Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone besides Alyx, Oliver, or Violet.
Sunlight crept in through the blinds of the window in the bedroom Alyx shared with Oliver in their small Kansas City apartment. The young hunter was sleeping peacefully with her back pressed against her boyfriend's chest, arms tucked under the pillows. It had been a long drive back from their latest hunt; the three of them had arrived at around four in the morning. Alyx had fallen asleep an hour into the drive, and when they had finally made it back, Oliver hadn't had the heart to wake her. So, being the nice person that he was, he ended up carrying his girlfriend into the elevator, down the hallway, and into their apartment. He'd taken her shoes off and tucked her in before climbing in beside her.
While Alyx had slept through the rest of the morning, Oliver hadn't been able to rest at all. For some reason, the soldier demon's comment had brought on a strong sense of forboding. You'll die, the demon had warned him, You and your hunter. You won't survive this war. Not if we can help it. Oliver was aware of exactly how perilous this war was; it wasn't something that he had taken lightly. Although he knew that Alyx was a skilled hunter, he also knew that she was putting herself in danger by staying with him.
Currently, it seemed that the demons were especially focused on causing harm to both of them. Oliver had seen it coming eventually, but now he was even more worried for Alyx's safety. He didn't particularly care if they tried to off him, but if they ever dared to hurt Alyx...he'd be a lot more than furious. Oliver had taken it on as his unspoken duty to protect his girlfriend, since they were constantly dodging death threats and demonic attacks. It was the price that, unfortunately, Alyx had to pay for being in a romantic relationship with a half-demon. Even though she and her family had adjusted to the idea of a hunter-demon relationship, the rest of the supernatural world was not taking it very well. And it was becoming more and more apparent.
Alyx stirred beside Oliver, opening her eyes and adjusting to the bright sunlight. She yawned, glancing at the clock with read 12:30. She had been thankful that it was a Sunday, so she could catch up on sleep. However, she didn't remember ever leaving the car...
Alyx rolled over onto her side to face Oliver, giving him a smile. "'Morning." she whispered groggily. She moved closer to him, stretching an arm over his chest. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek.
"Good morning." Oliver managed to reply, before Alyx captured his lips with hers, kissing him back. Oliver deepened the kiss, running his thumb along Alyx's cheek.
Then, their bedroom door flew open, revealing a very annoyed-looking Violet. Alyx broke their kiss quickly, silently cursing her friend. She always had to spoil the moment. It was a very bad habit of hers. Alyx sat up, shooting a glare at Violet, who was standing in the doorway, fully dressed, cell phone in hand.
"Don't you knock?" The young Winchester asked, slightly pissed. "Oliver and I could've been--"
Violet instantly placed her hands over her ears. "Don't. Please, spare me the details. It's bad enough I have to see you love-struck kids making out every five minutes of the day."
"Oh, like you don't do other things with your boy toy." Alyx argued teasingly. Violet rolled her eyes and took a cautious step into the room.
"Mrs. Anderson called." Violet stated dryly, waving her cell phone in the air. Alyx frowned.
"Again?"
"She's been calling me for the past half hour nonstop. Apparently, she's tried to get a hold of you, too, but your phone's been off."
Alyx sighed and dragged herself out of bed, walking over to the dresser where her phone sat. She picked it up and turned it on, yawning once more. "Ten missed calls?! The woman is off her rocker, I swear." Mrs. Anderson was woman with a bad attitude that was a regular client of Alyx and Violet. She was quite eccentric, and needless to say, she was a few french fries short of a Happy Meal. They had taken care of a nasty ghost in her house a few months back, and now she called every blessed time she heard a strange noise. The two of them had visited Mrs. Anderson's house last week--after she had called complaining that scratching noises were keeping her up at night--ready to get rid of a poltergeist, only to discover that this weird noise was an indication of a rodent problem.
"Well, what is it this time?" Alyx asked. "Glowing goo oozing from the floor? Flying pigs?" Violet snorted.
"She claims that there's a cold spot in her living room."
"Of course there is." Alyx retorted. She dialed Mrs. Anderson's number, shaking her head. Once the woman picked up, Alyx's ear was instantly screamed into.
