A/N; Hello all. We just wanted to let you know that we have a new author joining us in writing this fic. They will also be drawing a cover for it. There are arcs in this story and we have planned out most of them. Let us know if you have any requests.
MsThunderskies doesn't write these notes, I do, because she's too lazy to help me.
MsThunderskies:ExCuSE mE! It takes so much just to make you write one paragraph. Also, I'm playing the piano!
*Aggressively plays lullaby*
As always, this was fun to write.
R+R please.
With love,
DragonXeona and MsThunderskies
Atla and I made a decision. We had traveled to some other stories, moments in history, but we still felt like Supernatural was sort of a… home away from home. So, we decided to make an extended visit into the lives of Sam and Dean. I would've liked to start after Cas was a consistent character, maybe once they had discovered the bunker so I could have my own room, but so far we can't figure out how to control exactly where we're spat out. So we packed some clothes, as much cash as we could between the two of us, and some personal items into a duffel and backpack. I was wearing a simple white t-shirt paired with some blue jeans and had a flannel cover up around my waist. I had decided to wear regular sneakers just in case. Atla had on a red tank top with black leggings and a black, knitted cardigan. She went with a pair of dark brown Uggs and put her hair up in a messy bun. We placed the book on the altar and found ourselves on an empty country road in the middle of the night. I look around, totally lost.
"Uh…" Atla didn't seem to have a clue of where to go next either.
"Maybe we could just start walking?" She takes out her phone and turns on the flashlight. "The book always seems to put us in Sam and Dean's path."
I nod. We pick a direction, and sort of just, drift. I was hoping this wasn't the episode where that lady was like a ghost and kept reliving the day she got in an accident. I cried a lot in that one. But I'm pretty sure that started in the day, so there was hope. Alta started humming a small tune, just to fill the silence when we heard an engine in the distance behind us. We both stop to look around. I untie that flannel that was around my waist and put it on. It's kinda cold. Atla and I exchange glances when the car rolls into view, recognizing it instantly. I cross my arms, and look at Dean's face, bemused as he slams the brakes. Sam stares at Dean before he notices us and jumps out of the car.
"Guys?" Sam ran over to us, stopping a few feet away. Dean slams the door, making me jump slightly before walking over to us.
"Of course." He grumbled. Sam looked at him questioning. Dean threw up his hands, "Of course, you two idiots just show up here in the middle of the road, not a day older than you looked the first time we met you two years ago. Of course we just HAPPEN to run into you now. Oh fuck this. Fuck you. Get in the car, c'mon I know you just invited yourself on whatever the hell we're doing. UGH." He got back in the car, and slammed the door again. Sam turned to look at me, shaking his head.
"It's good to see you." I nod and smile. Atla and I get into the back seat, and Dean drives off, cursing us and the world under his breath.
"Uh… How long has it been since you last saw us?" I asked. May as well just, let them be confused about us and our time traveling ways. They both know there's something wrong with us.
"About eight months." I nod. So probably early in season three. Dammit, no Cas. I wanna meet him so bad. We rode in silence for a while.
"So, where are you guys going?" Atla asked looking out the window. The clock on Dean's dashboard read about eleven at night.
"We just finished up a case with an… old friend of Dean's." I think for a moment.
"Lisa?" I say out loud. At the same time Atla mumbles, "More like an old flame…" Damn.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT!" Dean bangs his hands on the steering wheel, and looks at Sam almost accusingly. As if he would know. "HOW DOES SHE KNOW?" I shake with suppressed laughter.
"Maybe I'm god." I say.
"I bet you know who god is." I try to remember when Chuck was introduced.
Realizing they haven't met him yet and probably won't remember this when they do, I respond with, "Of course. Chuck is god." Dean holds his middle finger up, and Sam and Atla crack up. Just then, a phone goes off. It's one of John's old phones. Sam picks it up and answers it, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. A storage lot owned by their dad was broken into. Oh no. Bad Day at Black Rock. Fuck, this could get ugly.
I honestly quite liked being around Dean and Sam. Their jokes and constant banter are a welcome change from the atmosphere of my own home. Most of all, they don't question us. I mean they do yes, but in the end they just chalk up to us being weird. And the funny thing is, I think they actually like it. While they argue in the front seat me and Rowan share a look, she knows what I'm thinking.
