(Dani is a Southern gal, and I get country vibes from the Trickster (maybe because Richard Speight Jr. himself is from Tennessee?), so a lot of the music when they're together is going to be Country. Sorry if you're not a Country music fan, but I do suggest giving the songs a listen to at least once to get an idea of the feel for the scenes.)

[Songs Used, Mentioned, and Suggested for Chapter 8 – I had quite a number of songs that helped inspire me as I wrote this chapter]

~ 'A Real Fine Place to Start' by Sara Evans (music playing in the background while Dani's trying on clothes)

~ 'Nemo Egg (Main Title)' by Thomas Newman (Reshen's realization that Dani's not a little girl anymore)

~ 'The Path of the Goblin King' by Kevin MacLeod (Dani and Reshen listening to Sam and Dean argue)

~ 'Here Tonight' by Brett Young (the fair)

~ 'Halo' by Ane Brun and Linnea Olsson (the fair)

~ 'To Make You Feel My Love' by Garth Brooks (this version of the song is, in my opinion, the best version ever! Preferably the version he sang in the film Hope Floats)

~ 'I Don't Want This Night to End' by Luke Bryan (the fair)

~ 'The Lady in Red' by Chris de Burgh

Chapter Eight

"Real Fine Place to Start"

Springfield, Ohio

February 14th, 2007

Dani pulled every outfit from her bags and still nothing seemed right to wear for a dinner date on Valentine's Night. She was about to despair over the whole thing when there was a knock on the door. "I'm decent!" Dani called out.

Sam stuck his head inside. "Hey, you better get ready to go in a few minutes."

"Gatono? What's the rush?"

"Word around campus is that the Curtis kid's returned and has an interesting story about what happened to him."

"Any details?"

"…There… may have been mention of an alien abduction."

Dani gave him a skeptical lift of an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"'Fraid so."

"Sam, there's no such thing, or at least there's been no actual proof."

"I know, but we can at least talk to the guy."

Dani shook her head. "Vtla, you can go talk to him. I am not about to waste my precious date prep time to go interview a dude who got drunk and found himself to be the victim of a college fraternity prank and now feels he has to save face by coming up with a phony story."

Sam's brow furrowed. "Come across something like this before?" he asked knowingly.

"It was Kenan's third case. He went solo 'cause Da told him the same thing that I'm telling you. Kenan went anyway and he came back within seven hours in a cranky mood when it turned out to be a frat prank."

Sam opened his mouth as if to say something, seemed to change his mind, and gave her a smile instead. "Right, well, uh – I guess Dean and I will go for the sake of covering all our bases. Meanwhile...," His eyes scanned the articles of clothing strewn about the floor. All had failed to meet the standards of a nice first date outfit. Sam smiled again. "Good luck."

"Wado."

He shut the door and Dani waited for several seconds, listening intently. When she heard the revving of a car's engine. Dani hurried to the window that overlooked the parking lot and saw the back end of the Impala pulling away. She pushed from the window and began to dial on her cell phone. "Uncle Reshen? I've got a situation –,"

"I'm here. What's up?"

Dani's head whipped around to find her uncle in his goblin form, hanging up his phone and tucking it into his grey suit's inner pocket. "I didn't even say what it was!"

"Is that important?" Reshen asked, looking genuinely perplexed.

"Well, it depends on whether or not you were in the middle of something kingly."

Reshen's nonexistent eyebrows rose in amusement. "Kingly?" he repeated. The grin tugging at the corner of his mouth told her he was fighting back a laugh.

Dani scoffed as she flopped onto the bed. "You know what I mean."

At this point, Reshen noticed the clothes scattered about the floor. "Why are your clothes flung on the floor? Your mom and dad raised you better than that, so it's not because you're being a slob. It almost looks like you couldn't find anything to wear, and the only thing that I can think of to make a girl so frantic to find an outfit would be if she was going on a –," a loud gasp of realization interrupted his musings. Dani grabbed the nearest pillow to cover her face. It did no good. Reshen removed the pillow and she got to bear witness to the expression of mixed pride and horror on her uncle's face. "Danny girl, do you have a date?"

