A/N: Sigh. So, here is chapter 5 and even though we should be working on our pottery project, we couldn't resist updating again. :)
This chapter definitely has the AU thing we were talking about. We decided that, since it's fanfiction and we aren't getting any money anyway, why not play with the plot? So here's our version of a few key events that have happened in the Supernatural universe.
Enjoy it and see you at the bottom!!!
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Climbing Up The Walls
Chapter Five: Going It Alone... Together
By: kripke's keepers
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Tosh blinked and sat up in bed as the phone rang again, the shrill sound cutting through her consciousness and making her wince. She fumbled for the phone and knocked it off the bedside table onto the floor. Mumbling curses, she kicked at the tangled blankets and fell onto the floor with an 'oomph,' touching the phone just as it stopped ringing.
"Well shit." She mumbled, turning over onto her back and staring at the ceiling.
"Bloody hell." She heard Tyler mutter a few seconds later as her phone started ringing in the tone that she used for all hunter numbers. There were more muttered profanities as the blonde stomped out of bed and got to her phone. Tosh sat up and leaned on her bed, looking through the open bathroom doors at Tyler.
"Hello?" Tyler asked, closing her eyes and leaning her head on her hand. She heard the sound of gasping and someone screaming hysterically. She sat up, suddenly wide awake and looked at Tosh, motioning for her to come in. "Hey! Is anyone there?" Tyler demanded to know as Tosh sat next to her on the bed.
"Tyler." The blonde shivered at the sound of her name. It was filled with anguish and sorrow. She pressed the button for speakerphone and held the phone out in between the two of them.
"E-Ellen?" Tyler asked haltingly, not sure if it was the woman. There was a sound like a sob and the screaming picked its way into howls and shrieks.
"Yeah." Ellen's voice was soft, filled with something unlike anything the two girls had ever heard. "They... they burned it down." They could hear the tears welling in her voice and both of them winced.
"Ellen, honey, burned what down?" Tosh asked softly, squeezing her hands together.
"The Roadhouse... they burnt the Roadhouse..." She heard Ellen full on start to cry now and what they assumed to be Lenny's voice as she screamed the word 'Uno' over and over again.
"Oh!" Both girls said, looking at each other with hurt in their eyes. Tyler suddenly paled. "Ellen... did... is Ash okay?" Her eyes filled with tears as she asked the question, ignoring the shock on Tosh's face. The older woman started sobbing.
"He was inside." She moaned as she sobbed. Tyler squinted her eyes together tight and the tears poured down her face. Tosh's eyes clouded over and she looked away from Tyler as she started to cry. She wiped the tears away the second they touched her cheeks and gently took the phone from her friend, wrapping her free arm around the blonde.
"Ellen. Honey, can you make it to Bobby's?" Ellen made a sound of affirmation. "Alright, then you get there and we'll be there as soon as we can, okay?"
"Okay." Ellen took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, the sound of tears already almost gone from her voice. "I'll... I'll see you when you get there."
"Okay. Bye hon." Tosh closed Tyler's phone and placed it on the bedside table, wrapping her other arm around her friend and hugging her tightly. "Shh. Shh. It's gonna be okay, babe." Tyler shook her head against her friend's body.
"No it's not." Her voice came out muffled. Tosh stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head in a rare moment of tenderness.
"Not right now, it's not okay, but someday it will be. We just need to be there for Ellen and Lenny right now." Tyler leaned up with a gasp.
"Oh god, Lenny!" She jumped off the bed and started grabbing clothes, heading towards the bathroom. "We've got to go, Tosh. Lenny..." The brunette nodded, slipping through the bathroom and into her room, closing the door behind her.
When Tosh emerged from her bedroom, Tyler was filling a second thermos with coffee, the first one already taking a whole pot. She tossed Tosh a bag with a sandwich and pickle in it and shoved her own into the pocket of her red leather jacket. She smoothed her hands over her black button up shirt a couple of times while Tosh flavored her coffee and almost jumped out of her skin when Tosh laid a hand on her shoulder.
"You okay?"
"Yes." She sighed, pushing her bangs from her eyes. "I'm just... It just doesn't seem real right now." She walked towards the door, jingling the keys in her hand. "A few hours ago, I was flirting with a cute guy and having a good time and now..." Tosh looked up at her.
"And now?"
"Oh." The blonde said and flipped open her cell phone. The brunette shot her an inquisitive look as she turned on the television and left the stove light on, but shut everything else off. She locked the door behind them as Tyler started walking down the stairs.
"What's going on?" Tosh asked softly, the soles of her boots making almost no noise on the old wooden stairs. Tyler waved her comment away and started whispering into the phone as she walked out the front door of the sorority house.
