AN: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Gracilynn groans, lying on her stomach on the bed, her forehead resting on her folded arms. Garth looks over at her from his spot next to the hot tub where Baxter is lying unconscious with a pillowcase over his head.
"Are you all right?" Garth asks Gracilynn. He glances at Baxter before looking back at Gracilynn and walking over to her. Gracilynn doesn't answer and Garth squats down and rests a hand on her shoulder. Gracilynn jolts up and looks over to see Garth squatting next to her.
"Dammit Garth," Gracilynn complains with a scowl.
"I was just making sure you were okay," Garth says, standing up and raising his hands in submission. Gracilynn's face softens and she sighs, shifting so she's in a sitting position. She rubs her forehead and closes her eyes.
"Remind me to never try to keep up with my dad and uncle ever again okay?" Gracilynn pleads without looking over at Garth. Garth raises his eyebrows.
"Aren't Winchesters supposed to be able to handle their liquor?" Garth asks, furrowing his eyebrows as he thinks about this. Gracilynn looks up and glares at him.
"I can handle my liquor. This has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with the fact my uncle is a giant moose and my dad has a built-in bar inside of him," Gracilynn says with annoyance. Garth sighs but backs away and walks back over to Baxter and checks the pillowcase, making sure the man can breathe. Finding he can, Garth turns back around and watches Gracilynn rub her temples, her elbows resting on her crossed legs. Gracilynn sighs. "What Garth?"
"Why do you do this?" Garth asks her, watching her carefully. She seemed harmless, but Garth knew Gracilynn could be just as lethal as her dad and uncle. Gracilynn looks over at him, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Do what? Get drunk?" Gracilynn asks, confused.
"No…hunt," Garth responds slowly, not sure if he should continue with this. Gracilynn watches him for a minute before answering him.
"To help people. Save them," Gracilynn replies, her mind flashing back to her mother.
"Yeah, but you can do that by doing anything else. A doctor…a lawyer…a cop. Any of that is safer than this," Garth counters, getting his courage up but still being wary.
"What are you getting at?" Gracilynn asks, starting to go on the defensive.
"Hey," Garth says, holding his hands up in submission, "I'm just saying this life is dangerous. Wouldn't you rather have a home? A family? A normal job?"
"Did my dad put you up to this?" Gracilynn asks, a snarl in her voice. Garth furrows his eyebrows but shakes his head. Gracilynn softens slightly. "I had normal. Twice. My mom was shredded by a ghost the first time and the second I had to live knowing my uncle was in hell. Normal isn't safe anymore."
"Yeah, but…"
"Garth…I have a home. Unfortunately, it's sitting out in the woods, hidden for safety. And I have a family. And they make this job worth it. I couldn't handle sitting in a house with a white picket fence knowing they're out there fighting the good fight. Waiting for the hunter who knocks on my door telling me my dad and uncle were killed in a hunt. At least this way, I'm here. I can do something. I can be someone," Gracilynn says, holding Garth's gaze firmly. She doesn't know why but she's willing to give him this information.
"You mean you can be your father," Garth says, tilting his head and looking at Gracilynn with a knowing look. Gracilynn's face hardens, taking this as a put down.
"My dad's messed up. I know this. Who wouldn't be after all the shit he's been through; but you know what? If I can be half the person he is after all that, I'd be happy," Gracilynn says firmly. Garth holds her gaze for a moment before nodding his head.
"I'm going to do some Tai Chi," Garth announces before getting up and heading outside. Gracilynn lets out a breath, watching Garth leave.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
Dean and Sam walk in to the hotel room. The first thing they notice is Garth doing some sort of Martial Arts exercise out in the courtyard. The next thing they notice is Gracilynn lying on her stomach on one of the beds, her forehead resting on her folded arms.
"Hey," Dean says, kicking the bed Gracilynn is lying on. Gracilynn raises a hand in greeting without looking and then replaces it underneath her head. Dean snorts and turns to face Garth. Sam looks over at Garth as well.
"Garth. Where's Baxter?" Sam asks, projecting his voice out to the courtyard. Garth looks over and sees Dean and Sam. He halts his Tai Chi exercise and walks in to the room and points off to the side at the hot tub.
"Dude's a lot heavier than he looks, FYI," Garth complains, walking in to the main room. Gracilynn lifts her head up and scowls.
"Dude…I carried most of the weight," she says, huffing. Garth shrugs and then moves to his jacket pulling an EMF meter out of it.
"But here. Thought you might want this back," Garth says, changing the subject and handing Dean's EMF meter back. Dean takes it and places it in his own jacket. He looks over and eyes Randy Baxters unconscious body in the hot tub with a pillow case over his head.
"You have the CEO of the douchiest microbrew in the US gagged in your hot tub? You really think that's gonna end well?" he asks, raising his eyebrows and shifting his gaze over to Garth.
"I'm not feeling the love," Garth says, looking over at Dean. Gracilynn sits up on the bed.
"He's unconscious. And if he wakes up we can just knock him out again," Gracilynn says, looking over at her father. Sam scowls and gives Gracilynn his classis 'Bitch face'. Gracilynn notices this. "What?"
