~New York, 1887~

Ghosts are real. This much I know.

The first time I saw one, I was 10 years old. It was my Mother's. Black cholera had taken her, so Father had ordered a closed casket, and asked me not to look. There were to be no parting kisses. No goodbyes, not last words.

In a little cemetery, a small crowd dressed in black had gathered around a large headstone with a closed casket sat in front of it. Amongst the crowd was a middle aged man with a loose arm around the shoulders of a little brown haired girl. Both of their expressions were relatively blank aside from tears shining in their eyes.

That is, until the night she came back.

Later that night, the little girl was curled up in her bed, unable to be claimed by sleep. The rain outside pattered on her window as the doorknob rattled. Then, the door creaked open. The girl didn't move to look at what had opened her door, but she could feel a tender hand on her shoulder, black wisps of some smokey substance emerging off. When the figure spoke, it sounded like the girl's mother, though her voice was hollow and raspy.

"My child, when the time comes, beware of Crimson Peak." It said.

At this, the girl screamed and whirled around in bed. The spirit was nowhere to be seen, though the girl's door remained open. In the hallway, a light slightly flickered.

It would be years before I again heard such a voice, or understood its desperate warning, a warning from out of time. And one that I came to understand, only when it was too late.

***

~14 Years Later~

The streets of Buffalo, New York were in a bustle as the morning sun drenched the market in a warm glow. Train whistles could be heard from a distance as horse drawn carriages clattered down the dirt streets.

Crossing one of these streets with a stack of papers in her arm was Olivia Iridottir, now 24 years old and a woman grown. The dirt of the road lightly dirtied the lower hem of the yellow dress she wore that mirrored the glow of the town. She had a set destination to find and deliver the stack of papers to. Maybe today would finally be the day she would get her book published. She was an aspiring author trying to make her way in a man's world.

Finding the large building she was looking for, Olivia entered with a determined expression. She confidently climbed the stairs before being intercepted after the first flight.

"Thor, when did you get back?" Olivia asked the young man, a friend of hers since she was young. A doctor, an ophthalmologist, to pe precise.

"Two weeks ago, I thought Natasha had told you?" Thor said.

"No, I-I hadn't heard." Olivia stammered.

"Ohh, she made a conquest in London."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm setting up my practice upstairs."

"I'm to meet Beck at 10, to see if he wants to publish my manuscript." Olivia held up the bundle of papers to prove her words.

"You do know it is only 9 o'clock?"

"I know, but I couldn't wait any longer, and I wanna make some corrections anyways."

"If you have any free time, please come and visit." Thor said as a group of women came upstairs, chattering excitedly.

"We met him at the British museum last fall when we were visiting Thor." Mrs. Odinson, Thor's mother, said.

"Mother." Thor greeted.

"You wouldn't believe it, he's so handsome." Another woman who was Thor's half-sister, Miss Natasha Romanoff, added.

"And he has crossed the ocean with his sister." Mrs. Odinson replied.

"He's on business, Mother." Natasha replied.

"It seems he's a baronet." Another girl said.

"What's a baronet?" A fourth girl asked.

"Well..an aristocrat of some sort." Mrs. Odinson explained. Olivia couldn't help but cut in.

"A man that feeds off land that others work for him. A parasite, with a title." She explained, shushing the women in front of her. Mrs. Odinson turned to Olivia with a slightly shocked expression.

"Well this parasite is perfectly charming and a magnificent dancer. Although that wouldn't concern you, Olivia, our very own Jane Austen. Though she died a spinster, no?" She said.

"Mother, please." Thor groaned.

"That's alright, actually Mrs. Odinson, I would prefer to be Mary Shelley, she died a widow." Olivia replied with a smile. She inclined her head and proceeded further up the stairs.

***

~Beck's Office~

"Ahh Miss Iridottir, you're early." Beck greeted her, taking Olivia's stack of paper.

"Just a little." Olivia replied with a smile, sitting down. Beck flipped over and read a few pages of her work, his eyes scanning it carefully.

"A ghost story. Your father didn't tell me it was a ghost story."

"Oh it's..it's not. It's more a story with a ghost in it."

"Mhmm."

"The ghost is just a metaphor."

"A metaphor?"

"For the past." Olivia added. Beck scanned a few more pages.

"Well, lovely handwriting, nice confident loops. Miss Iridottir, may I offer a word of advice?" He asked.

***

~Olivia and Her Father's Home, Supper~

"He told me it needed a love story, can you believe that?" Olivia huffed as she sat down at the table with her father, Aemon.

"Beck's old fashioned." Her father replied.

"He said that just because I'm a woman." Olivia sighed and picked at her food.

"Everyone falls in love, dear. Even women."

"I don't want to write a love story like that."

"Well, my darling. I was hoping to make this a celebratory gift." Aemon said. He handed her a small black box, tied with white ribbon. Olivia opened it to find a fancy white pen laying inside. "I'm a builder dear, if there's one thing I know, it's the importance of the right tool for the job."

"It's beautiful. But actually, Father, I was hoping to type it. In your office." Olivia replied, still admiring the pen.

"Type it?"

"I'm submitting it to the Atlantic Monthly, but I realize now that my handwriting is too feminine. It gives me away."

"Without a doubt." Olivia's father smiled a little as they continued to eat their dinner.

***

~Aemon's Office, The Next Morning~

At one of the many desks sat in the office, Olivia sat in front of one with a typewriter on top. The other women around her were doing their various other tasks that seemed awfully dull to her. Still, she had the typewriter and the story in her mind, and that was all she needed.

"It'll take me all day, but it does make it rather handsome, don't you think?" Olivia asked the woman her father worked with, Pepper. She nodded with a warm smile. Gently starting to tap the keys, Olivia started to transcribe. Pepper looked up suddenly, causing Olivia to do the same. What could have captured Pepper's attention so avidly.

Turns out it was the man entering the office in a dark suit and top hat, a briefcase in his hand.

"Good Morning, Miss." The foreign man said brightly, his British accent abundantly clear. "Forgive the interruption, I have an appointment with a Mr. Aemon Kynson?"

"My goodness, with the great man himself." Olivia replied.

"I'm afriad so." The man replied, handing Olivia a card, presumably a business card. Olivia pushed up her glasses to read it more clearly.

"Sir Loki Laufeyson... Baronet?" She read aloud.