Tosh locked the front door behind them and followed Tyler as they walked towards the Mustang, the glossy shine of the paint job sending twinkling dots of light into their eyes as they got closer. Tyler unlocked the trunk for Tosh and then moved to the driver's side door, opening it and sliding the other part of the arsenal out from the seat.
"Who did you call?" Tosh asked as she loaded a shotgun with salt out of habit. She stopped herself and picked up some of the special bullets they had gotten from Lenny and loaded her pistol with them. Tyler sighed as she slipped knives into their sheaths in different places on her body.
"I called the Winchesters." Tosh almost dropped one of the bullets but caught it at the last minute. She let out her breath in a controlled motion, putting her hands on the trunk and resting her weight there for a few seconds.
"Why?" Came her surprisingly calm response.
"Because they knew Ash too and because it's not like they've got any other family other than Bobby and Ellen." Tyler reasoned, the last of her hidden defenses sliding into place. She slid her leather jacket back on and ran her hands over her smooth silhouette.
"I will never understand how you do that." Tosh said as she stuck her gun in the compartment under her arm. Tyler looked a question at her. "How you have more weapons than a street gangster and you still wear skin tight jeans and button up shirts and no one notices."
Tyler smiled at her friend just as the Impala pulled up. She pulled her emergency duffel bag from the back and Tosh did the same. Tyler locked the doors to the Mustang and patted her baby softly for comfort before walking over to the Impala with Tosh and sliding into the back as Tosh slid into the front.
"What's with your brother?" Tosh asked softly as she glanced back at the drowsy Sam. Dean shrugged.
"He's been tired for days. I stopped asking." His hands were white from gripping the steering wheel tightly.
Tosh was sort of relieved that she wasn't the one that caused it this time before she remembered what it was that had caused it. She sighed and rested her cheek on her hand, looking out the window as Dean pulled off campus and sped down the highway towards Bobby's house.
In the back seat, Tyler shifted slightly to find a more comfortable position and felt a light brush on her hand. She looked down at her right hand resting on the seat, the glint from her silver thumb ring catching her eye before she looked up at Sam's eyes.
"Hey." She said softly so as not to be heard over the Led Zeppelin song playing on the radio. Sam took a short breath and squeezed her hand.
"Hey." He replied, looking down in slight surprise as Tyler laced their fingers together and squeezed tightly. "You going to be okay?" Tyler shrugged, looking out the window before replying softly.
"I'm going to be fine, eventually." She blinked away the start of tears. "It's Lenny I'm worried about." Sam looked up from their hands and locked eyes with her.
"You know Lenny?"
Tyler smiled almost sheepishly. "Surprise?" She laughed slightly and shook her head. "She just wouldn't have said anything to let you guys get anywhere too close to us." She bit her lip. "We're the only family she has..."
Sam was silent and Tyler stared at the scenery passing by, remembering another journey to the Roadhouse, a long time ago, it seemed.
"Are you sure she's going to be okay with this?" Lenny asked idly, rubbing the bridge of her freckled nose absently as the Mustang tore down back roads towards the Roadhouse. Tyler smiled at her in the rearview mirror.
"Of course." She turned the wheel suddenly and Lenny slid around in the backseat, clutching her few belongings to her chest.
"And we're not telling anyone that you brought me here because..." Lenny trailed off. Tyler laughed.
"Because if Ellen thinks that you did this by yourself, she'll have no choice but to let you stay and I promised Ash that I would take care of you." She locked eyes with Lenny for a split second in the mirror before looking back at the road.
"Oh." Lenny said quietly, clutching her laptop case close to her body as Tyler made the Mustang skid to a stop on the side of the Roadhouse.
Lenny got out of the car and put her book bag and duffle bag over her shoulders, carrying her laptop in the case across her stomach. She walked up to Tyler's window and the blonde smiled at her.
"I have some presents for you. This is from Tosh." She handed the girl a sawed off shotgun. Lenny blinked at Tyler who laughed. "She wanted to be here, but she has finals in the next two days." She turned and held something in her lap. "Close your eyes, Lenny."
The girl complied, feeling a breeze kick up and send her newly chopped and tangerine colored bangs into her eyes. A small, warm bundle was put into her hands and she looked down to see a pair of dark grey eyes looking up at her.
"Oh!" Lenny breathed, overjoyed. Tyler scratched her head, looking uncomfortable.
"I know it's not as practical as Tosh's gift, but I figured he'd be able to make you feel a little better on lonely days." Lenny looked at the blonde who had a sad look on her face. "Ash said you love card games, so here." She handed the girl a collar with a bone shaped charm hanging from it. 'Uno' was etched in slightly tilted letters on the charm. "I don't know… I just thought the name was cute… you can change it…" The blonde's voice trailed off as she looked at the girl in front of her.