Sam shakes his head and looks over at Dean, giving him a knowing look. Dean throws his hands up.
"This is not my fault," he argues, giving his brother a look. Sam shakes his head and turns his attention back to the case.
"All right. Shojo. Uh, let's see what we can see," he says, walking over to the table and opening up his laptop, starting it back up.
"What's Shojo?" Garth asks Dean furrowing his eyebrows and watching Sam get his computer up and running.
"Japanese booze monster," Dean says matter-of-factly, looking over at Garth, meeting his gaze. Gracilynn gets up and walks over to the table.
"I guess that would explain why you got to be drunk to see it. Very poetic," Garth replies as he looks back over at Sam who has started typing into his computer's search engine. Gracilynn scowls and takes a few steps away from the computer. Garth takes her spot and looks over Sam's shoulder. Dean gives his daughter a knowing look.
"What the matter? The screen bothering you?" Dean asks with a smirk. Gracilynn glances up at him and scowls, earning a chuckle from Dean.
"Ooh. Creepy," Garth says from over by Sam and the computer. Dean and Gracilynn turn to look over at Sam and Garth. Sam begins summarizing what he's reading on the screen.
"Okay. So, a Shojo is said to roam where there's lots of alcohol. There's lore saying that, back in the old day, if you were plastered enough, you could see one skulking around the breweries in Japan."
Dean pulls out his flask of whiskey and walks over to the bottle of Jack and begins re-filling his flask. Gracilynn looks over at him with a disgusted look on her face.
"Yeah, but why is this one shredding brewers' kids?" Dean asks Sam, then, notices Gracilynn's face. "Want some?"
Sam looks up to see Gracilynn shake her head. She doesn't miss the smirk back on her dad's mouth. She scowls and turns to look at her uncle. Sam smirks before answering Dean's question.
"Apparently, you can harness the will of a Shojo with the right spell box. Then you basically have an attack dog that you can sic on whatever sort of personal revenge mission you want," Sam explains, looking back down at his computer screen.
"So Dale nabs one to punish his pals," Dean says, raising his eyebrows and nodding his head to the side once.
"Send the bottle, sooner or later it's popped open. Then you have a Shojo that will do whatever Dale compelled it to do right here on the box," Sam agrees, looking over at his brother.
"Brings a whole new meaning to message in a bottle, huh?" Gracilynn says, raising an eyebrow, smirking and looking over at her dad. Dean returns it with one of his own.
"Wait. Except it's not killing the people that screwed him over," Garth points out, ignoring Dean and Gracilynn, keeping his attention on Sam, seeing he's more focused.
"Well, Dale's widow said the company was his baby. So, if he really wanted his friends to feel what he felt..." Sam begins thinking out loud, his thought trailing off as he looks between the other three hunters in the room.
"He would take theirs. Well, their kids. Jim's, anyways," Dean finishes for him, seeing where his brother is going with this.
"And Baxter was the godfather," Sam points out, looking over at Dean.
"All right, skip to how do we gank it," Dean says, getting impatient with all this background information.
"Good news. It is killable," Sam says, turning his attention back to his computer screen.
"But…" Dean says, not liking that his brother has to mention there is good news.
"But only with a samurai sword consecrated with a Shinto blessing," Sam replies, looking back up at his brother.
"Of course. Let me just grab the one I keep in my bag," Gracilynn says, rolling her eyes.
"You have a Samarai sword in your bag?" Garth asks, looking over at Gracilynn.
"No Garth, I…" Gracilynn begins but then sighs. "Never mind."
"Well... that's not a silver lining. All right, the Shojo already cleaned house, right? I mean, Marie's the last target standing, so... I'll hit the pawn shops and, uh, look for the sword, and you babysit Marie," Dean says, wanting to finish this job. He turns and points at Gracilynn. Garth grabs his EMF meter. "You stay here."
Gracilynn rolls her eyes but regrets it when it fuels the pounding in her head. Garth drops the EMF meter but catches it in time. The EMF meter begins to make noise.
"Yikes. Sorry," Garth says, giving them a sheepish look. Dean rolls his eyes and grabs the EMF meter from Garth.
"Don't worry about it," Dean replies, shaking his head. He turns the EMF meter off and sets it back on the table. Garth's sheepish look disappears.
"Unless I've got nothing to be sorry for," he says cryptically. Dean looks over and shoots Garth a glare.
"Garth," Dean says in warning, his voice lowering.
"What's he talking about?" Sam asks, looking over at them, Gracilynn looking over as well.
"I'm concerned that Bobby might be haunting you. I-I brought it up to Dean, and he shot me down," Garth explains confidently, looking over at Sam. Gracilynn raises her eyebrows at this and looks over at her dad.
"Garth! Leave it alone," Dean growls at him, his eyebrows furrowing, angry Garth has brought this conversation up once again.
"It's okay," Sam assures Dean, trying to calm his brother down.
"No, it's far from okay," Dean says, his eyes narrowing and his jaw clenching.
