And Hidden Meanings:
"No sir, it ended up being a routine haunting that took a lot longer than Bobby thought it would. But in the end it really was no big deal," Toni quietly reported into her phone as she paced down the length of her truck.
Her father laughed then said, "Well as long as you all took care of it, I guess that's all that matters, time line be damned, right?"
"Right," Toni agreed with a grateful smile spreading across her face.
"So since you're all done with that hunt, are you heading out to another job? Or are you maybe heading back this way? Or…?"
The hopeful tone she heard in her father's voice made Toni blush and feel mildly guilty as she answered, "Actually we're still here at another job that the guys found. I… Uhh… I don't really know all of the specifics so I really don't know when I'll be able to head back to Madison yet… Sorry dad."
"Oh Toni! Please don't apologize Angel. I didn't mean it like that… But… Well… If you're still in New Jersey, does that mean that you're looking into what's happening out in Wharton State Forest?"
"Yeah… Actually that's exactly it. I don't really know if they've come up with any theories yet for this one, but I figure that if the four of us can't solve this problem then no one can, right?" Toni asked sounding more at ease.
"Very true. So how is it working with the three of them?"
Toni stopped in her spot as she watched the lights in the abandoned house they were staying in for the night flickered then went out. She hadn't slept in an actual bed since the two nights that she had spent with Sam after leaving Delaware and her body was starting to rebel against her, but she didn't want her dad to worry about that. Bobby was still adamant that it wasn't safe for them to pay to stay at a motel because that was how the Leviathan had found the Winchesters when they were Indiana. Toni had countered that she was happy to charge everything on her credit card, but Bobby quickly shot that idea down saying that they would eventually just run into the same problem. She couldn't argue that the Leviathan hadn't seen her with the brothers, so there definitely was the potential for the monsters to use her to get to them. But deep down Toni couldn't help but wonder if this verdict had more to do with it being a 'macho hunter' deal where they couldn't allow a woman to foot the bill and not just a concern about their safety.
"It's… Umm… Interesting," she finally answered non-committedly.
"Interesting? What do you mean by that Angel?" Her dad asked, trying not to let his concern show too much.
Toni laughed at her dad's cautious tone before answering, "Well as much as I love everything that I've been able to learn from Bobby and the guys… And man do they know a lot of random stuff… The books definitely didn't exaggerate that at all… But… I don't know… I guess I just kind of got so used to being on my own that having to check in with other people constantly and sharing my space with other people and being on someone else's schedule… Umm…"
"Oh Toni…" Her dad replied despondently.
"No dad, I didn't mean it like that! It's just… When I've been on the road I usually get to do everything on my own time. Now I'm having to sit back and follow their lead… I don't know, but…"
The Colonel's hearty laugh on the other end of the line caused his daughter to fall into an embarrassed silence. "Oh Antonia, it's okay, I think I get the idea now. You definitely are a chip off the old block."
Toni scowled then realized her dad couldn't see her so she questioned, "What do you mean by that? Because you and mom had to live in barracks and follow orders when you were in the Service… So that means that you both were good at taking orders… Doesn't it?"
"Yes, that's true. But don't forget that your mother worked her way up to being the head of an intelligence team as quickly as she could and as for me… Well how many people do you think gives orders to a Colonel?"
"Ha! Yeah I… Yeah that makes sense," Toni agreed, sounding more confident. "So I guess what you're saying is that I can blame my control freak tendencies on you guys then, eh?"
"I guess you could say that Angel," he replied with a soft chuckle. "But if you're feeling that uncomfortable, do you think you'll be able to make it through this new job alright?"
Toni let out a heavy sigh because after spending the last two nights curled up in the backseat of her truck to sleep, she'd been asking herself that exact same question. "It's not that I'm uncomfortable Sir… It's more like I'm feeling like I'm totally out of my comfort zone. Shoot does that even make sense? Anyway… I really want to finish this one because there's still so much that I can learn from them about this way of life… Especially when it comes to researching and everything… And I know that I shouldn't just let a learning experience like this pass me by just because it isn't easy, right?"
"That does make sense Angel… And I'm very proud of you for working through all of this, even though it's hard on you," her dad praised. "Which means that I should probably stop talking your ear off…"
"Yeah… And I should get inside. But I'm glad you called. I miss you so much dad. I'll try to get home after this job for a visit."
"I miss you too Toni, but if another job comes up then it takes precedence and you have to take care of it," he replied with a stern tone. "I can wait while you help save lives, no matter how much I want to be selfish and spend some time with you."
"Okay… I'll keep that in mind. I love you Colonel. Say hi to Yvette for me."
"I will and I love you too Toni, stay safe."
Once she had her phone tucked away in her jacket pocket, Toni rested her back against the front driver's side quarter panel of her truck with her arms crossed over her chest. It was so cold outside that she could see her breath every time that she exhaled and yet she couldn't bring herself to move and head inside to try to warm up. In all honesty, she wasn't completely convinced that the dilapidated two story house would be any warmer than it was outside. But then again if Toni was to be absolutely honest with herself, that wasn't even close to being the real reason why she was delaying the inevitable of facing the three men again.
It hadn't occurred to her until she was riding in the passenger seat of her truck earlier that day that she might have figured out why she thought that she had felt such a shift in their group's dynamic. At first she thought that the Leviathans were to blame because they were such a frustrating foe, but that didn't feel completely true. Then she had a couple of hours to stare out her window and just think. Unfortunately thinking led to over-analyzing every minute detail in her life which then led to her latest theory. The last time the four of them had spent any significant amount of time together, she had either been recovering from two gunshot wounds or she had been tending to Sam while he was in a coma. Bobby hadn't really worked with Toni when she was fully focused on the job, so he didn't seem to know how to use her as part of their team. Because of that she was starting to feel like she wasn't fitting in with the group as well as she thought that she would when she had told Sam that she was excited to team up with the three of them again.
Not that Toni blamed all of her feeling of discomfort solely on the guys because she was more than prepared to shoulder some of the blame. Sam had really hit the nail on the head when he had called her 'absolutely independent' back at Bobby's house because for years she had been the only person that she could depend on with unquestionable certainty. She had had to learn all about ghosts and werewolves the hard way; smack in the middle of a job and had had to find a way to kill them before she got hurt or killed with minimal help from anyone else. When she was working a job on her own she was the one that made all of the decisions and had to deal with the consequences, good or bad as they may have turned out. But now that she was working with a team, she felt like she was being ordered around and was being second guessed with every move that she tried to make until she got all of their approval. Her time spent in Mississippi with Sam hadn't felt this constrictive which made her feel even guiltier because that hadn't been "her" Sam that she had been working with so she couldn't allow herself to enjoy it too much because she knew that she shouldn't look back too fondly on those days.
Come on Toni! Quit being such a sniveling, whiney girl. Bobby isn't doing it because you're female… He's doing it because you're a fucking green ass newbie. Toni reprimanded herself as she unloaded her bags from the truck. Plus he's known the guys way longer than he's known you so he's still learning all of your strengths… And weaknesses… So just give it some time and he'll start to trust you more… And fucking sulking won't help that, so let's go in there and act like an adult instead of a fucking emo-teenager.
When Toni finally made it inside, she was only slightly surprised to find Dean laying down on a couch while Sam and Bobby were sitting at a table going over some of the information for their case. The men were in the middle of their conversation, so Toni just placed her bags beside the couch and then moved over to the cooler close to Dean's head and remained completely silent (mostly because she wasn't completely paying attention to their conversation). Dean offered her an appreciative grin that morphed into a soft leer when she loaded two six packs of beer and a bottle of rum into the cooler. Toni responded by rolling her eye, although she couldn't help but smile at his expression. Of course by acknowledging Dean's childishness at all meant that Toni had to work that much harder not to give into her desire to laugh.