"…Mmh-hmm," Dani responded weakly.

Reshen took a deep breath, then calmly exhaled. "Here we go."

"It's not my first date."

"No, it's not, but Bobby filled me in on how that one went, and I just assumed we were pretending it never happened."

"You assumed correctly, I just had to put my foot in my mouth."

"Has a funny taste, doesn't it?"

"Indeed." Dani sat up from bed and slapped her cheeks a couple of times to psych herself up. "I have nothing to wear for my date, Uncle Reshen. And..." Dani struggled to form the next words, knowing how bitter they'd taste in her mouth. She fiddled with her cross necklace and averted her gaze. "And I'm rather low on funds to get the appropriate clothes."

Reshen's silver eyes took on a sympathetic sheen. He sat on the bed next to her and gently tilted her chin up to look at him. "Sweetheart, don't look so ashamed about that. We goblins have more wealth than we know what to do with. So, one little shopping spree isn't going to break the kingdom."

"Yeah, but – wait. 'Spree'?"

Reshen grinned impishly.

"So, this 'Charlie'; what's he like?" Reshen asked as he waited for his goddaughter to change into another outfit selection. He'd lost count of how many clothes she'd tried on at this point. Standing up from the bench placed just outside of the changing room, Reshen paced the floor a bit and paused a moment to examine his human reflection in the mirrors lining the wall. He straightened his suit's jacket and caught sight of a pair of women watching him with appreciative smiles. He threw them a playful wink and they, realizing they'd been spotted, blushed bright red and hurried on past.

Noticing the lack of response from Dani, Reshen said, "You hear me, sweetie?"

"Yeah, it's just this dress is giving me some trouble – oof!" A muffled thud was heard from the changing room stall. Reshen waited. "Ya know, edutsi, I think I'm gonna skip this one. Could you hand me the green one?"

Reshen picked up the asked for garment from the dwindling pile of clothes he'd placed next to his seat. He turned his back to the stall and wrapped his knuckles against the paneling beside the curtain. It opened and Dani's hand reached out and took hold of the hanger from his awaiting fingers. "Wado."

"Gvlieliga," he replied and returned to his bench outside of the changing rooms. "Getting back to Charlie?" Reshen reminded her.

"Oh, yeah, um – well, we haven't had much of a chance to really socialize like most normal folks," Dani told him.

"That's code for; 'We met during a case', right?"

"Right."

"Carry on."

"He seems like he's a fun guy. He's got laughter in his eyes."

Reshen grimaced. "Not sure I'm ready to hear my goddaughter spouting poetry about a guy yet."

"Well tough luck, old man." The changing room curtain was drawn back, and Dani stepped out wearing a forest-green, long-sleeved dress, black leggings, and boots. "What do you think?"

There was really nothing extra special about the dress, but somehow it accentuated the brown tones of her skin and eyes and brought out the feminine curves of her face. Curves that didn't belong to a child, but to a grown woman. Reshen was quiet as he stared at her, stunned. Where had the time gone?

Dani fidgeted nervously. "Is it that bad?"

He gave her a strained smile. "No. It's not bad," he assured her, fighting the tight vise that had suddenly taken over his throat. "It's not bad at all. It's just..." He gestured helplessly at her. "You're really not twelve anymore."

Dani pointed sternly at him. "Don't you dare make me start crying."

The Goblin King nodded and turned away a moment, wiped his eyes, then faced her again with a smile. "I say you've found your date dress."

He didn't know how much longer he could stand watching Dani pace the length of the room as she waited for her date to arrive. He'd already used up the distraction of having her tell him how she met Charlie, asked the required number of questions that an overly protective uncle was allotted, and argued with her about having one of his personal guards tail them for his peace of mind. The latter discussion ended with Reshen grumbling under his breath as he sent a 'stand down' text to the guard he had waiting in the cafe across the street.

"What time did he say he'd pick you up?"

"Seven."

It was 6:45. Fifteen minutes to go. Though, it probably felt like an eternity to Dani.

