Women In The Night

Reunion Pt II

The elevator dinged open and Dean once again grabbed Sera’s hand to lead her out. As they made their way to the lobby, Sera was relieved to see that the front desk security was nowhere to be seen – she doubted they could get away with carrying a rifle in a business building.

Instead of taking her out the main way, Dean dragged her to a back entrance leading to an alley, where a clean, large silver van was parked.

“Get in,” Dean instructed as she grabbed her keys from her pocket.

Sera obeyed and sat shotgun as Dean started the car, the engine rumbling to life as it pulled out onto the street.

“Um, my place isn’t far,” Sera offered, somewhat awkwardly, “We can go there, if you’d like. I have a first-aid kit, and uh, it’s safe.”

Dean nodded, “Yeah, thanks. You just gotta tell me where to go.”

“Course. Uh, left at these lights, then straight for a bit.”

The two soon fell into an awkward, heavy silence. There was some punk rock music playing from the speakers, but it wasn’t any song Sera recognized. It was beginning to feel like too much, so finally Sera spoke.

“Um, nice van.”

“Thanks. I basically live in it.”

“Uh, right up here. And I can see that.” Opal looked in the back to confirm the mini-apartment. She was able to glimpse a bed, a stove, and weapons laid out on the counter, “It’s nice.

Dean shrugged easily, “Well, it’s not like I have a house or anything. I’m not exactly a wealthy woman.”

“But you drive a fully-furnished mini-apartment!.”

“I’ve been working on it for years. I don’t really make a whole lot of money in my line of work.”

“And….what...exactly is your line of work?” Sera asked.

“I hunt monsters. What about you? What’re you up to these days?”

“Not monster hunting!” Sera joked nervously, then she shook her head, “I’m a data analyst for a marketing company. But hold on, how the hell did you become a monster hunter?! Since when is that a viable career option?”

“I’d hardly consider it a career,” Dean admitted, “more a way of life.”

“Okay, so how did you get into this ‘way of life’?” Sera asked.

Dean pursed her lips, drumming her fingers on the wheel anxiously, “It’s...complicated.”

Sera frowned, and she spoke softly to her friend, “Dean, the last time I saw you was after your dad’s funeral, when you were staying at my place. Your mom went to take care of things for a few days, then she came to pick you up, and I never saw you again. What happened?”

Dean glanced over at Sera, saw her wide brown eyes and worried expression. It had been fifteen years since they had last seen each other, and a hell of a lot had happened since then….

….But the girl beside her was still Sera, still Opal, and still her friend, even after all this time.

So Dean sighed and turned back to the road before speaking, using driving as an excuse to not meet Sera’s eyes.

“My dad didn’t die in that house fire. Well, technically, he did, but it wasn’t some electrical f**k-up or anything. He was killed, and it was by some kind of monster. My mom...she heard some fighting in the living room and went to check it out. She found my dad on the floor, bleeding out, with some kinda figure standing over him. It simply disappeared the moment it noticed her, and then Dad just spontaneously combusted, right there on the livingroom floor.”

“Dean….” Sera began softly, “That’s horrible. I’m so sorry.”

Dean shrugged, trying to play it off easy, “Yeah, well, I was only like, ten when it happened, so I’ve had lots of time to adjust.”

“Right. So your dad...he was killed by...what? A demon?”

“Probably,” Dean admitted, “but we’re not sure. Whatever the hell it was, it was powerful. Anyways, it turns out that Mom comes from a long line of monster hunters – she left the life to settle down with Dad, tried to be normal.” Dean scoffed, “Obviously that didn’t work out too well, because the life found her anyways. So, she vowed to kill the thing that killed my dad, no matter what. Mom turned back to hunting, took me with her and taught me everything she knows.”

“That’s...insane,” Sera admitted with a shake of her head, still trying to get a grasp on everything Dean had just told her, “Where is she? Your mom?”

“She’s not here.”

“Oh.” Sera gasped, recognizing the curt tone with which Dean spoke, “Oh, my gosh! I’m so sorry Dean!”

“What?” Dean asked, glancing over at Opal, “No! She’s not dead, if that’s what you’re thinking. She just went off the grid a couple of weeks ago, while I was off on my own hunt. I’ve been following a trail of clues she’s left behind, which led me here.” Dean sighed, “Unfortunately, it’s a lot harder to find her clues in a big city like Toronto. Considering you’re shocked to see me, I’m gonna take a gander and assume you haven’t seen her.”