"Hey losers!" I yell.
Dean retorts, "What do you want twerp?"
"We're hungry, we haven't eaten in awhile." Rowan informs. She isn't lying, we didn't eat before we left. I was also strangely tired, maybe the trip saps our energy?
Sam raises an eyebrow, "What were you guys doing out there anyway?"
I scramble for an answer. We can't exactly tell them we just popped out of nowhere, coming into their world via a secret library.
"We got kicked out." Rowan blurts. WHY WOULD SHE SAY THAT! She really is the worst liar in history.
"Um, yeah…" I back her up. No choice now, just go with it. "We were staying in a group home and the lady there hated us, so she tossed us out." Jesus we should have planned this out.
"Tough." Dean looks into the rear view mirror, pulling into a diner parking lot.
"What, you don't believe us?" I challenge. Rowan raises her eyebrows, trying to warn me probably… I never know what the fuck she's thinking.
"Hell no." I look at Dean, surprised by his response, "We don't even think you're human. And you probably have some fishy ulterior motives, but we've known you for like two years now, and we like you. And when the other shoe drops, we'll just kill you."
"The other shoe's never gonna drop." Rowan gets out of the car and turns to look at Dean. He shrugs.
"Here's hoping," he mumbles.
Inside, I get a chocolate milkshake and fries, Sam gets some weird egg thingy.
The waitress turns, "And what would you like?"
Simultaneously, Dean and Rowan say, "The apple pie." Rowan added a small please at the end. The waitress smiled at both of them awkwardly, then walked away. Sam stifled a laugh and I snickered.
"Guess you two idiots have something in common," Sam smiles.
"Other than their ability to annoy the fuck out of us?" I snorted. Sam nodded, laughing to himself, and Dean made a face. If any average person saw us we would just look like a normal family out to get a late night snack, and the notion comforted me. I smiled warmly and finished my milkshake.
"Well you see, there's this false axiom, that cake is somehow better than pie." Rowan says, leaning on the table. Dean nods along.
"But cake is really just dry sweet bread with a pile of butter and sugar on it." Dean finishes.
"And pie has flavour, and texture and the crust is so satisfying. It never lets you down. You can't have too much pie."
"But one extra bite of cake and you're sick all night."
"Exactly!"
Sam moves real close to Dean as if he's trying to mock a serious conversation, "Did you get some girl pregnant sixteen years ago?" He asked. Dean looked at him sideways, but then rolled his eyes.
"Just because Rowan's the only other person around with good taste and common sense, doesn't mean she's my long lost daughter." Sam and I shook with laughter, as the waitress brought our food. We nodded thank you, unable to stop laughing.
"Yeah, any child of Dean's would be the devil themselves, but I guess Rowan comes pretty close." I giggled.
Rowan glared at me shocked, "How am I the devil? Are you kidding? I'm adorable!"
"Hmm, I guess. You can't fight to save your life either." She threw a fry at me.
"Are you seriously still on that? We get it! I can't throw a punch! Whatever."
Dean spoke before I could, "That was a pretty horrible swing. Like my god, if there was one thing that confirmed to us that you guys aren't threatening, it was that. Although Atla's move where she got you off balance, that was pretty impressive. Sam and I could mess that up. But that one's also easier when you're smaller." I flipped my hair back, "But Rowan, you and I could work on those skills if you wanted. I could teach you how to do that stuff. I wouldn't have two years ago, but supposedly you're sixteen, which is way too young, but there seems to be no stopping you."
"Hey! What about me?" I ask.
"We could work on your temper," He snarks. Rowan laughs this time.
I grumble, "Bitch."
Rowan shakes her head at Dean and says, "Do YOU really get to comment on other's anger management?"
Sam bumps his brother's arm, "She's got a point." Dean finished scarfing down his pie.
"Alright, we gotta hit the road. I wanna be at that storage facility before sun up."
I make a face. Rowan had thoroughly briefed me on almost every episode of Supernatural, but I still don't know it as well as she does. Mentally, I went through this episode but I couldn't pull much from it except the fact that there's an unlucky rabbit's foot circling around.
We walked outside and got in the car. Rowan was shivering slightly. We still had a couple of hours left to drive. I saw her lean against the window, and fall asleep, using her flannel as a blanket. I tried to do the same but was having difficulty. So I engaged in conversation with Dean, since Sam had also dozed off.
