I Would Cross the Great Divide:
Toni woke up to the sensation of someone running a damp face cloth over her forehead. When her eyes focused on her companion, she smiled then stated very matter-of-factly, "He shot me."
Sam chuckled and continued wiping her brown replying, "I noticed. But don't worry, we fixed you up and you're going to be just fine."
"Thanks Sam," she said with a sigh as she tried to sit up.
"Hey, hey, hey… Take it easy Toni," Sam instructed as he gently forced her to lie back down on the bed. "You've had a high fever, so you should rest some more, okay?"
It didn't take much effort on Sam's part to get Toni to comply with his wishes, much to his surprise. Once she was once again comfortable on her back, Toni turned her head and asked in an even tone, "Do I have an infection?"
Sam was trying to fluff her pillow, but stopped to sit down beside her as he answered, "No we don't think that's the cause of the fever… Bobby figures it's just from your body suffering from so much trauma."
"Oh… Right… Two gunshot wounds," she commented mostly to herself before asking Sam, "Were there any other complications at all?"
He looked down at her injured arm, but didn't answer. Toni followed his gaze then tried to move her arm, but stopped when the pain felt too intense.
"Maybe I should go to a hospital to get it casted," she stated softly knowing full well that Sam wasn't about to let her leave her bed right now.
"Bobby doesn't think that it's broken," Sam replied as he pulled out a long piece of cloth. "But it couldn't hurt to put it in a sling."
She nodded then sat up slightly to let Sam gently manipulate her left arm so he could tie the sling around her neck. Toni wasn't used to being treated this way when she was hurt and almost protested, but then her face got nestled behind on of Sam's ears. With each breath she took in, she inhaled Sam's scent and started to feel more at ease, so she just smiled and let him take care of her.
"Hey… Toni… That tickles," Sam protested with a laugh.
Toni gently nipped at a spot under Sam's ear then sat back and gave him a devilish grin. "Sorry… I was just trying to say 'Thank you' is all…"
Toni then leaned back towards him and Sam met her in the middle to share a tender kiss. She raised her right arm and gently petted his cheek while playfully praising, "You definitely have a much better bedside manner than the Colonel's medic buddies I usually have to see to keep a low profile."
Sam laughed against Toni's lips when she pulled his face back to hers. Sam easily let himself get lost in the rhythmic motion of their lips gently molding around each other's with every tender embrace. He shifted slightly and couldn't help but lift Toni's hips to pull her onto his lap. The stitches on her leg pinched when Sam moved her, but she didn't allow that or them catching on her pajama pants to distract her at all from Sam's lips.
Sam slipped his hands up her back then quietly whispered, "I hope you don't thank them this way."
"Saamm," she whined breathlessly while rocking her hips slowly back and forth against him. "You know I reserve this solely for my closest friends."
She then tried to lift her buttocks to slip the waistband of her pants off her hips. She bit at Sam's lips a little bit more aggressively when she felt Sam's fingers interlock with her own because she thought that he was going to help her with her task. He started to match her pace to keep her distracted so that he could lean her back against the pillows and then he kissed his way down to her neck and chest. Toni ran the fingers of her right hand through his hair and let her legs relax even further open to grant Sam better access.
"You need to rest," Sam stated firmly before pecking her chest again and quickly standing up off the bed.
Toni's eyes flew open and she couldn't help but chuckle when she noticed that he was standing just out of striking distance. Sam smiled down at her thinking that he had won; that she was going to behave and continue to rest like her body needed her to. His smile then morphed into a confused frown as he watched her start to awkwardly remove her pants with her one good hand.
"Toni…?" He questioned slowly.
"You want me to rest, right?" Toni replied with a frustrated grunt. "These are catching and tugging on my stitches so there's no fucking way that I can sleep in them…" She looked over at Sam where he was holding a glass of water and a pill, so she tried to sweetly ask him, "You wouldn't mind lending me a pair of boxers to sleep in would you?"
Sam shook his head as he passed her the painkillers and water. Toni took them begrudgingly, but swallowed them quickly when he helped her by finally removing her pants. Sam then took the now empty glass from her, placed it on the nightstand and then kissed the top of her head to show his appreciation.
