and doubt among them, but none that seemed to bode well for their relationship. Chanyeol had hoped that his confession would be reassuring, but perhaps it was too much too soon – Baekhyun had only just started getting over Tao, after all.

Chanyeol was so deep in thought over the matter that he almost didn’t hear the bathroom door open, the soft click of the handle signaling Baekhyun’s return to the room. He was pulled out of his thoughts abruptly by the noise, immediately turning to look at the older man, and let out a soft gasp at what he saw. Baekhyun was standing in the doorway dripping wet, one of Chanyeol’s towels draped around his waist. He held another in one hand and was attempting to dry his hair with it, but otherwise wore nothing else. Chanyeol watched as little droplets of water trailed down the pale skin of Baekhyun’s chest and stomach, entranced. His boyfriend wasn’t exactly a tanned Adonis with abs of steel, but he was beautiful in his own way and Chanyeol was awed by it. This was a side of Baekhyun that he had never seen before; it was vulnerable and intimate, and it showed trust – something that Chanyeol feared had been shaken between them. But if Baekhyun was willing to be open with him now, then Chanyeol would trust him – he always had.

 “Chanyeol, I…” Baekhyun started, then shook his head, seeming to think better of it. He walked over and sat down next to Chanyeol, turning slightly to face him before speaking again. This wasn’t something to be said from halfway across the room. “I’m sorry for just walking away, you took me by surprise.”

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol said, smiling weakly. “It was kind of out of nowhere, I just… wanted you to know that I cared.”

“I know, and I appreciate that, I really do,” Baekhyun replied, returning the smile. “It’s just that… I care about you a lot Chanyeol, but I don’t know if I can say that I’m in love right now. I don’t want to keep using what happened with Tao as an excuse – believe me when I say the only one I want to be with now is you – but the last time I fell in love it was the most painful thing I had ever gone through. Logically, I know things are different with us, my heart just needs some time to come to terms with that too.”

Chanyeol grinned at that, a genuine smile this time, and took hold of one of Baekhyun’s hands. “I never expected you to say it back, I know it’s too soon for that. I was just worried that I had scared you off for good… I’m still not quite sure how I got you in the first place.”

“Chanyeol, I just told you that a ghost is possible trying to murder me and you didn’t run screaming. If I had any doubts about us before, I definitely have none now. You’re all that I could have asked for and more, so stop doubting yourself,” Baekhyun said, relieved as he realized that everything was okay between them. “You have no idea how happy I am, knowing that you actually love me. It means the world.”

Rather than replying with words, Chanyeol simply leaned forward, moving his free hand up to gently cup Baekhyun’s cheek as he brought their lips together. The kiss was simple and sweet, but it conveyed everything that couldn’t be expressed in words. Baekhyun sighed contentedly as they parted, eyes closed, leaning his forehead against Chanyeol’s so that their noses were just barely brushing. He relished in the closeness, enjoying the comfort and assurance it provided, and let go of Chanyeol’s hand so that he could pull the younger man into an embrace instead.

It was only when he moved to return the embrace that Chanyeol was reminded of Baekhyun’s… lack of clothing. Baekhyun seemed to remember it too, face turning bright red as he pulled away. “Sorry, I was a bit um… eager, to clear the air and all. I should probably get dressed now. Can I borrow something of yours?”

“You should… er, not that I wasn’t enjoying the view or anything, I really was… I mean, not to say that…” Chanyeol rambled, cheeks just as red as Baekhyun’s. Finally he gave up, covering his face with his hands in embarrassment. “Yeah, clothes, in the dresser, take them.”

Once Baekhyun was fully clothed and dry, the two of them sat down to discuss the situation further. He explained to Chanyeol everything Kyungsoo had told him about attached spirits, and Chanyeol did not want to take any chances. It was decided that at the very least Baekhyun would not return to his apartment tonight – Chanyeol of course would prefer if he didn’t go back at all, but Baekhyun was being stubborn about it. He insisted that he would have to go back eventually to get clothes at least, and even if he moved he couldn’t just leave everything behind. And they didn’t even know for sure if that would work. After a while Chanyeol gave up on arguing over it, deciding to leave that concern for later.