"He'll be here shortly." Pepper said, taking the card and walking away.

"Thank you." Loki replied.

"You're not late, are you? He hates that." Olivia said, gathering her papers. Perhaps she could write at another time.

"Uh, not at all. In fact, I'm a little early." Loki said, glancing at some of the papers on the table Olivia left.

"Oh, I'm afraid he hates that, too."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry, but this is a piece of fiction, is it not?"

"Yes?"

"Who are you transcribing this for?"

"It's to be sent to New York tomorrow... To the Atlantic Monthly."

"Well, whoever wrote it it's um... Rather good, don't you think?"

"Really?" Olivia asked hopefully, glancing at the papers in Loki's hands.

"It's certainly captured my attention." Loki replied.

"I wrote it." Olivia said after a pause. "It's mine."

"Ghosts?"

"Well, the ghosts are just a metaphor really for-"

"They've always fascinated me. You see, where I come from, ghosts are not to be taken lightly."

"Sir Loki Laufeyson, welcome to our fair country." Aemon said, approaching the pair with Pepper in tow.

"Sir, it's my pleasure." Loki replied, shaking Aemon's hand.

"I see you've already met my daughter Olivia." Aemon said. Loki looked at Olivia with a surprised look, Olivia returning it with a slightly sheepish look. "Well, come along. We're ready for you."

***

Olivia slowly crept over to the room where the men were meeting, hearing talking and the noise of a small machine starting up. She carefully opened the door so as to not disturb the meeting.

"I have absolutely no doubt that this machine will revolutionize clay mining as we know it." Loki was saying, gesturing to the small model on the table. Aemon glanced to his daughter entering the room before looking back at Loki.

"Turn it off, please." He requested. Loki obliged, the shaking of the machine ceasing. "Have you tested it? Full scale?"

"Not yet, sir, but we are very close and we hope that with funding that-" Loki started.

"So what you're saying is that what you have is... A toy? And some fancy words?"

"Mr. Kynson-"

"You've already tried- and failed- to raise capital in London, Edinburgh, Milan-"

"Yes, that's correct, sir-"

"And now you're here."

"Correct again, sir."

"The men at this table... All of us, came up through honest, hard work. Well, maybe not all of us. Mr Barton's a lawyer, but even he can't help that." A few sparse chuckles emanated from the men at the table. "I started as a steel worker, raising buildings before I could own them. My hands, feel them."

Aemon gently took Loki's hands in his own, Olivia slightly biting her lip in the corner.

"Rough." Aemon continued. "A reflection of who I am. Now, you sir... When I shook your hand... You've got the softest hands I've ever felt. In America, we bank on effort, not privilege. That is how we built this country."

"I am here with all that I posses, sir. A name, a patch of land, and a will to make it yield. The least that you could grant me is the courtesy of your time, and the chance to prove to you and these fine gentlemen that my will, dear sir, is the very least as strong as yours."

***

~Olivia and Her Father's Home, Night~

"I need a corset." Aemon grunted, adjusting his coat in the mirror.

"No, you don't, you look very handsome." Olivia replied, coming down the stairs in a dressing gown.

"Do I?"

"Yes, you do, young man." Olivia started tying her father's bowtie.

"I do wish you'd change your mind and come along tonight. Mrs. Odinson has gone to a lot of trouble. Little Lord Fauntleroy will be there."

"You mean Loki?"

"Sir Loki Laufeyson, Baronet. Apparently he's taken an interest in young Natasha. I saw you spying on us, child."

"Was his proposal so outrageous as to merit such a harsh answer from you?"

"It wasn't his proposal, my love. It was him. There's something about him that I don't like. What, I don't know and I don't like not knowing." Aemon lightly kissed his daughter's cheek and walking to the door.

"What I saw was a dreamer facing defeat. Did you see his suit? It was beautifully tailored, but at least a decade old." Olivia said. Her father sighed.

"I can see that you observed far more than I did." He said as the doorbell rang.

"And his shoes were handmade but worn." Olivia added.

"That'll be young Dr. Odinson." Aemon said, dodging the conversation. "He's brought his new motorcar to collect me. Come and see it. Say hello to him. He's just opened his new practice. And he's always been awfully fond of you."

"Shh, I know that, Father." Olivia hissed lightly as her father went for the door.

"Good evening, Carol." Thor greeted.

"Good evening, Dr. Odinson." Carol, the housekeeper, greeted in response.

"Good evening, Mr. Kynson." Thor greeted.

"Thor." Aemon replied.

"Hello, Olivia." Thor greeted with a smile.

"My, don't we look smart, Thor." Olivia teased.

"Oh, it is just something I threw together."

"It's Olivia who should be the belle of the ball this evening. Don't you agree, Thor?" Aemon asked.

"As I recall, Olivia takes a dim view on social frivolity." Thor replied. Olivia smiled.

"You lads enjoy the party." She said, before whispering to Thor. "Don't let him drink too much."

"Hey!" Aemon said indignantly as Olivia shut the door behind them. She smiled as she went up to her room and peered out the window at the slowly receeding car in the distance. Content, she plopped down onto her bed and started to review her papers. Though, after a moment, she turned to the open book she had been looking at a little while ago.

"Allerdale Hall..." She read, looking at the heading on the page.

Olivia heard the door handle rattle. She didn't look up from her reading, unbothered by the noise mixed with the thunder from the storm outside.

"Father, did you forget something?" She asked.

No response. But the door handle continued to rattle vigorously. Olivia finally looked up from the book to look cautiously at the door. She removed her reading glasses as the door creaked open, the handle still shaking.

No one was on the other side.

Nervously, Olivia walked over to the door, taking note of how the handle was pointed down as if someone was holding it like that. Cautiously, she reached out to it.

It clicked back into place, startling her. Her heart was beating rapidly as she started to swing the door closed. Before she did, she noticed a shadow at the end of the hall, amorphous until it formed into the shape of a woman in a dress and veil. Her mother's ghost.

It shrieked as it reached out for Olivia. She shut the door hard, breathing heavily.

"What is it? What do you want?" She asked though the door at the spirit. After a brief moment of silence, Olivia crept back.

A pair of hands and the ghostly face of her mother burst through the door, gripping her shoulders tightly.

"Beware of Crimson Peak." It hissed, before letting Olivia go, sending her tumbling to the floor with a frightened yelp.