The sound of Sam and Dean's voices were heard in the hall as they returned from the college. Dani stood still, trying to determine if they were going to approach her door. They didn't. They went straight to their room and shut the door. It wasn't long before Dani overheard Dean's raised voice. "Why would I take your computer?"

"Because no one else could have, Dean! We keep the door locked. We never let any maids in."

Dani sighed. "Here we go again."

Reshen stared at the wall he assumed was shared by the Winchester's room and narrowed his eyes in concern. "Do they argue a lot?"

Dani shrugged. "I mean, it comes with the sibling territory, but it's been pretty frequent lately."

"Dude, you know somethin'. I put up with a lot from you," Sam boomed.

"What are you talkin' bout? I'm a joy to be around?"

"Yeah? Your dirty socks in the sink! Your food in the fridge!"

"What's wrong with my food?"

"It's not food anymore, Dean! It's Darwinism!"

Reshen tiptoed over and put his ear to the wall. "What are you doing?" Dani asked.

"Shhh! I'm trying to get the tea, is what I'm doing."

Dani laughed and pulled at his jacket. "Get away from there; you'll hear them just fine."

The arguing continued until Dani, whose nerves were already on edge awaiting her date, was about to storm over and tear them a new one when there was a knock at her door. Reshen glance at his wristwatch. "7:00 o'clock on the dot. Punctual, I'll give him that." Dani made a shooing motion. "I'll leave you to it then. Call me if you need me. Good luck." He was gone in the blink of an eye.

Dani took a deep breath then opened the door. A bouquet of sunflowers drew her eye. "You seemed like the sunny type," Charlie explained.

"I love them."

More raised voices from the boys. Dani winced. They'd blow their cover if Charlie recognized their voices, or if one of them decided to storm out. "Come on in and have a seat while I put these in some water."

"Ya know, it's probably none of my business," Charlie said as he settled on the sofa. "But why is a college student staying in a hotel instead of a dorm?"

Dani thought quickly. "My dormmate kicked me out. I'm looking for an apartment and staying here in the meantime."

"Gotcha. Mystery solved." He snapped his fingers. "Hey, so I found out that the fair's in town. I figured I'd run it by you if you wanted to go there instead of to a restaurant."

"I can't remember the last time I've ever been to the fair." Dani grinned. "I say screw the restaurant."

Charlie laughed. "That's what I hoped you'd say." He hopped to his feet. "Let's get going! We can eat there. Totally got a craving for some cotton candy."

Dani may have forgotten when she last been to a fair, but she certainly remembered how to have fun at one. Charlie was up for going on all the rides, but Dani was hesitant to go on the ones that lifted her high up. After going on several rides that kept them low to the ground, Charlie tried convincing her to go on one high rides.

"What about that one?" He pointed to a swing carousel that was currently running. It rose high off the ground and was tilted at a slight angle so that the riders would have a small descent in their rotations.

Dani eyed it warily. "I don't know..."

"Don't you want to know what it feels like to fly?"

She looked at the ride a little longer, considering. To fly? … "Okay." Charlie smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he steered her to the line. He tried to distract her with talk as they waited; asked her where she was from, about her family, what she liked to do in her free time, etc. Dani found she rather liked the attention.

Their turn came up, and Dani's nervousness increased when she realized that all the seats were single riders. Charlie chose a swing that was cattycorner in front of hers. After securing themselves in their seats, Charlie turned to look back at her. "It'll be okay, sugar." The ride shuddered and slowly began to lift them off the ground. Dani's heart began to race, and she clung to the swings chains tightly.

"Hey," Charlie called softly. He held out his hand. "Grab on." Dani latched onto his hand instantly. The carousel was already beginning to circle, slowly gaining momentum the higher they went. Finally, they reached the top and Dani squeezed tightly to Charlie's hand when the slight descent happened. Charlie laughed with delight. Dani's eyes fixed on the ground. They were so high up –

"Dani!"

She snapped her focus onto the side of Charlie's face. "Stop looking down, sugar! Look out!"

She did so... and gasped. She could see the whole fair from up here. A myriad of colors in electric lights twinkled and flashed in a mesmerizing display. From the ground, the fair appeared crowded, bright, and congested, but up here... it was a magical sight. "What do you think?" Charlie shouted to be heard above the wind.