“No, sorry,” Sera said, “I haven’t. Left at these lights, by the way. And um, wow, this is a lot to take in.”

“Yeah,” Dean admitted with a bit of a chuckle, “it’s why I don’t like to tell people the truth – freaks ‘em out too much.”

“So...why tell me?”

Dean shrugged as she turned, “Well, for one, you were almost killed by that ghost, and I tend to explain the supernatural to the people who have been hurt by it. And, I dunno….you’re Opal.”

Sera laughed, “Wow, I can’t remember the last time someone called me by my middle name.”

Dean laughed as well, “What, you think people call me ‘Dean’? The only two people to ever use my middle name were you and Dad.”

“Oh. Do you want me to call you Celeste? Or, uh, what was it…? Lettie?”

“Hell no. I’ve missed being Dean.”

Sera smiled at her friend before realizing where she was.

“Oh, this is my building coming up here. Turn right – there’s some guest parking ‘round back.”

The two girls were quiet as they made their way up, as it was getting late and they didn’t want to bother anyone. As they walked the hallway to Sera’s apartment and she pulled out her keys, she began to talk quietly.

“It’s not anything special,” she warned, “just a one-bedroom, but it’s got a decent view!”

Dean barked a quiet laugh, “Hey, as long as it doesn’t have cockroaches and you’ve got a first-aid kit, I’m good.”

“Well, sounds like I’m gonna exceed your expectations,” Sera joked as she opened the door, “Here we go. Home sweet home.”

Dean stepped through and looked around to appreciate the small apartment. It had plain white walls, but it was livened up by a few plants, some movie and band posters on the walls, as well as a collage of photos.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Sera said as she toed off her shoes, tossed her keys in a bowl, and made her way to the bathroom, “I’ll be just a sec.”

“Kay,” Dean said, taking off her combat boots and going to sit on the couch. She looked around a little more, noticing how homey it felt. But as she did, she began to feel more like she didn’t belong.

She wasn’t exactly a homey person, and she felt very out of place in the apartment. Dean was certainly grateful that she had taken off her shoes, but she felt so at odds with the bright and colourful decor. A photo towards the edges of the collage caught her eye – a picture of Ser smiling in the centre, her arms around two girls, all three of them dressed in bright, rave-appropriate clothes. It looked like they were at a music festival, probably in university on spring break. Dean smiled a bit at it – Sera looked like she was having fun.

“Alright, I got it,” Sera said, catching Dean’s attention as she came out from down a small hallway.

Dean stood as Sera placed the first-aid kit on the kitchen counter and rolled up the sleeve on her blouse, revealing some gashes on her arm which had stained the pretty blue sleeve. The wounds had since stopped bleeding, but they still needed to be cleaned and patched.

Sera winced as Dean first gingerly placed the alcohol-soaked cloth to her arm, and Dean frowned.

“Sorry,” she said quietly before returning to her work, “I’ll try to be gentle.”

“S’okay.” Sera chuckled a bit, smiling up at Dean, “Reminds me of when we were kids. Of course, back then, you were the one always getting cleaned up.”

Dean scoffed, “Yeah, and I’m still the one getting cleaned up.”

“I guess it’s an occupational hazard, being a monster hunter and all.”

“Yeah. Sorry about dragging you into this, by the way.”

“What?” Sera asked with a smile, “Dean, you saved me! I was the one who thought it would be a good idea to confront a violent ghost on my own. If it hadn’t been for you, I’d probably be in the hospital right now. So, thank you.”

Dean shrugged, “Course. It’s what I do. Anyways, why the hell were you ghost hunting anyways?”

“I’d hardly call it hunting,” Sera joked, “I just wanted to talk to Anita, calm her down.”

Dean raised an eyebrow as she put a bandage over Sera’s arm, “You wanted to talk to a ghost?”

“Yeah, I’ve done it before, sort of.” Sera sighed, looking around her apartment, “I have some psychic abilities, but they’re nothing special.”

“Yeah?” Dean asked warily, “Like what?”

