Sarah filled her second coffee portion in hope to finally get her brains up and ready for a new day. During the night her dreams of 'him' twisted from pleasant ones to an absolute nightmares where the Goblin king was being captured and his life in danger by someone who's face she never could see. Every time Sarah abruptly awoke in sweat and spend a good while before she calmed enough to drift back in sleep. After such restless night it was no wonder she was up with the first sunrays.
Loud, persistant banging at her door caused her to jump and splash the coffee across her favourite T-shirt. Cursing under her breath, Sarah moved to grasp her gun (with silver bullets in clip) and tiptoed to the door to glance in a peeping hole. No demon could approach her door because of devil's trap and salt lines, so it must be someone less dangerous.
Her eyes widened at the sight of early guests and she quickly unhooked the chain and turned the key to open the door.
"Rise and shine, kid!" Ray flashed his bright smile and pushed past her to get inside. "We have a work to do!"
Sarah already opened her mouth to complain for such shameless intrude into her private territory, but her protests were cut off by arrival of the rest. Arthur and James each gave her a hug and then followed the eldest brother while Sarah locked the door behind them again.
"Man, how can you live like this? What are you feeding from? From fresh air, huh?" Ray was busy rummaging through her fridge, searching for some snacks, then stretched with frozen vegetables pack in hand. "What is that? Do you have a rabbit in house or you really eat this garbage by yourself? Is there any normal food in this house?
Sarah snarled and opened the cupboard, taking out a pack of chips and pushed it in brother's hands.
"Take this and stay away from my food," she growled, slamming the fridge door close. Then she turned to face all three of them standing in her kitchen and crossed her arms on chest, mustering the most arrogant pose she could. "Dare I ask what have brought you here?"
"Dare I ask what happened to your head?" Ray pointed at white bandage across her forehead.
Sarah gritted her teeth and quickly shook her hairs to cover the evidence of the last night's fight. "Back off, moron. It's not your business." She spat.
"Uh oh, someone is not in mood today." Ray chided.
"Someone is asking too many questions." Sarah pressed her arms onto hips. "And I asked only one but still without an answer. Well, then? Did you merely stopped by to steal my chips or is there some serious reason?"
Ray shrugged since his mouth was full of chips and nudged James. Sarah rolled her eyes and locked her gaze with her middle brother.
"There are a certain signs of demon not far from here. Ash gathers the information right now and Winchesters suggested to gather at Elen's bar."
"Just one demon or a whole pack?" Sarah never asked unnecessary questions, she cared about the bare facts.
"One as far as we know. But Ash thinks this one is different and more dangerous. That's why he connected with the Winchesters and Bobby. Anyway, dress up and be ready to hit the road in ten minutes." Ray finally swallowed the mouthful of chips and took upon himself the leader role.
Sarah mimicked his words, provokingly slowly took her coffee and finished it without rush. At Ray's exasperated sigh she just wickedly smiled and walked out of the room, leaving her brothers alone to wait.
"How can one girl be so annoying?" Ray grinned.
"You just don't like the fact that she is a book worm and knows more about supernatural than we all three together." James chuckled and snatched the chips out of his hands. "Also she's very good looking and people trust her more than us. Not to mention that she has a natural tracker talent. So, basically I'm trying to say that you are jealous."
"Me? Jealous? Yeah, right. Give me that pack, I haven't had my breakfast yet!" Ray tried to get his chips, but James swiftly avoided his grasp and lounged to the other side of the table, where brother couldn't reach him anymore. Ray growled and started to chase the marauder of chips around the kitchen, once in a while jumping up in attempt to reach his longed delicacy.
Meanwhile Arthur had went to explore her living room. Seeing its perfect order with no sign of mess he frowned. He had heard from Bobby about their last night hunt. Every time after a hard day Sarah called her Underground friends (he still had a hard time to grasp the fact that his sister held a friendship with so weird creatures) and they always had a party. He had a doubt that Sarah performed some general clean up ritual before going to bed. Vampire hunt could be quite exhausting.
"Hey, did I missed something or you really were alone last night?" He strolled into the hallway.
"Alone, why?" Sarah peeked out of her bedroom, zipping her jeans and fastening the belt. "Something wrong?"
"Nothing, I just heard that you were hunting last night and normally you're spending time with your so called friends after return home. But now the whole place looks like no one has been here for a while." Arthur casually leaned against the doorframe while Sarah checked her gun and extra clip.
"Do you know what day was yesterday?" She quietly asked, not facing him.
"Saturday. So what?"
"It was ten years anniversary since I returned from the Labyrinth." Sarah put the gun in holster and pulled the jacket on. "I just wanted to spend it alone."
"Could it be somehow related to one particular royal person whose name had never been pronounced in this house?
"Maybe." Sarah avoided a straight answer. Even if she trusted Arthur more than the rest of two when it came about the Labyrinth and what she endured in there, there still were some things that she didn't wanted to discuss to anyone.