"So. How have you two been? Really?" Dean stared at me in the rearview mirror.
"Fine I guess. We've definitely warmed up to each other a bit. Or, at least I've warmed up to her." Dean nodded approvingly.
"You've been taking care of her?" I roll my eyes.
"She's not helpless. Really. She can take care of herself mostly. And I'm not a total badass."
"So, you're not worried about her getting herself into bad situations anymore?" I grimace.
"No, I guess I still am. I… I don't know. I guess now I know I'll just have to be there to get her out of them. And she'll be there to get me out of the ones I get into. But she knew that from the beginning. It was me who just needed to accept it." Wow I must be getting tired. That was Rowan level rambling.
I was jolted awake when the car came to a harsh stop. We got out of the car and were led down to a huge lot, filled with weird supernatural shit, demon warding on the floor. Poor babies didn't even think of angles. Not that that was relevant yet, but still funny. I walked around, looking for the dust free square that formerly held the rabbit foot.
"Here!" I call out. The others speed walk over to me, and stare at it. Well, Sam and Dean did, Atla was still poking around with dangerous, demon items.
"They must've known what they were looking for. No way they'd pass all these weapons and rare artifacts just to take one tiny box." Dean muttered, looking around.
"And obviously one of them was wounded," Sam gestured at the blood marks on the floor, "But they seemed to have made it out alright."
"Camera's?" I suggest.
"I'll check it out." Dean, Atla and I sat in the car, and Sam marched out of the building.
"Got a plate. I know where to go." Sam said, and we sped off.
A couple hours later we stop outside an apartment complex, with the car we saw on the security tape parked outside.
"Dudes should've blacked out their plates before breaking into Dad's storage unit," Dean says.
Sam turns to us, "You guys should probably stay here, we don't know what might happen in there."
I'm conflicted. On one hand, I don't want to be staring down the barrel of a gun, on the other, I really wanna see the rabbit's foot in action. But I guess my will to stay alive won as I nodded to him.
"We'll wait in the car, be safe." I sigh, desperately wanting to join them. Wanting to see the hilarious effects of the rabbit foot. But Atla and I wait outside patiently. Then we hear gunshots go off, and all logic gets tossed out the proverbial window. I wanted to be a part of this comedic fight so bad it hurt. The consistent silent ringing in my ear shifted as the gears in my head turned off, and I sprinted for the stairs, Atla on my heels. We burst into the room, and see Sam on the ground, trying to grab the foot. I sprint for foot, and grab it. I feel the effects take place instantly. I barely even think, "it'd be nice if that guy stopped choking Sam" and suddenly, the ceiling fan broke and fell on him. He didn't die… He let out a comedic grunt, and Sam pushed him away. I heard someone coming from behind me, and I spun around, my arm swinging and accidentally hitting him square in the face, totally knocking him into a wall, where he fell to the ground.
"KO! Nice one Rowan!" Atla grins. I stared at her warily. Knowing that this was… not good. All I had to do was steer clear of Bela, but now they needed to meet Bela in order for other events to take place… goddamnit. So I either risk dying, or mess up the storyline severely… Can I even mess up the storyline? Would Chuck even allow that? I don't think so but I'm gonna try my best to stick as close to the original plot as possible. Fuck Chuck.
I whisper to myself, "Don't die I guess…" I look around, I had mostly just been standing still, and a ring of adult men knocked out lay around me.
"I…" I giggle a little. The brothers look at me, jaws dropped, Atla just snickers.
"This is gonna be good."
So after I grabbed the foot, Dean drove us to a gas station. To buy lottery tickets. SERIOUSLY! I might DIE if I lose this thing and he wants to get rich? Fuck my life.
"I don't know how this thing could ever be cursed. It's a gold mine!" Dean says enthusiastically.
I grit my teeth, "Your dad locked the rabbit's foot up for a reason, Dean. I highly doubt it's all good."
"She's right," Sam backs me up.
"THANK YOU."
Atla frowns, "I don't like it." We turn to her, "There's no way that this thing can be all good. Everything has a price. For every action there's an equal and opposite reaction, so we can say that while the foot gives you insane good luck, maybe if something happens it'll give you horribly, bad luck?"