They spent the rest of the day together in Chanyeol’s apartment, watching movies and generally trying to distract themselves from the danger that Baekhyun was in; for the moment, there was really not much more they could do. The pair had just started discussing dinner plans when Chanyeol’s phone rang (Baekhyun’s was still dead, since his charger was at his apartment), Suho telling them only to be at the office as soon as they could, with no other explanations. Even so, Baekhyun was almost certain that the impromptu meeting was because of him.

Kyungsoo, Sehun, and Kai were already at the office when Baekhyun and Chanyeol arrived, Kyungsoo immediately pulling Baekhyun into a hug while simultaneously scolding him for not telling anyone sooner. Once Kyungsoo was finished with him, Kai threw an arm around Baekhyun and Sehun patted his shoulder gently, their way of showing support. The five of them chatted amongst themselves for a few minutes as they waited for Suho to show up, wondering where their leader was and why exactly he had called this meeting. They had all been there for almost ten minutes when Suho finally walked through the door, looking harried.

“Oh, good, you’re all here,” he said in lieu of a greeting, sounding as tired as he looked. Money wasn’t the only complication to moving their plans up – it had left him with a lot of planning to do in a few short hours, especially since he couldn’t really finalize anything without talking to the others. Once he had gotten off the phone with Kyungsoo, Suho had called Kris back, and the two of them spent the afternoon going over the details. “I think, in light of everything that’s happened, we all need to have a talk.”

The rest of them nodded in agreement, though Baekhyun didn’t look too happy about it, prompting Suho to continue.

“Baekhyun, I’m sure you’ve heard enough about keeping things to yourself, so stop looking like you’re about to get yelled at. That said I think I speak for everyone when I say that whatever is going on, I don’t want to see you get hurt again, and I would really appreciate if you would put aside your stubbornness and let us help you for once,” Suho said, looking at Baekhyun pointedly. They all knew that their tech manager was probably going to protest anything they did to try to protect him. Suho just hoped that the promise of seeing the others would make Baekhyun listen this time. “I think there are some… precautions that need to be taken.”

“Look, I know I can be stubborn, but it’s only because I don’t want any of you hurt because of me,” Baekhyun replied, sighing. “What do you want me to do?”

“I’m not going to let anyone get hurt from now on, so don’t you worry about that.” Suho wasn’t entirely sure he could keep that promise, but he was going to do everything he could to try. “I think this is a given, but until we figure something out to fix this you do not go to your apartment. Kyungsoo and I can go there tonight to get anything you need and drop it off at Chanyeol’s, but I don’t want you setting foot there. You also have to swear to tell us if anything else happens. We don’t know how this… Heechul, will react once he realizes you’re not coming back. He might stay there, or he might try to go after you again. Whatever happens, we need to know so we can figure out how to keep you safe.”

“…fine,” Baekhyun agreed after a moment, not really liking it but knowing that Suho was right. “But are you sure you will be okay going there? What if he tries to hurt you? I can survive without my stuff for a little while.”

“He won’t,” Kyungsoo spoke up finally. “At least, I doubt it. Usually a spirit like that, unless they’re a true inhuman spirit, will pick a target and become fixated on them. Sometimes they can move on to new targets, but he probably won’t waste energy on us when he’s still focused on you.”

“Anyway, you’re going to need clothes at the very least, because I don’t think Chanyeol can pack enough to last you both a week,” Suho said, a smile spreading as he saw the confusion on everyone’s faces. “Don’t think you want Tao seeing you in clothes that don’t fit either, he’d probably send you home with a whole new wardrobe.”

“But how would Tao see…” Chanyeol trailed off, not getting the implication. Kyungsoo however did, grinning as he realized what Suho was planning. Sehun got it too, and looked like he couldn’t believe his ears.

“You mean… we’re going there?” It had been over a year since they had last seen the others, since he had met Luhan, and Sehun was thrilled with this news.

“How though? I mean, the cost…” Baekhyun said. He felt a flurry of emotions – joy at the thought of seeing Tao again, and dread at the same thought.

“That is not for you to worry about. Kris and I had actually been planning to do this in a few months, as a surprise for our fifth anniversary,” Suho explained, referring to the date when he and Kris had first started their paranormal investigating. “But, I had a talk with him earlier, and we both decided that it would benefit everyone for us to get away from here for a while, give us some time to hopefully solve this problem. So, clear your schedules, because as soon as I’ve got the okay from all of you we’re going to California.”