"Y'know, I really don't understand why can't you just summon him to talk. If he really hated you so much and longed for revenge, he already would. Where's the problem?" Arthur raised his eyebrows. Sometimes he was unable to understand why would anyone make a problem where is none.
"It's not so easy," Sarah sighed and finally turned to face him. "He can't get anywhere near me. Since I said those words out loud that he has no power over me, his hands are tied. And even if you're right and he doesn't hate me, I have no wish to try my fate to make sure on it. Okay," she checked her pockets, "I guess I took everything. Shall we?"
"Haven't you forgot something? Like your cell phone for that matter?" Arthur walked inside and picked the aforementioned item from her nightstand where it lonely stood along with the statue of the Goblin king and the remnants of a candle.
Sarah shook her head and grasped the phone, switching it on. After one last look over the place, she thrusted the phone in her backpack, swung it onto her shoulder and nudged Arthur.
"We better move out before Ray turns my kitchen upside down." She chuckled, when there was a loud bang from the kitchen with uncensored swearing following.
***************
The drive to the Elen's bar took only a couple of hours. Sarah kept in a polite distance from her brothers Ford Explorer, fighting off enormous desire to accelerate and bump a little Ray's driven car back. Her blood still boiled only imagining her destroyed kitchen. Okay, so there were only two trippled chairs and broken mug (Sarah already for a long time had considered threwing it out because it was a gift from Karen), but still - her house was meant for peace and silence, not for the battle over banana or in this case over chips by a couple of two oversized baboons. Sarah swore to herself that next time she would pretend nobody's home.
Brothers Winchesters' black Impala was visible from a distance already. Bobby's jeep was parked near it. Sarah couldn't resist temptation and sharply accelerated, cutting their path and parking her truck at the very spot where they just were about to stop. She almost could imagine Ray's pissed off expression, enjoying this little revenge for his previous actions.
"Are you out of your mind?" Ray jumped out of car and shouted from the top of his lungs. "Are you in a lack of adrenaline?"
"Ladies first," Sarah shrugged. "Maybe you need to improve your driving skills?"
Before Ray could say a word, his sister was on a half way to the bar. Arthur and James decided to keep their mouths shut since Ray looked about to blow up something. His mood after losing the battle over the chips still hadn't improved, besides Sarah's driving style wasn't doing any good on his mood behalf.
Entering the bar right away Sarah noticed four men at the furthest corner of the room, sitting around the table and eagerly discussing something. She nodded hello to Elen who worked behind the counter and then went to the hunters.
"Whoa, look who showed us the great honour by her presence!" Dean Winchester smiled to Sarah who grasped the chair from another table and sat down next to Dean's youngest brother Sam.
"I heard that you and Bobby cleared one vampire nest." Sam granted Sarah with one of his most charming smiles. "Nice job, just make sure Linda doesn't know about... well, you know what I mean." He pointed at her forehead.
"What is wrong with all of you?" Sarah glanced behind at the sound of door opening and saw her brothers who gloomy strolled inside and went straight to Elen to order some beer. "It almost seems to me that my mom is one hell of shtriga from the way you all are cowering before her."
"I don't know about the others but personally I don't want to get shot by my own gun." Dean drawled, taking a large sip from his bottle of beer. "At least not because I haven't jumped in one pissed off vampire's path to save your head from slicing. If you would come with me on a date, we spend one feverish night together, your mom caught us red-handed and then tried to shoot me, that would helped me at least to keep my self-esteem."
"Dean, what are you..." Sam didn't finished and shook his head, unable to held back the laughter. "Okay, never mind. I forgot to whom I speak."
"What? What did I say?" Dean made an innocent face and looked at all at presence.
"You're really asking for trouble?" Sarah rolled her eyes. She already got used to Dean's arrogant behaviour, still once in a while he managed to create some very irritating pearl of wisdom, easily keeping up with Ray in naughtiness. "I wouldn't go with you on a date even if I had to choose between you and Reaper or..."
"Listen, you two! I understand your immense simpathy towards each other but can we still pay attention to our problem?" Bobby snapped and raised his voice to overcome ongoing quirrel.
"You know, that reminds me once in South Dakota, there was this guy who bought a drink for a girl who looked to him like Naomi Campbel and she..." Ash started but seeing the puzzled looks in his direction, cleared his throat and opened his laptop. "Okay, maybe some other time. So, we have a deal with demon. All signs matches for now. Wheater changes, weird animal's behaviour, and so on."
"I thought you said this demon is different," Sam inclined his head to peek into Ash's notes. "At what sense?"
Ash covered the monitor with palm in irritation and regarded Sam with typical know-it-all look. "I would appreciate if you'd stay out of my private space. Thank you!" When Sam sat back, he moved a bit away just for case then continued. "The cops got a several reports about missing people who had found dead during the next twenty-four hours, at the moment the count reaches twelve. So, all victims had disappeared from their homes, but the most interesting fact is that there had been no signs of breaking in. The doors and windows had been locked from inside, no sign of battle, completely nothing. I won't mention the fingerprints 'cause there's not any." Ash closed his laptop, then a bit too overdone bowed to youngest Winchester. "Sam, your turn now."