The door opened again to reveal Carol instead of the ghost. Olivia took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Excuse me, Miss." Carol started, before noticing Olivia on the ground. "Are you alright, Miss, whatever is it?"

"Please help me up." Olivia squeaked. Carol obliged, pulling the distressed girl to her feet.

"There's a Sir Loki Laufeyson at the door." Carol informed Olivia, still reeling.

"Loki?"

"He's dripping wet and most insistent on coming in." Carol added.

"Well, that's absolutely out of the question, Carol. Please, just tell him to go away."

"I tried."

"And?"

"He wants to talk to you." Carol said.

***

Loki was sat on a small bench in the foyer of the house in a dress suit, anxiously waiting around. Olivia came down the stairs and he immediately sprang up.

"Miss Kynson-" Loki started

"Iridottir... Iri was my mother's name and after she died I... Wanted to remember her in some way. So, Iridottir." Olivia interjected.

"Very well, Miss Iridottir, I was wondering if you were alright, you seem a little pale." Loki said hastily.

"I'm not all too well, Sir Loki, I'm afriad. Father isn't home."

"Oh, I know. I uh-- I waited in the rain for him to leave."

"Oh..." Olivia replied, biting her lip. It was a bit creepy, no? Waiting in the rain for her father to leave.

"I know he's going to the reception at the Odinson house, uh, which is my destination, too."

"But that's in Bidwell Parkway, sir. This is Masten Park." Olivia replied, confused. "You're very, very lost."

"That I am. And I desperately need your help." Loki replied sheepishly.

"My help with what?"

"Miss Iridottir, the language, for one thing. As you can plainly see, I do not speak a word of American." Loki replied with a slight laugh. Olivia smiled and stared at her fidgeting hands. "Tell me, why would you want to stay here all alone?"

Olivia looked back up to her bedroom door, remembering her mother's ghost. She pursed her lips thoughtfully.

***

~The Odinson House~

Several guests in elaborate fashions were mingling around the ballroom of the Ambrose house, piano music coming from the blonde woman in a bright red dress. As she finished the song she was playing, she got a few claps from the guests as she was handed a bundle of flowers. She stood up with a smile that seemed a little too fake. Or perhaps it simply didn't reach her eyes, which held an element of cold in them.

She noticed the crowds parting as Loki entered the room with Olivia in a pearly white gown at his arm. People looked surprised to see them, Olivia hiding her plain embarrassment with a smile. Loki gently removed her coat and folded it over his arm to have someone take it away. They approached the blonde woman with Thor standing behind her.

"Thor, this is Sir Loki Laufeyson. Loki, this is Dr. Odinson. Best man in town if you're feeling poorly." Olivia introduced, the blonde woman's gaze boring into her.

"I have heard so much about you from my mother and my sister. Although I must confess I had a little trouble understanding your title." Thor said.

"Baronet?" Loki asked.

"Olivia kindly explained it to me." Thor said. Olivia slightly averted her gaze, remembering how she had described it yesterday.

"Olivia, this is Lady Amora Laufeyson, my sister." Loki said, introducing her to the blonde woman.

"I'm delighted to meet you, Miss Ky-" Amora started.

"Iridottir..." Olivia muttered, flushing upon realizing how rude she was probably being by interrupting. Amora didn't give any indication that she was bothered. Rather, she lightly smiled.

"Miss Iridottir. You've managed to delay my brother quite a bit." Amora replied, Loki lightly kissing her on the cheek. "Poor Natasha was growing desperate. She claims no gentleman in America knows how to dance a proper waltz." She gestured to the smiling Natasha behind her other shoulder.

"Come with me." Loki said, leading Natasha over to the center of the room. Olivia hid the little disappointment she felt, following them as the crowd began to part and form a circle.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please make some space. The Baronet would like to demonstrate for us the waltz... European style."

There were a few sparse claps as Loki took to the center of the room. Plucking a candle from a nearby candelabra, he held it out in front of him.

"The Waltz. Not a complicated dance, really. The lady takes her place slightly to the left of the leading gentleman. Six basic steps and that's all. However, it is said that the true test of the perfect waltz is for it to be so swift, so delicate, and so smooth, that a candle flame will not be extinguished in the hand of the lead dancer. Now, that requires the perfect partner." Loki said to the crowd before approaching Olivia, who stood next to Natasha in said crowd with a slight blush on her face. There were a few sparse gasps at the sight. Everyone was sure he would go for Natasha. "Would you be mine?"

Olivia coughed slightly before answering.

"I don't think so, thank you. But I'm sure Natasha would be delighted." She gestured over to the slightly indignant Natasha.

"I daresay that I have asked you." Loki said, extending his hand. Olivia thought for a moment before cautiously placing her hand in his. He led her to the center before looking over at Amora, back on her piano. She wordlessly understood and started playing a light tune. Loki put both his and Olivia's hands around the candle as he slid his hand behind her back.

"Why are we doing this?" She asked in a whisper.

"I've always closed my eyes to things that make me uncomfortable. It makes everything easier." Loki replied reassuringly.

"I don't want to close my eyes. I want to keep them open." Olivia replied. As the rest of the band started to play, she and Loki started dancing.

It was like they were on a whole other world with no one around. Just the music, and even that sounded faint. And it was less like dancing between them. More like gliding across the floor. It was in perfect sync, like they had practiced the dance a hundred times before. After a while, Olivia didn't even notice the candle in their hands or the lighting in the room. It was just Loki. Looking at her like she was the world. Olivia couldn't help but smile.

As the song drew to a close, they unfolded themselves so that the candle was held between them.

And, miraculously, it was still lit.

The crowd gave excited applause as Loki and Olivia brought the candle between them, lighting up both of their faces in it's glow. Smiling, Olivia blew it out.

She was so enamored by Loki that she didn't notice Amora leaving swiftly or her father's suspicious glance at the siblings. He smelled trouble and he didn't like it. Not at all.

***

~Thor's Office, The Next Day~

Olivia lightly knocked on the door frame to Thor's office, not wanting to burst in as he was with a patient currently. He did take notice of her though.

"Olivia, come in." He said excitedly as he turned to his elderly patient and handed him a slip of paper, presumably a prescription. "Take this to the druggist and ask him to prepare it exactly and resume the dose."