"Thank you so much, Tyler." Lenny breathed, looking at the blonde with tiny tears in her eyes. She leaned forward and kissed Tyler's forehead, surprising the older girl into laughter.
"Take care of yourself, Lenny. Ash said he should be back soon." Tyler glanced over at the bar. "And be sure you watch out for Amos. He's harmless, but he'll steal all your money in Texas Hold 'Em." She shifted the car out of park and smiled at Lenny as she pulled away.
Lenny stood there, looking slightly forlorn as she walked up to the door of the Roadhouse, shotgun in one hand, Uno in the other, the sunlight glinting off of Uno's silvery-white fur as Tyler turned around a bend and lost sight of them.
"Tyler?" A hand rested on her shoulder and she automatically gripped the wrist, going to squeeze and twist before another hand fell on her other shoulder and she got a small shake. Her eyes flew open and she saw Sam's face hovering in front of her.
"Wha- Sam?" She blinked her eyes a few times and shook her head, shrugging off his hands and got out of the Impala, shutting the door on his question. She turned and ran in front of Dean and Tosh towards the junkyard, weaving through the piles of cars. She slammed into the front door and shook the handle.
"Bobby!" She called, trying to open the door. She heard footsteps and the door unlocked. She was face to face with Bobby who took in her tearful expression in a glance and motioned her inside. "Hey." She tossed to him before he completely left her mind.
"Ellen!" Tyler said, hugging the older woman tightly. She pulled back and looked into Ellen's face. "Where is she?" Ellen motioned to the back door and Tyler released her, going out the back door as Tosh and the Winchesters came through the front door.
"Where is she going?" Tosh asked, hugging Ellen tightly. Ellen pulled back and glanced out the window to where the tangerine haired girl was sitting on top of a pile of cars, head down. Tosh followed Ellen's gaze and her sigh was sad.
"So what happened?" Tosh asked, motioning for everyone to sit down. Ellen sighed, falling onto the couch and pushing books out of her way.
"We went out for pretzels…"
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The sun beat down on the junkyard, the wind whipping up the dust and sending Tyler's long blonde hair whipping around her face as she walked towards the large pile of cars where Lenny was perched. She stood at the base of the pile, looking up at the girl on top who ignored her hair frothing in tangerine waves around her face to stare out at the view of the countryside.
When Tyler finally managed to climb up to the top of the pile, she almost fell backwards, scrabbling to hook her hands into something to keep from falling down. Lenny's hand shot out and grabbed Tyler's wrist, pulling her back onto the roof of the car. She settled down and sat tailor style next to Lenny. The tangerine-haired girl sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, her shoulders hunched.
Without warning, her eyes started tearing up. She started crying, her shoulders shaking as her head dropped into her arms. Tyler hesitated slightly before she reached over and rubbed Lenny's back, scooting closer. Lenny held back for a few seconds before leaning into Tyler's side.
"I'm so sorry, Lenny." Tyler whispered, staring out at the mountains. Lenny didn't say anything, only crying harder. She looked over at the blonde and touched her cheek with damp fingers, her sobbing growing softer.
"Why?" She whispered, closing her eyes.
"I don't know." Tyler said just as quietly, her inner voice cursing her for lying. She inhaled slowly and composed herself.
"Mom and Dad… now Ash…" Her eyes misted over with a fresh wave of tears. "U-Uno…" Tyler nodded, hugging Lenny across her shoulders. The younger girl dug her fingers into Tyler's red leather jacket.
"I don't…" Lenny started before she fell silent, leaning up and looking at Tyler. Her gray-blue eyes were the empty brightness that they were at her oddest moments. Her face slipped into a crooked smile. "You hear that?" Her voice was tinny, hollow sounding. Tyler looked in the direction that Lenny pointed then back, surprised to see that she wasn't next to her anymore. She leaned over the side and watched as Lenny slid down the side of the cars like a monkey.
"Lenny!" Tyler called, scrabbling clumsily down the sides of the cars. She got to the bottom with a hole in her pants on her right knee and a slice across her left palm. She squeezed her hand tightly and looked at Lenny's retreating back as she loped around a corner.
"Damn." She muttered, limping back into the house and shutting the door quietly behind her. Everyone looked up at her when she walked in and she nodded to them as she ran her hand under cold water. She patted it softly with a cloth, wincing when Tosh pressed on it to stop the bleeding.
"She okay?" Tosh asked softly, her head down as she bandaged Tyler's hand. Tyler shrugged and winced when the brunette prodded the gash on her knee.
"She heard something." She commented softly, pulling her knee away from Tosh's hands and sitting on the counter, inspecting her knee. She looked up and then away as Sam caught her eyes.