“Just simple stuff; sensing spirits, small prophetic dreams, and I can read palms and tarot cards pretty accurately. Just s**t like that. Anyways, I thought that if I could talk to Anita, I might be able to calm her down, see why she was so upset. I wasn’t expecting her to get so violent.”

“You said she’s the office ghost, right? She’s never hurt anyone before?”

“No!” Sera insisted, “The night janitor was the first one! She scared people sometimes, but she never hurt them – not even a scratch! A lot of buildings in big cities like this are haunted, especially in the downtown area, so no one really cared.”

“Yeah, well, I care now,” Dean said with a scowl, “People are getting hurt, and I need to find that curse. More importantly, I need to find that witch that started this all. Here, you’re done.”

“Thanks,” Sera said, looking at her arm as Dean began to pack up. She sighed as she rubbed her arm, “Why would anyone do something like this?”

“Lots’a bad people in the world, Opal,” Dean replied dryly, “Humans are complicated, messy creatures, and they turn downright evil when they get some power in their hands. This witch could want anything from revenge to pure chaos.”

“So...you’re really going to kill someone?” Sera asked quietly.

“Like I said, police are useless for s**t like this. The witch won’t stop unless they’re killed.”

“You….” Sera realized as she looked at her friend with wide eyes, “You’ve done this before, haven’t you? Killed humans?”

Dean didn’t look at Sera as she snapped the kit shut, “What gave it away?”

“The way you talk about it…you don’t hesitate. You’re so steady.”

Dean scoffed, leaning on the counter a bit away from Sera, looking around the room. She pushed her blonde hair back anxiously as she spoke, “If I hesitated, a lot of people would be dead, including the both of us. When you’re hunting monsters, you can’t hesitate, even for a moment. So yeah, I’ve killed my fair share of witches and warlocks because in my job, it’s kill or be killed. Even worse, other people die as a consequence.”

“Oh.”

Another somewhat awkward silence fell upon them, and Sera took the opportunity to look at her arm. It was patched up rather nicely, almost professionally. It was clear that Dean had done this, many, many times before.

Sera then looked at Dean, saw the easy way she leaned up against the counter. She had her arms crossed, and looked around the apartment with an air of ease, but there was also a tense energy behind it, something that was familiar.

Sera suddenly remembered one time, years and years ago, when Dean had gotten in trouble with a teacher. She’d looked all casual, at ease, accepting the scolding. But the moment the teacher went away and Dean had a moment to herself, she began to yell and cry.

Sera noticed the rigidity of Dean’s back, like she was ready to flee at any moment. Her arms were tensed, her fingers gripping at her jacket. Something told Sera that her friend was looking around the apartment for escape routes.

Dean finally noticed her staring and frowned, “What? Some blood on my face or something?”

“I want to help you.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“With this witch,” Sera explained, “I want to help you find and stop them. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

“Opal, I –” Dean began, but Sera continued.

“And your mom – you said you lost her trail, right? Maybe I can help.”

Dean sighed and turned to her friend, “Look, Opal, I appreciate the offer, really, but I don’t want you getting hurt. As for my mom she’s….” Dean sighed again, this time with a hint of annoyance, “She is very good at disappearing when she wants to.”

“No one just disappears, they have to leave some kind of trail behind, no matter how good they are. I’m really good at looking for patterns and information – I mean, it is my literal job. Please –” Sera said, reaching forward to place a hand on Dean’s shoulder, “let me help you. As your friend.”

Dean looked down at Sera’s hand, clearly pondering the thought. After a moment, she nodded.

“Alright, fine. I could use some help. But –” she pointed an accusing finger at Sera, “–you aren’t going anywhere near any fight, you got me?”

“But I can help!” Sera argued, withdrawing her hand, “I’m psychic, remember?”

“Yeah,” Dean scoffed, “party tricks. I’m sure palm-reading is gonna come in real handy when we’re fighting vampires. Besides, I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that you don’t know how to fight.”

“I know how to fight! I’ve taken loads of self-defense classes at the women’s gym.”

“Uh-huh,” Dean said doubtfully, eyes tracing up and down Sera’s body, sizing her up, “Tell you what; if you can keep me pinned for three seconds – just three – I’ll let you help me on the actual hunt. Here, I’ll even let you have the first move.”

“Oh, okay! But, um, well, I’m used to someone else making the first move. Because, y’know. Self defense.”

