This is a double shift day. There will be one more upload today: It Would Be Best.

"Technicolor Wishes & Hi-Def Dreams"

5. Hunters

He knew Rachel didn't want to be left alone, and if it had been up to him he wouldn't have gone without her either, but whatever was happening so far they had seen that following along meant they moved forward. If that was the case, and if getting them both home meant they had to split up for a bit, then they would have to do it.

He wasn't sure how scared she was at this point, and maybe if this just kept happening he might start worrying more, but right now neither of them seemed to be in any real danger, and he was having fun... So he had gone to the club, as requested.

As they were telling him about the situation, he tried to think about what he should do, being that he was meant to be Ricky. He had watched the show enough times to recognize the patterns, but he also had to think about their journey in the Bones world, and about how he had Rachel, and...

"Lucy... Ethel... and Fred... What are you doing here," he had to make a conscious effort to name them all properly as he saw that they had come through the door. He gave Lucy the attention he would be expected to give.

"So did you find your replacement act yet?" she asked him.

"Everyone is either booked or out of town..." he reported what he had been told.

"So did you find your replacement act yet?" she repeated with a curve in her tone, and in catching Rachel's eye he understood.

"Oh, Fred, Ethel, if you don't mind," he smiled to them, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Lucy's crossed look.

"Well sure, if it'll help," Fred spoke up.

"Now, Ricky, I am think it might be a good idea if you had three people instead," Lucy had spoken, putting her smile back on as she nodded.

"You're right," he thought, then, "I will join you."

"Did I say three? Four, I meant four," Lucy laughed nervously.

"I think four would be perfect," Rachel piped in, nodding to Puck, who looked at her, unsure. Everything told him his was supposed to say no, but he would look to Rachel, and he looked convinced he should say yes.

"I..." Lucy was looking at him so pointedly he couldn't ignore her even when looking the other way. "Okay..."

"Okay?" Lucy's voice boomed with joy like she had never expected this.

"But... But just this once," he pointed his finger at her and she was already gone.

"Oh, sure, Ricky, whatever you say!"

X

He could still hear the drums when his head started to settle. The shrill sound of their imminent jump came just as the performance had ended, and then the next thing he knew... he was in a car. He groaned, reaching for the handle as he sat up. He got out of the car, rubbing at his eyes before opening them… and then he saw the car.

"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this one…" he breathed, touching the hood. "Wait a second, I know this c…" he crouched to see his reflection in the side mirror. "Dean Winchester…" he blinked. Standing there, thinking to himself this one might be a bit more complicated than the last two, he had a sudden thought… Who would Rachel become in this one? What if she was…

"Hey, here…" He looked up, and he was handed a bag by – for the span of this jump, he guessed – his brother. Judging by his face, whoever Rachel had become, it wasn't him, and he had to keep himself from breathing a visible sigh of relief. As weird as this whole thing was, this would have taken the cake.

"Awesome, thanks…" he was becoming aware of how long it had been since he'd eaten, and he made quick work of the food he received. "So, uh, have you seen… a girl?" he asked, trying not to look too obvious.

"A girl?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, do you need me to draw you a picture?"

"She's in the bathroom, said she wasn't feeling well," Sam frowned, and Puck looked back to him. So she was in there… and still a girl… Now the question was which girl. He could run them off in his mind, but…

"Maybe I should go and make sure she's alright," he pointed back to the restaurant, just as the door opened and Rachel walked out. He looked at her, but he couldn't make out who she was supposed to be, and apparently neither could she, judging by the shrug she gave him when Sam had his back turned.

"Okay, Jo, now will you tell us what this is about?" Sam had spoken up then, and Puck looked back to Rachel, all but going 'oh!' as he now knew who he was dealing with. There was still a problem though. She was supposed to know where they were headed, when she didn't even know who she had become. She looked like she wanted to run and hide. Puck had to think fast, and he didn't have to worry about catching her eye; she was staring at him, begging for him to do something and help her. He nodded to her, mouthing the word 'yes.'

"Yes," she repeated. He pointed to her. "You…" Puck sighed, pointing to his eye. "Eye… I!" she understood. He breathed out, miming 'talking', then pointing to himself. "I tell him," she sounded this close to asking a question. "I'll tell him first," she reasserted herself. Sam looked back to Puck, who crumpled up the empty bag and shrugged, moving around the car.

"Don't worry, Sammy, I'll get this sorted out," he promised before tugging Rachel back into the restaurant. They sat in a booth, facing each other.

"Okay, tell me," she sighed.

"Supernatural," Puck nodded.

"Oh… Right. But I've never seen it…"

"It's okay, I have. I'll tell you what you need to know, but first give me your bag," he nodded to her, and she pulled the bag from over her shoulder, laying it on the table. He opened it, searching through the contents until… "This looks like something," he showed her a newspaper clipping, detailing an incident at a local house. On the back, someone – they had to guess the actual Jo – had scribbled the address. "If I had to put money on this, I'd say we're dealing with a ghost." She gasped, and he smirked. "Okay, so here's what you need to know…"

TO BE CONTINUED (NEXT TUESDAY)