"It's gorgeous!"

The wind rushed by her face, causing a chill to creep over her, but she ignored it in favor of focusing on the warmth of Charlie's hand and the grin on his face whenever he'd look at her. The butterflies in her stomach were a mixture of the height and his smile.

The carousel shuddered as it began to descend, and the swings slowed to a halt. Charlie released Dani's hand to unclip himself from the swing, and she did the same, but the moment they were free, his hand sought hers again. "Well, how was it?" he asked.

"That was amazing!" she laughed, feeling exhilarated.

"Liked it, huh?"

"Asehi! Oh yo! Could we go on it again before we leave?"

"We can go on it as many times as you want."

"Do'ke? Really?"

"Hellz yeah."

Dani beamed at him and leaned her back against the wall of the Water Log Ride. "You're turning out to be a pretty good date."

Charlie placed a hand on the wall and leaned in with a flirtatious smile. "I was just thinking the same thing." His eyes glanced at her mouth as he continued leaning closer. Dani considered stopping him. After all, they'd only just met, and she wanted her first kiss to be with someone she could trust. But she was spared the awkward decision when a wave of water from the log ride spilled over the wall and splashed her and Charlie.

"Cold," Dani squeaked as the chill seeped through her clothes. "Very cold!"

Charlie held her close and rubbed her arms, laughing a little. "C'mon. I saw some of those outdoor heaters near the food court."

"So cooold!"

They laughed as they ran and held onto each other to keep warm. As soon as Dani spotted one of the portable heaters, she darted towards it, leaving Charlie behind. "Hey!" he hollered.

"You're on your own, popsicle!" She planted herself in front of the heater, hands extended towards it and turning round and round to warm herself.

"Left me to the cold," Charlie pretended to wail.

"Did you know it's been scientifically proven that males have a higher body temperature than females?"

"... Is that why most women always want to snuggle?"

"Hm. Cute and smart."

"Want some hot chocolate?"

"Cute, smart and a mind reader! I've hit the jackpot!"

"You try to warm up; I'll get the hot chocolate."

"Hawa."

Dani watched him go with the grin so big that her face was beginning to hurt. This date was sooo much better than her first.

"Sooo, how's it goin'?" Reshen's voice spoke up from behind her.

Dani whirled around to find him casually sitting with his back against the edge of a picnic table and his elbows propped on its surface. His business suit clashed with his languid posture and the casual clothes of the other fairgoers. "Judging by that happy grin, I'd say good." His human glamour may have dulled the reflective silver of his eyes to plain grey, but there was no mistaking the impish gleam in them as he smirked mischievously at her.

"What are you doing here!" Dani hissed.

"Well, it's been a couple of hours since you left on your date, and I just wanted to check in."

"Has it really been that long?" Dani asked in surprise.

Reshen smiled, a hint of white teeth glinting in the fair lights. "You must be having fun."

Dani blushed and nodded. "I am. I like him a lot."

Reshen glanced around. "Where is he?"

"Getting us hot chocolate over there," Dani said, pointing.

"Hm," Reshen grunted, observing Charlie from afar. He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess he's good looking enough for my goddaughter."

"Shut up." Dani glanced back at the hot chocolate booth to find Charlie paying. He'd be heading back any second. "You have to leave now."

"Ashamed of me or afraid I'll embarrass you?"

"I can't begin to list the reasons why, but you have to leave now," Dani urged.

Reshen sighed and got up from the table. "Fine, fine, fine." He adjusted his suit and fixed her with a playfully stern stare. "He better be a gentleman to you."

Dani rolled her eyes. "Love you."

"Love ya too." He walked behind a ticket booth but never turned up on the other side.

"Who were you talking to?" Charlie asked once he was close enough to be heard.

Dani shrugged, "I'm not sure. He didn't introduce himself." She thanked him as he handed her a cup of hot chocolate.

"Was he bothering you?"

"No, just made small talk. I think he was trying to be friendly."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm good," Dani assured him "so, what do you suggest we go on next?"

