"I'll be right back." Hannah told the boys, who were still in their car seats, before walking up to the trailer.
As she knocked on the door, she could hear Reason saying, "That's Mr. Sam, sweetie, we really have to go."
"But it not done!" Maudie protested.
"We can finish to it night and I'll take it to the post office tomorrow, I promise." Reason responded before opening the door, "Oh, hey, Hannah."
"Hi," Hannah greeted, "Sam couldn't make it. He had to go help his friend Garth with something, I hope it's okay if I take her."
"Of course." Reason said handing Hannah, "I'm sorry we're just running a bit behind, unfortunately my child is one those people that think Christmas should start right after Thanksgiving."
"Uh-huh." Hannah responded, not sure what that meant or what it had to do with anything.
Reason crouched down in front of Maudie and zipped up her purple blue and green jacket. "Can I get a hug?" She asked the little girl. Maudie answered by reaching out and the pair embraced. "I love you, baby girl."
"I love you too, Mommy." Maudie really, while Reason kissed her forehead.
"Be good okay?" Reason requested, handing her off to Hannah.
"Okay." The little girl agreed as they walked away.
As they walked off to the car Hannah noticed Reason wrapping her coat tighter around her as she began her walk to work. "Reason," Hannah called out, "Are you sure you don't want a ride to work? It'll be a bit tight but we can make room."
"It's fine." Reason assured her, "I can make it."
That's not why I asked. Hannah thought, watching her walk away.
Nine hours later, Reason walked out of the dinner and was cut off by a certain familiar blue nova. The window rolled down, revealing Serena Joy. "Get in." She ordered.
"No thanks." Reason replied, trying to walk off again.
"Reason, don't be proud." Serena Joy insisted, driving alongside her, "Get in the car."
"Really, it's fine." Reason told her.
"I will follow you the whole way until you get in here." Serena Joy informed her firmly.
Reason sighed. "Fine." She said, going over to the passenger side and getting in.
"That Christian station?" Serena Joy asked.
"Whatever you want." Reason replied.
Serena Joy flipped the station and Christmas music started coming out. "How will I come to the one I love? I'll find a way. I'll find a way…"
Serena Joy pulled up in front the bunker. "You sure this is the place?"
"Yes." Reason said, getting out, "I'll be right back."
Hannah opened the door and stepped back to let Reason in. "Sam still out?" The teenager asked, rubbing her arms at the heat hit her, alerting her to how cold she had been.
"No, he got back hours ago, he's with the kids." Hannah told her, "Is everything okay?'
"Yeah, just a little cold." Reason assured. By chance she accidently pushed back her jacket, revealing where gray sleeve stopped and white skin began.
"Are you—wearing short sleeves on a day like this?" Hannah asked. Even though angels bore the extremes of cold and heat better than humans, even she realized today was cold.
"Yeah—I guess." Reason responded, quickly covering herself up again. "I'm sorry, but Serena's waiting outside I can't stay long. Ah, where are kids?"
"This way." Hannah offered, leading the way.
They found Sam, Dean, Cas, Coat, and all three children's combined stuff animals were lined in short rows while Maudie stood in front of them, pretending to read from the Jesus Storybook Bible, that Reason had bought in at a Lifeway in-between bust stops while she was still pregnant.
"One morning, this giwl was minding was her own business when suddenly, a great warrior of light appear-ed—" She then reached out, trying to pull Castiel up. Cas, however, had no interest in being a visual aid, and fought her.
The other was about to intervene when Reason called out, "Maudie, if Cas doesn't want to come up, don't make him. In fact, honey, we have to go. Miss Serena's waiting."
"Actually, I think I want to hear this." A voice said from behind them. The woman turned around to see Serena Jot standing behind them.
"Let myself in." Serena Joy told them, not elaborating any further as she walked over to the pretend pews and sat down next to Dean's bear, "Carry on, Preacher Girl. I believe some girl, Mary presumably, was getting visited by a- 'great warrior of light' you said?" She gave Hannah a little wink at that.