"She'll be back." The brunette breathed, looking out the window to see a flash of tangerine hair as the girl ran barefooted through the maze of cars. She shuddered at the thought of the diseases one could get from walking barefooted in a junkyard and turned to lean her back against the counter.
"You okay?" Sam asked as he stood and moved toward Tyler hesitantly. Tosh sent him a glare and he backed off, holding up his hands in surrender. Tosh winced when she got a slap to the back of the head. She turned around angrily and opened her mouth to snap at Tyler but the blonde put her finger on Tosh's nose.
"Stop it." She gave Tosh a look. "They're all we've got." She said quietly, glancing away to spot Lenny's hair beneath the window. She leaned over the sink and watched as a huge black shadow trailed behind her. She shuddered and shook her head, turning back to look at everyone in the kitchen. Bobby cleared his throat and everyone turned and looked at him.
"I hate to seem insensitive, but I've caught wind of something in Philadelphia, something leaving nothing but dried husks behind it, resembling a burning without any fire evidence." The four young hunters looked at each other and exchanged silent questions.
"We'll take it." Dean said, leaning forward and clasping his hands on the table. He took the file folder from Bobby and flipped it open. "So this is probably going to be good for all of us to take." He commented more to himself than to anyone else. He stood, sending Ellen a nod before he headed toward the door.
"We'll see you soon, Bobby. Ellen." He motioned to Sam who stood and made his way toward the door, Tosh following behind him. Tyler jumped as Lenny's face pressed against the window and the girl kissed the glass near Tyler's face. The blonde smiled and rapped the glass, hopping down from the counter and heading towards the door. She ran her hand over Ellen's as she walked by and clapped Bobby on the shoulder.
Tyler slid into the Impala and sighed, feeling suddenly so much heavier than she did when she woke up that morning. She put her head in her hands and breathed deeply, savoring the chance for a hunt to get out some of her frustration.
Sam glanced at her when he got in and she sent him a soft smile. He put his hand between them, resting it on the seat as he looked out the window. She wanted to reach out and take his hand but could only stare at her own, her cut bleeding through the binding on it already. She flexed her fingers and stared out the window pensively.
Tosh and Dean slipped into the Impala at the same time and the brunette girl glanced back at the two silent hunters in the backseat.
"So…" She said, trying to break the silence. Dean rolled his eyes and turned on the radio.
"It's easier to do it this way, you know." He commented to the brunette with a small smile.
She smiled back until she remembered where they had just come from and where they were headed. Her smile slipped from her face as she stared out the window, catching sight of a tangerine-haired girl standing on top of a tall pile of cars, waving to them as they drove away. She slid her hand into the wind and waved until the girl slipped from sight.
"Bye." Tosh breathed, wondering for a bleak moment if she would ever see Lenny again.
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Tyler smoothed her hands over the collar of Tosh's suit jacket, the brunette holding still and frowning at the primping. The blonde made a face back at her friend and shook her head.
"Alright, Agent Cash, that's just fine. If you want to be the sloppy cop then you can. But Agent Tango," she slid her hands down her sides and framed her smoothly suited silhouette on the concrete in front of them, "she will be stunning." She smiled cheekily at the brunette.
"You are such an idiot." Tosh said, running a hand over her neatly done hair, noting that the "neat" cop had her hair down and flowing free about her shoulders. Tyler ran up and pounced on her friend, knocking both of them over into the grass behind the hotel.
Dean leaned against the wall of the hotel and watched the two friends throw each other around and scream like children. Sam walked up next to him and handed him a beer. They both sipped their drinks and watched as the two girls ended up on the ground laughing and staring at the sky.
"Tyler took that really hard." Dean commented off-handedly. Sam nodded, his eyes narrowing in thought.
"I noticed." He answered quietly as the two girls got up and tried to get all the grass off of themselves, making them laugh more. They stumbled towards the Winchesters, their arms around each other and tears of laughter running down their cheeks.
"Hey." Tyler said, smoothing her clothes down. Tosh followed suit and held out her hand for the keys. Dean hesitated for a split second, then handed her the keys to the Impala. They shared a look and she turned to walk to the car. Tyler glanced at Dean and touched Sam's arm as she walked away, slipping into the passenger seat of the Impala. They pulled out of the lot and sped off into traffic.
"Hm." Dean said softly, turning and going back into the room. Sam watched the Impala until it disappeared around the corner before going back inside, the wheels in his head turning.
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Tosh reached up to the door in front of them as Tyler looked around, surveying the nice suburban neighborhood. There was the sound of footsteps and the door opened slowly.
"Yes?" Asked a kindly, middle-aged woman.
"Mrs. Wenton, I'm Agent Tango, this is Agent Cash." Tyler said genially as Tosh smiled. "We're with the arson division of the FBI." The girls flashed their badges and the woman nodded.
"What can I do for you?"