"Dean and I went to check out four addresses. We found the trail of sulpher which belongs to demon, but there was something else." Sam leaned under the table and took something from his back, then placed the item on the table. "These were on the window sill in each victim's bedroom. After questioning the siblings of the rest missing persons, we discovered that they found a similar things in the other places too."
Sarah leaned forward to better see Sam's brought evidence. To her wonder, those were bird feathers covered by barely visible glitters. For some reason she had a feeling as if she already had seen it somewhere. Unexplainable internal urge made Sarah to reach out and slightly caress the feathers with her fingertips.
At the very moment she felt a weird tingling in her fingers which spread further in whole palm. Sarah pulled her hand back trying not to show that something unusual happened. She had a feeling she already had felt something similar, she only couldn't remember when and where.
"These feathers belong to an owl. A tawny owl, if correct." Ash examined the feathers and stated. "It's kind of weird since owls of this specie usually avoid towns, but all victims in whose home the feathers were found lived in the downtown."
"Maybe the killer has an owl?" Arthur guessed. "Well, you know, some people has canaries, some has hawks, maybe the guy we're looking for likes owls. I know I wanted one when I read the first Rouling's book about that wizard Potter. I even decided to call it Hedwig, just like in book."
"Cool, so we're looking for demon possessed Harry Potter's fan." Dean emptied his beer and placed it on the table. "Let's check all kids in town and see if anyone is flying around on the broomstick with the wand in hand."
"Shut up, Dean!" Bobby growled, then turned to Williams. "Idea about the owl is possible. Maybe you, guys, could take a ride to the local zoo stores? Tawny owls are rarely seen near towns indeed, so I guess Arthur might be right about those feathers connection with the one to blame in people disappearance."
Sarah was sitting all the while deep in thoughts, where did she felt that weird tingling, but when the owl was mentioned one night of ten years ago drifted back in memory. Right after saying the right words to ask the goblins to take Toby away, the first live being she saw was...
Barn owl.
"He" could transform into an owl. Just as this thought crossed Sarah's mind, another thing came back in mind. The hallucination of enchanted peach where she had danced with the Goblin King. Her fingers tingled again at the memory of how he held her in hands, twirling in dance. Now, there she felt it before, that tingling sensation. When the king took her hand into his, Sarah had felt as if electricy shot through her fingers.
But these ones belonged to tawny owl. Could it be that...
Sarah bolted up and stormed out of the bar, calling behind, "I have to check one thing!" and was out of sight before anyone could stop her.
"What's wrong with her?" Dean gaped at the door that had just slammed close behind Sarah and they all heard her engine start.
"No idea, but I guess we won't find it so soon." Ray shrugged. "So, does anyone have any brilliant plan or shall we improvise?"
"We have estabilished the fact that this demon is working by his own certain scheme. He's attacking only at one block and aparticular time of day. Our count is enough to make patrols in separate places and see when he comes again." Bobby made his suggestion. "Of course, I'm ready to listen if anyone has a better idea."
James took the city map and asked for Ash to point at the needed block. Just like Ash had mentioned before, the demon worked in the center of the city with many high living buildings. Even if they asked a few more hunters to help, would be kind of hard to watch over all apartments at once. Their task was not easy at all.
"Hey, maybe you could talk with your demon girlfriend?" Ray suddenly turned to Winchesters. "That blond, what was her... Ruby, right? Maybe she could tell at least something more?"
"No way," Dean shook his head. "We'll do without demon help service. Unless Sammy wants..."
"Thanks for the pie." Sam snorted. "The last time we met she was no help at all. No, we'll do it on our own."
"It's settled then. Let's go to the city, find a motel and meet right here at ten o'clock in night." Bobby pointed at some sidestreet nearby the demon's block. "And if anyone is lucky to get in touch with Sarah, tell her about the meeting place. Ash, keep on digging. As soon as you got a news, let us know."
Elen paused on drying cups and watched in silence all six hunters standing up and leaving the bar, preparing to deal with just another being. A moment later only Ash still remained in the room, smoothing his long, tousled hair back, lazily strolling to the counter and leaning over it to grab another beer for himself.
"I wonder, what happened to Sarah?" Elen mused, resting her elbows against the counter and thoughtfully staring at the door. "I haven't seen her so excited."
"Patience, Elen, one thing at time." Ash simply replied, sipping the cool drink. "For some reason those owl feathers bothered her. Maybe she's allergic to the owls. Or maybe..."
"Ash, did I misheard something or Bobby really asked you to keep on digging?" Elen swapped her dish rag against his shoulder. "Go, do your job!"
"Yes, mommy!" Ash just as lazily as before wandered back to the table, gathered his laptop and vanished into his own personal chamber which no one was allowed to enter to continue his exploring task.