[AU] two worlds, a lot of demons, and a new set of problems

[gavemea_45]

It's still hard to believe it's over; that the yellow-eyed demonic bastard they'd spent their whole lives hunting is finally dead.

Sam figures it'll sink in eventually. Given everything else -- right now he's still pretty numb.

He's also desperately tired, but that doesn't matter. There's something he needs to do, and he can't afford to delay.

He waits until they've settled in for the night, and then waits still longer. Once Dean's been asleep for half an hour, Sam picks up his messenger bag -- already stuffed with books and his computer -- and heads straight for the bar.

He orders black coffee and snags a table with a good view of both doors and the stairs, then pulls out the first of the old texts and starts to search through it.

There's work to do.

Comments

[gavemea_45]

"So does that," Sam says, dry as dust. He nods to the skull. "Friend of yours?"

[totalitarstupetballs]

"What? Oh."

She looks down, then shrugs at him. "Inheritance."

[gavemea_45]

"Theater family?" Sam shoves out a chair with his foot in clear invitation and whistles for a waitrat. It doesn't look like a prop skull, but anything's possible.

"I'm Sam, by the way."

[totalitarstupetballs]

"That would make more sense, wouldn't it?"

She takes the seat and sets the skull down carefully, then holds out her hand with a bright smile. "Waverly."

[gavemea_45]

Sam startles a little at that and covers it by shaking hands and smiling back. "Nice to meet you."

[totalitarstupetballs]

She frowns a little, though her smile doesn't go anywhere, like she's just missed a joke and wants to be part of the fun. "What?"

[gavemea_45]

"Nothing! Just..." Sam eyes her. "Not Waverly Earp, by any chance?"

As he asks, the waitrat runs up and squeaks sternly at him, then turns to her with an expectant look.

[totalitarstupetballs]

Her eyes grow wide. "How did you know that?"

She turns the same bemused look on the thing that scurries up. "Um... hello."

[gavemea_45]

"Lucky guess." To the rat, Sam adds, "It's her first time in, give me a second to explain?"

It lets out a squeak, and he looks back at her. "They're the waitstaff. You can get pretty much anything you want here. First drink's free."

[totalitarstupetballs]

"But why would you guess 'Earp'?"

She looks from him back to the large rat, bewildered. "Um... mint tea? Please? If you have it?"

[gavemea_45]

The rat squeaks agreement and turns to Sam. “Coffee, thanks,” he says. “And water, too.”

He looks back at Waverly. “I’ve only heard that name once, as it happens. If you have a sister, that is.”

[totalitarstupetballs]

"Oh!" she says, surprised. "You met Wynonna?"

A second later and her face crinkles into something like uncertain apology. "Oh, you met Wynonna. Should I say sorry? Did she behave herself?"

[gavemea_45]

The rat scurries off while Sam blinks at her in mild confusion. “She didn’t shoot me, so everything’s fine.”

[totalitarstupetballs]

Her eyebrows rocket up towards her hairline. "She tried to shoot you?"

[gavemea_45]

“We just had a little misunderstanding,” Sam assures her. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

[totalitarstupetballs]

"Well, I am worried about it!"

She smacks the table, then looks surprised at herself as the skull rattles. "She is getting far too trigger-happy."

[gavemea_45]

“To be fair, she had reason to wonder,” Sam tries. “It’s okay, Waverly, it is. I get it.”

[totalitarstupetballs]

"No, it isn't!"

She frowns at the absent Wynonna. "I mean, you seem like a perfectly nice guy. And even if she had reason to wonder, you don't just go around threatening to shoot people. She's been spending too much time with Doc."

[gavemea_45]

Sam glances for a second wryly down at the table, at the books stacked there. “Better suspicious than dead,” he points out.

[totalitarstupetballs]

"I sincerely doubt she was in mortal peril if you met her here," Waverly says, dry, though she gives him a slightly askance look.

"I mean... you're not, right? A... " She waves her hand at him, indicating everything. "Are you?"

[gavemea_45]

“A demon or a revenant? No,” Sam assures her, matter of factly. “I’m not. I’m a hunter.”

[totalitarstupetballs]

She huffs a half amused, half relieved breath and gestures to him. "See? No need to shoot anyone."

Unsure what to make of his other comment, she lifts her eyebrows, nodding the way she does when she's behind the bar and someone just needs her to agree with whatever they said. "Oh? Good for you."

[gavemea_45]

It’s obvious she has no idea what he means. Wynonna hadn’t either, so he can’t say he’s surprised.

Sam leans down to relieve the waitrat of its burden and sets the tea in front of her before taking a sip of his coffee. “A demon hunter,” he clarifies. “Among other things.”

[totalitarstupetballs]

"Oh," Waverly says, then: "ohhhhhhhh."

Oh, that's... good? Is it good? She reaches for her tea, absently. "So I guess you and Wynonna realized you have something in common."

[gavemea_45]

“Pretty much. She said I had something in common with you, too,” Sam observes. “That you did a lot of the research.”

He nods to her bodiless companion. “So what’s the deal with the skull?”