"We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about your son." Tosh said, her country accent making the woman smile slightly.
"Alright." She motioned for them to come inside and gently shut the door behind them. She led them into a simple living room. She sat on the couch and watched them as they sat across from her. "I have to warn you, I already talked to the local cops about this." Tyler and Tosh nodded, glancing at each other.
"We've read their reports, but sometimes the cases can be made or broken by a misplacement of the tiniest detail. We just want to make sure that we've got our facts straight, Mrs. Wenton."
"Holland, please." The two hunters quirked their mouths in slight smiles. Holland returned their smiles. "Yes… like the Holland that's all windmills and flowers." She said with a tiny laugh. She shook her head and cleared her throat, trying to blink back tears.
"Holland, what happened to your son?" Tosh asked gently as Tyler glanced around the room and noted all of the pictures.
"Todd has always been a little quiet. He just isn't a loud person. Wasn't…" She mumbled, clearing her throat again. "Anyways, he was a great student, always straight 'A's and never got into any trouble. The local cops say that it was a fire. That my son was playing with fire and burned himself up." She looked up at them with confusion in her eyes. "If that's the case, why is my house still standing? There's no burn marks on anything else in the house. His bedroom is spotless."
"How did he get in his bedroom if there were no burn marks anywhere?" Tyler asked. Holland shrugged.
"That's what I didn't understand. When I touched his hand, it fell apart like ash. How could someone have moved him when I barely touched him and he fell to pieces?" She asked, shaking her head. "I asked the locals and they just said that it had to be fire. Something spontaneous, but fire nonetheless." She shrugged and looked over at a picture of what the hunters assumed to be a younger Todd, playing in the mud.
"May we see his room, Holland?" Tyler asked. Holland nodded, standing and leading them down the hallway to a door.
"I can't go in…" She said, turning and walking back down the hallway. "I'll be out here when you're done." They nodded and opened the door on a room that looked like a ridiculously clean version of any teen boy's room: unmade bed in the corner, piles of books and magazines, a cluttered computer desk filled with odds and ends of a computer technician in the making. There were no old dishes or trash of any kind anywhere. It smelled clean, like fresh laundry. They glanced at each other and shrugged, looking around.
"It's weird. Nothing that even smells like fire." Tyler commented, standing next to the bed and crouching down to inspect the sheets. She rubbed a small bit of remaining ash between her fingers.
"What do you think it was?" Tosh asked quietly, looking at the magazines.
"Dunno." She glanced over and noted the pet cage sitting on a table near the closet. "Hampster?" She asked, the brunette turning and shrugging. They left the room and walked in to see Holland in the kitchen, stirring some lemonade on the counter. She smiled up at them.
"Hey Holland, did Todd have a hamster or something?" Tyler asked, leaning against the counter.
"No." She said, frowning. "It was a rat. It was disgusting. I don't know why I ever let him keep it." She shuddered. "Now the little thing is gone and I'll just bet that it's in my house somewhere." She shook her head and smiled. "But Todd was fascinated by it. He used to hold it and watch movies with it. It never left his side. Don't know why I even bought that cage. It never lived in it."
The two hunters glanced at each other and nodded. "Alright, Holland. Well, we're going to go now. We'll let you know if we find anything new, okay?" Tosh said kindly. Holland smiled and nodded, following them to the front door. She stopped them on the front porch.
"You don't think I'm crazy, do you?" She looked out at the neighborhood and studied the people chatting or mowing their lawn. "For thinking that my son wasn't just burned in a fire that couldn't have happened?"
Tyler and Tosh shook their heads. "No. We don't think you're crazy." Tyler stuck her hands in her pants pockets and looked at Holland intently.
"We'll find what did this, Holland." Her voice was soft. Holland nodded, not questioning how they would do it or how they knew something was amiss. She smiled softly at them and shut the door. They walked down to the Impala and Tyler raised her hand for the keys. Tosh tossed them to her and slid into the passenger seat.
"You've got a look." Tosh commented as Tyler stared out at the road. The blonde shrugged and her eyes narrowed.
"I'm just tired." She said as she drove back towards the hotel and pulled into a burger joint. She rolled down the window of the Impala and glanced at Tosh. "You okay?" She asked.
The brunette shrugged and put her head back against the head rest. "I guess so." She sighed. "I just can't understand why." Tyler raised her eyebrows and studied the menu closely.
"Dunno." She said, studying the burger menu. "Salad or chicken…" She mumbled, noticing a small black puddle underneath the board. She suddenly gasped with the force of her realization making Tosh jump.
"Damn! What the hell is wrong?" The brunette demanded, looking at her friend with wide eyes.
"I know what it is." Tyler stated, pulling out of the line and speeding back toward the hotel. "Maybe." She said, her forehead creased in thought.