"Stay right here and I'll be right back," he ordered softly.
Toni gripped Sam's shirt then pulled him forward saying, "Well since my pants are off… Maybe we can have some fun now and then I'll go to sleep… Nice and satisfied…"
Sam pecked her lips while prying her fingers open as he objected, "Maybe later…. Dean and Bobby are still here… And they're awake doing research."
As she sat back, Toni pouted then replied, "Fine, play the sensibility card on me."
Sam shook his head as he placed Toni's duffle bag on the foot of the bed and pulled out a pair of plaid shorts for her to wear. Toni waited dutifully for him by sitting on the edge of the bed and remained silent. Sam kneeled down in front of her and dressed her as quickly as he could without hurting her then then they gave each other a long lingering look for an uncomfortable minute.
Toni could feel her heart starting to race, so she quickly turned away from him. As she burrowed under the covers, she quietly cautioned him saying, "If you want me to rest, you had better get out of here before I jump you."
As he stood up to leave, Sam chuckled then walked around the bed to kiss her head. "The painkillers should help you to sleep too," he whispered against her hair.
She was already snoring softly, so he left her alone to rest. She slept soundly up until the moment when Sam reentered the room. Toni stirred slightly when she felt cold air hit her back before she felt the warmth of Sam's body press up against her back. It was slightly awkward, but Sam somehow managed to slip his arm around her midsection without aggravating either of Toni's injuries.
After he had nuzzled his nose into her neck, Toni moaned then tangled her legs with his. "If I promise to be quiet?" She questioned lowly, knowing that he would understand what she meant as she ground her buttocks into his groin.
Sam chuckled then replied, "Do you think you can?"
Toni moaned an "Uh huh" as she continued to slowly move her hips back and forth. She could feel Sam's body responding to her immediately, so she maintained the same slow deliberate pace of her motion. It didn't take her too long to convince Sam to join in and she just leaned her head back against his shoulder to allow him to kiss her neck. While he continued to embrace her neck and behind her ear, she shivered then shuddered at the sensation of Sam pushing her boxers down to her thigh.
When she hissed in a breath, Sam ceased all movement and worriedly whispered, "Shit… Does that hurt? Are you okay?"
Toni shook her head and moved her injured leg further over Sam's hip answering, "No… Just pinched for a second… I'm fine… Please don't stop…"
"You're sure?" Sam confirmed quietly as he slowly penetrated her.
Toni didn't reply, but just issued another lust filled sigh. True to her word, Toni kept her volume to a minimum during each step of their interaction. Their angle was still more than slightly awkward, but Sam helped her to keep from aggravating her injuries by controlling their pace with a strong hand on her hipbone. Any time that Toni tried to quicken the pace, Sam squeezed her hip without caring if it would bruise because he knew she would ignore her injuries and over exert herself. Sam then muffled his orgasmic cries by biting down on Toni's shoulder and she tried to stifle her cries by biting down on her pillow. When that proved to be too difficult, she quickly stuffed her fist into her mouth and screamed around it.
Toni slowly returned to the conscious world with the sensation of Sam lapping and kissing the mark he had created on her shoulder. Her leg was still uncomfortably slung over Sam's thigh, so she tried to slip it off slowly because blood flow through it was restricted and she wanted to try to get the feeling back into it as soon as possible. Her injuries made that task too difficult, so Sam helped her and didn't skip a beat while lavishing her flesh with soft embraces as he pulled her shorts back up for her once their legs were untangled.
Once the feeling in her limbs had returned closer to normal, Toni rolled over and let her arm fall out of her sling while she tucked herself under Sam's chin saying, "That is most definitely the best medicine."
Sam combed his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head. He then hugged Toni close so that he could roll her onto her back. When he stood up off of the bed without saying a word, Toni slowly raised her head and gave him a questioning look.
"I'm just moving to your good side," Sam explained as he slipped under the covers on the other side of the bed.
Toni immediately rolled over and threw her left arm over his stomach. Sam started stroking her arm then raised his head to look at her stitches once his fingers grazed over them.