The elderly man took the paper and left the office, leaving Olivia alone with Thor to peruse his books.

"Toxicology of the Eye, Morphology of the Optic Nerve, Principles of Optical Refraction... And Arthur Conan Doyle." Olivia said, reading off the book titles and pulling the last one off the shelf. "Fancy yourself a detective?"

"Well, not really. But he is an ophthalmologist, just like me." Thor replied, putting the book back on the shelf. "Come, I think you are going to like what I have to show you."

He handed her a pole so they could close the shades on the roof so the projector could show up.

"Ghost photography is easy to fake. However, with glass plates, it is, by definition, impossible." Thor said before pulling out a case from under his table. He handed Olivia a small plate that she held up to the light to get a better look. "I got these in London. They are genuine. The image is captured using a coating of silver salts, invisible to the naked eye. It is called a latent image."

Thor projected one of the images onto a blank sheet showing a picture of two women and very faintly, three ghostly figures behind them.

"Now, it is my belief that houses, places, be it by chemical compound in the earth or the minerals in the stone, can retain impressions or a person that is no longer living." Thor changed the slide again to show a ghost hovering over a sleeping woman.

"But not everyone can see them." Olivia said curiously.

"The man that just left, amongst other ailments, is color-blind. Now, that man will never perceive the colors red or green. He only accepts their existence because the majority around him does."

"Perhaps we only notice things when the time comes for us to see them." Olivia changed the slide again. "You've never spoken to me about these interests of yours, Thor."

"Well, you have never given me the chance." Thor quickly turned serious. "Olivia, I understand your fascination with the Laufeysons, but in your own best interest, proceed with caution is all I ask."

"You've been gone a long time, and, well... I've managed, somewhat." Olivia held another slide up to the light to examine it. Thor looked at her with worry in his eyes, but didn't say much more.

***

~The Park, Later~

"No, Olivia, I think every time I read it, it gets better and better. And I don't mind the love story at all." Loki said, leading Olivia through the park as he flipped through the papers. Her parasol hung open lazily behind her.

"Just a chapter or two." She said.

"Well, I like it."

"Let me know what you think."

"I'll finish it now." Loki said as they made it back to their picnic blanket, sitting on a folding chair and flipping earnestly through the pages. Smiling, Olivia turned around to see Amora at a tree, clipping a chrysallis off of the branch with scissors.

"Is it a butterfly?" Olivia asked, approaching.

"No. But it will be soon." Amora replied as Olivia knelt down on the ground, seeing it littered with yellow butterflies.

"Oh, I hadn't seen them." She said as Amora went down to the ground next to her. She picked one up by the wing gently to examine it.

"They're dying. They take their heat from the sun and when it deserts them, they die."

"That's sad."

"No, it's not sad, Olivia, it's nature." Amora replied, taking another butterfly off the ground. "It's a savage world of things dying or eating each other right beneath our feet."

"Surely there's more to it than that." Olivia protested. Amora held the butterfly up to Olivia's face.

"Beautiful things are fragile. At home we only have black moths. Formidable creatures, to be sure, but they lack beauty. They thrive on the dark and the cold."

"What do they feed on?"

"Butterflies, I'm afraid."

Amora gently put the butterfly back on the ground and stood up, leaving Olivia to watch the ants come and start eating away at the butterfly carcass.

***

~Olivia and Her Father's House, Night~

It wasn't typical for Aemon to hold a dinner party, but Olivia wasn't one to object. After all, why would she if Amora and Loki in particular were attending. She slightly blushed at the idea as she started tending to the various guests.

When just those two individuals entered, Amora whispered something to her brother before leaving him with Olivia to sit at her place.

"Olivia, may I have a word?" Loki asked her.

"Just one moment, let me get my father." She said, smiling as she went to fetch him. S
Olivia found him in his study, staring grimly at some papers. "Father? Everybody's waiting."

"I'll be there shortly." Aemon said. Satisfied, Olivia turned back around, only to see Loki not too far behind her.

"Miss Iridottir, I really have no right to ask this, but-" Loki started, before being cut off by Aemon coming outside.

"Sir Loki, may I speak with you in my study please? You and your sister if you would be so kind as to fetch her." He asked before turning to Olivia. "Child, please tell our guests that we will join them presently."

"Of course, Father." Olivia obliged. She nodded at Loki before going back to the dining room and finding Amora. "Lady Amora, my father wishes to speak with you in his study. Just down the hall and to the right, it's not hard to find."

"Thank you." Amora replied stiffly before following Olivia's directions.

"We will, ah, be starting shortly, my father just needs to have a word." Olivia said to the guests, standing to the side and waiting for their return.

***

~After Dinner~

Aemon gently clinked his glass with his knife to get everyone's attention. Olivia hastily wiped her mouth with her napkin, noticing how Amora sat stiffly to her left and Loki looked nervous across from her.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have an unexpected announcement. Sir Loki?" Aemon said, gesturing for Loki to stand. Loki bit his lip as he awkwardly stood up and went to the head of the table.

"Thank you, Mr. Kynson." Loki whispered before facing the guests.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, when I first came to America, my heart was brimming with a sense of adventure. Here the future seemed to actually mean something. I have found warmth and friendship among you all, but for now, farewell." Loki started. Olivia felt her heart sink as her father's hand went to her shoulder. "May we meet again, perhaps on a different shore. My sister and I depart for England just in time for the winter."

Loki raised a glass hesitantly as Olivia refused to look up from her lap in disappointment.

"To lasting friendship." He toasted.

"To lasting friendship." The rest of the room chorused.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry." Olivia whispered as she left the table. She made her way back to the stairs in hopes of reaching her room.

"Olivia." Loki called after her, having followed her.

"You're leaving us." She said flatly.

"We must return home immediately and attend to our interests, and with nothing to hold us in America--"

"I see." Olivia cut him off, moving past him to go up the first threshold of stairs.

"Your novel. I read the new chapters, I'll have them delivered in the morning."

"That's very good of you, thank you."

"Would you still like to know my thoughts?"

"If we must." Olivia faced him with an almost sarcastic eagerness. Loki took a breath.

"It's absurdely sentimental. The aches that you describe with such earnestness. The pain, the loss, you clearly haven't lived at all. In fact, you only seem to know what other writers tell you." Loki said sharply.