Toni still felt like she was chilled to the bone, so she rushed over to a spot behind Bobby to stand in front of the fire that was going in the old stone fireplace. She sputtered out a nervous chuckle when she heard Dean reply to something that Bobby had said because she didn't think that he had been paying attention to the other men while she had been putting the alcohol into the cooler because she knew that she certainly hadn't heard enough to become a participant in the conversation just yet.
Even funnier to her was the fact that Dean looked like he was half asleep instead of being more alert than her when he said, "Okay Davey Crockett… Well safari's gonna have to wait till tomorrow and after our suit and tie dance. We'll make sure this is not just some backwoods crackhead who likes to roll glampers."
Toni turned around to face the men, but Bobby beat her to the punch by asking, "What's a glamper?"
"Sam?" Dean somewhat ordered as he relaxed even further on the couch and closed his eyes.
"High-end camper. T.V., A.C., Wi-Fi," Sam explained with a mildly sarcastic bite. "Back to nature, zero inconvenience."
"That's idiotic," Bobby replied while still sounding like didn't completely understand the concept.
"Yeah," Sam scoffed softly. "Some people just don't know how to live."
At that Toni finally did laugh quietly to herself as she once again tried to warm up by facing the dwindling fire in the house's hearth. Sam and Bobby turned to give her a quizzical look, but Toni missed them because she was tending to the fire and had her back facing the men in the room.
"Uh Toni?" Sam called out in a hushed yell. "Mind sharing with the class?"
She nearly burned her fingers as she added a piece of wood to the fire before she turned back around to face the room again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, but…" She threw her hands out and up to gesture around the dark room. "But look where we are… Those 'glampers' had more creature comforts to quote get away from it all end quote while they were in the woods than we do working this damn job. Sorry but that just seems a little ridiculous to me."
Sam shared a sad look with Toni, but she just shook her head to silence any reply that he was going to offer. She started to shiver, so she once again turned her attention back to the fire. Bobby quirked an eyebrow to silently ask Sam if everything was alright with the woman behind him or if they needed to force further discussion on this topic. Sam shook his head and mouthed 'It's fine', but Bobby countered with a stern look to warn him that he better make sure that everything truly was alright because they had a monster to find and didn't have time for any petty squabbles.
"Okay then… Dean was right, we should all get some shut eye," Bobby announced while giving Sam another cautioning glare. He got up and clamped a hand on each of Toni's shoulders before leaning in and quietly saying into her ear, "Fire looks pretty good to me Toni."
"Yeah," she agreed with a slow drawl of the word. "Should last through the night now… Sweet dreams Bobby."
He gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze then offered his own, "You too. Good night."
Even though she didn't need to, Toni continued to stoke the fire and let herself get lost in her thoughts while she stared into the flames. When Sam touched her upper back, Toni jumped and even squeaked out a surprised noise. They both let out a nervous laugh while she finally dropped the metal pole that she had been using to play with the fire and turned to face him straight on. She looked up into his face and tried her best to give him an encouraging smile, but Sam could see right through it. Toni was feeling out of place and he knew it had more to do with her own misplaced insecurities as opposed to her actually lacking any abilities so he tried to erase her uncertainty by leaning in to give her a reassuring kiss.
Toni immediately ducked away pleading, "Sam… Don't… Please?"
"Toni," he whispered as he held her face so that he could rest his forehead against hers. "I know you haven't been able to get any quality sleep in an actual bed these past few…"
"It's not just that Sam," she interrupted in a hushed tone. She took a step back and away from him so that she could more easily look over her shoulder in the direction of the couch. When he saw that Dean looked like he was passed out with his beer can hanging in a laxed grip, Toni laughed silently and shook her head and then turned back to face Sam. "Can we maybe go somewhere and talk…? Alone?"
Sam's eyebrows furrowed into a frown because he had already noticed that his brother was completely passed out. To him that was as good as being alone, but he still nodded and whispered, "Sure" and let Toni take his hand to lead him out of the room. He had helped Bobby do the initial sweep of the house when they got there, so he knew that there was only one room that would be comfortable for them to shut themselves off from everyone to talk and that was where Bobby was sleeping right now. (The other, much smaller room, seemed to be where everything except for a few pieces of furniture were stored, so there was no way both of them would fit in there comfortably and the bathroom upstairs… Well he was just glad that its door closed tightly and the bathroom on the main floor was too small to be comfortable to have a long conversation) so he made sure to stop her before Toni could start ascending the stairs.
After Sam had stopped her, Toni looked up at him with pleading eyes and huffed out an exasperated sigh. He shrugged then reached into her rear right pocket to pull out her keys offering, "We would be guaranteed privacy in your truck."
Toni bit her lip so it wouldn't get a chance to tremble and then nodded her head. Sam squeezed her hand as he led her outside without otherwise acknowledging her obvious unease. He unlocked the driver side door, but Toni's hand was pulling the door open before he could attempt to do it for her. He then walked around the nose of the truck slowly while casting sideways glances at the woman sitting behind the wheel. If he didn't still have the keys to the truck in his hands, Sam was almost certain that Toni would most likely be driving away by now.
After Sam slipped onto the passenger's seat they both just sat there in silence, staring at nothing in particular out the windshield. Since it was Toni that had requested that they talk in private, Sam was willing to wait for her to make the first move to restart their conversation. Toni noticed this right away, so she tried to show him her appreciation by reaching over the center console to take a hold of his hand. He then reciprocated by twisting in his seat and pulling her face forward to finally give her a gentle kiss on the lips.
She only let him embrace her for about a second before she pulled back and away with a breathy, "Sam…"
Although Sam didn't try to pull her close again, he did keep his fingers in her hair as he replied, "We have total privacy Toni." She gave him a look and then moved her eyes from the windshield to the window behind Sam. He combed his fingers through her hair and rolled his eyes as he corrected himself, "Fine… Maybe not TOTAL privacy but still better than it was inside. And there's no one around here and it IS pretty dark…"
"Yeah," Toni agreed with a sad sigh.
Sam did one final slide of his fingers through Toni's hair from root to near the ends and then he picked up her free hand so that both of their hands were resting in her lap. "Toni? What's going on with you?"
"I'm sorry Sam, I promise you I'm not trying to be an asshole, it's just…" She closed her eyes and brought his knuckles up to her lips to brush a soft kiss across them. "I think I've started realizing that I sort of suffer from only child syndrome or something." She opened her eyes to check Sam's reaction and she unfortunately saw exactly what she thought she would see, confusion. She took in a deep breath in preparation of her impending explanation before saying, "Okay so one thing you have to understand is that I've basically been on my own since I was twelve. By then Will and Alex were both finished school and had already signed up for active duty. Sure they visited here or there but it was never for more than a week or so. Then I finished high school and headed out to California straightaway and… Well… You know how things were there for me. I swear the only thing that saved my friendship with Vanessa was the fact that our class schedules were almost completely opposite to one another, so we weren't forced to spend too much time together… And then Mom and Alex and Will… Well you know… Then I left school… And then … Well I've been on the road and… Yeah…"
"So spending two weeks with three guys underfoot isn't exactly your idea of a good time?" Sam asked quietly.