"Miss Winchester, what took you so long? I've been calling for hours trying to speak with you!" Alyx rolled her eyes as the woman continued to rant and rave about the crummy service she was receiving. I can't be at your becking call at all hours of the day, lady, Alyx thought. I do have a life, however surprising that may seem.
"It is a Sunday, Mrs. Anderson," Alyx reminded her. "You know, a day of rest? A cold spot is the least of your worries. I'm sure it's nothing too serious."
"That's what you said last time," Mrs. Anderson replied, exasperated. "And then I had mice in my basement!"
"I'm sorry, but I don't think 'rodent exterminator' is stated anywhere in my job description," Alyx answered hotly. Before the woman had a chance to make a comment about Alyx's sarcasm, the young hunter cut in. "Violet and I will take a look at this cold spot first thing Monday."
"Fine." Mrs. Anderson grumbled, then promptly hung up. Alyx groaned, shutting her phone with a snap. Oliver crossed the room, approaching his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.
"Hungry?" he asked, trying to avoid another rant from Alyx about their annoying client. Alyx nodded, and Oliver gave her a peck on the cheek. "I'll go make breakfast."
Oliver left the room with Violet tagging along eagerly. Alyx doubted that her boyfriend would let Vi anywhere near the kitchen, based on past experiences. Violet was enthusiastic about helping out with everything, and last time she had attempted to surprise the two of them with breakfast, she had almost set the apartment on fire.
Alyx got dressed while Oliver was busy making breakfast--although, by the time he was finished, it could've been considered lunch--and walked down the narrow hall to the kitchen area, following the wonderful aroma of eggs, sausages, and pancakes. Oliver placed a plateful of food in front of her as she sat down at their rickety table, and took a seat at the opposite end. Violet slid into a chair in between the two of them, and dug into her food greedily. Alyx watched her friend with some amount of disgust, shaking her head. Good 'ol Violet--ya had to love her.
Violet was the same as she had been when she was hanging around with other teens with special abilities. Outgoing, eccentric, and an all-around interesting person. She was immature on most occassions, save for hunting jobs. Then, a whole other side of Violet came through, showing great skill for any task she, Alyx, and Oliver had to carry out.
For Vi, seeing Alyx again in college was a blessing. She'd split from the group of punky teens--Aidan, Noah, and Thea--just after word got out that the yellow-eyed demon had been killed. She had gotten herself back on track, finishing her high school education and eventually earning a scholarship to Kansas State. However, one aspect of her life that she hadn't been able to patch up was her relationship with her parents. Of course, she had made an effort to reconnect with them. It wasn't like she hadn't tried. Vi had shown up on their doorstep asking to come back home, and her parents slammed the door right in her face, disowning her for being a 'freak'. Once she and Alyx met up in college--recognizing each other instantly in an 'Intro to Parapsychology' seminar--Alyx and Oliver had become basically the only people she could remain close to. Vi considered Alyx to be the sister she never had, and Oliver was like a best friend. Her on-again, off-again boyfriend really didn't count all that much.
"So, Alyx," Vi began, pushing the now empty plate to the middle of the table, "I was thinking that we could go to that new-agey lookin' place by the mall this afternoon."
Alyx raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Um...what sort of 'new-agey' place? Is it that one that just opened up? With the tarot card reader?"
Vi nodded. "Seems...interesting. Ya never know what we could find."
"Sure. I guess we could do that." Alyx agreed with a shrug. "Want to come, Oliver?"
Oliver shook his head. "I actually have something to finish up for work," he explained. "You girls can go...have fun with crystal balls and all that."
Alyx and Vi pulled out of the parking lot of their apartment building in the midnight blue Impala a half hour later. It took approximately ten additional minutes to get to this 'new age' store called Mystics. It was an obnoxious little purple building with an impossibly large sign and not nearly enough parking spaces. Alyx managed to find one around the block, and she and Vi walked to the store, a shrill chime announcing their arrival.