"That's enough!" Olivia replied, shocked. He seemed to like her writing so much earlier, why was he cutting her down now?

"You insist on describing the torments of love when you clearly know nothing about them." Loki continued. Upset, Olivia tried to move past him. "I'm not done yet! What do you dream of, a kind man? A pure soul to be redeemed? A wounded bird you can nourish? Perfection? Perfection has no place in love, Olivia. I advise you to return to your ghosts and fancies, the sooner the better. You know precious little of the human heart or love or the pain that comes with it. You're nothing but a spoiled child!"

Olivia cut him off with a sharp slap to the face with tears burning in her eyes as she ran upstairs. She barely noticed the guests that had accumulated to witness the scene. Once she got to the safety of her room, she collapsed onto her bed, the only sounds to comfort her being the thunder outside and her choked sobs.

***

~The Next Morning~

The rapping sound of knocking on Olivia's door woke her up with a start.

"Miss?" The sound of Carol's voice asked.

"What it it, Carol?" Olivia croaked as Carol walked in with a stack of papers,

"Your manuscript was delivered this morning by Sir Loki Laufeyson, but I didn't want to wake you early." Carol reported. Olivia sighed, her heart still hurting.

"It's all the same, Carol, thank you." She muttered into the pillow. "Just leave it there."

"The letter, too?" Carol asked. That got Olivia's attention. Who wrote her a letter?

"Yes, the letter, too." She confirmed. Once Carol left the room, Olivia sat up, grabbed her glasses, and went for the folded piece of paper with a red wax seal holding it shut. She carefully opened it and scanned the words.

Dear Olivia,

By the time you read this, I will be gone. Your father made it clear to me that in my present economic condition, I was not in a position to provide for you. And to this, I agreed. He also asked me to break your heart. To take the blame. And to this, I agreed, too. By this time surely I have accomplished both tasks. But know this. When I can prove to your father that all I ask of him is his consent and nothing more, then, and only then, will I come back for you.

Yours ever,

Loki

Olivia read the letter over again a few times, a sea of emotions plaguing her. Finally, she made up her mind.

"Carol! My coat!" She requested.

***

~Train Station~

Olivia burst into the front office of the little hotel connected to the train station and ran for the man at the front desk.

"Loki and Amora Laufeyson?" She asked.

"Uh, Rooms 107 and 108." The man said. Not waiting, Olivia ran for that location, despite the man's protests. Looking at the room numbers, she found the room with the door wide open.

"Loki?" She called, but only finding maids cleaning up the room.

"Uh... They checked out this morning, Miss. In time for the early train." One of them informed her. Olivia clutched her stomach at the sinking feeling. She was too late. "Are you alright, Miss?"

Olivia could only nod as she dejectedly walked back out of the room. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she tucked the letter back into her pocket.

"Olivia." A voice said from the middle of the hall, a few feet away from her. She perked up in shock to see Loki standing there. Staring at him as if he might go away at any moment, Olivia couldn't believe it. Loki started to walk over to her. "Amora has gone. Your father bribed me to leave. I cannot leave you, Olivia. In fact, I find myself thinking of you even at the most... Inopportune moments of the day. I feel as if a link exists between your heart and mine, and should that link be broken either by distance or by time, my heart would cease to beat and I would die. And you... You'd soon forget about me."

"Never." Olivia whispered. "I would never forget you."

Olivia leaned up and lightly pressed her lips to his. Loki didn't pull away, rather, he deepened the kiss, cupping her face in his hand. They stayed together for a very long time before briefly breaking for air. They merely went right back in, not caring about the world around them.

Once they separated for good, Loki brushed a lock of Olivia's brown hair back into it's loose bun, causing her to blush a deep red. Loki offered her his arm and she gladly took it.

After a pleasant walk over to Olivia's father's office, they hadn't stopped talking the entire way. Olivia wore large smile on her face with not a care in the world.

That is, until she noticed a bunch of men in her father's office, in particular their lawyer, Clint Barton, with solemn expressions on their faces.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

***

~The Morgue~

"I'm afraid that you'll have to identify the body, Olivia. There's no other way." Clint said, going behind a table covered in a white sheet. There was a body shaped lump underneath it. Olivia was scared to look, to confirm her worst fear. Loki hung back a foot behind her with a grim expression.

"Wait!" A voice said behind them, Olivia turned around to see Thor approaching them hastily. "I came as soon as I heard. Olivia, do not look at him. I will give you a positive identification."

"That is not possible." Clint objected.

"I was his physician, Barton, you know that."

"And I am his lawyer, Dr. Odinson. I'm sorry, this is not a legal formality, it's obligatory, I'm afraid."

Olivia slowly approached the sheet and cautiously pulled it back with a shocked gasp.

There lay her father with a hole bashed into his skull. The body was cleaned up, but there was still dried blood on the wound. Olivia let go and clutched her stomach, feeling sick.

"How did it happen?" Thor asked.

"Apparently he was alone in the washroom. The floor was wet, uh, no one really knows." Clint reported.

"May I, sir?" Thor asked, examining the wound and finding a tiny piece of porcelain from one of the washroom sinks. "Help me turn him."

The men, bar Loki, went around and started to heft Aemon's body off the table.

"Don't touch him like that. Stop! Don't touch him like that, that's my father!" Olivia yelled, pushing away everyone's hands with tears in her eyes and a shaky voice.

"Forgive me, I was-" Thor started. Olivia quickly replaced the sheet over his head.

"He's turning 60 next week. He's afraid of looking his age, you see. That's why he dresses so well. Why he likes taking long walks." Olivia was close to sobbing at this point, gripping her father's hand in hers before tucking it under the sheet. "His hand feels cold. Why is it so cold?"

Finally, Olivia broke down into strangled sobs. Covering her face with her hands, she sought Loki for comfort. She buried her face into his chest as he soothingly stroked her hair.

"Shh. Shh. I'm here for you now. I'm here." Loki said calmly, attempting to quell Olivia's tears. Still, they poured down her face.

***

~Cemetery~

It was raining heavily during the funeral. Everyone dressed in black with umbrellas to match. The casket was marched down to where Olivia's mother had been buried 14 years prior.

She really was alone in the world now.

Loki held her close in a comforting side hug as he watched the service continue. Olivia faced away, her head rested on his chest.