Toni shook her head then replied, "More like I'm not used to it or not sleeping in a bed or not getting any time alone with you, so I think all that has compounded on top of each other to make me cranky. At least when we stayed at a hotel or Bobby's place we had a room to ourselves with a door that locked… Or hell even one that closed us away from prying eyes period. Now you turn around and there's someone right there all the fucking time… Okay well except for in the bathroom that is…"
"I know but we can't…"
"We can't risk staying somewhere with cameras or that asks for a credit card, I know." She interrupted calmly. "But that's… Well that's what's going on with me. I guess I'm like feeling claustrophobic or something… I don't know how to describe it exactly."
She finished by kissing his knuckles again while maintaining direct eye contact. Sam watched as Toni's embraces started to linger against his skin and then her tongue slipped out to lightly lick between his knuckles, Sam nearly gasped as realization hit him. "The other night… You… You didn't stay in your truck just because it might be warmer…"
Toni shook her head as she dropped his hands so that she could crawl into his lap. Sam helped shift her knees around his thighs while she took her turn running her fingers through his hair. When she reached the back of his head, Toni balled her hands into tight fists around her handfuls of hair so that she could push his head up to meet her halfway for a deep, messy kiss.
Toni maintained the intensity of her embraces until she felt Sam shifting his hips as he tried to find a more comfortable position. His midsection couldn't seem to stop its soft circular motion as she started to slow her embraces to worship at his lips. When his pace matched hers perfectly, Toni slowly pulled back from his lips and double checked that his mouth was hanging open to pant in a few short breaths before she moved her lips to his ear.
"When you offered to let me sleep cuddled up next to you…" she whispered in a breathy, sensuous voice. "If I had of crawled into that sleeping bag with you… Dean and Bobby would have gotten a show because there's no way that I could have kept my hands off of you… Hell I couldn't keep my hands off myself just thinking of you and what I wanted to do with you that night…"
Sam let out a deep moan when Toni started to kiss his neck while simultaneously using his left hand to push at the waist of her jeans that she had already unbuttoned. He took her not so subtle hint immediately and moved his right hand to work alongside his left hand. Toni reclaimed his lips as a reward. She then planted her hands on either side of his head so that she could hold herself up to allow Sam to push her jeans and panties down her legs more easily.
Once Sam got her pants to her knees he knew he wouldn't be able to move them any further down her legs, so he switched his tactics. Toni threw her head back as she let out a surprised gasp when she felt Sam start to very slowly trail his fingers up the inside of her thighs. His lips instantly latched onto her throat while she tried her best to force oxygen into her lungs. Sam continued to embrace the small amount of flesh that was exposed on her neck while Toni awkwardly tried to work her pants' legs the rest of the way off of her body.
When Sam started to tease her entrance, Toni let out such a strained whimper that Sam actually backed off from her body and whispered, "Just need to get one off Toni."
She was so breathless that there was no way that she could speak so she just nodded vigorously to let him know that she understood what he meant. She pushed herself back off his lap until her back hit the dash board with a solid thump. Sam was quick to help her work her leg out of the clinging fabric and then he forcefully pulled her back into his lap and against his chest. Toni remained flopped against him like a rag doll while he worked himself out through his fly and didn't come back to full consciousness until she felt him slowly working his way into her.
Toni moaned then let out a satisfied hiss while he stretched her unhurriedly then they both remained still the moment her exposed backside was flush with his denim covered lap. Sam ran his hands up and down her back to keep her hugged gently against his chest. She was still humming softly as she nuzzled into his neck, seemingly content to just remain connected like this while staying practically motionless.
"I'm sorry," Sam suddenly apologized quietly.
Toni sat up straight quickly which caused them both to squeeze their eyes shut tightly at the sensations that rippled through their bodies. Sam recovered first and reached a hand out to take the weight of her head in the palm of his hand quietly saying, "I should have…"
"No," Toni interrupted as she silenced him with a sharp snap of her hips. Sam's hand convulsed around her hair, so Toni continued her relatively gentle circular pattern in his lap as she said, "Don't… Don't apologize… Shh Sam… Shh it's… Gah… It's…"
"So good," Sam finished for her as he thrust his hips upwards.
Toni nearly unseated herself because she hadn't expected him to use so much force. Sam took a firm grip on her hips and Toni pressed her right hand against the ceiling of her truck to steady herself as she gave Sam a firm nod. Toni completely ignored the guttural moan that Sam issued at being given permission to take control even though Toni was technically on top. Sam's grip on her hips was tight enough that she knew there was no way that she would accidentally be dislodged, so she let her arms fall loosely around his neck as she tried to relax completely in his hold.
After leaning in to kiss Sam, Toni sat back to look him in the eye. She had meant it when she told him that he didn't have to apologize and she hoped that he could see the sincerity in her eyes. She still felt somewhat confused about her place in the group, but when Sam brought forth such intense waves of pleasure that pulsed through her body, Toni became crystal clear on a few subjects. Primarily she knew that she was willing to work through anything; sleeping on floors, waiting behind for the guys to get back from doing recon work, ANYTHING, if it meant that they could share moments like this once in a while.
She was still nearly screaming in ecstasy when Sam finally coaxed out his own orgasm with a loud grunt. Even before they had both come down from their highs, Toni was once again flopped across Sam's chest loosely. She tried to place a few lazy kisses against Sam's neck, but it turned out to be too far away to accomplish that feat, so she just left her head on his shoulder and tried to catch her breath.
"I'm sorry."
It came out as a breathy statement and for a second Sam wasn't even sure that he had heard it. When Sam finally opened his eyes, he saw Toni redressing him and then herself with a sad frown on her face. He helped to steady her so that she wouldn't fall to the floor while she awkwardly pulled her jeans back on.
She gave him a grateful smile and once she was fully dressed again she leaned in to kiss him softly. "I'm sorry Sam. I've been so selfish that I haven't been able to see the big picture." Sam cocked his head to one side as his mouth turned down in a questioning frown. Toni laughed self-consciously then added, "What? When I'm wrong I can admit that I'm wrong." Sam quirked an eyebrow while smirking smugly but he remained silent. "Sam! Don't give me that look! I've apologized to people… To YOU before now, so stop it!"
"Yeah, but usually you don't… You aren't this… Umm… Calm," he hesitantly explained.
Toni tucked her head against Sam's neck and shoulder then quietly said, "Who says that you can't still mature a bit even when you become an adult?" She sat back to look Sam in the eye to playfully add, "Plus you definitely know how to please a woman. Nothing calms anyone down better than sharing a moment of pure bliss with someone."
Sam gave Toni a warm smile answering, "I guess that means that the next time we'll have to scratch your itch sooner."
After issuing a heavy, satisfied sigh, Toni once again rested her cheek against his shoulder and hugged his torso. "That would be nice. But you know what would be even better?"
Sam started petting her head, but he stopped abruptly before almost worriedly asking, "No… What?"
Toni knew that Sam would be confused by her saying that sex wasn't necessarily always the answer to all of her problems, but she knew that it had to be said. If these past few weeks were any indication of how future hunts would transpire then she knew that they wouldn't be able to be alone whenever they wanted to be, so she knew she had to be realistic.
"If you'd call me on my shit sooner," she answered while still cuddled against Sam's chest. Toni could feel Sam stiffen under her hold, so she gently pet his chest as she said, "I mean it Sam. If I start sulking like that again, make sure to pull me aside and smack some sense into me, okay?"
Sam laughed silently then quietly agreed, "Okay."