Sehun was already on his phone in the corner, calling his work to tell them he wouldn’t be there. Kai moved to do the same, while Kyungsoo mumbled about there being no way in hell he could get time off on such short notice, though he looked happy about the news anyway. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were another story, however. Suho could understand why Chanyeol wouldn’t be too happy – he had yet to meet the others, and while it would be a wonderful reunion for the rest of them, to him it would be new and unfamiliar. On top of that, this meant finally meeting Tao, the person his boyfriend had been in love with for so long. That was bound to be awkward, if nothing else.  What Suho did not understand was why Baekhyun looked so conflicted. Suho had expected him to be ecstatic at the announcement; he was getting away from his ghost, and getting to see his best friend at the same time.

Noticing the look Suho was giving him Baekhyun sighed, walking over to the older man. He didn’t wait for Suho to ask him what was wrong, knowing that he’d end up telling regardless. “What if Tao doesn’t want to see me?”

“…that’s what you’re worried about? Really Baekhyun?” Suho asked incredulously. “Kris told me that you confessed, but I mean… you and Tao have been attached at the hip since the day you met. Whatever feelings you may have had for him, you’re both happily with other people now, and I can’t see him letting that come between your friendship. Are you going to let that happen?”

“No! No, of course not,” Baekhyun protested, offended even at the suggestion. Tao’s friendship was far too important for him to ever give up on it. “I just… I don’t know, we haven’t even talked since then and it was weeks ago. After all that, I’m going to be introducing him to Chanyeol... I’m not sure how to feel about that. What if it makes things awkward, or they don’t get along?”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Suho resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing Baekhyun was seriously concerned even if he had no reason to be. “Of course things are going to be a little awkward, but I’m sure once you see each other you’ll get past it quickly enough. And have you met Chanyeol? He might be a little annoying at times, but he’s also one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. One smile and he’ll win the others over in a heartbeat, Tao included. Stop worrying and be happy, like I know you want to be. You’ve got enough on your plate without stressing over this.”

Baekhyun glanced over at where he’d left Chanyeol standing on the other side of the room, the taller man grinning and waving when he noticed Baekhyun looking his way. Baekhyun smiled fondly at the gesture, realizing that Suho was right. It was hard not to like Chanyeol, and it wouldn’t take long for Tao and the others to accept him into the group. Whatever else happened in California, Baekhyun knew it would be okay, because Chanyeol would be with him.

The group dispersed shortly after that, all of them needing to pack and make plans. Kai and Sehun had cleared the trip with work, and Baekhyun had no trouble getting time off either – he hadn’t even needed to explain why; his boss had noticed his odd behavior recently, and was happy to grant his favorite employee some time off to get things straight. Kyungsoo still needed to talk to his boss, but assured the others that he would be going on the trip regardless, so it was decided they would leave in three days. This gave everyone enough time to pack for the trip, and time for Suho and Kris to finalize the flights and hotel reservations.

After the meeting, Kai and Kyungsoo went to Baekhyun’s apartment to get some of his things. Originally Suho had wanted to go, but Kai refused to let Kyungsoo go without him, and three of them weren’t really needed to simply run in and grab some clothes. They just didn’t want anyone going alone in case something happened.  

Almost as soon as they entered the apartment, the two of them could tell that something wasn’t right. They felt like they were trespassing in someone’s home, despite the fact that they had permission to be there; it was as though the spirit had taken over the place in Baekhyun’s short absence.

“Let’s be quick about this… I don’t like it here,” Kai said, unable to shake the feeling that someone was watching him. Kyungsoo nodded in agreement and headed for the bedroom to pack some clothes, while Kai wandered around the apartment in search of the other things Baekhyun had requested – namely, the pendant. Neither of them had been particularly thrilled at the idea of bringing along the object that had started all of this, but Baekhyun had insisted, saying that he wanted to study it more and that he didn’t think leaving it with Heechul was a good idea either. He swore that he would not wear it, or even keep it on his person, and eventually the others relented. It didn’t take long for Kai to spot the pendant lying on the coffee table, Baekhyun’s father’s notes strewn across the table and floor around it. Baekhyun had asked for those as well, so Kai collected all of the papers and notebooks first, then reached for the pendant.