"I've already tried contacting Bobby," Sam reveals nonchalantly. Dean and Gracilynn's head whip around to look at Sam, their eyebrows raised and eyes wide with surprise. "When that beer disappeared, I pulled out a talking board."
"Without me?" Dean asks defensively.
"Without us?" Gracilynn corrects, just as defensive as her father.
"You know, I figured, why drag you two in... when it's something I could just put to bed myself," Sam explains, shrugging his shoulder, looking between Dean and Gracilynn.
"And?" Dean and Gracilynn ask at the same time, tipping their heads forward slightly.
"And if he was there, I'd have told you two," Sam answers, shifting his gaze between his brother and niece. Baxter groans from his spot in the hot tub and they all look over at him.
"Talk about this later. You follow Marie," Dean says, looking over at Sam. He then shifts his gaze to his daughter. "Knock him out again if you have to."
"Dean!" Sam exclaims, looking over at his brother.
"What?" Dean asks with a smirk. Sam gives him a 'bitch face' before catching the Camaro's keys Gracilynn has thrown to him. Dean looks over at Garth. "Let me borrow your keys."
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
Garth is standing directly in front of Randy Baxter while Gracilynn is leaning against the archway a couple steps behind him, her arms crossed. Garth pulls the pillow case off Baxters' head.
"We're trying to help you, Mr. Baxter," Garth says, dropping the pillow case on the floor next to him. Baxter looks at Garth before shifting his gaze to Gracilynn who just raises an eyebrow.
"And who the hell are you two?" Baxter asks gruffly, narrowing his eyes and his eyebrows pinching together and he shoots a glare at the two hunters in front of him.
"We can be your best friend or your worst enemy," Gracilynn says offering a not so friendly smile to Baxter. Garth freezes and turns his head to stare at her. Gracilynn's eyes look over at him and see the questioning look in Garth's eyes.
"What? I've always wanted to say that. You can't tell me you've never wanted to say that," she says, holding her arms out in a gesture that welcomes Garth to dispute her claim. Garth shakes his head and turns his attention back to Baxter.
"Now, I'm confused. Dale goes to get you all where it hurts…the kids. Only, you don't have any kids," Garth says, laying out the facts that he's been ping ponging around in his head.
"It still affects me. Believe me," Baxter says, looking away from Garth and staring at the floor before him. Gracilynn narrows her eyes and pushes herself off the wall.
"I'm sure it does but losing kids who are like your kids isn't the same as actually losing your actual kids," Gracilynn challenges, studying Baxter who has looked up at her. It's Garth's turn to narrow his eyes.
"Nah. You want to tell us what you're hiding?" Garth asks, taking a step forward. Baxter shifts back a little, not much though due to the hot tub he is in.
"Hiding? I…" Baxter says, his eyes wide and shaking his head.
"Tell me this. When was the last time you gave an employee three chances?" Garth asks, already knowing the answer but wanting Baxter to confirm it.
"Probably never," Baxter says, relaxing just a little hoping they are just fishing. Gracilynn smirks as she crossed her arms.
"Exactly. You're the axman, right? Tough job, but, hey, somebody's got to. So, how come you cut that slacker janitor so many breaks?" Garth asks, his voice becoming firm as he gets closer and closer to Baxter revealing the truth.
"I-I-I-I don't know," Baxter stammers out, his eyes getting wide again and his body stiffening as he realizes Garth and Gracilynn already know the truth. Gracilynn snorts.
"Usually when people say they don't know they actually know the answer. They just don't want to admit to it," Gracilynn says, cocking her head and raising an eyebrow, a knowing smirk on her face.
"Yeah. Well, I Googled. Come to find his mother... was your secretary way back in the day. Of course, you were married to Mrs. B., so, uh... No way there's anything naughty there, right? What do you need to get? It don't matter what Dale knows about you, 'cause that thing out there killing the kids…it knows!" Garth shouts, getting angry that Baxter is still trying to hide his secret and stepping forward jabbing his finger towards the ground to emphasize his point.
"It didn't end well with his mom. She made me swear never to tell him," Baxter says, almost pleading for them to forgive him for not saying anything as he moves towards them.
"Oh. So much for that. Where is he?" Garth says, pinching his eyebrows and holding Baxters' gaze.
"He's, uh…he's at the brewery. Working the graveyard shift," Baxter says, thinking about what time it is in relevance to his son's whereabouts. Garth walks determinedly over to the mini-fridge and begins taking out a bunch of mini bottles of alcohol from it. Gracilynn watches him with raised eyebrows.
"What are you doing?" she asks, watching him walk back over to her.
"Well, I figured you'd come with me," Garth says, handing her some bottles. Gracilynn grimaces and waves a hand in front of her and shakes her head.
"No, thanks. I'll stay sober," she says, feeling her head throb at the thought of drinking again so soon. Garth nods his head and looks over at Baxter.
"Here," he says, pulling out the keys to Baxter's handcuffs and tosses them at him. Baxter catches them awkwardly and looks over at Garth and Gracilynn, eyebrows furrowing in question. "If you care about that kid at all, don't call the cops on us just yet."
AN: Please leave a review and let me know what you think!