"Good," Toni said with calm finality. She pushed herself off of his body then looked him in the eye to say, "Now we have a long day ahead of us so we should head in and try to get some sleep."
After a quick kiss, Sam smiled then replied, "Sounds like a plan."
They walked back to the house hand in hand and Toni couldn't help but smile to herself. Even when he had no reason to be, Sam was completely patient and understanding with her. It always took Toni some time to realize when she was being unreasonable but between working with her father's counselor and having Sam be so receptive to her honesty, Toni was finding it easier and easier to come to the hard conclusions before she got so frustrated that she resorted to lashing out at people who didn't really deserve her wrath.
Sam gently tugged Toni's hand when she didn't immediately follow him up the stairs, but Toni held her ground with a firm shake of her head. Toni could tell that Sam was confused when he let go of her hand, so she quickly pecked his lips then flashed him a warm smile before turning away from him. He watched her as she silently moved to where Dean was still sleeping on the couch and carefully extracted the beer from his hand.
Dean didn't stir while Toni stealthily moved around him and Sam couldn't help but chuckle softly. She kept her attention on the eldest Winchester as she tucked his loose arm over his chest and then picked up a blanket that Sam hadn't seen from beside the couch. As Toni carefully draped the blanket over Dean, he shifted slightly in his sleep to make himself more comfortable. When she was done, Toni watched him for a couple of breaths to make sure that she hadn't disturbed him and when she had that confirmation she finally moved back towards Sam.
As she approached her boyfriend, Toni could tell that he was silently laughing at her so she quickly whispered, "What? You know he'd be a nightmare to deal with if we had of let him spill any of that on himself."
Sam's only response was to continue to silently chuckle to himself with a few shakes of his head as he led her up the stairs. Bobby was sound asleep when they got upstairs, so Sam wasn't sure how he was going to ask Toni about their sleeping arrangements for the night. On one hand he wanted nothing more than to hold her tight after clearing the air with her, but on the other hand he understood how that could potentially lead to an uncomfortable situation if they both inadvertently forgot that they weren't alone in the room. Luckily for him, Toni had the same train of thought and was more than happy to make the decision for both of them.
She gently removed her hand from Sam's hold then removed her jacket and sneakers before slipping into her sleeping bag. Sam followed her lead but froze in his place when he didn't find another empty sleeping bag on the floor. Toni was laying on her side with a wide grin on her face while she waited for Sam to catch up with the situation. She knew that there was no way that Sam would have noticed that she had taken it upon herself earlier in the day to zip their sleeping bags together like he had suggested they should have done a couple of nights ago.
Sam still had a confused scowl on his face as he settled in beside Toni, so she couldn't help but peck his lips softly before whispering into his ear, "You had a point Sam, this definitely will be warmer." Before he could reply, Toni rolled over so that her back was facing him. Sam immediately took the hint and molded his chest against her back. Toni quickly caught his hand as he trailed it up her abdomen and she turned her face to playfully warn him in a hushed tone, "This'll only work if you behave yourself Mister Winchester."
Toni wasn't surprised to wake up alone the next morning, so she took a moment to stretch and wake up relatively slowly. After lingering in her bed, Toni tried to make quick work of changing into clean clothes so that she could help with the case. Of course as she rifled through her bag she quickly noticed two things. One was that she hadn't packed for a hunt, so she didn't have any outfits with her to help her play the part of anyone in authority. And two, her supply of clean clothes had severely dwindled over the past couple of weeks, which led her to a strange train of thought for a way that she could be helpful to the group.
As Toni approached the living room, she could hear the men's muffled voices and she hoped that meant that someone had gotten them breakfast. If she couldn't start the day with a hot shower, Toni definitely was going to need coffee to have any semblance of coherence during the day. The boys seemed to be able to get the bare minimum of sleep on the most uncomfortable surfaces and be ready for the next challenge at the drop of the hat, but Toni was finding that adjusting to that way of life was taking some time for her.
"Alright so you're gonna head to the morgue while Sam and…" Dean cut himself off mid-sentence while he watched Toni bee-line for the last coffee sitting in the carrier on the kitchen table.
Toni downed a third of the liquid in one gulp but stopped herself from biting into a bagel when she noticed how quiet the room had gotten. After she had slowly lowered the baked good from her mouth, Toni quietly questioned, "Bobby's heading to the morgue while you and Sam…?"
"While we meet up with Ranger Evans," Dean finally answered after shaking his head to clear his thoughts.
"Oh… Yeah that sounds good. So…? Guys… I was thinking… Why don't I hit the Laundromat and question a few of the locals while you guys do that?" Toni offered with what she hoped was an earnest smile on her face. Her proposal only elicited confused scowls from the three men so she sheepishly explained, "Well three on one would sort of be overkill and…" She paused to swallow nervously before trying to lie convincingly. "And I'm not really all that good with dead bodies… Plus if we keep showing up places with a dirty, smelly wardrobe then we really won't be able to convince anyone to tell us anything."
It was a weak lie that none of the men believed, but Toni made sure to throw Sam a pleading look so he was quick to reply, "That would be great. Thanks Toni."
Sam took her free hand and squeezed it encouragingly. Toni's lips spread into an easier grin while the other two men shared a look behind her back. Dean really could have cared less who was doing what so long as they got the show on the road. As far he was concerned everyone had their assignments so he broke up the silence in the room by clearing his throat loudly.
"Alright sounds good to me Toni. My bag's over there by the couch and you know where to find Bobby and Sam's upstairs." Once he made it to the door he motioned for Sam to follow him and his younger brother complied with only the slightest hesitation. Just before he followed his brother out the door, Dean turned back to Toni and said with mock seriousness, "Just make sure you don't use too much fabric softener, okay?"
Toni laughed quietly at Dean's quirked eyebrow as she hoarsely replied, "Of course. I wouldn't ever imagine doing something so horrific."
Dean closed the door with his laughter still echoing in the abandoned house and Toni couldn't help but smile while she finally took a bite out of her bagel. She was more than happy to finish her breakfast in silence before continuing on to her project, but she forgot about one minor detail… Bobby. The older hunter watched her without making a sound as he finished knotting his tie and tried his best to read her body language while she ate.
"I know a dead body ain't never bothered you before kid, so you're more than welcome to join me as my assistant," Bobby offered as he slipped on his shin length, grey overcoat.
Toni washed down the piece of bagel that tried to lodge itself in her throat with a large gulp of coffee as she shook her head emphatically. "You're right Bobby," she replied one she was finally able to speak. "But I still can't because… Umm…" She cast her eyes to her hands while she tried to find the safest way to explain her predicament to the older man. "Well… You see Bobby… When I packed it was for a camping trip with Sam…" She tentatively made eye contact with him again as she vaguely waved a hand in his general direction. "I wasn't exactly planning on being a part of any hunts so I don't have anything remotely close to a suit in my bag." Suddenly Toni started to blush as she absentmindedly added, "Well I do have that dress I bought in Vegas for…"
Toni jumped slightly when Bobby gently grasped her shoulder and kindly interrupted, "The next black tie affair that we need to crash, we'll have you pull that dress out. And I understand what you're trying to say Sweetheart, but why don't you just stay here and do some research? You really don't have to act like our maid or anything."
A hearty laugh bubbled up through Toni's body before she said, "I really don't mind Bobby. I'm running low on clean clothes so I just figured that since I want to do a few loads of my own that it wouldn't take much more effort to throw in a couple for you guys."