On her finger lay a ring with a bright red gem on the center of it.

Perhaps she didn't have to be totally alone after all.

***

~Cumberland, England~

The carriage containing Olivia's few possessions, as well as Loki and Olivia herself trotted through the iron gates fencing off the property from the outside world, even if it had been at least a few hours since there had been signs of human life. Olivia saw the rusted gate had the words 'Allerdale Hall' across the top. Just like in the book she was reading.

The next thing she noticed was the house itself. It looked almost like a small castle, though it looked incredibly old.

An old groundskeeper nodded his head in acknowledgement as the carriage made it's way to the front of the house. The groundskeeper greeted them as the carriage parked.

"Ah, young Master Laufeyson." He said brightly with a gravelly voice.

"Hello, Kenneth! How have you been keeping?" Loki asked brightly.

"Never better, Sir." Kenneth said.

"Kenneth, this is my wife." Loki introduced, leading Olivia down the carriage.

"I know, my lord, I know. You've been married a while."

"A while? What is he talking about?" Olivia asked as Kenneth went to retrieve her things.

"I'm not sure what he was talking about. His family worked for our for centuries." Loki admitted.

Olivia heard the noise of a small dog barking. Looking down she saw a small, fluffy dog.

"Who is this?" She asked, bending down to pet the dog. "You never told me about him. Oh, he has a collar. Is he a stray, you think?"

"Impossible, there's no other house for miles and the town's half a day's walk away." Loki said.

"Oh, the poor thing. He's famished. Can we keep it?" Olivia asked. Loki smiled.

"As you wish." He said. "Now, Your Ladyship, may I have the honor?"

Loki swept Olivia off her feet, bridal carrying her to her delight over the threshold of the house. He gently set her down in the foyer of the expansive house.

It had an incredibly high ceiling, a large staircase, and a whole host of other things. Olivia couldn't help but marvel at it.

"Goodness. How many rooms are there?" She asked.

"I don't know. Would you like to count them?" Loki asked her. Olivia didn't reply, her attention wholly captured by the gaping hole in the ceiling. "What do you think? Does it look the part?"

"It does. Although it's even colder inside than out."

"I know, it's a disgrace. We try to maintain the house as best we can, but with the cold and the rain it's impossible to stop the damp and erosion. And with the mines right below, well, the wood is rotting and the house is sinking." Loki went over and stood over a break in the wood floor, bright red clay seeping out from the cracks like blood.

"Take it upstairs, young Master?" Kenneth asked from the stairs.

"Oh, yes, please. This one goes to the dressing room. Let me show you." Loki said.

"But how do you manage this house? Just you and Amora?" Olivia asked.

"It's a privilege we were born into, and one we can never relinquish. But we manage somehow, my dove. My workshop's in the attic. I can't wait to show you." Loki said, before proceeding upstairs. Alone, Olivia began to explore the foyer a little. She put her hat and gloves down on a fly covered shelf underneath a mirror. In that mirror, the hearth roared a little more vigorously and a figure seemed to walk by.

Olivia was slightly startled, whirling around to hopefully see the figure again.

"Amora?" She called out uncertainly. Surely that's who the figure was? Olivia walked over to the arch before the living room, glancing around carefully. Instead of a figure, she heard a clanging noise on the other side of the wall. She followed it to find a rickedy old elevator going upwards. She couldn't see anyone, but she did hear the dog come up next to her. Olivia bent down and took the red rubber ball in it's mouth.

"Where did you get this?" She asked. Loki came from around the corner looking for her. "Loki, I saw a woman in the elevator."

"A woman? You mean Amora?" Loki asked.

"No, it wasn't Amora." Olivia insisted.

"It must have been a shadow. That contraption has a mind of its own. The wires are affected by the damp in the house. Connects to the clay pits, you see. And never, ever go below this level." Loki explained.

The dog started barking as Amora walked in with a coat on and letters in her hand.

"What's this thing doing here?" She asked.

"Amora." Loki greeted.

"Loki." They shared a long hug as Amora took note of Olivia standing there. "Welcome, Olivia."

"Thank you." Olivia replied with a smile.

"Well, I went to the post office. Your machine parts are here from Birmingham. You'll need Kenneth to fetch them."

"Excellent."

"Is something the matter, Olivia?" Amora asked, noticing Olivia's uneasy demeanor.

"Something startled me, that's all." Olivia said.

"A shadow." Loki clarified.

"All that lives in this house are shadows and creaks and groans." Amora said, going to the kettle over the fire in the kitchen. "So you better soothe that boundless imagination of yours."

"I just need a proper welcome, that's all." Olivia said, walking over to Amora. "From now on, I want this house to contain nothing but friendship and love and warmth." She placed a friendly kiss on Amora's cheek.

"Warmth would be an excellent start." Amora said, taking Olivia's hands. "Loki, your bride is frozen."

"Of course, forgive me. Let's go upstairs and start a fire at once. I'll run you a hot bath. The pipes will run red at first because of the clay, but soon the water will clear." Loki said, leading Olivia out of the kitchen. She paused at the door, however.

"Oh, Amora, when it's convenient, would you mind getting me a copy of the house keys, please?" She asked.

"You won't need them." Amora said quickly.

"I'm sorry?"

"There are parts of the house that are unsafe. It will take you a few days to familiarize yourself. Then, should you still feel you need them, I'll have copies made." Amora said, her voice clipped. Olivia smiled and nodded, Loki leading her upstairs and pointing her in the direction of the bathroom.

Once she was alone, Olivia got into a bathrobe and turned on the faucet. The pipes groaned in protest before spurting out a bright red water, just like Loki had told her. Still, it didn't make it any less unsettling. Eventually, the water cleared up.

Even after getting into the tub, Olivia sat in it pretty stiffly, like she felt uncomfortable. Well, to be fair, she was a little uncomfortable. The house creaked and groaned, was falling apart, and something about Amora... Unsettled her.

The dog excitedly came in, the red ball in its mouth. Smiling Olivia reached down.

"All right. Okay, ready? Fetch!" She said, lightly tossing the ball out the door. The dog skittered after it excitedly. It came back pretty quickly after that, ball in its mouth. "Come on. To my hand. Good boy." Olivia tossed the ball again, the dog chasing after it.

