Dark Hunters: The In Between
I kept checking my phone to see if I had missed Ali's call. I would never tell her but I was a little nervous about her driving all the way from Massachusetts to Oklahoma by herself. I knew the route she was driving and where she would be stopping for the night. We had discussed the fact that she might bring her pistol with her to keep in her hotel room and the spectrum blade as well.
We had also set up call times, so that she could check in with me and let me know all was well. We talked on the phone constantly but this was different. I needed to know that she was ok and I know she felt the same way. We both got a little antsy when we went too long without talking to each other.
I checked the time and sighed, I hated waiting for anything and sitting and waiting for the phone to ring was driving me crazy. I decided to get on Twitter(always good for a distraction, especially if David Haydn-Jones happened to be on!) and see what my other SPN Sisters were up to. If Ali hadn't called in a few minutes then I was calling her.
I checked the time again, said my Twitter goodbyes and started dialing in her number, when my phone rang and a picture of Jared Padalecki flashed on the screen. I smiled when I saw her phone ID, Sammy, flash across Jared's photo.
"Hey Sis, are you ok?"
She didn't respond right away, so I knew something was up. I could tell she was outside because I could hear some wind blowing through her phone speaker.
"Ali, what the hell!" I shouted into the phone.
I heard the sound of keys hitting pavement and a startled sound in
Ali's voice. I could hear a lot of sounds but none of them her voice. I was becoming more alarmed by the second.
"Are you ok?" I repeated for the umpteenth time.
I finally got an answer but it wasn't what I wanted to hear.
"Um, I don't think so!" she replied.
My mind went instantly to panic mode. I wanted to know what was going on and I wanted to know now! What was happening to my sister? I could see a car ride in my future as I grabbed my keys and headed for the door. The next words out of her mouth stopped me in my tracks.
"Dan, I swear to God, I just saw Sam and Dean."
I could not comprehend what she was telling me. Sam and Dean? I was shaking my head and realized she couldn't see me, "Okay, what the hell are you smoking?" I replied laughing.
I could hear the anxiety in her voice and I could picture her pacing the hotel room. I put on my big Sis voice, "You need to go to sleep, you've been on the road all day, just go to bed and I'll see you tomorrow."
She assured me that she was going to do exactly as I suggested. "Make sure you do that." I told her before I ended the call.
I stared out the window at the black Oklahoma night as worry and fear threatened to choke me. I hated to think of her alone in a hotel room; 11 hours away. I felt so helpless. The only thing I could do was survive the night and be there for her if she called.
I sighed and headed for the kitchen. This night called for something stronger than just coffee. I grabbed the footstool and placed it near the refrigerator. The alcohol was stored above the fridge and my 5'1" frame couldn't reach it without a little help. Alas, the story of my life and the reason so many people underestimate me. But that's ok, I like flying under the radar.
I snagged the bottle of Skyy vodka from the cabinet and the cranberry juice from the fridge. This was definitely a vodka and cranberry juice kind of night. I fixed the drink and headed out to the front deck. I sat my drink down on the table, made sure the ringer on my phone was turned up and sat down in one of the deck chairs.
I placed my boot up on another chair, leaned back and stared up into the inky sky. There were few neighbors out here so that meant minimal light pollution. I could see all the stars in the sky. Normally I enjoyed kicking back on the deck and staring at the stars. It usually helped me calm my mind and find my center. But not tonight, my thoughts were in a turmoil.
I just could not wrap my brain around the idea that she had seen Sam and Dean Winchester. I mean maybe Jared and Jensen, they pop up all over the place: but Sam and Dean? I half expected to hear the theme music from the Twilight Zone start any minute. Despite this, I never doubted Ali's word. Which meant, holy crap! She just saw Sam and Dean Winchester! Our beloved boys were...real? I sat up, reached for my drink and downed a nice big shot.
Boy did I need that. It wasn't that I was weirded out about what she had told me. Even though we hadn't met in person yet, we had been talking on the phone for months. The connection that we had from the very beginning was almost supernatural in itself. She called me her Dean and she was my Sam. Two sisters brought together by Twitter and the love of our show.
The ringing of my phone shattered the silence of the night. I reached for it, my heart in my throat, just knowing that Ali was in trouble. I looked at the screen and smiled in relief as a photo of Misha Collins flashed on the screen and the name Castiel appeared.
I quickly hit accept, "Hi Carol. Whats up?" If Ali was my Sam, then Carol was our Cas.