Bobby gave Toni a tight smile and a nod of understanding then said, "Alright that sounds good. Why don't you grab the bags upstairs and I'll meet you at your truck?" Toni scowled at the last part of his sentence and Bobby couldn't help but chuckle. "The boys took my van… You wouldn't mind dropping me off at the morgue, do you?"
Toni threw her arms around Bobby's neck as she gratefully exclaimed into his chest, "Or course I don't Bobby!"
Once the third load of darks was loaded into the last available washing machine, Toni sighed to herself and then she laughed nervously. Who would have thought that the four of them would have created enough laundry to take over every washing machine in this small town Laundromat? Toni knew she was in desperate need for clean underwear but she shuddered at the thought of any of the men going commando out of necessity. Well any of them except for…
Before her thoughts could wander too far away from the job at hand, she turned her eyes up to the middle-aged Chinese immigrant that own the establishment that she had effectively taken over. She could only assume that this was a family owned business because the shelf behind the man's desk was filled with pictures of himself with a woman and a small child. Normally Toni would have used her feminine wiles to flirt her way into getting him to spill the information that she needed, but she was pretty sure from the uncertain glances he was throwing her that that tactic wouldn't work this time. Plus there was no way that he hadn't noticed the clothes that were way to big and were overly masculine for her to ware that she had tossed into the washers, so she shelved 'sexy Toni' for a more wholesome, 'new to town, helpless Toni'.
"Hi… Are…? Are you Mister Cho?" She asked as she cautiously took a few steps towards the desk.
He nodded nervously then asked through painfully broken English, "Y-yes… Is…? Is something wrong with the washers?"
Toni tried not to react to the lack of 'R's in his words as she respectfully replied, "No sir, they're absolutely fine. I was just wondering…" She had already slipped the engagement ring Will had bought for his beloved on her finger and made a show of twisting it on her finger as she continued, "Well my fiancé and I are new to the area and I've been hearing some rumors about something that's been hurting people around town here… Umm… Should…? Should we be worried?"
His head never ceased its back and forth rapid movement from side to side as he backed away answering, "No… No… Only people in the woods."
Watching him retreat into the security of the back room made Toni feel a little bit guilty, but at the same time she felt some weird sense of relief. He really did look scared, however it wasn't in the way that she had anticipated. She knew the look in a person's eyes form them being haunted by something old and that was not the look she had seen in his eyes. No, he seemed to be afraid because this was something new, something unknown that had no stories or legends to help that man protect his family from it.
That look seemed consistent with the information that Toni had found online, but it didn't stop her from feeling any less frustrated. Whatever it was that was munching on the locals had only popped up on the radar over the last couple of months. Then to add to her irritation, Toni couldn't find any patterns that fit with any monster that she had read about up until now, so she knew that she couldn't regain the upper-hand and would have to defer to the guys' lead one again.
Their clothes were still uncomfortably hot (but they were thankfully dry) when Toni pulled them out of the dryers and shoved them into their duffle bags in order to make a hasty retreat. She hadn't uncovered anything helpful online and she'd completely stuck out with every local that she'd crossed paths with, so she didn't want to delay the inevitable. She knew she had to tell them that she hadn't turned up anything remotely useful and her only hope was that they had found something so that she could refocus her attention as soon as humanly possible.
When she made it to the restaurant, Toni immediately found the three men she was looking for as they watched a male server that the back of the room throw his apron on a counter yelling, "Up yours Mike… Shove it right up yours!"
She smiled politely to the hostess while pointing at their table and then she slipped onto the seat to Dean's left as he turned his attention back to his sandwich saying, "Well… Anyway… Back to bigger and better things."
Sam and Bobby shared a look then scoffed before digging into their meals once again. Toni snickered but didn't get a chance to comment before a perky blond with an overly bouncy ponytail was standing beside Sam and Dean saying, "I'm so sorry about that ugliness… How are y'all…? Oh no! I'm so sorry Miss! What can I get for you?"
"Oh… Umm… No," Toni tried to politely protest before the new server interrupted, "Oh and since Brandon ignored you, it'll be on the house of course!"
Since she now had four sets of eyes eagerly awaiting her reply, Toni swallowed nervously then replied, "A bowl of beef barley soup would be great, thank you."
"Alright, I can get that for you," the server answered enthusiastically. "And to drink?"
"Water's fine," Toni said quietly under the scrutiny of Sam's gaze. The intensity of the look in his eyes didn't falter even after the server went to place her order at the kitchen so Toni added somewhat defensively, "What? There was an Italian pizzeria next to the Laundromat and I may have inadvertently over-indulged there."
Sam gave her a knowing smile, but it was Bobby who replied humorously towards his salad, "Good to hear because we wouldn't want you to waste away on us."
As they finished their meals the men, well Sam and Bobby, filled Toni in on what they had learned. Dean was too preoccupied with making happy noises around his sandwich, which prompted more than one questioning glance from the other three at the table. When Toni caught herself staring at Dean for too long, she vigorously shook her head then filled them in on what little information she had learned while doing their laundry.
They all agreed that they had done enough preliminary investigations and once the guys were changed out of their suite and had their backpacks stocked with supplies, they made their way into the woods. Toni had never spent much time in the wilderness beyond nature hikes with friends, so she felt more than a little useless despite Sam's protest to the contrary.
Bobby continued to lead the three younger hunters with expert precision that made Toni feel even more self-conscious. Since the two of them were bringing up the rear, Sam would occasionally reach out and squeeze Toni's arm whenever he thought that he wouldn't be seen by the other two. Although Toni appreciated his reassuring gesture, it did very little to help her with her uneven footing.
Toni kept her eyes so intently focused on her feet while the men continued their bantering back and forth that she missed the three of them stopping in their tracks. After running squarely into Bobby's back, he caught Toni's arm to keep her from falling and she finally raised her eyes to look at what had the guys so intrigued.
"Well… Looks like we found Phil," Dean commented nonchalantly.
"Oh… God…" Toni murmured to herself. "Does that mean that it's close by?"
Bobby wrapped his free arm around her shoulder then replied, "Not necessarily. But don't worry Toni…" Bobby continued with a quiet teasing tone. "You've got the three of us to keep you safe. I promise I'm a better shot than either of them."
Toni could tell that Bobby was trying hard to ease her mind with a well-placed joke while the guys called their findings into Ranger Evans, so she rewarded him with a quiet laugh. She then pulled out her handgun from inside her jacket and chambered a round without leaving his embrace as she replied, "No offense Bobby, but having this in hand makes me feel safer."
He squeezed her in a side hug as he chuckled out a "Yeah, I know what you mean."
While they waited for Ranger Evans to arrive Toni found herself pacing a randomly decided perimeter while Bobby and Sam watched her in silence. After about her tenth lap, Sam finally stepped away from the other two men to approach her. As Sam got closer to her, he could have sworn that he heard Toni talking quietly to herself.
"Wendigo… Human turned monster after consuming human flesh… Killed by flame," Toni recited to herself just over a whisper. "Zombie… Human raised from the dead… Appetite for murder but…"
"Toni?" Sam interrupted with a nervous chuckle. She stopped and looked up at him with a sheepish grin on her face as he asked, "Are you listing off different monsters and their characteristics?"
The laughter in his tone was more than audible causing her to shrug and reply sounding very small, "Not all of them… Just the usual suspects. I was hoping that I could narrow the list down a bit after seeing how it killed Ranger Phil…"
Toni glared up at Sam when it looked like he was going to laugh again, so he leaned down to quickly peck her cheek. Whatever apologetic reply he had come up with was silenced by some oncoming headlights. Toni quickly picked up his hand and led him back over to where Bobby and Dean were standing and hope that he understood that she wasn't mad at him.