They went on nearly every ride and rode the swing carousel twice more. Anytime Dani would find herself nervous about a certain ride, Charlie would hold her hand and find something else for her to focus on. There was a dance floor with a live band playing, and Charlie led her onto it without hesitation.

The third song they danced to was a slow song, and Dani didn't know it yet, but 'Make You Feel My Love' would forever remind her of this night as Charlie held her close and sang low in her ear.

"I know you haven't made your mind up yet,

But I would never do you wrong.

I've known it from the moment that we met

There's no doubt in my mind where you belong..."

Dani knew it was ridiculous to think such things about a man she barely knew, but... with his arms around her and being held so close… the way he was singing... It almost felt like a promise.

The moment was broken when his hand brushed against one of her back scars and she sucked in a pained gasp. Charlie stepped back; concern evident on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just..." she gritted her teeth, "your hand's on a sensitive spot," she whispered.

He immediately removed his hand, apologizing. Dani wanted the ground to swallow her up because up until now, Charlie had been treating and looking at her as if he didn't see the scars on her face. But now she drawn his attention to them and unintentionally reminded him that they extended beyond her face.

The Trickster saw her cringing into herself and guessed her thoughts. He could honestly say he didn't give a flying crap about her scars or how many she had, but apparently, she'd had too many experiences where other people didn't feel the same way. He didn't want the night to end with her feeling like this.

"How about some games?" he asked.

"... games?"

"Yeah. This date can't end before I've won you some ridiculously huge stuffed animal, right?"

Dani chuckled, relief smoothing her features as she nodded. "Let's see what you've got."

About an hour before Dani left for her date with Charlie, there was a death reported. A very grisly death. In fact, the police didn't list a cause of death because they had no clue what the cause was. So, Sam and Dean decided to check it out themselves.

"Should we call her?" Dean asked as they got ready to leave their room.

Sam checked his watch "It's getting late and she's not back yet. She hasn't called us to get her out of it. Guess the date's going really well. We'll tell her what we find."

They waited until the coroner's office was dark and the parking lot emptied before stealing along to the side windows and using a pocketknife to lift the latch. Sam went through first, followed by Dean. They wasted no time. Dean opened the body drawer and shined his light through. His face fell at the sight of the small lump covered by a bloody sheet. "Well, this oughta be quick."

Sliding the drawer out, Dean gingerly peeled off the blanket and grimaced at the mangled remains of an arm, a leg, and... something else he didn't want to look too closely at. "Ugh. Okay," Dean groaned, turning away. "That is just nasty."

Sam held a hand over his mouth and nose, trying to mask the smell. "Uh, yeah."

"Mutilated?"

"Looks to me like something was hungry."

"They identify him yet?"

"Yeah. A-a research scientist at the college." Sam took a steeling breath and bent over for a closer look. "Guess where his office was, by the way?"

"Hm?"

"Crawford Hall, same as the professor."

"That's right where the frat boy had his close encounter."

"…Yeah," Sam said distractedly. His brow puckered as something embedded on the corpse caught his eye. "Hey, grab me that thing, would you?" he asked, pointing to the giant magnifying light. Dean rolled it to him and clicked it on. "Thanks." Sam angled the glass and peered at the object.

"What is it?"

Sam blinked in surprise. "Looks like a...a belly scale?"

"A belly scale? From what?"

"Uuuh… an alligator?"

Dean thought a moment. "An alligator in the sewer. Come on."

"What?" Sam questioned, looking sideways at his brother. Seeing the skepticism on his face, Sam straightened up. "Well, Dean, it's a classic urban legend. A-a-a kid flushes a baby gator down the toilet, and it grows huge in the tunnels."

"Yeah, but no one's ever really found one. I mean, they... they're not real."

"Well, neither is alien abduction. But something chomped on this guy."

Dean looked at the remains and shook his head. "This couldn't get any weirder."

"Maybe we should get some help. I'll call Bobby. Maybe he's run into something like this before."

"Oh, I'm sure he has, just your typical haunted-campus-alien-abduction-alligator-in-the-sewer gig. Yeah, it's simple. Can't wait to fill Dani in on this."