From that day, Hannah started examining Reason's clothing choices more closely, and that when she realized that regardless of weather, she only wore the same two of its day in and day out. She wasn't sure it was normal. Even Sam had more shirts then that.
"Reason, can I ask you something?" Hannah said one day, when she picked up Maudie from the dinner because Reason had to go in early.
"Shoot." Reason said, whipping off the table.
"Do you only own two shirts?" Hannah asked.
Reason froze. "Why do you ask?"
"I've just—noticed you seem to wear the same two shirts." Hannah explained, "Regardless of the weather."
"Well, between food and Maudie, and savings for in case of emergency there's just not a lot of extra cash to go around." Reason told her, "So I make this with a jacket work."
For the rest of the day, Hannah was troubled by what Reason had said. She shouldn't have to startifice her own well, being like that. There had to be something she could do.
That night after the kids had gone to bed, Hannah approached Sam, who was looking at something on his lab top. "Sam?" She called out.
Sam turned around. "Hey, Hannah, what's up?"
"I wanted to talk you." Hannah explained, walking to him and sitting down, "About…Reason."
"What about her?" Sam asked, not sure where this was going.
"I've been told that this is team year you give people you care about gifts." Hannah began, "Is clothing an appropriate gift?"
"Yes." Sam began, "Why are you asking?"
"Reason doesn't have any winter clothes." Hannah explained, "No proper winter clothes at least. I was hoping we could do something about that."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea." Sam responded, "Some people are uncomfortable about things like that. You know how she didn't want us to take Maudie, and she refuses to take rides unless Serena forces her. I don't think we can do that."
Still Hannah spent most of the night mulling over the idea. There had to be some way to just get Reason some new clothes without embarrassing her. Sometime around two A. M., a solution came to her.
The only problem was it involved going to place she considered Hell on Earth.
The next day Hannah pulled into a space at the Wal-Mart and looked out, taking a deep breath. It wasn't that she had anything particularly against Wal-Mart it was big and crowded and noisy and it took her fifteen minutes to ever locate anything…
Hannah breathed in again, and exhaled. You can do this. She told herself, Its for your friend. You can do this. With that she stepped out of the car and ran across the parking lot, people stares be damned, before she lost her nerve.
When she walked into the store, Hannah was immediately hit with a sensory overload of hundreds of bodies, and chatter and children crying and other noises, and immediately started to lose her nerve again. Fortunately, she saw the clothing section and quickly walked over to it
It seemed to Hannah as if the clothing section had every article of clothing known to man. Dress shirts, pants, children clothing. She wasn't really sure where to start.
"Do you need some help ma'am?" A voice asked behind her. Hannah whirled around to see a young girl about the same age as Reason with smooth brown hair. The nametag on her apron said, EMMA ROSE.
"I'm just looking for some clothes for a friend." Hannah explained, "I'm just—not sure where to start."
"Well, is your friend a man or a woman?" Emma Rose inquired.
"She's a young woman." Hannah answered.
"Well, then," Emma Rose began, walking over to a display of neatly folded sweaters, "I can't be sure about your friend's taste, but I would suggest these gorgeous sweaters we just got in."
Hannah reached and put a clump of forest green wool between her fingers. It felt soft, but almost sturdy. It was about perfect.
With Emma Rose's help Hannah finally settled on a pebble gray sweater and a sweater that was a slivery shade of lilac and reminded Hannah of one Maudie had. "Thank you." Hannah told the girl when they were done before walking to the check out.
She got in the twenty items behind a muscular man with a beard who was buying a carton of orange juice. After he checked out, she put the sweater on the counter, where a woman with short gray hair scanned them. "That'll be twenty-five forty-nine." The rather chipper cashier told her.
Hannah handed her a credit card.
"Thank you, have a good day." The woman told her, handing her back the card.
"And you as well." Hannah told her, heading out the door. She really hoped this worked.