We both know this of course, but Alta is explaining it so that Sam and Dean get the gist of it. Even though they'll figure it out in a couple of hours. Dean parks the car at a diner and we walk inside. As soon as we request a table we are given the honor of being their millionth customers. Yipee. Atla looks at me warily, shame plastered on Sam's face. Dean however just seems delighted. As usual, the smart ones are worried and Dean is just Dean.
I glance over at my fellow investigators. Atla seemed serious for about a second, before looking at Dean and bursting into a grin in response to his delighted complexion. I shake my head slightly before awkwardly speaking up.
"Hey, could you like, not post that on any social media or anything? My friend here," I pat Atla's shoulder, "has some pretty serious social anxiety." The guy looked at Atla strangely, it was an unconvincing lie, considering the way she was looking at me. But he shrugged and said sure. We made our way to a table and got some snackage. Dean was happily eating some ice cream and talking to Sam about who was going to be Rain Man. Then a waiter comes around and offers to refill Sam's coffee. Of course it was Bela in disguise. The flirting was super awkward for me, and I suspect Atla as well. She was looking down and drinking her milkshake steadily. What I didn't realize is that she was on her phone. I look back up and she pinches my forearm.
"Ow!" I hiss. Alta grabs my wrist and shows me the message she was writing. I observe the table; Sam is still shamelessly hitting on this girl and Dean is smiling knowingly.
Atla has typed out, "Are we stopping this?"
Nice to know I wasn't the only one worrying about that. I shake my head no and she doesn't question it. Atla nods and looks away. Just then, the coffee spills on Sam's lap.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"
Sam stutters, "No, no, it's okay, don't worry about it."
"Here, let me clean that up."
Bela bends down and the scene plays in slow motion. I clearly see her searching for the rabbit's foot. Except he doesn't have it, I do. My hand tightens over my jeans pocket. A frown flashes across her face before she promptly covers it up. Then she stands up and walks away, looking seductively back at the table, eyes on Sam.
They finally notice the silence and turn to face us on the other side of the booth. I'm red-faced and Atla has her head in her hands, looking out the window with a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
Atla squeaks, annoyed, "I never want to see that again."
"She didn't think it was a little inappropriate?" I question. Sam shook his head and shrugged.
Atla and I already saw this happen, but being there makes it even more cringy.
Dean raises an eyebrow, "Dude, what's with that? It's not like you have the foot. Why doesn't Rowan have hot waiters falling all over her?"
"Shut up." Sam smirks.
I throw a harsh look at Dean, "I'm fif-seventeen."
"And you don't look a day over twelve." I flip him off. We were gonna have to come up with an excuse for why we didn't look any older. Maybe we can find something in the library…
I stood up, ready to get out of here, and we all made our way outside. It was crowded, and I bumped in to like thirty people, I tried to just follow Sam's beacon of a head. He opened the door for me, and for Atla and Dean. But as soon as I stepped outside, I tripped and fell flat on my face. I heard Atla laughing her ass off, as I rolled over, I ignored the blood dripping from my chin and my skinned hands and felt my pocket. The foot was gone. Here we go.
We should probably skip this next step of going to visit those guys, because I know who has the foot, and I know where she is. But, because of my… situation. I've decided it's best to just follow this episode's arc as closely as possible. Who knows what could go wrong today? We go back to that apartment. That man was sitting on a chair, drinking and looking at a photo. I felt a surge of guilt. I could've stopped that. I should've destroyed the foot as soon as I got it. Fucked the storyline. Just cast it into Mount Doom. I tune out of the conversation between Dean and the thief. I take a step back, needing a break from everything, but I get my foot caught on wire and I fall over.
"You ok?" Dean asks, Atla buckles over laughing and Sam picks me up. Unfortunately, before he can place me back on my feet, he slips and we both fall. Atla's laughter roars through the apartment. Sam and I get up quickly, and he resumes his intimidating stance in front of Atla and I. The man just raises his eyebrows at me and keeps talking. I can barely hear him. I feel so overwhelmed with guilt and embarrassment. Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea. What if by coming here, we bring these characters into reality, and if we just stayed away they wouldn't exist to feel this pain? And if they're genuinely real, what are we doing here? With all the information Atla and I have, we could be the best hunters in the world. We could save so many people. What did Dean say in the monsters at the end of the book? We have a guide book of what not to do. Before these thoughts can continue, Atla is pulling me out the door by my arm.