"Another win, sir!" the carnie announced with forced heartiness, trying to mask his frustration. The Trickster knew the games were rigged to be, not impossible to win, but very difficult to do so. And yet he'd won nearly every game he played. Nearly because he didn't want to arouse any suspicions, but dang it he was determined to win his girl a giant stuffed owl. He knew it the moment Dani let out a tiny gasp of delight upon seeing the owl that 'Big Bird' was going to be hers. So yeah. He used his mojo to even the playing field.

"One more win and you get your pick of the big prizes!" the carnie reminded him.

The Trickster gave Dani a boyish grin and held the little hoop up to her face. "Lady's luck?"

Dani laughed and blew on the hoop. "You're ridiculous," she said.

"Or just determined."

"Oh, is that what you call it?"

He winked at her and enjoyed the sight of her blushing. Focusing on his target, a bottle set up about seven feet away, the Trickster adjusted his stance and readied the hoop. One…two…three! He let it fly in it rung the bottle smoothly.

Dani let out a cheer and threw her arms around his neck. "You did it!"

"Congratulations," the carnie muttered through clenched teeth. "Pick a prize."

The Trickster smirked as he pointed at the stuffed owl that was about the size of his arm. "I'll have that one for the lady."

They ended the night by sharing a funnel cake and just as they were leaving, Charlie spotted a vendor selling caramel apples and got himself one. He'd offered to get Dani one as well, but Dani couldn't even think about eating anymore sweets. "You've got quite the sweet tooth," she commented.

"I love sugar. Can't help it."

Dani held her stuffed owl closer and gave a sigh of contentment. The night had gone amazingly well. Charlie slid his hand into her free one and squeezed. She squeezed back. "Well, was it a good date?" he asked.

"Totally worth getting caught in a window for... And the blisters currently developing on my feet."

"Oh, well, we can't have that." He hailed a taxi and gave the driver the name of her hotel. Relaxing in the backseat together, Dani laid her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, but was mindful of her scars. "Am I allowed to say something really sappy on our first date?"

Dani, feeling a bit sleepy, gave a tired sound of acceptance. She felt his lips brush her ear. "I wish the night would never end."

Dani smiled. "Me too." Warm pulled within her belly when his lips pressed against her forehead. For the rest of the car ride, they sat in contented silence while his hand played with her hair.

Outside of the hotel, they exchanged numbers and Charlie promised to call her sometime tomorrow. He kissed her on the cheek and said goodnight. As he watched her enter the hotel, he whistled to the tune of 'The Lady in Red' and gave Dani a final wave good-bye when she turned around to look at him before disappearing inside.

He walked about a block on foot then teleported home. With the hunters closing in, he needed to prep a few more obstacles to throw their way before calling it a night. But he meant what he'd said to Dani; he hadn't wanted the night to end. And he sincerely hoped that he'd have more time with her before he was forced to move on.

It was nearly midnight when Dani walked the hall to her hotel room and discovered the door was already unlocked. Sam and Dean had turned the two chairs to face the door and were waiting for her.

"Osiyo, boys," she greeted.

"Do you know what time it is?" Dean asked, scowling.

"Wow, Da! You look so young!" Danny exclaimed sarcastically. Dean made a face that expressed disapproval.

"How'd it go?" Sam asked awkwardly.

"We all know you two didn't wait up to ask me about my date," Dani said, setting aside her keys. "What's up?"

Sam sighed. "Well..."

Cherokee Words and Phrases: (*asterisks mean I am making a guess as to the pronunciations and basing it off what I know of the Cherokee language.)

Asehi – Yes (*ah-say-hee)

Do'ke? – Really?

Edutsi – Uncle (*ā-dooh-see)

Gatono – Why?

Gvlieliga – You're welcome (gun-lee-aa-lee-gah)

Hawa – Okay / Alright (hah-wah)

Osiyo – Hello (oh-see-yōh) [Informal – (see-yōh)]

Vtla – No (un-tlah)

Wado – Thank you (wah-doe)

Yo – [This word can be used in a variety of ways, but it is an equivalent to saying, "Oh gosh, oh man, oh geez," etc.]