Dean scoffed, “You let a werewolf get the first move, you’ll have your throat ripped out in seconds. So c’mon, try and pin me.”

“Alright.” Sera took a breath and steeled herself before running at Dean. She bent down and aimed for her middle, hoping to go for a tackle.

Dean, however, saw the very obvious and poorly-planned move. She simply stepped back, grabbed Sera, and threw her to the ground. She quickly knelt on top of Sera, pressing her knee to her chest. Then she whipped out a knife, hidden in her jacket, holding it against Sera’s throat.

She yelped in surprise at the touch of cold metal, “What the hell?! That’s hardly fair!”

“You think it’s gonna be a fair fight against a ghost? Or a demigod? Yeah, you’d be dead in seconds.” Dean glanced down at Sera’s lips for a moment, noticing the way their bodies were pressed together, “By the way – random question – but are you by any chance attracted to women?”

“Um, no? Why?”

“Shame,” Dean sighed as she got off of Sera, helping her friend up, “Look, I’m grateful for the help with the research, God knows I need it. But you are staying far away from any fight, and that is final. Now, I’m tired as all hell, so I’m gonna go back to my car and sleep for as long as I’m able.”

“Wait,” Sera said, pausing in adjusting her shirt, looking at Dean in shock, “you’re going to sleep in your car?!”

“Um, yeah? I can’t really afford any of these nice hotels, and while I may be on a budget, I do have to draw the line somewhere in regards to cheap motels.”

“I mean, understandable,” Sera admitted, “but don’t be silly! You can stay here!”

“Oh, um…” Dean paused, glancing around the room. It looked too...normal. Too nice.

“I have a pullout couch,” Sera continued, moving over to the couch and beginning to fiddle with it, “It’s not much, but I’ve been told it’s very comfortable! Better than your car, anyways.”

“I dunno,” Dean began, though she couldn’t quite form an excuse. I don’t want to intrude, I could put you in danger, and you’re already offering to help me were all pretty good contenders, but Dean couldn’t quite decide on what she wanted to say.

“Seriously,” Sera said with a smile as she began to pull out the bed, “it’s no trouble! The whole point of a pull-out couch is for friends to crash on! Besides, it’s the least I can do, after you saved my life.”

“Oh, well, thanks. I’ll, uh, I’ll get an overnight bag from my car.”

“Sounds good! But –” Sera pointed an accusing finger at Dean – “if you’re not back here by the time I finish setting up the bed, I will be going down after you myself.”

Dean barked a laugh as she shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and made her way to the door, “Yeah, yeah, you’ve convinced me. I can only turn down a soft bed and warm bath so many times.”

Sera frowned, “Who said anything about a bath?”

Dean’s face fell and she nearly tripped trying to get her boots back on, “Oh, um, I didn’t –”

“I’m kidding!” Sera laughed, “You can take the longest, hottest bath in the world! I feel like you don’t get to do that too often.”

“Not in my line of work, no,” Dean admitted, “So I just may take you up on that.”

“Sounds good. Now hurry up.”

Dean smiled and exited the apartment, trying to assure herself that she was safe with her friend.

Dean wasn’t gone for fifteen minutes, but when she returned to the apartment, she was shocked to see a full bed with sheets, blankets, and pillows where the couch was.

Sera was placing a pretty blue waterbottle on the coffee table beside the bed, which technically now made it a nightstand. She smiled when she saw Dean enter.

“Oh good! I was just about to go down and check on you! Anyways, your bed is all set up!”

“Thanks,” Dean said, looking it over and clutching the duffle bag’s strap on her shoulder, “I uh, I really appreciate it.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Sera assured, “That’s what long-lost childhood best friends are for, right? Saving each other’s lives and offering places to stay!”

The two girls laughed, perhaps a bit awkwardly, but the laugh held a bit of nostalgia in it, reminding them of the times they’d bounce ever higher on Dean’s trampoline, always trying to reach the stars.

When it got quiet again, Sera smiled and pulled Dean into a tight hug. Dean, not expecting it, tensed up. She wasn’t used to hugs, but Sera’s embrace was so welcoming and familiar, Dean couldn’t help but to smile and return it.

“It’s good to have you back,” Sera said quietly.

“It’s good to be back.”