"Good afternoon." A tall woman with frizzy hair wearing an aqua colored shawl greeted from behind the check-out counter. Alyx and Violet muttered a half-hearted 'hello' in reply, and walked forward, both of them pausing to scrutinze the entire shop.
Like the outside, the inside had been painted another obnoxious color, a bright orange. Half the shop consisted of shelves filled with books, and the other half contained a large number of other items. In the center, a heavier, but friendly-looking woman sat behind a circular table with a red velvet cloth draped over it. Alyx guessed her to be the tarot card reader. As Alyx glanced around, she noticed that most of the store's patrons were quite geeky looking, or just...different. This place specialized in the strange--it was a store for wannabe hunters or ghostbusters--but somehow, she felt like an outcase even among a group of oddballs. Probably because she was a person whose career involved the supernatural, and she was a real ghost hunter. These people were just looking for cheap thrills.
Violet, on the other hand, looked like a kid in a candy store. Although, Alyx kind of considered Vi to be a new agey type of person anyway. Vi grabbed Alyxandria's wrist and pulled her over to a rack of random graphic tees, ranging in color and phrase. Some bore such messages as "The Truth is Out There" with a little flying saucer (Alyx just had to laugh at that one) or some other witty paranormal reference. Vi held up a blue shirt with the quote, "I See Dead People" for her friend to look at Alyx shook her head, and for a brief second, thought about buying it for Sam. She decided against it, though, in the end.
Vi proceeded to drag the young Winchester through the store, pointing out all sorts of things that managed to catch her attention for 5.0 seconds. All the while, Alyx made some sarcastic comment about something stupid that she'd see, like healing crystals or an inexpensive--and most likely fake--EMF reader. Dean's homemade one looked better compared to those ones.
Once the initial novelty of the shop wore off, Violet turned to Alyx, suddenly coming up with a great idea. "Als," she said, using the nickname she'd taken to calling the hunter on almost a regular basis now, "You should get a tarot card reading."
Alyx scoffed. "Yeah, okay, Vi." she answered cynically.
"Oh, come on. It'll be for fun. It's not like those things actually predict anything."
Before Alyxandria could reply, Violet was towing her over to the tarot card reader's table, where the heavy-set woman was smiling while shuffling the cards around. The woman's nametag read Beth.
"May I interest you in a reading, ladies?" The woman named Beth asked. Violet pushed Alyx lightly forward, and Alyx offered the woman a weak smile as she sat down in the chair across from her. "And what is your name, miss?"
"Alyx." she answered. Beth slid the pile of cards over to Alyx.
"Okay, Alyx, here's how it works. I would like you to shuffle the cards for me, and while you are doing so, concentrate on a problem in your life that you want guidance for." The young hunter obeyed, picking up the cards and shuffling them, mentally thinking of some sort of issue. She immediately thought of the war, and what could happen to her and the ones close to her that she loved. Once she had shuffled the deck of 78 cards, she pushed them back over to the woman, who proceeded to lay out the first ten cards from the deck upward in specific places, forming a cross.
The first card was The Moon. "The Moon is often a representation of dark forces--nightmares, or hidden fears. This problem of yours...you're afraid for something, is that correct?" Alyx nodded.
The second card was The Last Judgement. "This obstacle in your way will have something to do with a major decision or a final result." Alyx and Violet shared knowing glances, both of them wondering how close these readings actually got to the truth.
The third card was Strength. "Your intentions for this obstacle are good, though. This shows courage and fortitude." the woman explained. She went on to the fourth card, which was The Lovers. Alyx immediately tensed, but the woman chuckled. "The fourth card represents your inner feelings, or your subconscious desires." Alyx's face then turned a shade of crimson. "Obviously, you have someone in your life with whom you are deeply in love with. This shows that your love is divinely blessed"--Alyx managed not to laugh at that explanation; nothing divine blessed her and Oliver's relationship--"and hopefully, nothing but good will come from your union." Violet stifled a laugh.
Beth continued on to the fifth card, which happened to be the Wheel of Fortune. "In your case, this card is representative of your life history. The Wheel of Fortune is a symbol of fate, or destiny." Alyx nodded in understanding. That definitely described her. Why had Vi insisted that these readings were fake, when this was apparently right on target?