"Well what is it?" Tosh asked, digging her fingers into the arm rest on the door to keep from being thrown against her seatbelt.
Tyler didn't answer, only running over the facts in her mind. She pulled into the hotel parking lot and threw the car in park, jumping out and leaving Tosh sitting inside the car. She ran into the room and let the door slam against the wall. Sam and Dean both looked extremely startled and had guns pointed at her.
"I need your laptop." She panted at Sam. He nodded and handed it to her, already open from his research.
"What's the matter?" Sam asked, looking up as Tosh walked more sedately into the room and shut the door behind her. Tyler didn't answer, only sat down on the floor and started tapping away on the keys, the glow from the screen illuminating her face. She looked around in askance and Tosh sighed, digging her red-framed glasses out of the bag and handing them to the girl.
"Thanks." Tyler muttered, pushing her glasses onto her face and studying the information she pulled up. She scrolled through the information, clicking a few things away, and finally sat up straight and smiled.
"Hah!" She said, pointing at the screen. "It's a Mornicout." She looked up at them and they all looked at her in confusion. She sighed. "It's a creature that 'rides' its host, sort of like a supernatural parasite, and it slowly saps the life out of them. But, when it wants to go somewhere else or look for better food, it sucks the life right out of them and becomes strong by using all the victim's energy and," she paused, looking at them, "leaves nothing but ash behind. It appears that the body has been burned." She sighed and shook her head. "I really hope it doesn't know we're after it."
"Is that why you sped home so fast?" Tosh asked, reclining on the bed sans shoes. Tyler nodded.
"If it finds out that we know about it, it could come after us."
"What does it look like?" Dean asked, tilting his chair back onto its back two legs.
"A small black blob, apparently." Sam said, reading over Tyler's shoulder. She turned and smiled up at him. "It has the ability to take whatever shape it wishes but prefers the form of a long wyrm or dragon-like creature, the better to stay concealed in clothing." He looked up and grimaced. "That's gross." He said quietly as he looked at pictures.
"The scary part is that they took these pictures…" Tyler said, making a face. She shook her head and sighed, standing and handing Sam's laptop back to him. "We have to track it and set fire to it."
"Mm." Tosh said, leaning back on the pillows and crossing her arms over her chest. "That should be fun. How the hell do we track something like this?" Tyler looked at her and smiled, pulling a small wooden box from her bag. She set the box on the table and started taking out many little trinkets and putting them to the side.
"Wow." Sam said, pulling up a chair to the table to inspect the items. "Is this what I think it is?" He asked, holding up a thick hank of dark, stringy hair.
"Yep," Tyler grinned. "Banshee's hair." She held up several items for his inspection.
"Oh!" He said with curiosity, taking the items and inspecting them.
"It's like nerdy foreplay." Dean said from the chair. Tosh made a sound of agreement and the two of them laughed slightly. Tyler and Sam shot them looks of disdain and kept chatting about the items.
"And this," Tyler said, pulling a small vial out of the box and letting the bluish-black liquid shine in the light, "is what I've been looking for." She held it out to Sam who took it gently. "It's Eau d'Mornicout. Attracts them for some reason. We just have to set up a trap and lure the little nasty here."
Tosh leaned forward with a strange look on her face. "Where did you get that?" The brunette asked. Tyler shrugged.
"Know some people." The blonde commented offhandedly as she put the rest of the things back in the box and locked it. She handed Sam a small bag to put the scent in and turned to look at the two reclining hunters. "So which one of you wants to be bait?" The blonde asked, steepling her hands as she stared at them.
Tosh laughed and looked at Dean. "Since all the victims have been male, I'd say that this critter has a type. Fortunately, I happen not to be it." She smiled at Dean whose face twisted in frustration.
"Dammit." He said leaning forward fast and standing. "This sucks. Why can't Sammy be bait? He's a dude." Sam smiled and mirrored Tyler's position.
"I have to help Tyler with everything." He said with a huge grin. His older brother sent him a look that told him he would be sorry later and he shook his head.
"Fine." Dean said sulkily. "Man, I hate all of you." He muttered, making the other three hunters laugh. "Why does everyone laugh when I say that?"
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Tyler settled into the seat of the Impala, wrapping her hands around a cup of coffee. She stared into space, not taking note of the bickering going on between Tosh and Dean in the front seat or the comings and goings of the people in the neighborhood around them. Her eyes were far away as Sam turned to her and stared at her, waiting for her to notice.
He finally reached out and tapped her shoulder. She jumped and spilled coffee over her fingers and down her arm. She held it away from her body and dropped the majority of it on the carpet. Luckily Dean was too busy arguing with Tosh to notice.
"What?" Tyler asked, the color coming back into her face. Sam shook his head.