Ranger Evans stepped out of his truck calling out, "Special Agents… Listen I got your call… But I'm not sure I got what you were saying." Dean raised a finger to the approaching Ranger and shined his light on Ranger Phil's corpse up in a tree. When Ranger Evans saw what Dean was trying to show him he exclaimed, "Hey! I think we found Phil!"
"What's what I said," Dean replied with a proud smile on his face.
Ranger Evans pointed over his shoulder towards his truck nonchalantly stating, "Uh… I should probably call this in."
"Yeah, yeah," Sam agreed non-committedly. "Solid move Rick."
After the Ranger made it back to his truck, Toni leaned in close between Bobby and Sam to ask in a hushed tone, "Is it just me or is Ranger Rick over there acting a little too…?"
"Shh…" Bobby hissed out as he cocked his head to one side.
The Winchesters straightened their stance and then Toni finally heard what she figured had them all on edge. Sam moved to push Toni behind him protectively as he raised his rifle, but she just pulled out her pistol and turned so that her back was flush with Bobby's. Sam and Dean caught on to what she was trying to do and they turned their backs as well so that the four of them form a crude square shaped circle.
"Ranger, I think we've got company," Bobby called out when he noticed that the man at the truck had yet to be alerted to any potential danger.
"Yeah?" The Ranger called back still sounding a little too casual. "Who's that?"
He barely got his question out before something grabbed him and dragged him into the darkened woods.
Sam was the first to step towards the now vacant pickup truck yelling, "Ranger! Ranger Evans! Ranger!"
"Fuck," Toni breathed out as she instinctively turned her back on the truck to try to scrutinize the woods once again. "Fuck," she whispered again when she realized that the missing man wasn't screaming at all and then she turned to run over to where the rest of her group was now standing.
They all looked frantically into the darkness until Bobby raised his rifle saying, "It's got him up in the trees." Toni's eyes followed the light beams from the three flashlights mounted on the men's long arms, but she quickly recognized that it was too dark for them to be of any use. Bobby lowered his firearm just enough to turn his light off as he ordered, "Lights off."
Dean complied but still asked a confused, "What?"
Sam didn't move as he asked, "Wait, Bobby you think that's really a good idea?"
Toni moved to grab Sam's hands as Bobby more forcefully stated, "Shut up, shut off and listen."
When Sam hesitated slightly, Toni pulled the barrel of his gun down while barking out a quick, "Yes Sir."
Sam finally turned his light off but didn't get a chance to gripe at Toni because Bobby quietly informed all of them, "Damn thing's eating Rick."
"Man, I liked Rick," Dean commented with a quiet whine in his voice causing the other three to share a concerned look between them.
Suddenly Bobby closed his eyes and looked like he was trying to track the sound of the monster with his rifle's barrel. Toni had seen her brothers do the same thing a few times to track each other when she was younger and they were playing "Hide and Seek" with her, so she was confident that Bobby would easily get a beat on whatever it was and slipped her gun into her pocket. She had barely raised her hands to cover her ears when he took his shot and she remained frozen in her spot when she saw the thing fall to the ground.
"Wow… Nice shot Bobby," Dean praised.
"Seriously," Sam said echoing his brother's awed tone.
The three men kept their rifles aimed at the human looking monster on the ground as Bobby shrugged and replied, "We all got our gifts."
They all looked down at the corpse and then back up at the trees. While they were surveying the blackened tree line Dean took a step forward and asked, "What about the rest of Ranger Rick?"
"Ranger called in his 10-20," Bobby replied calmly. "His own will find him. We got crap to do."
Toni felt mildly embarrassed as Sam handed her his firearm to move beside his brother who was extracting the Ranger's severed limb from the monster's grasp. She knew that it was silly for her to feel that way because there was no way that the 'proper' authorities would know how to deal with this thing and yet she couldn't shake that feeling away while she watched the Winchesters work.
Bobby took Dean's rifle from him so that the two Winchesters could pick the thing up off the ground. Toni watched them in stunned silence and Sam couldn't help but throw her a couple of questioning looks as they passed her. When Toni caught the last look on his face, she just smiled self-consciously and shook her head to try to ease his mind.
"You couldn't pay me enough to touch that thing… Hope we find a good shower soon or you aren't touching me either," Toni finally joked to try to ease the tension between them. He knew that that wasn't what she was really thinking, but Sam just laughed dutifully and let all of his other questioned be left unasked.
Bobby caught Toni lingering beside the van while the Winchester brothers rushed to its rear to carry the thing Bobby shot in the forest into the house. She was staring straight ahead at nothing in particular so he leaned in close to her to quietly ask, "You doing okay kid?"
Toni blinked rapidly a couple of times and seemed to come out of her daze as she replied, "Yeah… Yeah Bobby I'm good. I… I think I have some supplies that might be helpful in my truck."
"Good. Why don't you grab them and meet us inside?"
She nodded then watched him as he ran in front of Sam and Dean to open the front door. Toni finally made her feet move while she continued to question to herself about what it was that they had found. It still looked human enough so could they have found a Wendigo during the early stages of its transformation? But if that was what they were dealing with then why could one round from a rifle take it down?
"None of this is adding up," Toni quietly said to herself as she walked towards the house with an oversized, black leather medic's bag in hand.
As she opened the door Toni was greeted by the sound of gunfire. Without missing a step, Toni pulled out her pistol and hit the trigger twice. She hope that her two well-placed rounds to the head and heart would be helpful but she still held her breath until the thing flopped back and the men ceased their fire as well.
Sam exhaled a loud breath and craned his neck to look at what they all hoped was now a dead monster. He then leaned down to Toni and said, "Nice shot."
"Thanks, I just hope that Bobby didn't want to dissect its brain or anything," she replied shyly.
Her boyfriend was about to say something reassuring when they heard his brother saying, "Oh that is just gonna… Ruin the leather."
Sam snatched the wallet out of Dean's hand as Bobby asked Dean, "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I feel great," Dean replied sounding a little tipsy.
Toni tried to look around Sam's body as he tilted the slimy wallet in his hand and read out lout, "Gerald Browder… Uh… Lived here in town, 5'9", brown hair and blue eyes… 235 pounds."
Dean looked down to his right replying, "Whoa."
"Well apparently he lost a little pudge," Bobby said looking down at the table.
"Maybe it's a-a lap-band side effect," Dean joked with a smirk.
Toni, Bobby and Sam gave Dean an unimpressed look and then Toni commented after swallowing down some bile, "Is it just me or does he look…? And smell like he's a few months into his decomp?"
Sam wrapped a protective arm around Toni's shoulder as they watched Bobby pick up a random stick in the room and then he approached the corpse on the table. He poked the end of the stick into one of the bullet holes and they all heard the usual sounds of someone probing a fresh wound. Toni took in a calming breath at that familiarity but then she felt her lunch try to rise up in her throat when Bobby pulled the stick out and they all noticed a thick grey goo attached to it.
"What the hell?" Bobby questioned before he turned to the other three. "I think we better have a look under Gerald's hood."
"Oh wait!" Toni called out as she slipped out of Sam's hold. "Bobby I have something to help with that!"
When she got back to the room Toni barely noticed that Dean was absent as she explained, "Doc gave me some supplies awhile back as well as some advice for other things I should carry… You know just in case I have to work on someone else…" She passed the case to Bobby then somewhat dejectedly added, "I hope it can help."