The dog didn't come back right away, but something else caught Olivia's attention. Something in the hallway... Slightly amorphous. It disappeared just as quickly as it came, but by now Olivia was a little too creeped out. She got out of the tub and wrapped her robe around herself again.

She heard a groaning noise, leading her to turn around. There was still nothing there.

The dog came back, but this time, with no ball in its mouth.

"Hi! Where's your ball? Did you lose your ball? Where'd it go?" She asked it, before she felt the ball hit her hand that was resting on the floor. Confused, she picked it up. It didn't come from the dog, so it must have come outside. Except there was nothing there to roll it in.

***

~Nighttime~

Olivia undid her hair and let it fall loose around her white nightgown. Loki gently stirred a cup of tea in front of a fire in their room. He brought it over to her.

"This will make you feel better." He assured her.

"What is it?" Olivia asked.

"Firethorn berries. They're very good for you." Loki said as Olivia took a sip. Her lips lightly contorted at the taste, though she tried to hide it. "You don't like it?"

"It's a little bitter." Olivia admitted.

"I'm afraid nothing gentle ever grows in this land. You need a measure of bitterness..." Loki went over to stoke the fire. "Not to be eaten."

The wind picked up, whistling ominously and growing the fire for a moment. A little scared, Olivia went over to Loki in search of comfort.

"What was that?" She asked.

"That's the east wind. When it picks up, the chimney forms a vacuum. And with the windows all shuttered up, the house-- well, the house breathes. It's ghastly, I know." Loki lightly kissed Olivia's forehead, before standing up. "Now, come here. I'll have a bath, I think. And if you do happen to fall asleep, I won't wake you."

Again, Loki kissed her forehead before exiting the room. Still, Olivia had the strange feeling that she was being... Watched.

***

~Next Morning~

Olivia jerked awake to the sound of a piano being played faintly. She saw Loki asleep next to her with his hair mussed up. She smiled as she went for her night robe. Shrugging it on, she followed the sound downstairs and finding the source to be coming from the living room. She walked into it, the leaves from the hole in the roof dragging behind her as they got stuck under her robe.

She saw Amora already dressed playing the piano to her right. Though the fireplace caught her attention. Particularly the Latin words written on the mantle.

"'To The Hills, We Raise Our Eyes.'" Amora translated without looking up at Olivia.

"I'm sorry, I interrupted you." Olivia apologized, walking over. "That music, what is it?"

"An old lullaby I used to sing to Loki when we were young." Amora answered

"I can imagine the two of you in here as children. You playing music and Loki coming up with wild inventions." Olivia said, thinking aloud.

"We were not allowed in here as children. We were confined to the nursery in the attic." Amora said shortly. Olivia looked up at the large portrait of an old man with a cane and a woman somewhat next to him, though she looked sad. "Mother played the piano sometimes. We'd hear her through the floor."

Olivia noticed the woman wore the same ring that Loki had given her on their wedding day. She twisted it uncomfortably.

"And Father." Amora continued, looking at the portrait.

"He looks--" Olivia started.

"Horrible?" Amora offered, standing up and walking over next to Olivia to stare at the portrait. She wrapped her arms around Olivia's left arm loosely. "Yes. It's an excellent likeness. I like to think he can see us from up there. I don't want him to miss a single thing we do."

Amora led Olivia to the other side of the living room, a threshold leading to more books.

"Are all these books yours?" She asked.

"Mother collected most of these." Amora replied, unlocking a box on a table. "Have you heard of a fore-edge illustration?"

"No."

"There are images in the books fore edge, carefully dissimulated until you bend the pages. So, secrets everywhere." Amora showed Olivia an example by bending the pages back to reveal an image of two nude people in... A compromizing position. "Well, this can't shock you, now that Loki and you--"

Olivia blushed a little and averted her gaze.

"He was very respectful of my mourning. Nothing happened." She replied, standing up. "We traveled in separate cabins."

"How considerate. In time..." Amora stood up. "Everything will be right."

***

~The Attic~

After about an hour of playing with her dog outside, Olivia opted to try and find the workshop Loki was so keen on showing her. The dog in her arms, Olivia used the rickedy old elevator to climb her way to the top. Once it stopped, she took a good look at her surroundings.

The walls had peeling wallpaper with drawings of happu children playing with a red ball much like the one the dog had found. Black moths covered the surface, just like Amora had told Olivia.

She heard a haunting moaning around the corner from where she was. Curious, Olivia walked around to look for it's source. She made note of an old wheelchair covered in cobwebs as she passed by.

Olivia saw that she could look out over the foyer, a light stream of snow falling through the hole in the roof, dusting the wood floor below. To her left, she heard the sound of something mechanical whirring from behind the door. Cautiously, she opened it to find a small little work area covered in various wood carvings and other trinkets. From the end of the room came the mechanical sound Olivia had heard earlier. Loki was working on something with a blanket around his shoulders. He looked up once he realized she was there.

"Do you like my workshop, Olivia?" He asked.

"It's wonderful." Olivia replied, examining the various objects in the room, in particular a toy of a small man at a table. Loki stood up to join her nearby it. "Did you make all of these?"

"I used to carve toys for Amora, and make little trinkets to keep her happy." Loki explained, handing her a small wood carving of a two faced head so when someone turned it around, it's expression changed.

"Were you alone here in the attic all the time?"

"Father was always traveling. The family fortune didn't lose itself. Papa really had to put his back into it, especially after Mother died." Loki seemed to say that last bit with sarcasm as he flicked a switch on the figure of the man at the table. It started playing a little tune as a ball fell onto a plate. The man covered it with a pot before the ball fell out of his mouth into another pot in his other hand. Like a magic trick. Loki smiled almost sadly at Olivia's fascination with the toy.

"It's wonderful." Olivia praised.

"You're so different..." Loki seemed to whisper.

"From who?" Olivia asked with a slight smile. Loki coughed once.

"From-- From everyone." Loki replied quickly with a light laugh. Olivia smiled wider as she leaned in and kissed him. Loki kissed back, gripping her waist tightly. They continued as Loki hefted Olivia onto the table to sit on it. They still kissed until Loki heard a noise, giving him pause.

"What is it?" Olivia whispered, trying to kiss him again.

"I thought I heard a noise." Loki said suspiciously.

Turns out, said noise was Amora coming in with the tea tray, her keys jangling at her waist.