"Just… wondering what you were thinking about." Sam commented, handing the blonde a napkin. She smiled and blinked, obviously thinking of what to say.
"Uh." She said, suddenly saved by Tosh turning back and looking at her as Dean left the car in a sulk.
"Hey, Brain, when do we strike?" Tosh demanded to know, looking over at Sam and back to Tyler with a second question on her face. Tyler shrugged to the silent question.
"We should wait until he puts it down." The blonde said as she sat up straight and handed the brunette her coffee cup. Tosh took it and held it as the blonde climbed over the seat and settled herself behind the wheel. She glanced at her friend with a small smile. "Don't worry, Pinky, your boy-toy will be fine."
Tosh didn't miss a beat in slapping Tyler's arm. The blonde jumped, rubbing her skin with a pout.
"Whatever." Tosh said, leaning closer to the window to better see the black rabbit skitter away from the pale, sickly looking boy sitting in the sandbox and move slowly towards Dean who sat on a park bench. He unwrapped his burger and took a large bite, chewing slowly and pretending not to notice the black Labrador that was walking up to him.
Dean glanced over and a smile spread over his face at the sight of the dog. He snapped his fingers and tried to entice the dog over. A hot pink tongue lolled out of the dog's mouth and it trotted over to Dean, rubbing its head against Dean's hand.
Dean rose, patting his thigh and the dog followed leaving the sick boy sitting forlorn in the sandbox. Tyler started the Impala and followed Dean and the Mornicout dog down the roads near the park until Dean walked up the stairs of the house that the hunters had taken over just for this purpose.
Sam narrowed his eyes at how the Mornicout Labrador looked around before entering the house.
"Alright." Sam said, noting Dean's shadow on the blinds as the dog jumped onto the couch with him.
The three hunters moved swiftly towards the door, homemade flamethrowers in hand. They burst through the door and noticed Dean slumped on the floor.
"Shit." He said, pushing himself off the floor and motioning towards the kitchen. "It's quick." Tosh threw her hand out to Dean and pulled him to his feet as Tyler and Sam charged into the kitchen and through into the dining room.
A large black shape came from behind Tyler before Sam could warn her and threw the blonde into a side closet, the pieces of the flimsy door breaking as she fell hard on the debris and coats. Sam went to run to her and was tripped by the creature in the form of a large snake. He landed hard on his left knee, the force of the floor sending a jarring sensation up to his spine. He winced, turning and sending a gout of flame toward the creature. It hissed and swerved away, going out the way they had come in and attempting to escape.
"Dean!" Sam yelled, trying to crawl after the creature. "Tosh!" He rolled around the corner and winced at the shriek of the creature as Tosh and Dean stood over the creature, their flamethrowers on full blast. The smell of burning blood made Sam gag as he pulled himself to his feet and turned back to the closet.
"Tyler?" Sam asked hesitantly, wondering if he should move the blonde. There was a sound and he leaned closer. "What?"
"I said," she said, her voice filled with pain, "that I hate Mornicouts." She sighed as Sam chuckled and tried to push herself up. "Fuck!" She suddenly moaned, her arm falling out from under her. She yelled again as she fell back onto her side.
"What is it?" Tosh asked, rounding the corner with a pale Dean in tow.
"She got thrown by the creature. She can't get out and I can't help her." Sam looked down at his pants and noted the blood staining the left knee of his jeans. "I split it open."
Tosh looked at Dean and noted how pale he was. "I'll do it." She handed him her flamethrower and pulled Tyler slowly from the closet. She inhaled sharply at the blood running down the blonde's side. "Damn, girl, can you not go one hunt without getting hurt?" Tyler laughed slightly, her hand pressing to her side.
"Obviously not. I just have something more attractive to them, I guess." She tried to keep her smile in place but it was slowly drooping at the corners.
"Come on, sweet, I'll get you patched up." Tosh said, trying to lift Tyler. The blonde cried out any way that the brunette tried.
"Let me do it." Dean finally said, stepping forward and scooping Tyler up in his arms. He started walking toward the door and ignored the puddle of blood on the carpet.
"Thanks Dean." Tyler said softly, her eyelids fluttering with the pain. He shrugged.
"No one else can do it." He said in Dean-speak for 'you're welcome.'
They all climbed wearily into the Impala to head back to the hotel and then back to Boston, Sam cradling Tyler while Tosh fell asleep on Dean's shoulder, surprising the older Winchester considerably.
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He watched with dark eyes as the hunters left, body held stock still as the Impala pulled away and down the street. He walked over to the charred remains of the creature and scuffed at it with his shoe before moving toward the demolished closet with interest.
He leaned down and ran two fingers through the blood on the floor, bringing them to his nose and inhaling deeply. He shuddered in delight and put the fingers in his mouth, sucking them clean.