Bobby pulled out a scalpel and a pair of forceps from the bag saying, "I'm sure that it will."
The older man continued pulling out the surgical instruments he would need to use as Sam gave Toni a side hug and kissed the top of her head. Toni relaxed significantly in Sam's hold as she turned her face away from the grotesque thing on the table and buried her face into Sam's side. Toni had been around blood and gore, but she had never been around human decay like this in the past and she was finding it slightly overwhelming.
Sam continued to hold her close and was about to offer her some unsolicited advice when they all heard something crash in the kitchen. As they all stood in their places, they heard Dean continue to move around the kitchen rather loudly and Toni couldn't help but jump when she heard a glass shatter to the floor.
Before either man could say anything, Toni pushed off of Sam's chest saying, "Why don't I go check on him while you guys…? Take care of that thing?"
Toni hadn't realized that she had been holding her breath until she got into the kitchen and gasped as she watched Dean fighting with a cupboard door. She moved as fast as she could to stop Dean as he continued to try to wrench the locked door open. Even after she had her hand wrapped around his forearm Dean kept trying to pull the knob backwards.
"Dean? Dean? Hey… Hey… What are you looking for?" She questioned as she continued to pry his hands away from the door.
Dean looked down at her with a frown on his face and then he replied conversationally, "I could use a drink… Couldn't you use a drink?"
"Sure could," Toni answered not sure how to read Dean's demeanor. "Hey why don't you grab a seat there while I run out to my truck for a second?" Dean scowled at her like a petulant child so Toni quickly added, "The back seat is actually a cooler. I've been hiding bottles in there since I inherited it from Alex." Dean smiled expectantly so Toni paused in the doorway to say (almost shocked how motherly she sounded) "But you'll only get it if you promise to stay right where you are, understood?"
Dean nodded frantically with a huge smile on his face as he saluted then replied, "Yes Ma'am. I'll wait right here."
Toni still wasn't sure how to interpret Dean's behavior as she ran out to her truck and flipped the back bench seat up. Alex had been so proud of this modification that he had made on his truck because he could hide more booze in this makeshift cooler than anyone could ever need for a party. In his own words he always said that it meant that the party couldn't start without him being there. Toni hadn't thought much of it until she started spending more time with her teetotaler father and had to find somewhere to keep her stash when she was with him.
Dean was still waiting for her dutifully in the spot where she had left him and she almost laughed as she broke the seal on the bottle. Dean had found a few glasses, but Toni had no other indication that he had moved. He eagerly grabbed the bottle out of her hands and poured them each a drink as soon as Toni got within his reach.
Toni took the glass that Dean offered her and then clinked her glass against his. He was still smiling brightly as they both swallowed back their glassfuls and then Dean quickly refilled her glass and then his own. Toni sipped at her second glass as she watched Dean finish off his second glass in two swallows.
She wasn't sure if it was her nerves, the odor coming from the other room or the alcohol, but Toni soon found that she couldn't ignore the substance creeping up the back of her throat. She barely made it to the main floor bathroom before she started to vomit into the toilet. She had had the presence of mind to bring her glassful of whiskey into the bathroom with her so that she could gargle it to get the putrid taste out of her mouth.
When she made it back to the kitchen she found it empty, but she could see Dean moving further into the other room. Toni wasn't sure that she was ready to watch the autopsy Sam and Bobby were performing but then again she wasn't comfortable with being the 'girl' who couldn't handle the gore either.
By the time she rejoined the rest of the group Toni found Dean with one arm perched against the fireplace as he leisurely drank from his glass. She stepped up behind Dean and peaked around his body as Bobby pulled something bulky from the corpse as he said, "I think that's his adrenal glands."
Sam shrugged then asked, "Okay. And…?"
Toni's intrigue overrode any other emotion she had felt as she stepped past Dean saying, "Pretty sure it's meant…"
"Meant to be the size of hotel bar soap… And bright orange," Bobby explained over her commentary.
Toni took no offense to anything but the smell in the room as Bobby dropped the disfigured organ into their catch-all bucket. Sam and Bobby visibly winced as well and then Sam commented through labored breaths, "Oh… Alright that might help explain the strength. Umm, but whatever this thing is, it's not the New Jersey Devil… But it sure as hell ain't Gerald Browder
"What if…?" Toni asked through her gagging before Dean called out, "Okay, guys seriously…? It's time for dinner?"
They all gaped at Dean while he turned back to the kitchen. Toni threw a hand up over her mouth offering, "I'll make sure he doesn't break anything else."
For the most part Dean was content to just sit in the kitchen while Toni ran to the bathroom to expel the last bits out of her stomach. She had never lived through anything like this in the past so she hope that it was just the body in the other room that had thrown her so far off kilter and not something else.
After cleaning up the best that they could, Sam and Bobby came into the kitchen. Toni was splashing some cold water on her face, so Sam came over to her side instead of following his brother and Bobby out of the room. He passed her a towel and was about to ask her if everything was okay but was interrupted by Dean poking his head back into the room asking, "You two joining us or what?"
Toni laced her fingers with Sam's hand as she replied, "Right behind you Dean." She looked up to Sam's chagrinned face then added, "Fuck if I could eat either Sam, but it'll shut him up while we do a few more online searches, right?"
"Right," Sam agreed as they followed Dean's path out of the house.
After they had all placed their orders Toni excused herself from the table to slip into the bathroom. She quickly washed her face with some lukewarm water and then she dried her face slowly with some paper towel. After staring at herself in the mirror for a few seconds, she pulled out a travel-sized toothbrush and toothpaste before taking her time cleaning the taste of vomit out of her mouth.
Toni wasn't the least bit surprised to find Dean stuffing his face when she got back to their table. She was however somewhat taken aback to hear Dean saying, "That's funny, right? I could give two shakes of a rat's ass. Is that right? Do rats shake their ass or is it something else? Eh."
Sam partially turned in his seat and noticed that practically every person in the restaurant was also eating the sandwich special. While Bobby was doing the same thing as Sam, Toni found that she couldn't take her eyes off of Dean. She had always had a healthy appetite, but she found Dean's appreciation for food absolutely mesmerizing right now.
Sam turned back to his brother and watched him for a few seconds before he lunged forward and snatched the sandwich out of Dean's hands.
"Whoa! Whoa! Why?!" Dean groused around the food still in his mouth.
Bobby looked towards Sam as he commented, "There's some funky chicken in the TDK Slammer, ain't there?"
Toni finally pried her eyes away from Dean too look around the room to finally notice what Sam and Bobby had already seen. "Shit… Are we the only ones not stuffing our faces with one of those sandwiches?"
Sam nodded as he raised his hand to call their server over. She carried Dean's plate and Toni's order of fries into the kitchen while Dean continued to complain that he was still hungry. Toni once again found herself staring at Dean while she tried to go over all of the information about this case again in her head. She still couldn't get everything to add up and she was feeling even more determined to figure everything out now.
Toni remained lost in her thoughts on the drive back to the house as she absentmindedly nibbled at her order of fries. Sam was just about to ask her if she was okay, yet again, when she turned to him and said, "If it's in the food, I might know someone that can help us figure out what it is."
"Really?" Sam questioned as they walked towards the house.
"Yeah… I'm gonna just…" She answered as she slowed her pace. "I'll give him a call and see if he's still working at the lab or not."
"That sounds perfect. Thanks Toni," he said before kissing her head and following the other two inside.