He was almost surprised to hear the door open, not having expected the human back yet. He figured his little stunt the other night had scared the boy off to his pathetic boyfriend’s house for a few days, since it had sadly failed to kill him. He knew the boy would return eventually, though; all of his stuff was still here, and humans were always so attached to stuff. He had been like that too, once. Buying all of the latest fashions and expensive electronics, picking out fancy gifts for… well, that was all over now. It was amazing how something as typical as death could completely rearrange your priorities.

He frowned as he realized that it was not his human that had entered the apartment, but two of the human’s friends. What were they doing here? He had rarely seen anyone but the boyfriend here at all, and definitely not without his human here. He did briefly remember one of them coming by yesterday morning, though, and the more he thought about it the more convinced he was it had been one of these two. But why were they here again? They had no business snooping around his new home. He saw the familiar one go into the bedroom, but was distracted from following by the other one. The human had gone into the living room and started picking up those papers, which was really of no concern to him. But the pendant was there, and he worried the human might try to take it. He could not have that; he had found that although he could not draw from the immense amount of energy sealed within the pendant, he did seem to be able to gather energy more quickly with it around. Even without his human here to feed off of, he could feel himself getting stronger each day and he knew that pendant was the reason.

His attention was briefly drawn away as the familiar one exited the bedroom, and it was only then that he realized what was going on. The human held a suitcase full of clothes, and the other one was gathering papers and books into a box. They were collecting his human’s things, presumably so that the boy would not have to return himself. He did not like this at all… if his human didn’t return, killing him would be much more difficult. Not that it really mattered in the long run, Heechul thought to himself with a smirk. This boy had what he did not, and one way or another he was going to suffer for that. It may take more time than he had planned, but nothing these silly humans did was going to stop him. Before he could continue that train of thought, he noticed the human with the books reach for the pendant as well. He let out a feral growl, moving to grab the object himself. This human was not going to take what was his away from him, not the pendant and not the satisfaction of ending his human’s life.

The second Kai’s fingertips touched the cold metal of the pendant, he knew it had been a very, very bad idea. He heard what could be described only as a growl, and when he glanced over at Kyungsoo it was obvious that his boyfriend had heard it too. Deciding it was time to leave, Kai attempted to grab the pendant off of the table, only to find that it would budge. He could feel another force pulling on it, and he knew somehow that this had to be Heechul. Determined not to let the spirit win Kai tugged on the necklace with all of his strength, feeling the resistance on the other side weaken slightly. Seeing what was going on, Kyungsoo rushed over to help Kai, grasping the same end of the pendant and putting every bit of strength he had into this strange tug of war. It felt like hours, though it was really only seconds, before finally the strength of the two humans won over the strength of the ghost. The pair stumbled backwards as the pull on the other side dissipated, Kai clutching the pendant defensively to his chest. Not wanting to stick around to see what else the spirit might do, Kyungsoo picked up the suitcase he had dropped in his haste to assist Kai and headed for the door, his boyfriend right behind him with the pendant and the notes.

He watched as the pair practically ran out of the apartment, cursing his own weakness. He had gathered a lot of energy, but he still did not have enough to waste fighting these pathetic humans. Unfortunately, with the loss of the pendant, it would take even longer before he was strong enough to move on with his plans. It could still be done, though – it would simply require a change in tactics.

A/N: I am so, terribly sorry for taking so long. I hope you all haven't forgotten me XD I planned on updating weeks ago, but then life happened and I've had no time to think about writing. I had exams, there was a death in the family, I've been having some other issues at home... then before things could really calm down, the holidays hit. I actually ended up driving six hours to spend a few weeks with my sister, which is where I am now, and thankfully things are a lot more calm and quiet here so I've found some time to write over the past few days. That said, I do hope you all enjoyed the chapter, as I had a lot of fun writing it. After a lot of debate I decided to include the M members for the ending, so I hope you will all be happy with that. <3 Also just a note, this was all written late at night and hasn't been proofread, so I apologize if anything sounds funny XD I'll try to proofread tomorrow~

And finally, on another note, happy new year!! I hope you all had a wonderful year, a wonderful holiday, and will have a wonderful time in the coming year as well. Thank you so much for sticking with me this far, it means the world guys <3