Title: (Not A) Lone Wolf
Author: Meredith Paris
Characters: DG, Jill Graham, Alex Miller, Lisbeth Timberlake, Officer & Parker Gulch.
Pairing: n/a
Spoiler Warnings: The first thirty minutes of the miniseries.
Word Count: 722; according to Microsoft Word.
Summary: The tornado had come out of nowhere - it wasn't even the season for them and meteorologists were still confused over it.
Disclaimer: Tin Man and all recognizable characters are under the property rights of and belong to Sci-Fi, RHI Entertainment, NBC Universal Television, et al. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the property of L. Frank Baum and his estate. No harm is meant or intended.
Author's Note:. Thanks to Alamo Girl, caroly214, and Celia Stanton for the beta! Any mistakes remaining are my own. Thanks also to ErinM for saying she liked it when I sent it to her. mwah Most TM authors have DG being a lone wolf, not having very many friends (if any friends at all) on the Other Side. I don't think that this is necessarily the case. Also, the debate over DG's last name on the OS is solved. At least in my universe it is.
He may have wanted her off the road, that motorcycle of hers locked in the county's impound lot, but he hadn't wanted her to disappear. Hank and Emily had been good people – and so was DG when she wasn't breaking the law. The tornado had come out of nowhere - it wasn't even the season for them and meteorologists were still confused over it. To the meteorologists, it hadn't mattered much that three people disappeared into thin air.
Jill's still not entirely sure how she managed to accomplish it. Her dad's the Greeley County senator for the Kansas Senate and while his resources are good, they're limited. But she manages to talk him into setting up an emergency meeting with Senator Brownback, who, after two hours of listening to her, had the FBI out there, helping the county police and state troopers look for DG, Hank, and Emily. They had the dogs sniffing, people with titles she didn't understand looking at the ruined house and CNN interviewing her, Lisbeth, and Alex. The search continued for three months before her dad and Officer Gulch told the three of them every lead had been exhausted; that it appeared the Schwartzs had disappeared into thin air.
Alex has, with the help of her mom, organized a memorial for the three. It hurts thinking about DG (possibly - there isn't a body) being dead out there, not having a final resting place. While the florist had been a huge jackass about the whole thing - was asking about a discount really that big of a deal? - the gravestone had been a complete surprise. But Martin had muttered something about Hank and a pickup and told Alex it would be free. She's surprised at how many people turned out for the memorial service - although she's certain more than a few were gossip seekers and curious people. DG's disappearance had, after all, taken up a good chunk of the local newscast for weeks. Pastor Brightman makes her, Lisbeth, and Jill cry harder and longer than they had expected. While there are no coffins to bury, there's still a trek out to the cemetery. All three girls are surprised when Oliver shows up. While he and DG had been dating before he set off for Harvard, she hadn't mentioned him recently and the girls figured they broke up and DG just didn't want to talk about it.
It's approaching a year when Lisbeth gets the idea. Since the three considered themselves to be DG's closest friends, why shouldn't they have a get-together? Eat mac-and-cheese with corn chips and mint chocolate chip ice cream, some of DG's favorite foods, while remembering their friend. Jill brings the bottle of imitation champagne out, later on at the cemetery. It somehow doesn't seem sacrilegious to toast the gravestone, drink their glass of champagne and pour the rest of the bottle over the ground.
This tradition continues over the years as best as it can. Some years it's missed either to weddings, births, or funerals. It's ten years later and Lisbeth's showing pictures of her own DG when Jill looks off at the wheat field surrounding the cemetery.
"I wonder what DG would say to us right now."
It's a statement that has been asked by all three of them over the years but for this anniversary it holds a special significance.
"Probably laugh at us for making such a big deal out of her. Then tell us she loves us all and to get on with our lives already." Lisbeth muses and then laughs. "Then go tearing off down the road on her motorcycle with Gulch not far behind her."
Alex laughs along with Lisbeth. "Careful, that's my father-in-law you're talking about."
"That's one of the things I don't think DG would find possible - you and Parker pulling your heads out of the sand and finally admitting you're in love with each other." Jill states, the group growing sober once again. It's time for their final little tradition here. Jill pops the cork on the champagne bottle (much better than that first bottle so long ago) and pours the drinks.
"To DG," all three of them state and drink down the champagne.
"And Henry and Emily," Alex intones before pouring the rest of the bottle into the ground. The three women are silent as they leave.