A Ghost Host's Assistant [Billie Bust Up Fanfiction]

True Colors

By the time it was October, it was officially time to decorate and celebrate Halloween. Of course all the ghosts were preparing to celebrate at Barnaby's Halloween Party and whose to say that it's that time to dress up, make treats, and cast tricks. While decorating, Barnaby was singing with the ghosts in the ballroom.

After a short while, Barnaby would extend his neck, over upstairs and into Chi's room with his remarkable goofy grin.
"Oh Chi!! I have a surprise for you!" Barnaby said as he looked around the room. "...Chi?"
"I'm right here!" A voice came out from within a pile of plushies.
Barnaby would go over to the bed with plushies and lifted one of them up. "Oh! There you are! Hoohoo! I thought something might have happened."
"No... it's just that I got drowned into the plushies that you gave me from the past few days." Chi said as she got out from the pile. "But you know I was fine with one, right?"
"Oh goodness me, there is no such thing as too many toys! Besides, you need the comfort of something soft to keep you happy you know..." Barnaby said as he pats Chi's head with his talon.
"But enough of that now. The Halloween Party isn't until midnight, and I need you present in the party while wearing a costume."
"Oh.. right.." Chi stretched her arms out as she got up. "What costume should I wear though?"
"That's the surprise!" Barnaby hoots happily before snapping his talons and Chi's outfit was altered into a soft and silky orange and purple dress, accompanied with a mask. Chi looks into the mirror to see herself in the costume.
"Wow... this looks..."
"Amazing? I thought of it myself! Hoohoohoo!!" Barnaby smiled as he turned Chi around with his talons on her shoulders.
"...Look at you... how big you've grown since you first came in here..."
"I am... practically the same when I arrived." Chi chuckled.
"I know... but you just look so cute in that dress it just makes me proud that I've gotten to make you happy..." Barnaby would hug Chi, tucking her in his wings.
Chi would hug back in return of course, but something about the hug felt different. As if... the hug was from a familiar feeling... a feeling of safety and comfort... it lingered for a moment as Barnaby started to make cooing noises.
"...Uh... Barnaby?... Barnaby!"
Barnaby soon let's go. "Oh, sorry sorry! I was just deep in the moment is all... Hoohoo!! Now... lets just go and have some fun, yes?"

The two would eventually join the others for the party, as it was decorated in the classic Halloween fashion, with ghost and bat decorations hung up the walls for those to see, and the food was themed around the witch's brew and worms with eyeballs. Horrific music filled the air as everyone seemed to be having fun around the midnight hour. Barnaby stood proud to see how everything was turning out, even speaking with the ghosts as Chi stood aside to take in the friendly ghastly atmosphere.

Chi looked around until her eyes fixed on the stairs. Curiosity gets the better of her and decides to go back up the steps without Barnaby looking, for he was too busy having fun with the ghosts to even notice. Now, she's able to go to look in different rooms she hasn't been able to see since her time here was wasted with Barnaby. She then thinks to herself that she hasn't been into Barnaby's room, and decided that's the first place she would go to.

As she entered Barnaby's room, she would see paper scattered around the floor and a few places, and some pictures of himself on the walls as well as some clocks ticking in a rhythmical manner. But what caught her eye was the same picture Barnaby put up many weeks ago. The same picture of Barnaby being alive, and the figure he was holding was covered by a drawn picture of Chi. This gave Chi a concerned look as she slowly stepped towards the picture, as she put two and two together, knowing now that he had a child in his past life, but... why would he cover them with her face. Unless...

But before she could progress, Barnaby comes in with a blank look.
"So you know."
Chi looked back at Barnaby with a fearful look now spreading on her face.
"Barnaby! I... I can explain-"
"No need." He said before he smiled. "But... it's okay... you would've known eventually. And I would've treated you with love and care and you wouldn't even mind it!"
"What ... are you talking about?"
"Chi... I want you to stay with me for eternity... I want you to be here with me... so I can care for you and love you like the child i once had..."
"Barnaby..."
"If you would refuse I... i don't know what to do. I know I have a huge family but... I always wanted to have a child who I can love and embrace from time to time... to care for, to live for... to die for... "

Chi looked at Barnaby now with concern, as she felt his talon wrap around her hand.
"Chi please... please don't leave me here to rot away in the afterlife. It won't be the same without you... please... PLEASE... PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!!" Barnaby grabbed her by the arms as the room starts to warp and twist around them. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE A DAY WITH SOMETHING THAT IS MISSING IN YOUR LIFE!? DO YOU!?" Barnaby would start to feel like he is melting as tears ran down his face as his grip on Chi tightened.
"Barnaby, you're scaring me..." Chi whimpered.

Barnaby sobbed uncontrollably as he hugged Chi tightly within his wings, his talon holding Chi's head against him as he whimpered and cried out.
"Stay... please..." he says over and over.
Chi felt sympathy towards the owl as he rocked back and forth with her in his wings.
"I know... what it's like to have some thing missing in your life..." she said quietly. "I... never grew up having a dad..."
Barnaby hears this and his head perked up, looking at her in surprise and in shock.
"I never knew what it was like to have a dad... and... I only grew up with those who cared for me but... neither of them were like a fatherly figure..." Chi starts to cry herself as she buried her head on Barnaby's shoulder.

Barnaby nudged his head against Chi as he tried to comfort her the best he could, rocking her back and forth like she was his own.
"Shhhh.... shhhh... it's okay now... it's okay... shhhh..." he whispered to her as he rocked her back and forth.
"Don't cry now... don't cry..."
The two would hold onto each other as they cried in their grasp, within the void.

It was all silent now, with the two holding onto each other like they were the most important thing that mattered, while the sound of a clock ticking can be heard echoing through the void, until Barnaby broke the silence.
"I'm so sorry." He whimpered. "I don't know why I confessed that you remind me of a daughter... a daughter that I once had..."
"Is that why you... didn't kill me?" Chi asked.
"Well... I mean... I... yeah..." Barnaby said as he wiped his tears away.
"I couldn't harm you even though it was against my beliefs... you were so precious the moment we've gotten to know each other... I couldn't help but want you to be happy... but... keeping you here isn't making you happy, is it?"
Chi looked up at him and slowly nods.

"No... no no no... what am I doing!? This is all of my FAULT! I AM JUST TOO CLUELESS TO BE-"
Chi then shushed him. "Its okay though. It's okay... Honestly... I couldn't help but feel the same way with how fatherly you are to me..."
"Really?..." Barnaby asked happily.
"Yes..." Chi replied before hugging him more.

"I love you dad..."