He rose and walked out of the house, turning in the direction of the Impala before raising his nose to the wind. He stood sniffing the air for a few moments before heading slightly in a different direction and making the trek to Boston, now knowing who he was supposed to be after.
What was even better was that to get one, he could also get all three of the others.
He smiled sharply and started to run, his body blurring into the woods surrounding the neighborhood as he disappeared into the night with only one thing on his mind.
Fun.
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The four young hunters pulled into the parking lot of the school slowly. Sam opened his door first, moving to help Tyler out of the other side. He helped her climb onto the trunk of the Mustang and started examining the wound again since it had bled through the bandage.
Tosh and Dean followed, the brunette girl intending to fix her friend but her cell phone suddenly went off. "Hello?" Tosh asked, mopping her dirty forehead with a cloth.
"Hey. It's me, Illysa." The voice on the other line was grim. Tosh's half formed smile died and she looked at Tyler.
"Who is it?" Tyler asked, holding her arm over her head as Sam gently tied a bandage around her midsection, applying pressure to the wound on her side. She winced and looked at the tall boy in askance receiving only a shrug.
"It's Illysa." Tosh said before putting the phone back to her mouth. "Hey honey, what's the matter?"
"You remember that thing…" It sounded like she looked away then back to the phone. "You remember the secret that you told me about you and The-Tyler?" Tosh nodded and then made a sound of affirmation. "Well, you also told me that if there was something… bad… I could always call. Something's been takin' the kids in my town. I only noticed now that I'm back… it's… it's got my nephew, Na-Tosh and I don't know who else to call."
Tosh nodded, biting her lip as she remembered.
"Who… who the hell are you supposed to be?" The girl demanded to know, pushing her long auburn hair back from her face. Tyler smiled and shook her head.
"Illysa," Tyler started in her real voice, "we are specialists." Tosh nodded and smiled with her friend.
"We've been doin' this for a while." Tosh explained in her real voice.
The red-head nodded slowly, holding on tightly to the cloth that kept her arm from bleeding. She glanced at the creature crumpled on the floorboards a few feet away from her.
"Explain everything." Her freckles stood out from her pale-with-fear face but her blue eyes were hard.
Tosh shook her head to clear the memories away and looked at Tyler.
"We'll be there soon, Illy." Tosh said, ignoring the look of shock on Tyler's face.
"What did Illy want?" Tyler asked, stumbling and crashing into Sam who caught her and smiled softly at her. She smiled back and leaned up on her feet, but stayed close to Sam.
"That legend of the tree that eats children?" Tyler nodded. "Turns out it's true. Illy remembered what we told her and she said she's calling in her favor." The brunette sighed and looked at her friend, pulling back at the look on the blonde's face. "What?"
"It took a kid that's close to her, didn't it?" Tyler asked, already knowing the answer and leaning away from the comforting warmth of Sam's chest. Tosh only nodded and moved to the side of the Mustang, leaning against the door expectantly.
"Do you want us to come with you?" Dean asked as Tosh pulled her shotgun from its holster and fiddled with it.
"Nah. Going it alone." Tosh said, cocking the shotgun and pointing it at some invisible foe, secretly wondering how Illy was handling having the only way to get her nephew back.
Tyler looked over at Tosh and blinked slightly before looking back at the Winchesters. "… Together. We're going it alone… together." Tyler said, an almost smile on her face. Tosh looked up and noted the awkwardness of her statement.
"So. Take. That. Winchesters." Tosh said, every word punctuated by a small slap on Dean's chest. Tyler laughed at her friend's terrible cover up.
"Yeah." Tyler said. "We're super menacing." The blonde laughed as her friend frowned and pouted when Dean laughed at her.
"Come back in one piece." Sam called, both of the boys waving cheekily to the girls as they slid into the Mustang and took off towards New Hampshire, the glow of their headlights illuminating the night as they turned the corner out of the Winchesters' sights.
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A/N: Well, we got a lot of info about old friends in that chapter… it was one of the longer chapters… but the further and further we get with this story, we just notice that our chapters get longer and longer… Hm.
Anyways, we hope that you enjoyed this, truly! It has been so much fun writing this, it really kind of dominates most of our thoughts, which is dedication, but also obsession. You be the judge.
Some shout outs:
Thanks again to Mrnda for reviewing, even though she had no idea what it was really about. Thanks dear, that was very nice of you. Miss you!
Thanks also go to maxxink. Appreciate the review… also, if you're still reading, this is a little more insight for you about Lenny. Hope you enjoyed it.
Appreciate the Story Alerts. Also love the Favorite from Wgang16. Thanks!
A little request: please review and let us know what you think. If you like something, great! Tell us! If you don't, that sucks, but still TELL US!!!
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kripke's keepers