[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]

"Yeah, revenants are their own kind of trouble," Sam agrees. "We didn't need them with the Colt, but it sure helps for other reasons."

[totalitarstupetballs]

She keeps flipping through the journal, taking note of the various sketches and newspaper clippings. Vampires, wendigos, skinwalkers... she shakes her head. "I have to dig through old stories and legends to find anything that works," she tells him. "It's amazing to have it all in one place."

[gavemea_45]

"We do that too," Sam assures her. "This is just what it looks like when we collect it all together. From what Wynonna said I guess you've only been doing this a couple of years or so?"

[totalitarstupetballs]

"Depends on which one of us you're talking about," Waverly tells him. "Wynonna's only been home for a few months. I've been working on learning everything I could about the curse and the Triangle for years."

[gavemea_45]

He backpedals, fast. "Sorry. I didn't realize."

Sam decides to take a different angle, and asks, "Do you have - um, Wynonna said there weren't many people around there who believed in this kind of stuff. Besides you, and Doc, and the agent guy."

[totalitarstupetballs]

She shakes her head. "Not really. My boyfriend – ex-boyfriend," she reminds herself, "he saw some of it. But he didn't want to think about it or talk about it. Most people want to pretend it's almost anything other than demons."

[gavemea_45]

He winces a little. "Sorry to hear that. It's rough when people don't get it, I know."

If he'd told Jessica, would she have believed him? Would she have lived? He'll never know, but he knows why he didn't.

"I don't know how close our worlds are, or if they're maybe even the same - I doubt it, but it's remotely possible," he clarifies, fast. "But if there's anything I can do or share that might help, I'd be glad to."

[totalitarstupetballs]

"It's okay," she tells him. "Champ's not much for talking about anything. Or thinking, really."

His offer is unexpected, and she beams at him, warm and delighted. "Really? That would be great. Honestly, it's just nice to be able to talk about it, you know?"

[gavemea_45]

Sam grins back at her. "I know. We always had to keep things secret from civilians, but all of us knew the score. Anyway, yes, really. I mean it."

[totalitarstupetballs]

"That's really nice of you, Sam. Thanks."

She folds her arms on the table and looks over at the skull. "I wish Uncle Curtis were still around to talk to. I'd love to know why he even had this thing."

[gavemea_45]

"No problem at all," he assures her. Sam studies the skull with her. "Good question. You said the note said you were the 'keeper of the bones' now? Like, bones plural?"

[totalitarstupetballs]

"Yeah."

She frowns at the skull, then at him. "That's creepy, right?"

[gavemea_45]

"Kinda, yeah." Sam eyes the empty sockets of the silent bone. "Nothing weird happened when you picked it up, right? It wasn't in the kind of place someone would have tried to ward, was it?"

[totalitarstupetballs]

Waverly shakes her head. "Not unless someone warded the saloon. And I don't think so, because half the regulars are revenants."

[gavemea_45]

"... then probably not, no," he manages, after a second or two to stare at her. "But still, 'bones' implies more than one. Want help looking?"

[totalitarstupetballs]

Waverly blinks at him.

"You want to come help me look for the rest of this guy?"

[gavemea_45]

'Want' is a pretty strong word, he feels, but he's already going to owe Wynonna more than his own life, and besides he can't help but feel sympathetic to everything Waverly's facing, too. Sam shrugs. "I mean, yeah, if it'd help you. If you've got it covered, that's okay too, I just thought I'd offer."

[totalitarstupetballs]

"No, I'd appreciate the help, really," she says, quickly. "I'd ask Doc, but he's busy with Wynonna – "

In more ways than one. " – and Dolls is... well, Dolls."

[gavemea_45]

"Dolls is the agent guy, right?" Sam makes a face at the thought. "Yeah, okay. I'll bring a EMF meter along, too - might as well find out if it can pick up on weird stuff where you're from or if it's all muffled by the Triangle's curse barrier."

[totalitarstupetballs]

She nods. "I like him," she explains, "but he's very intense. And mysterious. And he seems to have something of his own going on right now."

Waverly passes the journal back to Sam. "When do you want to come?"

[gavemea_45]

Sam shrugs. "When do you want me there? Time's not passing for me back home, if that matters."

[totalitarstupetballs]

"Well... I was going to go see the blacksmith," she muses.

"And I'm starting to think I shouldn't do that without backup."

[gavemea_45]

"If you don't know what this blacksmith's connection is to the problem witch you're already worried about, then I'd say you really should have backup with you," Sam agrees. "If not me, then someone."

[totalitarstupetballs]

She considers, and instantly rejects, asking Deputy Haught to go along with her. "Even better if that backup has some experience with this stuff," she points out. "Well... I don't want to pull you away from what you're doing..."

[gavemea_45]

"Don't worry about it. I offered, didn't I?" He closes his laptop and shoves it in his messenger bag, then picks up the pile of books and notes. "Let me just stash these in my room."

A thought strikes him and he adds, "Come along if you want. It's across from Wynonna's, so you can see where she is."