"We were hoping you were here." She said as the dog skittered inside with her. "I found him wandering the hallway. Made us some tea."

Amora planted the tray onto the small bench, knocking some screws and bolts over. Loki picked up the dog carefully as Amora got the tea ready.

"Oh, you're too kind." Olivia said.

"Don't mention it. We needed the company." Amora replied almost warmly as she poured the tea into it's cup. "Loki?"

"Uh, not for me, thank you." Loki replied, averting his eyes. Amora didn't say anything as she plopped the sugars in and passed the cup to Olivia.

"Drink your tea. It'll warm you." Amora said, taking her own cup and watching as Olivia sipped her own tea. Loki looked at his sister with an expression that neither women could really notice.

***

~Night~

Olivia awoke with a start with sharp pains in her stomach. She gasped at the pain, wondering what brought it on so quickly.

"Loki?" She asked, turning over in their bed, though Loki was not to be found. Confused, Olivia took the lit candelabra and started to examine the room in hopes to find her missing husband.

The door creaked open slightly as the dog started barking and walking out. Olivia cautiously followed it, once again calling out for Loki with no response.

She heard the dog yip and a door closing down the hall. Turns out, he had gotten himself stuck in a closet, the noise of him scratching the door to get out inside.

"How did you get in there, you silly doggy?" Olivia asked, opening the door.

To her shock, she saw the dog at the end of the hall. It didn't come out of the closet. Confused, Olivia heard a groan from inside the closet. She shut the door hastily before pausing and opening it back up.

Inside was only a wooden box on the shelf. Olivia opened the lid carefully to find a bunch of cylinders inside.

"Wax cylinder recordings." She realized. The recordings were much like the cylinder inside of a music box, though it could record people talking if you had a player to record and hear it. Though there was no gramaphone to play it in sight. Olivia shut the door just as she heard a pained moan from the hallway behind her.

A drippy looking red figure burst out of the floor making pained noises as it crawled towards Olivia. Some weird bloody skeleton ghost, she realized. Her fight or flight instincts kicked in as she bolted out of the hallway in search of the elevator. Finding it, she grabbed her dog and descended. She was hoping to make it to the ground floor, but the elevator kept going down. Down into the depths of the house Loki had warned her to never go in.

Once the elevator stopped, Olivia was met with a basement full of vats full of red clay, the liquid staining the floor as well. Once she opened the gate, Olivia's dog skittered out excitedly.

"No, wait!" She called, afraid he could get lost. She found a switch and flipped it upwards, illuminating the basement further. Olivia could still hear the pained cries from her ghost from earlier.

To her right, she saw a large suitcase that was soaking wet and shut tight. It had fading red letters on it, forming initials that read "O.L." Much like her married initials. Curious, Olivia knelt down to look for a lock to maybe open it. Curiously, she found a name on the lock.

"Ophelia?" She asked aloud.

Who was Ophelia?

***

~The Next Day~

Loki was out working on his mining machine bright and early. The scoopers were taking the red clay from the ground and bringing it out to fill a large vat with it to use. Still, it wasn't working quite right just yet. The parts that came in the mail would help, but Loki had yet to pick those up.

Olivia came outside in her jacket to see Loki at his work.

"Loki! Loki, listen, I need to talk to you." She said as Loki walked over to her.

"Well, Olivia, now's not a good time. Amora is inside, she can show you the house--"

"I don't want to talk to Amora, I want to talk to you."

"Very well. What is it?"

"Listen, has anyone died in this house?" Olivia asked seriously. Loki nervously chuckled at the question.

"Olivia, the house is hundreds of years old, I'd venture many souls have come and gone." He answered.

"But I mean specific deaths, violent deaths."

"Olivia, now is really not a good time." Loki broke away as the machine started to shutter and groan, smoke and steam emerging far more thickly than before. "Try it again, Kenneth!"

Loki reached under one of the gears to try and find the fault, feeling around until the heat burned his hand, Loki letting out a sharp yell in pain. He shook his hand to hopefully ease the pain.

***

~Kitchen~

Olivia finished wrapping Loki's wound with gauze tenderly. She put various ointments on it so it wouldn't flare up again or get an infection.

"There. Should feel better soon." She said, wrapping her hand around Loki's.

"My hands are getting rough. Your father would approve." Loki said. Olivia smiled and started to put her materials away. Loki picked at the loose threads of the fabric slightly annoyed. "My machine will never work. Never. Why do I keep deluding myself? Why did I bring you here? Who did you marry? A failure."

"Don't say that. You're all that I have." Olivia insisted.

"The men leave at nightfall. We'll be racing against the snow. Soon we won't be able to make any progress. That's when you'll find out why they call this place Crimson Peak."

Olivia's breath hitched. She stopped what she was doing to whirl around and face Loki.

"What did you say?" She asked.

"Crimson Peak. That's what they call it. The ore in the red clay leach up and stain the snow. It turns bright red, so 'Crimson Peak.'" Loki explained, grabbing his coat and proceeding back outside.

Olivia stood in the kitchen, unable to move. The memory of her mother's warning came flooding back, raising alarm in Olivia.

Beware of Crimson Peak.

***

A/N

Quick clear ups.

Frigga and Odin are both sort of important, it's just that Odin takes the place of Lady Beatrice, assuming that Frigga died before shit went down. So... That sets up that. Lmao they're still Odin's kids, but they don't have the Odinson name... Oh well. Idk how to explain that Thor (Alan) has the name with no technical ties to Odin in this story, but after reading the novelization, I had to change Carson out with Thor because the book (much to my displeasure) really emphasized the fact that Alan did what he did to save Edith later on out of a place of a long time, unrequited romantic attraction to her. Having Alan be Carson made no sense in that regard, and Thor was the next best option. Believe me, I'm kind of mad the book shoved an inability to ship Alan and Edith platonically, but enough signs are there in the movie itself that it just overwhelmed me too much to change it.

Whatever, Edith and Thomas are the true OTP of this movie and I will die on this hill.

Secondly, the initials had to match on the suitcase because Edith and Enola both start with E. So for simplicity, Enola is now Ophelia because it starts with O. And her L last name is TBD as of now (because the initials were E.S. and she used to be Enola Sciotti before Sharpe, so... E.S. Confusing? Maybe). I'll figure it out later.

Hope you enjoyed cause the next part is when shit really goes down... Fun