"Does your arm hurt at all?" He asked quietly as he rested back against the pillows.
Toni shook her head where it rested against Sam's bare shoulder then replied, "Nope. It was a little achy before, but like I said, sex is the best medicine."
Sam chuckled softly then said, "I thought that that was laughter."
"That's for boring people with no imagination," Toni teased before kissing his chest then rested back against his shoulder.
Sam ran his hand up and down Toni's arm and traced out each stitch. When he reached the wound, he quietly asked, "So…? Can I ask what happened here?"
"I took a knife to a gun fight," Toni replied moving to place her head on Sam's torso. Sam scoffed softly at her reply so she started rubbing gentle circles on his chest while she further explained, "I forgot that vampires were once human… This one was a bit of a gun nut when he was a human and that's carried into his monsterhood."
"Shit… Toni… I'm so sorry," Sam quietly apologized.
Toni felt him trying to shrink away from her, so Toni swiftly grabbed his right hand with her left and laced their fingers together tightly. Sam still tried to retract away from her even though most of her body was laying on top of him, so Toni pushed herself up with her good arm to look down at him.
"Sam… Don't do that to yourself," she asserted lovingly knowing what his internal monologue most likely sounded like as he spoke.
He closed his eyes and turned his head away from her replying, "Toni, I… I sent you there… I asked you to take this case."
"And I took it knowing the risks, just like any other job." Sam still refused to look at her, so Toni unlatched her hand from his to grip his chin in a tight grasp. He still wouldn't open his eyes to make eye contact with her, but he let her tilt his face back towards her. He missed the sad look that Toni gave him before she kissed his lips then said, "Sam I loved the thrill of this job… I let my guard down… I got cocky…"
When her voice broke slightly, Sam's eyes fluttered open with mild confusion. Sam had never heard Toni sound so unsure of herself but by the time that their eyes locked, she was afforded enough time to put her shield back up. Sam was then even more surprised when he realized that Toni was allowing him to see her vulnerability despite the fact that she had had enough time not to show him.
"I thought it would be a simple, easy job and I let him get the jump on me," she answered Sam's unasked question. "And then he shot me… Which pissed me off beyond belief and now he's dead. I… I made a call from his home phone to 9-1-1 so that the girls he had caged up would be rescued… Then I came here and now… Now I'll be fine… YOU didn't cause this Sam… Don't try to shoulder the blame for this one."
"You got hurt," he stated forlornly as if she didn't know that a bullet wound should be considered a serious injury.
"Then I came here just like you told me I should," she countered softly. "Sam, I… I screwed up and got hurt, but I came here to get repaired. Don't beat yourself up about it, okay?"
Sam shook his head, so Toni kissed him again more forcefully then asked, "So… What was your strange case in Pennsylvania all about?"
Again Sam shook his head, but this time he chuckled softly as well. "I'm sorry Toni, but Dean and I promised to take those details to our graves. We haven't even told Bobby… I'm sorry, but I can't tell you Toni. I hope you understand."
His answer annoyed Toni, so she placed her chin in her hand and purposefully dug her elbow into his pectoral muscle. Sam's wincing was punishment enough for Toni, so she backed off and kissed his chest where her elbow ground into him.
"I'll be okay with it if you'll stop fretting about me getting shot," Toni offered more playfully than before.
Sam narrowed his eyes then ran his fingers up and down Toni's spin under her shirt saying, "Can I introduce a change of subject?"
While Toni pretended to contemplate her answer, Sam slowly ran his fingers over each one of her vertebrae. Toni was able to maintain her composure until Sam's fingers breached the waistband of her boxers and gently cupped one of her butt cheeks.
"Fine," she huffed in mock annoyance. "You propose a topic and we'll see."
"What did you mean by 'it's taken care of'?" Sam asked quickly as he gently grazed his nails over the sensitive skin of her buttocks towards her inner thigh.
Toni sighed in the back of her throat, and then she threw her head back as she sighed even more loudly. "Took care of what Sam?" She asked breathlessly in genuine confusion.
Sam stopped and retracted his hand soberly replying, "That's honestly what I would like to know Toni. That… That hasn't made any sense to me since you said it and I'd like to know why it should."