Toni pulled out her phone and slowly scrolled through her contacts. Once she reached the name that she was looking for she hit the call button before she could chicken out.
"Toni McNamara? As I live and breathe! Long time no see!"
"Yeah it has been a while," Toni replied with a nervous chuckle. "Sorry about being completely MIA Mikey."
"Hey it's no problem. You aren't the only one who found their better half to preoccupy their time."
"You…? Huh? How…?"
After a quick laugh at Toni's expense he answered, "I ran into Doc while I was visiting my fiancée's family over in the Pacific Northwest. He says this new guy has reeled you in real good."
"Yeah," Toni answered as she felt her cheeks burn up. "He definitely has. Oh… Uhh… Congrats to you. I… Umm… I thought that you weren't the marrying kind."
"I wasn't until she threatened to dump my stupid ass. But I'm guessing that catching up isn't the reason for your call this late at night."
"Oh… No… You're right." Toni groaned then added, "Sorry."
"Don't apologize Toni. What can I do to help you?"
Toni forced herself to take a deep breath to calm herself down before replying, "Well… We… Uhh… We think that someone slipped something into my… Umm… Boyfriend's brother's sandwich and I was… Umm… Hoping that you were still working at the lab so that we could figure out what it might be…"
Mikey laughed again but before Toni could ask what he found so funny he said, "Wow Doc really wasn't exaggerating! You are using the 'B' word! Holy shit!" Toni whined out a plea of his name causing her friend to more somberly reply, "And lucky for you I'm not just working there anymore, I'm actually a supervisor for this outfit so I get to do a ton of side projects without anyone looking over my shoulder."
"Really? So…? Does that mean…? Umm… You'll help me? Err… Us?"
"Of course I will Toni. I still owe you for saving my ass by accompanying me to all of those weddings a few summers ago. I swear that you're the only reason my mom stayed off my back until I met Angela."
This time it was Toni's turn to laugh as she said, "Well when you put it that way…Okay… So would tomorrow be too soon to cash in my favor?"
"Tomorrow? Whoa… Yeah… I mean no, that's fine. I didn't realize that you were in New York."
"Oh… Well we just got into New Jersey…" Toni lied uneasily.
"So does that mean that I actually get to meet Mister Perfect?"
Toni chuckled nervously as she replied, "Sorry but no. He's going to stay behind with his brother just in case and all."
"It's that bad, huh? Well I'm still working at the same place so you know where to find me. Just give me a call when you get here, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks Mikey."
After hanging up her phone Toni lingered outside a little while longer. Sam had already assured her that he and Bobby had disposed of the body of the thing, but she was still feeling uneasy about going back inside. She'd vomited more today than she had ever done in recent memory, so she wasn't looking forward to a repeat performance any time soon.
When Toni got back inside she found Dean leaning against the counter beside the kitchen sink while Sam was saying, "Okay so whatever turned Gerald Browder into a pumpkin head… And is currently turning Dean into an idiot…"
"I'm right here. Right here," Dean interrupted with a slight slur.
"Is in the Turducken Slammer at Biggerson's," Bobby finished.
"Yeah," Sam agreed.
Although it was painfully obvious Bobby still informed them, "It's in the meat."
Toni gagged slightly when she saw the grey ooze on Dean's leftovers as he said, "If I wasn't so chilled right now, I would puke."
Sam gave his brother a tight smile in response while Bobby continued to scrutinize what was left of Dean's TDK Slammer. Toni pulled out a bottle of water from the cooler then led Dean to one of the kitchen chairs and guided him into the seat.
"Here Dean," she said quietly as she pressed the bottle into his hand. "Drink this down so that we can flush your system out, okay?"
He nodded and started drinking from the bottle without complaint. When Toni was convinced that Dean was going to continue to follow her orders, she nodded towards the living room and Sam quickly turned to lead the way into the other room. Bobby hesitated before following them and scooped up Dean's leftovers when he noticed that the younger man was eyeing them a little too intently.
"So Mikey said that he'd be more than happy to help out," Toni informed them once Bobby was in the room.
"Really?" Sam exclaimed more out of awe than actual dismay.
Toni gave him a small smile as she replied, "Yeah. I'll leave first thing in the morning for New York… Umm… If that's okay with you guys."
Bobby closed up the tinfoil around the remainders of the sandwich and gave Toni a quick side hug after Sam released her from his embrace saying, "Then you'll probably need to take this with you then."
Toni took the plate from Bobby and leaned into his hold replying, "Yeah I guess I will. Thanks Bobby."
On her drive to the building that housed the lab where Mikey worked, Toni once again reprimanded herself for the detour that she had made. She didn't know why she had had the overwhelming compulsion to buy a new outfit that couldn't be mistaken for camping attire because she knew that she really didn't have to try impress the man she was going to meet up with later that day. He was helping her solely because he was her friend and nothing more. Plus they were both in a committed relationship, so dressing to impress was beyond ridiculous. Toni knew that, but it didn't stop her from checking her reflection yet again before exiting her vehicle.
It was much later in the day than Toni had anticipated arriving, so the lab was completely empty when Mikey led her in as she apologized, "Seriously Mikey I didn't expect the traffic to be that bad. I… If I'm…"
"You're not keeping me form anything. My other half is at a conference this week so all I had to do was get my dinner delivered here instead of at home. Are you still able to polish off a whole pizza by yourself?" He interrupted over her apology.
She gently shoved her friend as she playfully retorted, "Mikey! Come on I only did it that once!" He raised an eyebrow at her causing Toni to add, "Okay maybe I've done it more than once, but when I show you this you'll understand why I don't have much of an appetite."
"You…? Not hungry? Well I have got to see this!"
Toni made sure to say a few feet away from Mikey as he opened the tinfoil. He sucked in a breath and then turned towards Toni to ask, "What the fuck is that?"
Toni shrugged then answered, "I was hoping that you could tell me."
Doctor Michael Cooper came out in full force as he started to run his tests and Toni was in such awe that she didn't even have it in her to try to tease him. He got so lost in his work that he ignored the pizza when it finally arrived. For the most part Toni continued to watch him in silence, but her phone vibrating did manage to take her out of her trance.
"It's a Leviathan thing" the text message from Sam read.
"Fuck," Toni breathed out as she placed her phone on the counter with a shaky hand.
"Your guy's brother getting worse?" The doctor questioned without taking his eyes off the latest test results.
Toni looked up from the counter answering, "No… No…He's okay… They just have a theory about who it is that spiked his sandwich. So…? Do you know what it is?"
He shook his head as he picked up another test tube distractedly saying, "No, not yet… But I do have another idea…"
The doctor kept moving around the lab as if Toni wasn't there and she did her best not to get in his way. She hadn't realized that he was remotely tired, let alone the fact that she was ready to fall asleep until she woke up to a pool of drool forming beside her hand. She frantically wiped her mouth with her sleeve as she searched the room for any signs of her friend.
"Coffee's fresh," Mikey informed her as he pulled some papers off of the printer.
"Thanks," she replied as she got up to pour herself a mugful. "So how are your tests going?"
"There's definitely an additive in the meat… But I haven't been able to put my finger on what it is yet," he answered as he held up a test tube filled with a murky looking substance.
"Oh… Okay…" Toni picked up her phone and she nearly dropped her coffee when she read the latest text message Sam had sent her. "Oh fuck no!" She exclaimed after reading "They have Bobby."
Toni quickly exchanged her coffee for her jacket and was running out the door without acknowledging her friend that was calling out after her.