"I was just wondering if you had heard from Ali? I tried to call her but didn't get an answer. I was going to text her but I thought I would call you first."
Hmm… had I heard from Ali? I was trying to decide what I was going to tell her. Since I didn't know what was actually going on, I decided that I was definitely NOT going to mention the boys in any way, shape or form.
"Yeah, she checked in a little while ago. She made it to the hotel, safe and sound. She sounded exhausted though so I bet she's asleep by now."
"Well I'm glad she made it safely. I thought maybe we could have a 3 way call before she went to bed."
I could hear some disappointment in Carol's voice. " I'm sure she will be sorry she missed out on that. I think the drive was a lot more tiring than she thought it would be."
"That's ok, the important thing is that she's safe. I'm going to be snowed under with work the next few days so I may not be available for calls. Will you keep me posted? Let me know that she made it to you safely?"
"Will do. I am meeting her at Fred and Red's in Joplin tomorrow afternoon. I'll shoot you a text when I get there."
"Great. I'll let you go for now. Bye Dean"
I smiled at the nickname, "Goodnight Cass."
I disconnected the call and set my phone down.
I picked up my drink and downed the rest of it. I didn't like keeping things from Carol but how could I tell her this? I couldn't lay all my worries about Ali on Carol. Because she lived in British Columbia, she was too far away to help. All It would do was cause her to worry and I wasn't sure that there was truly anything to worry about yet.
I had been so busy brooding about Ali that I hadn't noticed the light breeze that had been blowing all evening had completely died. Sweat pooled on the back of my neck; I lifted my hair to try and cool off. That's when I noticed that all of the normal little night sounds were gone.
The air felt strange; like it was electrically charged. It reminded me of the strange storm that blew up last night and just as quickly disappeared. I sat up in my chair and looked out at the blackness that enveloped the front yard. I felt the presence of something. I thought I caught a glimpse of movement at the edge of the yard; a shadow within a shadow. It was probably just a coyote straying a little too close to the house.
Just then a low growl sounded from the edge of the driveway and I jumped out of my chair. That was definitely NOT a coyote! That noise came from something much more massive. I looked at the pear tree that was closest to the house and I could see the branches of the tree shaking. Whatever was making that sound was rubbing against the lowest branches of the tree which were at least 4 feet off the ground.
The growling continued for several minutes but whatever it was stayed out by the driveway. I don't know how I knew, but it wanted me to know it was there; waiting. It never moved closer to the house and I wasn't about to step off the porch.
This standoff continued for a few more minutes and then whatever it was moved away. I saw the tree branches flex and bend as the shape passed by. I could hear the wood cracking and see the leaves fall to the ground. The night sounds slowly returned and I collapsed back into the chair. I was trembling all over and my breath came in hoarse gasps. I placed my hands between my knees to try and hold them still as I rocked back and forth.
What the hell just happened! I could feel the threat and menace that rolled off that thing. It wasn't a coyote and there were no dogs that size around here. My mind kept trying to tell me what it was but I was so not going there. I rubbed my hands over my tired eyes and decided I better try to get some sleep. Who knew what tomorrow would bring? One thing I knew; it was going to be a very long day.
I grabbed my phone and headed into the house. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding once I closed the door behind me. I felt like the night was no longer safe and wished more than anything that Wayne was home tonight. He had left early this morning to help out at a friend's ranch. Once my husband made a promise to help a friend, he wouldn't quit until the work was done. So I knew if he wasn't home by now, then it wouldn't be until sometime tomorrow.
I pushed the thoughts of him aside; another area I so didn't want to visit right now. Things had been more than a little strained between us lately and we hadn't been exactly friendly to each other the past couple of days.
I paused by the door, waiting and listening for any sign that something was amiss. As I looked around the living room, I noticed the cats were scattered about the room peacefully sleeping . They had been making themselves scarce the past couple of days so I took it as a good sign that all was well; I trusted them to alert me to anything out of place.
I walked back to the bedroom; sat down on the bed and removed my boots. I decided not to bother getting undressed. I had a funny feeling that I needed to be ready for anything so… clothes stayed on. I made sure the volume on my phone was as loud as it could go; I did not want to miss a call from Ali if she needed me. I collapsed back onto to the bed with a groan; every muscle in my body screamed out at the sudden release of tension. I was sure that I wouldn't be able to sleep but I was out as soon as my head touched the pillow.