They stared at each other for a moment then Toni pushed herself roughly off his chest. In one fluid motion, she sat up straight and turned away from Sam with her legs hanging over the edge of the bed. He too sat up as well and gently patted her back, but refrained from speaking to let her collect her thoughts so that she could hopefully explain everything to him.
"Toni? If you're not okay with that topic, I could try… Umm… Have you felt the difference the new safety lock makes on the Remington 1911?"
"I… I… I had a procedure," Toni started before turning back towards Sam and taking his hands in hers. "They… Well I won't get too graphic because it's not important, but… Well… It's an implant that prevents pregnancy… If… Well if I… It's… It's not permanent…"
"Oh…" Sam replied as his brain started formulating a million other questions, but he asked just one more, "So you can…? You know without and all…?"
Toni released her death grip on Sam's hands and diverted her eyes as she quietly said, "No… Everyone else has… I've insisted… It's only been these last few times with you that I let… Told you not to worry…" She lifted her eyes to him then added, "We both know that I like sex, but I don't really want to bring a kid into this world right now and I'm not really keen on getting sick with an STD or anything…"
Sam caressed her cheek and as she relaxed into his palm he asked, "Last few times? Don't you mean 'couple' of times?"
She shook her head then replied, "Back in Mississippi… I thanked you… A couple of times… Then we celebrated killing the werewolf… But it's only been those times since the surgery… There hasn't been anyone else that's I've allowed to…"
Sam remained silent after that explanation which made Toni feel strangely self-conscious and caused her to turn her back on him again. She hung her head dejectedly, but it wasn't until she tried to stand up that Sam placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting off the bed. She wouldn't turn to look at him, so Sam shifted forward, wrapped an arm around her waist and then kissed one of her cheeks.
After he had placed his chin on her shoulder, he quietly said, "Thank you Toni… Thank you for being honest with me."
She picked at the dried blood around her wound saying, "You're… You're welcome… But… But Sam…? Sam…? Please don't… Don't think that because of this that I'm… I'm some… That I'm a slut or something… I… I… I just… I've been told that my drive… My libido… I've been told that it's normal…"
"Toni… I wasn't trying to critic, I was just concerned," Sam explained softly in an attempt to appease her worried mind. He kissed her neck then turned her chin so that he could kiss her lips. "And at least now we know that one of us is actually normal."
She chuckled then turned around at the waist and slapped his arm saying, "Sam!" in playful exasperation.
"Seriously Toni… I was just worried about you… But now I see that have nothing to be concerned about," he commented as he hugged her and pulled her down on top of himself as he laid down on the bed. "I keep forgetting how absolutely independent…" Toni's body went completely rigid at that comment, so Sam paused then tired a different approach as he continued, "I forgot how intelligent and capable you are… How you have always been able to watch out for yourself…"
Toni didn't try to move out of his hold as she laughed then replied, "Well you already got laid, so why are you trying to butter me up right now? I mean I can't fight anything per your orders and all…"
"I'm just trying to apologize Toni," Sam answered as he caressed her facial features with one of his index fingers. "I didn't mean to make you feel like I was passing judgment on you or your decisions for your life… It has nothing to do with sex or having you work a job for us… I hope that you can forgive me."
Toni leaned down and kissed him before cuddling into his side replying, "If I was 100% right now I would more than show you how much I forgive you… But as much as I hate to admit it, you're right… I need my rest so I'm going to try to sleep now… If you behave…"
Sam chuckled and stroked her hair softly as he kissed her forehead before quietly saying, "I'm elated to hear that… Sweet dreams."
"Hey Vanessa… Is Toni here? I've been trying to get a hold of her…"
She quickly stole a glance over her shoulder and didn't attempt to hide her discomfort (even though she really wanted to try to) as she replied, "No… Umm… Sorry Sam… She isn't… I'm sorry…"
Vanessa looked incredibly awkward and wouldn't open the door wide enough for Sam to see inside the room that she shared with Sam's friend, so Sam quickly devised a plan. He discreetly handed Vanessa the book that he had in his hand knowing that she would instinctively loosed her grip on the door to grab it with her dominant hand. When Vanessa did just that and Sam saw that the door was no longer in Vanessa's death grip, he easily bumped the door wide open without her realizing that that was what he was trying to do. He had anticipated seeing Toni hiding in the room, sitting on her bed reading or working on a paper with Vanessa as her accomplice, but the scene he was confronted with froze him completely in his place.
When Kory heard the dull THUD of the door knob hitting the wall, he stopped his movements and left the packing he was doing to look over his shoulder at the two others in the room. Sam gave Vanessa a questioning look, but she could only shrug in response for fear that she would break down in tears. She absolutely hated being put in the middle of any disagreement and it made her physically ill whenever Toni asked her to run any kind of interference between the two males that were caught up with Toni in a strange love triangle that none of them were willing to acknowledge, so she refrained from uttering a word and left any explanation to Kory.
Kory however had no qualms about his (strange and unconventional) relationship with Toni or her true feelings for Sam, so he stood up smiling brightly as he said, "Oh… Sorry Sam… But Toni's out of town… Thought she'd… Well, I'M just here to HELP her out."
Sam scowled then tried to stare him down, but that effort had absolutely no effect on Kory at this moment at all. He just picked up the small box that he had been packing and then said to Vanessa as he left, "I think that I have everything that she asked for Vanessa… If you talk to her before I do, just let her know that I'll send it off to her later today… That is if I don't talk to her first…"
Kory then left the room, still without acknowledging Sam's presence. Vanessa was still standing uncomfortably by her bed holding the book that Sam had handed to her, staring at it dumbly and pointedly not looking up at him. Sam then stepped forward and gently touched her hands, causing her to finally turn her tear-filled eyes towards his face.
"Vanessa? Are you okay?" He asked quietly as he squeezed one of her hands.
Toni's roommate shook her head, but made absolutely no move to disconnect herself from Sam's grasp. "She… She asked us not to say anything… She's worried that the University will get mad at her if they find out that she's skipping class… You know since she's on scholarship and all…"
Sam let go of the petite woman's hand then sympathetically replied, "Get mad…? But Vee… She never misses class… Not even when she had food poisoning… Never…"
Before attempting to start any type of explanation, Vanessa set the book in her hands down on the bed then took Sam's hands in hers to lead Sam to Toni's bed for a sit down.
"She didn't say much to me Sam before taking off… Just that she HAD to go back to Maryland… That's where the Colonel is living right now… She said something… Something…" Vanessa started to break down, but somehow was able to hold it together long enough to get out the rest of her statement, "She said something had happened to her Mom… They're… God… The Army or whoever is flying Mrs. McNamara back to Annapolis… I don't know how bad it is… She didn't know… I don't know how bad it is… I'm sorry…"
Sam wrapped his arms around Vanessa and hugged her close as he replied, "It's more than okay Vanessa… Please, please, don't worry about me… What I want to know is… Is there anything that I can help with?"
Vanessa shook her head then almost reluctantly pushed herself off Sam's chest saying, "No, it's okay Sam… Kory… Umm… He's packed up all of the books that she said that she would need… She's even made some sort of arrangements with her T.A. to hand in her assignments so we don't have to worry about that either…"
"So she's got everything under control then," Sam cut in to keep Vanessa from having to explain more in depth since she sounded like she was going to break down in sobs at any second. "But I'm serious Vee… Let me know if I can help with anything."
She nodded then Vanessa gave one last lingering hug at the door before she answered aloud, "If all of this were up to me Sam…"
Sam squeezed her tight against his frame saying, "I know Vanessa, I know…"
He wasn't completely sure when this hallway had become a part of his regular route to his lecture halls, but Sam had an excuse for practically any situation if anyone questioned his motives. When it rained, he was able to keep dry without the aid of an umbrella and when it started to get uncomfortably hot, he could stay indoors where the air-conditioning of the buildings would keep him cool. The fact that this particular path would periodically find him running into Toni when she was heading in the direction of her classes was just a perk that he would never admit to himself or anyone else. Things were going great with Jessica, but he still cherished his friendship with Toni and appreciated being able to work out theories on their way to class when he and Jess weren't taking the same courses.
After his last meeting with Vanessa, he started to linger in this hallway more frequently in the hopes that he might possibly run into Toni, without her knowing he was trying to force a meeting between the two of them. All he wanted to do was to double check on her and to offer her his support, but now he was starting to feel uncomfortable because a couple of Jessica's friends passed by him and gave him questioning looks as they said 'Hello' to him. Since he hadn't actually seen her since the incident with her mother, Sam moved towards Toni's room while telling himself that a quick check with her at her room couldn't hurt anything… Or anyone.
After hearing, "Kory! Kory! Wait up a sec!" Sam froze in his place and he inadvertently had a perfect view of the conversation that ensued from that desperate shouting.
"Look… I have my own work to get done, what is it that you need now?" Kory snapped almost angrily.
"I… I know," she apologized with an undeniable hitch in her throat as he tentatively held out her hand towards him. "But… You forgot to pack this… It… She…"
Kory stepped forward, took the small black box with the gold inlay from her then more sympathetically said, "Thanks Vanessa… She does… Sorry… It's just…"
"Been a long day of hard labor… I know… Thanks again for taking care of everything… I couldn't… I… I… You know…" Vanessa started to cry, so Kory balanced the box onto one hip so that he could give her a side hug.
"I know… For me too… But… But… She promised to call, right?"
Vanessa nodded against his arm then wiped her nose over the length of her sleeve before replying, "You're right… You're right… And that would make the last of it, right? She'll have everything she needs?"
"Yeah… Right…" He stated before kissing her temple. "Sorry… But I really do have to go… Especially if I'm going to send everything off to her today."
"Of course," Vanessa said softly as she stepped out and away from his embrace. "So I guess I'll see you later Kory… Thanks again…"
Vanessa turned back towards her room and was only halted when she saw Sam. She couldn't help herself from taking a couple of quick steps towards him, shaking her head sadly and then nearly threw herself at him and cried into his chest. Sam was too stunned to react for a couple of minutes, but then he dropped his book bag and tried his best to comfort Vanessa by stroking her hair softly.
"Hey… It's okay Vanessa," he said against her hair as he led her back to her room. He wasn't sure why he was trying to console her but he kept repeating, "It's okay, it's okay…"
After another minute or two, Vanessa had calmed herself down enough that she was able to say, "Sorry… Sorry Sam… But she's… She's… Gone…"
Sam couldn't reply through his confusion and when Vanessa saw the look on his face and tears welling up in his eyes, she quickly added, "Oh… God… No… No, not like that… Sorry… Sorry… No, Sam, she's dropped out… After three years of following her dream… She… She's dropped out of school and gone back home… She's not coming back…"
Now Sam was too stunned to speak momentarily, but he tried to remain stoic for Vanessa's sake as he asked, "Is… Is everything okay…? With her family…?"
"I… I don't know… She wouldn't… Didn't say much except that she couldn't stay here anymore… Then she quickly packed up as much as she could and… And said that she'd call or email with the address that I could send the rest of her stuff to… I've tried… More than once… To ask her for details, but wouldn't say… Wouldn't give me any details…. And now… Now she's just gone…"
Sam passed her a bottle of water out of the mini fridge. She took it graciously then gave the fridge a long, sad look absentmindedly saying, "She lugged that out of our old dorm rooms and into our new ones… She didn't ask us to pack it or ship it out to her."
Sam chuckled softly then said, "Well it sounds to me like she wants you to have it."
They stood there in silence while Vanessa smiled softly and then she dropped the still closed water bottle onto her bed and took Sam's hands in hers offering, "Once I know more Sam… I promise… I could let you know if you wanted…"
Sam shook his head then replied, "No… Don't… If she wants me to know the details, she knows where to find me… She can let me know… But if you need anything Vee, just let me know, okay?"
"Sam… You know… She… She does…" Vanessa tried to console and comfort him awkwardly.
As he turned away to leave, Sam quietly replied, "No, she doesn't… We both know that… Take care of yourself Vanessa."
She wanted to say something else, to press the matter, but stopped herself when Sam just continued out of the room. He pulled out his cell phone as he walked towards his lecture hall (for which he was now going to be more than late) and stared at the last text message that Toni had sent him when they had a class together the previous semester.
"Just CH 2 right?" Was the last thing that she asked him via text message. He was feeling hind of stupid and lame that the last thing he technically said to her was, "YEP".
They managed to maintain the façade of a friendship for six months, but then Toni silently started to distance herself from him and the rest of the "group". When that didn't work, Toni would make up some kind of excuse to get out of their outings. Sam finally stopped trying to get her to come out with them when she once said that she had to study for a big final even though summer vacation had already started. Then the only times he heard from her were short text messages to double check that she had the correct chapters written down for their latest assignment and the messages were never more than six words.
Now he was staring at her name and contact information. She hadn't attempted to call or text when something had happened to her mother (he still wasn't sure what had happened once Mrs. McNamara was transported to Annapolis, so he still wasn't aware of Toni's mother's passing) and he felt like she was once again giving him the cold shoulder now. Deep down her knew that it had to be something terrible that had happened to herself or her family for her to have dropped out of school, but he had nothing to go on from there since Vanessa wasn't able to give him any details.
He should have stopped himself, but he didn't notice that he had dialed her number until he heard the phone ringing. He quickly terminated the call then thought to himself, Goodbye Toni, before hitting the confirmation to delete her contact information.
She had her back turned to him and seemed to be completely preoccupied preparing a meal at the stove, so Sam figured that he would be able to sneak up on her. He and his brother had spent more than enough time at Bobby's house over the years that he had time to learn all of the quirks of the house and knew every floorboard he had to sidestep in order to avoid detection. He made it through the door frame easily and Toni was still just humming to herself, so Sam figured that he had succeeded in sneaking up on her.
What he didn't see while being focused on his own steps was that Toni had gently placed the frying pan on the stovetop and took a small step back before Sam encircled his arms around her waist to ensure that he wouldn't burn himself.
"I thought that we had an agreement and that you were going to rest."
She hugged his arms then turned around when he released her as she shrugged and replied, "I have… For three days now… So when I couldn't sleep, I got up to read… You know no heavy lifting or anything… Then I got hungry, so I figured you guys would be too once you woke up… I just wanted to do…"
"You figured right Darling," Bobby called out as he walked into the room. "And it smells absolutely delicious."
Toni gently pushed against Sam's stomach then nodded towards the table. Sam complied with her nonverbal command and then she smiled when she saw Bobby with his eyes closed as he inhaled the scent of the coffee in his mug.
"Well it isn't much, Bobby, but I hope you enjoy."
Bobby took the plate of toast and scrambled eggs that Toni was handing to him and Sam then chuckled as Bobby started saying, "We are never ungrateful when someone is willing to bring us a hot meal. Thank you for cooking, but…"
Toni found a seat beside Sam then interrupted, "I'll rest some more after breakfast." She noticed that Sam was laughing silently beside her, so she jabbed an elbow into his side then said, "And it's nice to finally meet you in person Bobby… And thanks again for all of your help with that… You know… And all…"
Bobby nodded with a soft smile then swallowed his mouthful of food to reply, "I am always more than happy to help when I can. I'm just glad that these boys were smart enough to give you my number and that you were smart enough to use it."
Sam nearly choked on his food because he had no idea that Toni had been in contact with Bobby before arriving on Bobby's door step. When he looked over at Toni out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that she was playing with her food and was trying to avoid looking over at him. He started to reach over towards her under the table, but before he could comment, Dean entered the room while talking fairly loudly on his phone.
"Yeah Buddy that's what the worm thing said… Well no… No… If your Mum said that you have to finish your homework first… No… Toby we've been over this a thousand times… You can't try to use me or researching to get out of doing your homework when I'm not there… Toby… Toby no… TOB… That's better… Yeah, okay… Thanks Buddy… Hey Lay… Whaf?" Dean somehow gravitated directly towards the food at the stove while speaking with Toby and the other three watched in unsurprised, yet fascinated awe. "No someone made breakfast so I was… Yeah… Yeah… Perfect… Thanks… Yeah I'll call when we know more…. Good… Yeah… Okay… Love you too… I told him that… Okay, talk to you later."