The sixth card was The Hierophant. "This card shows your immediate future. The Hierophant represents marriage or good advice." Beth told her. She then moved on to the seventh card, which was The Magician. "This card tells of your attitude. The Magician shows that you have self-control, skill, and that you are able to take charge." That was pretty accurate, Alyx noted. Beth concentrated on the eighth card next, first explaining that the card represented other peoples' thoughts about Alyx. The card turned out to be The Hanged Man. Reading Alyx's panicked expression, Beth offered an interpretation to calm Alyx's worries. "This card is not bad, Alyx. The Hanged Man symbolizes that people think you have wisdom in times of difficulty, and that you are constantly sacrificing yourself for others. It can also be a sign of prophesy."
Prophesy? Alyx wondered silently.
Beth went on to card number nine, which was The Tower. "This shows how your fears will influence your goals. The Tower is representative of adversity. So, whatever your problem is, you will have to face many challenges to achieve your future goals." That was always the case with Alyx and Oliver.
Finally, Beth continued to the last card, which she noted was the potential outcome of Alyx's problem. The tenth card was Death. Alyx instantly gawked at in, eyes widening. "Don't worry," Beth said with a light chuckle, "The Death card doesn't predict an actual death. It symbolizes that there might be events that are simply beyond your control, or inevitable major changes. It might even mean a new but difficult start or maybe a transformation."
"Oh...okay," Alyx replied, not really feeling all that assured. The young hunter paused. "Thank you." she said finally, and stood up. Beth smiled and the two women walked away side-by-side.
"How weird was that?" Violet mused, as she pushed the door open to exit the shop.
"I know." Alyx agreed, taking a last cautious glance at the tarot reader before following Vi.
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Oliver always felt bad about lying to Alyx. He never liked keeping anything from her, but if he was going to successfully carry out this surprise, he knew that he had to. Violet had helped out, of course, by taking Alyx out for the day while he drove to Lawrence. In the meantime, Alyxandria would go along thinking that he was at work.
He manuevered his hunter green pickup truck down the side streets toward the house Sam and Dean shared--Alyx's childhood home. As he drew closer, Oliver started to get more and more nervous. He had been debating with himself for practically two weeks over this, wondering when would be the right time to ask. And he wanted to ask, because that was the gentlemanly thing to do. Wondering if he and his girlfriend were ready for the next step in life. Now, he was pretty confident that they were; Oliver knew that Alyx loved him, and she was definitely the center of his universe, as cliche as that may sound.
But will they say yes Oliver wondered, pulling up in front of the familiar house. The Impala was in the driveway. He shut the car off, stuffing the keys into the pocket of his jeans. He glanced at the small, black velvet box resting on the passenger's seat, and heaved a sigh. He picked up the box, placed it carefully into the front pocket of his shirt, and opened the car door. Slowly, he walked to the porch, sweat beginning to appear on his forehead. He hadn't been this scared of seeing the Winchester men since they caught him and Alyx kissing in their living room shortly after the failed exorcism.
Oliver ascended the steps and knocked on the door. He waited anxiously for a few moments before Dean appeared and opened it up, ushering the younger man inside, greeting him with a handshake. Sam approached as well, standing behind his brother.
"Hey, Oliver." Sam greeted.
"Something wrong?" Dean asked, misreading Oliver's concern, noticing that his daughter wasn't with him.
"No, no," Oliver reassured him with a weak smile. "I, uh, just came here to...well, I actually..." He trailed off, trying to contain his sudden nervousness and incapability to form coherent sentences. "Mr. Winchester, I came to ask you and Sam a question. I thought it would be best to ask both of you, considering you are two of the most important people in Alyx's life."
"Okay," Dean said, crossing his arms over his chest and sharing a glance with Sam. "Shoot."
"I would like to ask you for Alyx's hand in marriage."
A/N: Just to let you all know, I don't have any knowledge of how to read tarot cards, I found some stuff online, like how the cards are interpreted, but the actual method probably isn't described right. Anyway, hope you liked this especially long chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated!