Somewhere That No One Can Read Ya
Toni finished braiding her still wet hair before throwing hers and Sam's sweaty workout clothes into a plastic basket and then headed downstairs to start a load of laundry. It had taken her a little bit of verbal sparring with Sam to convince him that her doctor had already given her the go ahead to try to push herself during her daily workouts, but Toni finally did manage to persuade Sam to run father than three miles with her causing them both to get grosser and sweatier than she had anticipated. As she started the washing machine, Toni found herself wondering why the townhouse was so quiet. She had been more than sure that her father would have gotten up and ready for the day while she and Sam were out for their run and that the men would have been starting breakfast together while she got cleaned up, but the house was completely devoid of the usual morning chatter which was starting to worry her.
When Toni arrived in the kitchen, she was more than a little surprised to see Sam alone tending to something at the stove. Even with that strange sight greeting her, Toni still set a direct route for the coffee pot, but she quickly diverted her course to stand at Sam's side when she heard him cursing softly under his breath.
"Hey there Boyfriend… Is someone giving you trouble?" Toni teased as she bumped her left against Sam's right hip.
Sam didn't answer her and tried to just throw out the burnt mess that he had in the pan without Toni noticing it at all. While he moved away from her, Toni dipped her index finger into a bowl of batter sitting on the counter then asked without trying to hide her surprise, "You're making crêpes?"
"More like burning them into an inedible lump," Sam replied with an apologetic frown. "I don't think that I screwed up cutting or cleaning the fruits and berries so those should be safe for you to consume while you wait for me to get this right."
Toni watched him while he finished cleaning out the pan and laughed silently to herself at how cutely domestic Sam was trying to be. Before he returned to the stove, Toni pulled out a different pan from a cupboard then explained, "Dad usually uses this one to make crêpes… He says that it's something about it heating more evenly or something."
Sam stole a glance over his shoulder and then left the pan he was holding in the sink. "I didn't see it in there," he admitted quietly. "But now that you mention it Tom did say something about being careful about what pan I used."
Toni flipped the crêpe that she had started while Sam just watched her with a soft smile on her face. "Speaking of… Have you seen the Colonel this morning? It isn't like him to sleep in this late," Toni questioned with a forced calm tone as she continued to cook crêpe after crêpe with practiced ease.
She finished up a few more of the thin pancakes and then they both settled at the kitchen table before Sam answered, "Nope I haven't seen him at all and I'm pretty sure his room was empty when I used the shower in his bathroom."
"What?" Toni questioned with her fork paused in mid-air.
Sam shrugged and continued digging into his meal a he nonchalantly repeated, "His room seemed to be empty and his bed was made, but… You know what? Come to think of it I don't remember hearing him come in last night and we were up pretty late."
"Yeah… You're right…" Toni said with a thoughtful frown on her face, completely ignoring Sam's half-hearted attempt to refocus her attention on their sex life. "Huh… He stayed out all night…"
"Yes he did." Sam reached over and squeezed her hand adding with mock seriousness, "And when our Tommy gets home, we should have a little chat with him about his calling ahead of time to let us know if he doesn't plan on coming home at night."
Toni gave Sam an unimpressed look that hardened when he laughed softly at his own joke. "What? Oh come on Toni, I'm sure that he's fine, so don't give me that look."
"It's not that Sam, it's just that my dad has a girlfriend…"
"Yes he does Toni," he replied almost sounding like he was trying to placate a petulant child. "And we had a lovely dinner at a fancy restaurant with her the night before last."
He'd reached over to try to rub soothing circles on her shoulder, so Toni smacked his hand away replying, "Thanks Tips, I remember our dinner with Yvette and dad… I just meant…" She took a moment to collect her thoughts and Sam took a chance by holding one of her hands in a gentle grasp. "I mean he has a girlfriend and they have sleepovers… I don't know but it's weird and…" Sam' hand slid up her arm and then he started petting her head down the length of her French braid. "Well he's been through so much and he more than deserves to be happy, so maybe I should…. I don't know… It might be better for them if I…"
"Toni? Are you saying that you don't think that you should use your dad's place as a home base between jobs?"
She just shrugged and whispered, "Maybe."
Sam leaned over to wrap an arm around her shoulders and hugged her briefly. "You are such an idiot sometimes."
"Hey watch it Winchester!" Toni countered without much malice behind her words as she weakly shoved his chest.
"Don't get mad at me for speaking the truth. I know for a fact that it would break your dad's heart if you didn't spend your down time with him."
Toni pushed back against his torso gently to look up into his face to ask, "How are you so certain Sam?"
"The other night when you went to bed early, we talked a bit about it then… Well in between his questions about Dean and dad that is." Toni hadn't realized that her eyes had teared up until Sam brushed a wayward tear away. "I don't think that he'd be spending this much time with someone that was expecting him to cut you out of his life. Plus I'm sure that Yvette understands the bond between you two and is happy to make it all work between the three of you."
Toni closed her eyes and wiped her cheeks as she said, "And I'm just over thinking things again and being stupid, right?"
"You love your dad and want him to be happy, that isn't stupid." Sam kissed her head then added, "But not eating when your stomach's growling that loudly IS stupid, so you should eat up."
She elbowed Sam in the side then quietly said, "Well if you weren't a slave driver who made me run five miles…" Sam laughed loudly because they both knew that it was Toni who had pushed them both to test their limits on today's run. She piled her fork full of crêpes and black berries then held it up to Sam's mouth. He ate it almost hesitantly and Toni kissed his lips as soon as he closed his mouth to eat his food. "Thanks for making me breakfast and for making me feel less insane."
Sam just smiled and let Toni have the last word by eating the breakfast that they had made together. When Toni's coffee mug started to run low, Sam got up to fix her another cup without saying a word. Toni smiled to herself because she was feeling so content that she could get used to both of her men taking care of her. But in the back of her mind she knew that this domestic bliss wasn't going to last forever. Sooner or later Sam would need to see Dean again, even if he still didn't want to, which would bring these fun times to an end. Plus both of them were serious about helping people, so she knew they would be pulled back to the job soon, so she wanted to make sure to enjoy this time with Sam while she could.
As they cleared their plates and loaded the dishwasher, Toni avoided making eye contact while she meekly asked, "So…? I know dad isn't here, but are you still up for finishing the tour of the grounds and meeting some more of his friends?"
Sam smiled then winked as he answered, "Of course I am. I could even pull out my bathing suit if you wanted to go to Aquacise class later today."
"So that over there is the Bar-B-Que area. They put on a huge feast every Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Independence… Well okay practically every holiday. Casper makes some of the best pulled pork this side of Memphis that you'll ever taste," Toni explained as they walked hand in hand down a tree-lined pathway. "A few of the other vets have had family reunions there too."
"Sound like fun. Maybe next long weekend I can check it out for myself."
Toni smiled brightly then said, "I really…. Umm I mean I'm sure dad would really like that."
Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled into a side hug. "Right because he'd be the only one that would be happy for me to be here I'm sure."
They continued walking somewhat awkwardly with Sam's arm still around Toni's shoulder and hers around his waist. "Yeah well Alex always told me guys don't like it when a girl seems too eager."
"Maybe some guys don't, but I'm…"
"Toni? Toni McNamara is that you?"
They paused then Toni turned away from Sam's body while catching his hand in hers so that she could find the woman who had called out to her. "It is you! I had heard that you were back in town." By this time the newcomer had caught up to Toni and Sam. She didn't hide the fact that she was looking Sam up and down to size him up as she continued, "And I heard that you had brought someone special home with you."
Toni let out a soft laugh then replied, "News travels fast here doesn't it? Sharon this is Sam Winchester… He's… My boyfriend. Sam this is Sharon Case, her husband worked with my mom on a few missions back in the day."
Sam extended a hand that the elderly woman eagerly shook. "Sam it is so good to meet you. We've all heard a lot about you from our Toni and Colonel McNamara."
"Oh well I hope that I can live up to the publicity," Sam replied trying not to show his unease.
Sharon squeezed Sam's hand until he winced as she commented, "We all do too Sam because you see… We're a tight knit community here and we take care of our own." She then released his hand and turned her attention to Toni. "We've missed you on Bridge nights Toni. The Walters seem to think that they're going to win the tournament and you know that we can't have that. Will we see you there next week?"
"Oh… Uh… Maybe… If nothing else comes up, I'll make sure I'm there for sure," she replied with an uncomfortable swallow.
"Well I won't blame you if you're too preoccupied to make it," Sharon teased while openly leering at Sam. "Nope I couldn't blame you one little bit."
As Sharon continued down the walkway towards the Common Room, Sam shivered slightly and stared at Toni wide-eyed. She laughed then patted his arm saying, "Don't worry Sam, I'll protect you from getting eaten up by the big bad widows. But if you'd try being a little less adorable and handsome, it would make my job a lot easier."
"I'll be tough, but I'll try my best. So where's our next stop?"
"I was thinking that we could hit the Common Room to maybe see if dad's there, but now I… I'm not so sure."
"Why aren't you sure?" Sam questioned as he lead her down the path Sharon had taken.
"Well by this time everyone will be there to play crib or cards or to just reminisce about old times and since Sharon's going to beat us there…" She explained timidly.
Sam squeezed her hand and didn't miss a step as he replied, "I'm a big boy Toni, I'm sure that I can handle them all wanting to interrogate me."
"Okay but this is going to be like meeting thirty versions of my mom and dad all at once."
"Toni," he asserted with another squeeze of her hand. "I swear I can handle it."
Toni nodded quickly then said, "Okay if you can do it then I can do it."
They continued down the walkway, feeling nervous but they both were avoiding showing their unease to each other. Sam even ignored the sweat that was pooling between their hands because he knew that drawing any attention to it would just make Toni feel worse. Neither of them was conscious of it, but they had slowed their pace enough that some of the more senior retirees were able to pass them with ease.
After a man out for a stroll with his walker 'sped' past them, Toni laughed nervously and said, "I guess we're being…"
"Toni! Toni! Wait up!"
Toni flashed Sam a humorous smirk before she turned around and replied, "Hey there stranger, long time no see." Her dad was nearly running to catch up with them and didn't seem to hear her as she continued to tease him saying, "Same clothes from yesterday… Looks like you and Yvette had a time last night."
"Toni… Sam… I need your help," he started frantically as he stepped between the two hunters and hooked an arm through each of theirs.
"Dad? What is it? What's wrong?" Toni asked worriedly while trying to stop her dad from leading them back towards his townhouse.
The Colonel checked all around them but never stopped walking as he replied, "I'm… I'm not sure… But not out here. Now come on."
Sam followed them silently while trying to get a read on the situation by scrutinizing the Colonel's body language. Toni continued to ask her dad to stop or slow down while tugging on his jacket sleeve. The Colonel continued to ignore her pleading as he nearly dragged her along and seemingly ignored that Sam was present at all.
Toni managed to detach herself from her dad's grasp and stopped in her spot. She folded her arms over her chest and stamped her foot defiantly stating, "I'm not taking one more step until you tell me what the hell is going on." Her father stepped forward with a hard scowl on his face which caused Toni to take a step back and more humbly say, "I mean not until you explain the situation, Sir. Now please dad…" She gently held his cheeks to try to check his body for any sign of injury. "Are you hurt? Did Yvette do something to you?"
The Colonel could hear the tears in Toni's voice, so he took in a deep breath then answered, "Sorry Angel, I didn't mean to scare you like that. I'm fine, Yvette's… Well I need to get back to her as soon as possible, but I need to run something by you before I can go back to comfort her."
"But Yvette…? She's not hurt or anything either, is she?" Sam asked trying to get the other two back on track.
"Physically she's fine, yes, but she's… She's heartbroken," Tom explained timidly.
Toni took her dad's hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she started back towards their home. "Well then let's get back to the townhouse so that you can fill Sam and I in on everything and then we can get you back to Yvette that much sooner… Sound good?"
He just nodded and let her lead him down the walkway. As they got closer to their home, Toni gave Sam a worried look behind her dad's back and he replied by giving her a strong smile and mouthed "We can do this." Toni wanted to believe him, but she couldn't shake the feelings of uncertainty that threatened to overtake her from seeing her dad in such emotional distress.
Toni unlocked the back door and her dad silently walked towards the living room. While she was still standing on the back door step, Sam leaned down and kissed Toni's head then quietly offered, "I'll go start the kettle to make some tea."
"Thanks Sam that's a great idea."
She walked at a painfully slow pace to the living room because she was afraid of what she was going to find. After seeing Sam in bed with another woman, she had completely shut down on her dad and now she completely understood the look that she had seen on his face when he had finally gotten the courage to come into her room. He had offered her nothing but comfort and support back then, so Toni reminded herself that she that she owed him the same right now.
Sam rejoined her at the doorway of the living room where she stood frozen in her place. He slipped his arms around her waist and then rested his chin on her shoulder. Toni remained motionless, so he was going to offer her more words of encouragement until the sight in the living room struck him mute as well.
They both had expected to find the Colonel anxiously waiting for them in his recliner, but instead they found him looking through a few drawers of the entertainment center before quickly moving to the foot stool that also doubled as a storage chest.
"Dad?" Toni called out weakly. "Dad? Can we help you find something?"
The Colonel didn't even pause so Sam tried to get his attention by asking with more volume, "Col… Uh… Tom can we help you find something?"
Without looking up from the storage chest, Toni's dad answered, "Toni's laptop… I thought that she left it in here…"
Toni shared a confused look with Sam then answered, "No sir, I took it up to my room." Her dad stopped and then flopped down onto the floor looking defeated. "But… I… I could run up and get it if you need it."
Sam appeared at her side with his laptop in hand. She took it from him with a stunned look on her face, so he nudged her into the living room saying to her dad, "Toni has my laptop Tom, would that do?"
The Colonel nodded his head as they walked slowly towards him. Sam reclaimed his notebook computer and started setting it up so that Toni could focus her attention on her dad. She held out her hand to him to help him off the floor and then motioned for him to take a seat beside Sam on the couch. She knew that there was no way that that the three of them would fit on the couch comfortably and still be able to see the computer, so Toni settled on the floor between the two men's legs.
Before Toni was fully seated, her dad was already leaning forward to type on the laptop. Sam could see the tension building in Toni's muscles so he started to massage her shoulders while they watched her dad work. When the Colonel had finally found the website he had been looking for, he started to sit back on the couch and Sam let his hands fall away from her body so that she could lean forward to get a better look.
Toni took control of the computer and scrolled through the information as she quickly read it. Near the end of the page, she exclaimed a little louder than she had anticipated she would because of her shock, "Dad! This is Yvette's personal email."
"Yes it is," he answered calmly. "She gave me permission to show both of you these when I told her that you might be able to help." Before Toni could ask what he meant by 'help', her dad quickly instructed her, "Read the email from today, that should clarify the predicament."
Without checking with Sam that he was finished reading Toni swiftly followed, her dad's instructions. As he had promised, pretty much all of Toni's and Sam's unasked questions were answered. Once she was done reading this email, Toni looked over her shoulder to check that Sam had finished as well and then she turned to her dad while Sam gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.
"She wasn't anyone that you should know Angel. Remember the friend that Yvette was so excited to finally get a chance to spend some time with…?"
Toni gasped softly causing her dad to nod as she said, "Oh my… Poor Yvette… Okay, so did I read that right? She was beaten over the head by her own crystal ball while she was alone in a locked house?"
"Yes," he dad answered just barely over a whisper.
Sam was re-reading the second email as he said, "And from the preliminary forensics, only her fingerprints were found on the crystal ball, is that correct?"
"That is Sam. Imelda was very particular about not allowing anyone else touch any of her… Tools of the trade," the Colonel explained, sitting back so that he could look at the two hunters with more ease. "Plus she lived alone, had no family close by so no one else had access to her home and there were no signs of forced entry."
"Okay so let me get this straight… Yvette's best friend was killed in her locked house in the middle of the night by her own crystal ball," Toni itemized hoping that she had the facts right. Her dad nodded in reply while Sam sat in his spot patiently waiting to offer them his theory. "Okay… How was she found and by whom?"
"She had an appointment with the organizers of the E.S.P. Festival to go over some details of some sort, I'm not sure of those particulars, but she didn't answer the door. She was painfully punctual so they poked around her yard until they found a window to the room where she was… But… That's not the weirdest part…"
"There's something stranger than a psychic being killed by her own crystal ball when she was home alone?" Toni asked in a tone that didn't hide her disbelief.
"Yes Angel… Imelda… She… She sent Yvette an email that arrived today telling Yvette how sorry she was that they weren't going to be able to reconnect with her. She didn't say it in so many words, but the way she worded it…" Toni's dad paused and looked like he was visibly trying to keep himself from breaking down. "Well it made it sound like she knew that her death was going to happen."
Toni bit her lip and swallowed her humorous quip; "Well she was psychic" because she knew that it wouldn't be helpful to make any jokes right now. Instead she just squeezed her dad's knee and offered him a sympathetic smile. Her dad knew Toni well enough that he could see the jokes running through her mind so he placed his hand over hers and gave her the brightest smile he could muster as a thank you for her leaving them unsaid.
"So…? Do you two…? Does this sound…?"
Toni turned her attention to Sam as she asked, "Sounds like it could maybe be a spirit? What do you think?"
"I think that we won't know for sure until we get over there to investigate it more thoroughly," Sam answered as he helped Toni to her feet.
"Really?" The Colonel questioned as if he hadn't heard Sam properly. "You'll really take this case on?"
Seeing her dad nearly in tears choked Toni up enough that it almost hurt her throat as she replied, "Of course we will dad." She sat down partially on Sam's thigh so that she could wrap her father in a warm hug. "And you should head back to Yvette's to be with her while we pack because she really needs you right now."
Toni's dad leaned out of her embrace nodding gently and then his eyes flew open. He looked positively stricken as a thought hit him hard, "Oh dear! Sam you've only… I'm so sorry to…"
"Dad… Shh… It's…" Toni interrupted as she held her dad's cheek.
She lost her words to the urge to cry, so Sam took over by saying with a reassuring tone, "Tom there's no need for you to apologize, sir. I'm more than happy to help. That is… If your daughter will let me tag along with her."
Toni shifted so that she was cuddled against her dad's side and she playfully punched Sam's arm almost whining, "Sam…"
Tom hugged Toni closer to him replying, "Thank you Sam. Really I appreciate this more than I can say." He turned Toni in his arms then said to her, "Angel I don't even know what to say… This means so much to me and Yvette… Really… And you're right, I should get back to her… But you…"
Toni stood up and gave her dad a proper hug saying into his shoulder, "I'll be safe, I promise." She leaned back and quickly looked at the man seated on the couch behind her. "We'll be safe. Now go, please? I'll call you once we've hit the road, okay?"
He nodded then kissed her cheek. "Thanks again Toni. I love you so much Angel." After Toni whispered, "I love you too" her dad moved around her to where Sam was now standing. "And you young man…" The Colonel gripped Sam's out stretched hand tightly then pulled the younger man into a hug. "It was a pleasure having you stay with us. Don't forget that you're welcome here any time."
Sam patted Tom on the back a couple of times and then Toni's dad awkwardly apologized as he took a large step back, "Oh… Gee… I'm sorry Sam. Toni and I… We've…" He watched as Sam wrapped an arm around Toni's shoulder while she pressed herself into his side. "We've become 'huggers', but I know that some people… Well they aren't unless…"
"Tom? Sir it's fine. Thanks again for letting me hide out here."
"Anytime Sam, anytime. I have my cell, but if I don't answer it, call Yvette's landline, okay Angel?" The Colonel clarified as he slowly made his way to the door.
"Okay dad. I'll call you later. Give Yvette my best."
Her dad just nodded then he rushed towards the door. Toni slumped slightly in Sam's arms, so he gave her a comforting squeeze as she said, "Wow so you go from making the world's best impression on my dad while you were here to trying to get to the bottom of his girlfriend's best friend's suspicious death? I think I should nominate you for Sainthood… Or has someone already beaten me to that?"
Sam picked Toni up off the ground as he hugged her, laughing loudly. "You know I'm happy to be of help and well… At least this way I don't have to feel guilty about being sucked back into work."
He set her feet back onto the floor while she blushed then said, "Of course… Okay, I guess that means that we need to pack so that we can hit the road and do the job."
"You mean that YOU need to pack. My bags are still good to go," he teased as he turned her towards the stairs and playfully smacked her on the butt.
Toni stared at him in wide-eyed surprise until his soft smile morphed into a devilish grin. "You better watch that sass Winchester or maybe you'll find yourself sleeping in the truck once we get to New York."
"No one stealing the covers? Promises, promises."
"I hate you so much," Toni replied through a tight frown that was trying to turn into a giggle.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah… Love you too," Sam said dismissively. "I'll see if I can book us a room while you pack."
Sam turned towards the living room but was stopped by Toni digging her nails into his forearm nearly hard enough to draw blood. He almost said something but was immediately stopped by the look on her face. She took advantage of his stunned state to pull him down for a long thorough kiss.
"Seriously Sam… I don't even… This is…"
Although it worried Sam that he had once again caused Toni to be completely lost for words, he forced himself not to show her his concern. Toni stamped her foot as she silently cursed herself before she squared her shoulders saying, "You're the best and I really appreciate everything you've done and are going to do."
Sam waited for Toni to make a joke or to say something to end off on a less serious note, but when she didn't he wasn't sure how to respond. Although Toni felt slightly uneasy, she gave Sam a half-smile and said, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, but I just wanted you to know…"
"I know," he interrupted softly. "I know and there's nowhere else I'd rather be."
Toni just nodded curtly in understanding then turned to head up to her room. After she was packed and ready to go, she passed her keys to Sam. While he got comfortable behind the wheel, Toni called her dad (as promised) to let him know that they were heading out. He had managed to get Yvette comfortable and had been manning the phone to filter who she spoke to in order to keep her from being upset any further. He gave Toni the names and contact information for a few close friends of Imelda that would be expecting Toni to connect with them once she and Sam got to Lilydale. The Colonel made sure that the names he gave her were those of the people where were the most receptive of his daughter helping them. One had even offered to provide Toni a cover story of being a relative of Imelda's so that it would be easier for Toni to get information.
As he gave Toni the 'good' news, Tom was checking Yvette's emails where he read some more tragic news. Another member of the psychic community had emailed Yvette to let her know about another horrific death. This one had two fairly reliable and completely terrified eye witnesses that saw a planchette from an Ouija board imbed itself in a psychic's throat during a reading. He wasn't able to provide much more detail about the event beyond that as well as the names of the parties involved, but Toni still made sure to write everything down in detail as he spoke.
"Alright, I think I got all of that. Geez, I'm so sorry to hear that Yvette's lost another friend. I promise I'll call as soon as we find out anything. Love you."
"Love you too. And thanks again. I know Yvette's found some comfort in the fact that you're working to uncover the truth. Talk to you soon."
While Toni tucked her phone away, Sam reached over to pat her knee asking, "So what did you learn from the Colonel that has you so spooked."
"Well for one," Toni started slowly as she refocused her gaze on Sam. "I'm pretty sure that Yvette used to work the Psychic Circuit." Sam flashed Toni a look that mirrored her own to which she shrugged and chuckled nervously. "I know right? I know that Army wives usually have a hobby, but this… I didn't see that coming at all." Sam groaned then gave Toni a half-hearted glare. "What? I thought that was pretty clever."
They checked into a room late that night and after a good night's sleep Toni and Sam decided to split up to be more efficient. He got dressed in a suit to play the role of a FBI agent with the local authorities while Toni dressed in a casual, comfortable outfit to go and meet with Imelda's extended family. The only bone of contention between them was who was going to drive her truck. Sam's argument was that he could explain away arriving in a cab by saying that he couldn't find a suitable rental whereas Toni maintained that he would need a vehicle to move from scene to scene more than she would by just going to one house.
"Alright so brunch?" Sam asked when they reached Toni's destination.
"Did you say 'brunch'?" Toni questioned with a smirk. "Sure that sounds good. You find a place and I'll meet you there, okay?"
Toni gripped the frame of the driver's side window to peck Sam's lips before he replied, "Okay, but if you fin…" He paused at the sight of Toni's dramatic eye roll. "Alright I'll call you when I'm finished down at the Sheriff's office."
While Toni was at Imelda's house it was all she could do not to pull her hair out by the fistful or to scream in frustration. She had a vague understanding that most of the people she was going to meet would be psychics or something similarly inclined, but everywhere she turned around she ran into another psycho… PSYCHIC Toni corrected herself silently, who were offering her yet another theory involving sprites or fairies of some sort.
"Here you look like you could use one of these," a woman around Toni's age said as she offered Toni a tumbler of whiskey. "When you get them all together they can be a little overwhelming."
Toni swallowed a couple of generous mouthfuls of her drink then replied, "So I'm not the only one?"
He r savior shook her head with a bright smile on her face. "Nope. By the way I'm Harmony. My Aunt's the one starting the séance in there."
"Oh you're Opal's niece, okay… Yeah that makes sense," Toni replied as she followed the skinny blond dressed like a human incarnation of a robotic gypsy in a box down the hallway to an empty room. "Oh, sorry… I'm Toni. I'm Imelda's second cousin."
Harmony turned with a soft smile on her face then said, "No you're not, so please no more lies between us." Toni opened her mouth to defend herself, but Harmony just waved a dismissive hand before continuing, "I also know that you're here to help so I won't harp on the specifics… Especially since I have a message that I need to pass onto you."
Toni just stared at the other woman, so Harmony took one of her hands and started to pet her arm from elbow to wrist softly. "Toni? Is that right? She wants you to know that there's going to be a… Okay wait… There will be an obstacle for you to overcome… No wait that's not it… You need to…" Harmony smiled to herself then looked beyond Toni with an amused look on her face as she said, "You need to help him with this obstacle."
Harmony continued to pet Toni's arm as if to soothe her as Toni quietly asked, "But how? How can I help?"
She twirled a lock of Toni's hair around her index finger without really paying any attention to the chagrinned look on Toni's face. "Just be your loving, comforting, understanding self Chiclet, that's all that he'll need from you."
"Will?" Toni whispered on the verge of bursting into tears. "How are you…?"
"I really am a Medium Toni. I just wear this outfit during the festival season to appease the tourists. But they want you to know that they are all together and they're fine." Toni bit back a sob but she couldn't bring herself to move away from the woman even though her first instinct was to run away screaming. "He… He was right… It did lie to you about your brothers and they really need you to know they're okay."
Toni dropped the now empty glass in her hand to the ground mumbling a few unintelligible words as she slowly backed away from Harmony. The other woman's hand lingered on Toni's shirt sleeve for a breath before she let it drop to her side when she thought better of trying to force Toni to stay with her. Harmony wasn't sure which part of what she had said or done that had been the cause of the panicked look in Toni's eye, so she knew that she wouldn't be able to say the right thing to remedy it easily. Toni's eyes remained on Harmony as she backed away as if the Medium would attack her if Toni took her eyes off her, but once she reached the door Toni gave up all pretenses as she turned and ran in the direction of the front door.
All of the other women were still focused on their séance, so Toni was able to grab her jacket and leave the house without any obstacles. Her arms got tangled in her jacket's sleeves causing her to almost fall down the front stairs, so Toni forced herself to stop and try to take a breather. She sat down on the concrete stairs and finally managed to get her coat on and then she rested her head in her hands while she collected her thoughts.
She stayed stationary to calm herself down and to force her thoughts to clear into dull roar. As much as Harmony's imitations of her mother's and brothers' mannerisms had freaked her out, Toni now had some confirmation that they all were at peace and that Alex and Will weren't being tortured in Hell like Crowley had tried to make her believe. Even if it was just lip service, Toni focused on the feelings of peace and tranquility that accompanied that thought and let the shock of finally hearing the truth fade away.
When she finally pulled her phone out to call Sam she even let out a sigh of relief when she noticed that her hands were no longer shaking anymore. Sam had left her a voicemail while Toni was talking with Harmony, so she called a cab company to come pick her up instead of calling her boyfriend so that she could go meet him and talk with him in person at the restaurant of his choosing.
At the restaurant she ignored everyone and everything except for Sam sitting at his table sipping his coffee slowly. She didn't care if she was breaking his cover or if she looked like a crazy woman as she ran over to his table and planted an enthusiastic kiss on his lips. Sam was too stunned by Toni's actions to respond, but Toni was quickly brought back to reality by the sound of two men clearing their throats dramatically.
Her eyes landed on Dean and were only drawn away from him when she heard, "You two are the fertile soil where the seeds of happiness will be sown." Toni stared at the server dumbfounded as he placed Dean's order on the table and then he turned and asked her, "What can I get for you today Miss?"
The thought of eating made Toni's stomach churn, but then her stomach growled loudly to remind her that she hadn't eaten yet today. "Um… An egg white omelet, hash browns and a cup of coffee please."
The waiter smiled and nodded then left the three of them alone while he placed Toni's order with the kitchen. Toni's eyes drifted back to the table and refocused on the two manila files that sat between the two brothers. She stood there staring at them wondering silently to herself if these two victims had been like Harmony and had actually had some natural talent and that they had become caricatures of themselves in order to make money. And if that was case, did their psychic abilities have anything to do with their untimely and gruesome deaths?
Toni jumped as she was brought out of her thoughts by someone placing a soft hand on the small of her back. She still wasn't feeling fully alert as Sam eased Toni into a chair that was now beside him, so he held her face and tried to hold her gaze as he quietly asked, "Hey… Are you okay? You look a little pale."
A soft smile spread across Toni's lips as she replied, "Yeah, sorry… I'm good, it's… It's just been a really weird day."
"You are an avenue of peace for anyone who will listen," the server cut in as he placed Toni's meal in front of her.
Toni smirked and forced herself not to laugh as she replied a quick, "Thanks."
"So… What'd you learn at Imelda's?" Sam asked while Toni stared at her food and pushed it around the plate with her fork.
Dean had been devouring his meal, but he stopped abruptly when he heard Sam's question. Toni was still silent so Dean opened his mouth to speak, but Sam stopped his brother with a withering glare. Dean just shrugged abruptly then shook his head and returned to his meal.
Toni finally placed her fork on her plate then turned to Sam and answered with a disgusted look, "Nothing useful for this case so we can wait to get into it later." She then smiled at him and asked as if nothing else had been said, "How about you?"
Sam pulled out the two pictures of the victims, but before Sam could explain Toni pulled both of the photos closer to her asking, "Wait a second! Are…? Are they wearing the same necklace?"
"Yep. Imelda willed it to Goldy… It sounds like she even left a few things for Yvette too," Sam answered with a careful tone.
Toni blushed then replaced the photo in one of the folders. "Oh, right she did. Shit, I totally forgot to pick them up before I left her place… Fuck I guess that means that I'll have to go back… Dammit!"
"Did you want some company?" Sam asked softly while trying not to sound like he was trying to be overly protective (even though that's how he felt) because he knew it might annoy Toni.
Dean let out a sound of disagreement but Sam and Toni ignored it as she finally started to eat her food and just shook her head saying, "No that's okay. I sort of need to talk to the ladies again anyway to see if their séance turned up anything useful… So where are you headed off to now?"
"We thought that we'd go and have a chat with Goldy's next of kin to see if we can get a closer look at that necklace."
"'We'?" Toni repeated not hiding her surprise. She finally turned her attention to look at Dean and said to no one in particular, "So what? Are you thinking that it's a cursed object instead of our original suspicion of an angry spirit?"
"Pretty much," Dean answered somewhat curtly.
"And I'll be riding with him, so here," Sam said as he handed Toni her car keys.
Toni took them and tucked them into her pocket without saying a word. She and Dean then finished their meals in an uncomfortable silence and the three of them left the restaurant together. Since Toni didn't know where Sam had parked her truck, they broke off from the group with Sam telling Dean he'd meet him back at the front of the restaurant in five minutes and didn't wait for his brother to respond.
"So is this 'later' enough?" Sam questioned as they walked down the sidewalk.
Toni laughed softly to herself then said, "It is for the short version. Basically I met a Medium that could finally answer my questions." Sam wasn't ready for that answer and the look on his face made Toni laugh even louder. "Okay… I guess I need to go with a bit longer version then… So… After I found out that ghosts were real, I went to a couple of psychics to try to contact Mom, Alex and Will… And yeah… Surprise, surprise they told me nothing helpful. But then today… Well she nailed it on the head… She told me everything I wanted to know without my having to ask and it kind of freaked me out… But as dumb as it sounds the freak out was in a good way… Like I was so relieved it scared me… Anyway… Yeah… Surprise! You're girlfriend's a freak."
Sam gave her a warm hug as he replied, "There's nothing wrong with worrying about your family. But you're sure that you're okay?"
"Yeah," she said more confidently. "Especially now that the shock's worn off."
"Okay… So I'll call you after our meeting," Sam offered as he kissed her head as a good bye.
When Sam got back to his brother, Dean scoffed and turned to walk in the opposite direction saying, "Well now I know where you were and who you were doing." He added a generous emphasis on the 'who'.
Sam easily caught up with Dean and replied with his own sarcastic bite, "And it's still none of your business."
By the time Toni got back to Imelda's, most of the women had left so she learned very little else about the necklace or any other theories they had come up with to explain what had happened to the psychics. She was able to retrieve the goods meant for Yvette and then she found a quiet place in a nearby park to call her dad and check in with him. Much to her surprise, he was sleeping so she ended up having a lengthy (and emotionally exhausting) conversation with Yvette instead.
Yvette mostly reminisced about old times with Imelda and other psychics that Toni didn't know personally and would probably never get a chance to meet. As she spoke, Yvette broke down into choking sobs so Toni spent the majority of the conversation trying to calm Yvette down enough that she could actually make out what the older woman was trying to say. Even though Toni truly wanted to be anywhere but back in Madison right now with the distraught woman, as the conversation dragged on she couldn't help but feel like she should return home to help her dad get Yvette through this horrific ordeal.
As soon as that thought formed, Toni felt incredibly guilty because that would mean that she would be leaving Sam alone to deal with Dean. So which man needed her more right now? The one that gave her life or the one that first reminded her that she wanted to live life to the fullest?
"Shit," she cursed softly to herself. "So who is it that I'm supposed to help?"
She started scrolling through the new numbers she had just received while at Imelda's to see if she had gotten Harmony's number to try to call her and get some guidance. As she sorted through the new names and numbers, she was cut off short by her phone vibrating.
"Hey Sam, how's everything going on your end?" She asked cheerfully.
She heard Sam take in a long, deep breath so she quickly sobered her tone and asked, "Where are you? I'll come get you so we can talk face to face."
"Hang on," Sam with a hint of chuckle at her abrupt change in tone when she realized that he might be in distress. "Just coming up to First and College Court."
"Huh… Well screw picking you up. Keep walking in the direction you're going then hang a right at the park entrance. You'll find me at a picnic table just a little ways in."
Sam was still laughing when he reached the table where Toni was seated. "How can you always do that?"
Toni smirked and barely turned her eyes up to his face as she answered, "Years of practice."
Sam flopped down on the bench across from Toni with a laugh that sounded half amused and half exhausted. He was holding his hands together in a tight grip on the tabletop so Toni place her hands over his quietly saying, "So the look on your face tell me I don't have to ask, but I'm going to…"
"I can't do this," Sam blurted out. "I… I just can't…"
"Yes you can," Toni asserted just over a whisper. Sam's head shot up from staring at their hands and Toni knew they couldn't have this conversation with her seated in this position. Once she was sitting beside Sam on the same bench with their hands touching both of their thighs she continued in a tender tone, "It's just a job Sam, not a commitment to go back to how things were before. You just do the job, keep anyone else from being killed and then you go from there. Nothing's set in stone for the future."
Sam looked into her face, but this time all of his troubles were instantly forgotten because he could see how tired Toni looked in spite of her having had a good night's sleep. He liberated one of his hands and lightly stroked her cheek saying, "I know you gave me the short and the long-ish version already, but how about you go more in depth now?"
Toni released his grip from her face and held their hands together in their laps again as she replied, "The dark circles aren't from anything to do with the Medium… I just spent the last two and a half hours on the phone with Yvette." Sam's jaw dropped and Toni had to almost physically restrain herself to keep from laughing. "Dad was up all night worrying about her and insomnia seems to have accompanied her grief, so she was still up when I called to check up on them."
"Toni… I'm so sorry…"
"It's okay Sam," she swiftly interrupted. "She doesn't keep alcohol in the house… Well actually I found out that they met at AA so… Yeah… Don't worry about that and… Well after lots of tears and even more ramblings about her friends on the circuit, I was able to get her to promise to rest by reassuring her that we were getting to the bottom of this. And…? We are… Aren't we? I mean aren't you guys?"
She knew it would be a low blow, but she also knew it would be effective as well to use Sam's guilt against him. He hunched his shoulders slightly in depth before he answered, "Goldy had a premonition or something of her death too… A 'the room suddenly turned into a freezer' type of vision, so we're thinking that our initial suspicions of it being some kind of a vengeful spirit was right."
"Really? But who?" Toni asked completely forgetting the exhaustion that had threatened to overtake her just moments earlier.
"We don't know yet. Dean and I agreed we'd cover more ground if we split up and canvassed the area."
"Agreed you say… Or was it more of an 'I have to get away from you so I don't punch you' decision on your part Sam?" She asked as politely as possible.
Well Toni may have let some of her sarcastic humor slip in, so Sam huffed out a laugh and replied, "Maybe more of the latter."
Toni combed her fingers through Sam's hair as she observed with a tearful tone, "He's never kept something like this from you before, has he? I know you've had differing opinions, but this… You've never felt betrayed like this have you?"
"No," he whispered shaking his head. "I was there when he killed Ruby… Hell I held onto her so she couldn't run away, so why wouldn't he just tell me about this?"
Toni opened her mouth as if she was going to answer but then she closed it and just shook her head instead causing Sam to ask, "What? Please whatever it is, just say it."
"Okay, but just remember that I love you more than any other person on this planet who isn't a blood relation… Alright?" Sam gave her a suspicious look, but still nodded. "Well don't look too enthusiastic… Anyway… Maybe in his own misguided way Dean thought that he was protecting you," Toni explained hesitantly while monitoring his reaction closely.
"I don't need protecting," Sam retorted defensively.
Yes you do Sam… Hell we ALL do Toni thought to herself but out loud she said, "As the youngest of three I totally understand that… But that doesn't mean there weren't times that my dumbass brothers didn't do stuff to 'save me' from heartache or myself that totally pissed me off even though they really thought that they were helping. I never got a chance to break them of the habit, but maybe it's just an older sibling thing that never goes away. I don't know, but he IS your brother so…As stupid as it was and as wrong as they might be, I'm sure that he had his reasons."
Sam snorted out an indignant laugh before saying, "Yeah, I'm sure he did."
"And you need to tell him how much it hurt you and why. Right now he might just think that it's because you lost a girl that you once cared about instead of him understanding that the wounds caused by his betrayal hurt worse than anything else." Sam was listening to her with a considering look on his face, so Toni tried to break this increasingly awkward and sincere moment by looking up at him through her lashes and coyly stated, "Which by the way I think I've been a very good sport about…" Sam frowned at her comment as if he didn't understand, so Toni slapped his arm softly, "You being heartbroken about another girl…? Geez Sam the tension easing jokes only work if I don't have to explain them."
Sam kissed her then smiled answering, "Or maybe I was giving your wisdom the time and consideration it deserves." Toni bit her lip with an uncomfortable look on her face. "And I think you're right. I should tell him, but saving lives is more important. So I work with him, get the job don and then I tell him what I'm really thinking and… Well… Like you say, nothing's set in stone, so I can't worry about it yet. Whatever happens I'll have to deal with it as it comes."
"I said that? Wow that actually does sound pretty wise and mature," Toni nearly whispered with a tearful sniffle.
Sam started to warn her against trying to make a joke by calmly saying "Toni", but she just sniffled again loudly and said, "Which means that you might not take this the wrong way."
Toni inhaled and exhaled with a dramatic rise and fall of her chest as Sam asked softly, "Take what the wrong way?"
"I… I think I need to go home…" Before Sam could respond Toni blurted out quickly, "And I know you aren't totally comfortable with staying here alone with Dean, but dad's having a hard time too and he needs some back up with Yvette… But then again people are dying here, so that's important too…"
Toni had started to cry during her explanation, but it was the sound of Sam's phone ringing that rendered them both silent. Sam pulled it out to check the caller ID and even though they both already knew who it would be Sam still looked to Toni for permission to answer it. She was more than happy to welcome the interruption because she was so annoyed with herself that her indecision had brought her to tears and just nodded vigorously to grant him permission.
"Hey Dean what'd you find out?" He asked not taking his eyes off Toni while she dried her cheeks on the bottom of her shirt. "Yeah… Yeah… Uh huh… What? Wait… No, I didn't catch that… Hang on! Dean! Wait! Slow down! Dean… Okay… Fine… FINE! I'll meet you there."
Sam nearly slammed his phone onto the picnic table's top in frustration, so Toni just sat as still as possible to keep him from redirecting his wrath towards her. Sam seemed to have a silent argument with himself before he turned to Toni and said, "I… I hate to cut this short because I know you need me to be a supportive boyfriend right now but… Damn this job… But Dean has a pretty solid lead."
Toni nodded then asked as strongly as she could, "Where do you need to meet him?"
Sam took her by the hand and replied, "Are you sure? We can…"
"No Sam, I'm good… Really. Dean has a lead that you need to follow up on and I need to help my dad… So let's get you there so you can finish this, okay?" Sam just stared at her silently so she added, "And then when you've put it down I'll come back and get you or meet you somewhere so that we can pick up where we left off."
"The Lilydale Museum of Curiosities," Sam answered trying to hide his mournful tone. "Dean says it's…"
"At the corner of Second Street and Queens Avenue… It isn't too far from here," Toni cut in before finishing almost defensively. "I was going to check it out for anything weird if we didn't find any other plausible leads."
"Okay… Good… So…" Sam started as they walked towards her truck. "Let me know if you need any help with the Colonel." Toni froze at the passenger's side door as she unlocked it and Sam took her keys from her while kissing her lips. "That's me saying 'Go, I can hand this' so you won't feel guilty."
Toni nodded while biting her quivering lips and the quickly climbed into the passenger's seat. Sam stared at the closed door for a few moments, confused by her not wanting to drive, before he moved around the nose of the truck to the driver's side.
Once he was behind the wheel, Toni gripped his thigh tightly then said, "Thanks Sam… I couldn't have left if you weren't okay."