He stayed at the stove eating the eggs out of the frying pan with his back turned to all of them until Bobby cleared his throat loudly. Dean then turned, fingers still in his mouth, before he flashed the three of them a bright smile.
"Bobby I don't know how you did it, but these are the absolute best scrambled eggs that you have ever made… Seriously, these are good."
Toni smiled to herself then returned to her meal as she replied, "All I did was add a bit of cinnamon to them. It's really no big deal Dean."
"And there ARE clean plates in the sink son," Bobby commented when Dean carried over the pan to the table with a fork in hand. Dean just shrugged and continued eating out of the pan without attempting to look concerned.
"So…?" Toni started in an attempt to cut through some of the awkwardness and get them all back on course. "Was that that Toby on the phone?"
Dean smiled again then answered, "Yeah… He and Lay are going to see what they can find out about Eve…" He paused then looked at Toni to clarify, "The Mother of All bit that escaped Purgatory and caused all that havoc on that job…"
Toni nodded then swallowed her coffee before replying with a cheeky grin when she saw that Dean's demeanor had become somewhat standoffish, "Once Toby has finished his homework you mean."
Sam snickered as Dean smiled and nodded in appreciation of her joke that broke some of the tension he was feeling. Bobby finished his meal then very plainly stated, "So they'll be helping us look into Eve and Purgatory while Toni rests… Sounds good to me."
Toni froze then stared at him with her jaw clenched tightly, but she swallowed her infuriation and nearly whispered, "Yes sir."
Sam could see the color rise and fall from her cheeks, so he gently squeezed her damaged thigh saying towards the eldest hunter, "While she's healing, I'm sure that Toni would be more than happy to help us with research… Seriously Bobby, Toni has always been beyond meticulous when we were studying together."
Toni smiled to herself, but kept her eyes on her food while placing a hand over his to give Sam's hand a grateful squeeze. Bobby watched both of them closely while he seriously contemplated what they had just proposed.
Without taking any notice of the other three, Dean kept devouring his mean adding, "Bobby, Sam's right… Toni's almost more anal than he is when it comes to making sure that all of the bases are covered… And she can read three languages, so that comes in handy."
Toni huffed out an indignant, wounded sound while kicking Dean under the table. Dean scowled then looked up and quickly retorted, "I said ALMOST Toni… ALMOST as anal… But now I'm thinking…"
Bobby once again cleared his throat loudly to get them all back on track and the three younger hunters looked over at him almost guiltily. "Alright, fine, she… I mean, you can help with the research we'll be doing here at the house. But, I personally would feel better if you didn't go and fight anything or get too overly physical during any workouts until that arm of yours is healed."
"Me too… For what it's worth, your range of motion is kind of worrisome," Sam added with another gentle squeeze on her thigh.
Toni looked between the two of them then took in a deep breath and tried to sound light-hearted as she said, "Well… I guess that means that you boys will be doing the dishes…" She caught Sam's eye then added with a shrug, "Hey, I made breakfast all by my lonesome… You don't want me to over-exert myself my lugging around those dirty dishes, do you?"
All three of the men laughed softly then Bobby commented towards the younger Winchester, "Sam she definitely more than fits in here… Toni why don't you get set up in the study? Sam, you make sure that Toni's comfortable, okay? Let me know if you need anything."
Sam was on his feet and leading Toni by her arm in a sling towards the study before Dean had fully digested the conversation. As soon as the words registered in his ears, Bobby was handing him the dish soap saying, "I have to get the books out that we need… Sam doesn't know where some of them are… Now your brother is making sure that Toni isn't over doing it… So I guess that means you're the last one left to do the dishes."
Dean looked over at the sink then the pan that was in his hand and started to grumble about having to do housework when there were more important things, like stopping Eve to do. Bobby just left the room without saying another word, so Dean just continued his path to the sink.
"Her breakfast was good, but I still don't see why I HAVE to do the dishes."