Outside, Dean gets a call from Bobby. I walked staring at the ground, being very careful not to step on gum. Something fell on my head, I looked up to see a bunch of acorns fall on my face. I hold my arms to block them and that's when my leg fell into the grate. I had fallen all the way to my knee, and fuck did it hurt. Sam and Atla ran over to me while Dean just sighed on the phone with exasperation. Sam pulled me out, but my shoe got caught on the grate, and we heard it fall to the bottom. I rub my eyes, totally exhausted. I look up at Atla. Her lips are pressed together in a thin line. I shake my head and turn to Dean.
"What?" He asks. I must look pretty obstreperous. I just shrug. Everyone stares at me, for a solid minute, saying nothing. Seriously Chuck? Is this specific moment that important to you? The story literally can't go forward unless I say this line?
I groan and sadly say, "I lost my shoe." I feel Atla's spirit leave her body with happiness next to me. Dean and Sam shake their heads, and drive me to a hotel.
"Alright, here's the plan. Sam and I are going to see this Bela chick in queens. Atla, you're gonna stay with Rowan, in this room, and keep her out of trouble." Atla shakes her head.
"I think I should go with you and Sam should stay here." I look at her questioning before she continues, "Rowan's bad luck according to Bobby right? I can shoot a gun, but I can't protect her from herself nearly as well as Sam could. Also, I'm a little girl. We're gonna need to sneak into this Bela woman's house. I'm excellent at that kinda stuff, if I do say so myself."
"She is very surreptitious." I agree. Sam and Dean glance at each other, considering.
"I don't like the idea of leaving them alone in this dingey motel. And you could use backup."
Dean groaned, "Fine, but I don't like it."
The drive to Bela's house wasn't very long, but it still felt like hours. On the outside I was totally fine, chilling in the passenger seat listening to music. On the inside I was having a mental breakdown. It's fine though, I'm just terrified that one of us is gonna get hurt. What if Dean gets shot? What if Bela sees me too early? What if I fuck this up? I turn to Dean and he smirks, he can see the fear and sheer panic in my eyes.
"Don't look so scared kid. I am awesome, after all."
I give a half-hearted snort, "Yeah, awesome at being a cocky asshole."
"Hey!"
I giggle. Well, here's to hoping.
We parked a ways away from the house and started walking. Dean hasn't really made a plan, or any kind of strategy really. How stupid can he be?! Seriously, what kind of person walks into someone's house without even an inkling of what they're gonna do? I avoid the camera's letting him be an unknowing distraction as I sneak around and come at her from behind. I walk in to see Bella, in a standoff with Dean, guns pointed at each other's heads.
I sat on the bed, literally twiddling my thumbs. Sam went to get us some food, but would be back any minute. I didn't move from my spot, but I did turn the radiator off, and removed the blinds from the windows. Sam got back in and handed me a veggie burrito. I smiled and bit into it, but instantly spit it out.
"What's wrong?" He asked, sighing.
"It's definitely bad." I say, coughing. I felt the little bit I had swallowed fight to come back up, and I didn't have enough time to get to the bathroom.
"It's gonna be ok." Sam said. I went to the bathroom and tried to wash my mouth out. The water was scalding. I shook it off my hands violently, but then slipped on it and fell. Everything went black.
Fuck. Rowan's bad luck radius must be expanding because this is some bullshit. I mean seriously, what the hell am I supposed to now?! I look down. Well... that was surprisingly easy. There's the rabbit's foot, staring straight at me from its place on the countertop. I pick it up with the tongs and sneakily back out through the door. As soon as I close it, I run as fast as I can to the car and throw the foot and tongs into my backpack, just in case this goes wrong. I worry my lip to the point where I start to bleed. Where in the everloving hell is this man? I wait for another 5 minutes and the driver's door opens.
"Finally!" I hiss. "Where have you been?"
"With a girl," he smirks.
"Oh you insufferable, cretin! I will tear out your throat one of these days!"
He huffs and shakes his head, then we start driving back.
"I hope Rowan hasn't killed herself or Sam yet."
"That would be a bitch to clean up…"
"Yeah…"
When I came to, I could hear Rowan and Dean's voices mixed with Sam's. It was that weird, disorienting experience when you hear disembodied voices, you can't entirely tell if they're part of a dream or not. Like when you were little and you took a road trip with your parents, and the sun set so they tell you to lean your head against the window and try to fall asleep. But instead of falling asleep, you squeeze your eyes shut and enjoy the cool window against your forehead, and you listen to them talk into the night. And you pretend to be asleep so they'll carry you into the hotel room.
I blinked my eyes open, and rolled onto my side, zeroing in on the four heads standing by the door.
"Ready to go to sleep, beauty?" I grumbled something at whoever said that, and fell out of bed.
"Did you destroy the foot?" I yawn.
"That's what we're on our way to do." Dean says. We drive out to some cemetery, and Sam lights a fire, sprinkling cayenne pepper into it. I keep a look out for Bela, and try to stay as still as possible. She shows up quickly, holding a gun at us.
"That was a good play. Didn't expect you to bring the kid." She said nodding at Atla, who grinned proudly, "Give me the foot. You're risking a lot of money for me." Dean scoffs.
"What kinda bitch knows about this world, and takes advantage of people by selling them cursed objects?" He asks rhetorically.
"Like you're so much better." Neither Sam, nor Dean say anything to this.
"Look, I know you're not gonna shoot me-" An incredibly loud crack rips through the air. I feel a searing pain in my leg and I collapse. Dean looks at Bela horrified as Sam and Atla run to my aid.
"Shit!" Atla yells and turns her head to Bela. "You cold-hearted bitch, you would shoot a kid?!"
"Who just goes around shooting people?" Dean screams.
"I was actually aiming for the other one, but you know… luck. Anyway. My point stands. I absolutely will shoot you. So give me. The foot." I see through my blurred vision the gears turning in Dean's head.
"Fine." He says, tossing the foot into the air. Bela instinctively reaches out to catch it, instantly realizing her mistake.
"Damn." She breathes.
The five of us burn the foot. And Bela makes a turn to leave. Dean engages in some, angry conversation with her, and I just try to focus on anything but the pain in my leg. Atla finishes tying a loose tourniquet using her cardigan around the wound.
"There, that should help it start to clot. How're you feeling?"
"Like I just had the worst day ever."
"It wasn't too bad. We should have expected this though, I mean Sam was shot because Bela knew she couldn't miss, so logically it would be you since you had the foot this time. But still painful nonetheless. Once we get to the motel, I'm gonna have to pull the bullet out. It's gonna hurt.
"You stay the hell away from me. Dean or Sam can do it. I trust you to perform surgery on me about as far as I can throw you."
"Dude. Offensive much? I might not be a surgeon, but like hell those two oafs are gonna be able to do this without causing you immense pain. I could either do it with your consent, or I can wait till you fall asleep, which you will eventually, and take it out then. Would you prefer that, your highness?" She snarked.
"It's not about pain. It's about experience. They've dealt with this kinda thing before. But putting that aside, I think we need to talk when we get back to the library."
Atla bites her lip, "Oh... about that, I was thinking… maybe we didn't go back? I mean we have so much fun here!"
"Atla, I know we agreed to try that out but I'm not so sure any-" I start.
"Your leg needs to heal anyway. How are you gonna explain a bullet wound to your mom?" I'm not happy about it. I'm starting to feel like we shouldn't be spending time in these stories at all. But she's right, I can't just show up home like I am. Just a little longer I guess. I nod in resentful agreement, and Atla smiles, genuinely overjoyed. Honestly, that sort of makes it worth it.
"You guys alright if we keep hanging around you for a bit?" Atla asks tentatively as Sam and Dean walk over. They glance at each other, looking unsure.
"Meh, can't hurt. At least if they're with us we know they aren't dead." Sam reasons. Dean nods.
"Fine. But you listen to us. We've been hunting since before the thought of you existed. If we tell you to run, stay back, go left, you fucking do it. You understand?"
Atla giggles excitedly, "Oh silly boys, where's the fun in that?" I roll my eyes at her but smile.
"We'll do our best." Dean nods appreciatively, and he and Atla help me limp into the Impala. After I'm settled they turn to each other.
Sam sighs, "What the hell did we sign up for Dean?"
"I have no clue."
The book on the altar glowed a brilliant golden light. A new engraving was scribbled onto the stone.
"Home."
Far away, a figure was shadowed beneath the moonlight.
"Once upon a time..." he hums, skipping merrily through the forest.