Xander's Cross, Oregon: a small town ringed with forbidding mountains and misty forest. The sky may be gray, but the townspeople are welcoming to people of all kinds...and things that are not quite human as well. Here the native shifters, aliens, werewolves, and witches live in peace. They have yet to find out the new business owners encroaching on the land are also vampires.
The peace has been broken by murder, however, and things in Xander's Cross are about to become quite a bit darker.
Welcome to your new home.
is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?
August 20, 2020
The mayor, Rowan Starkwood, was found dead less than a mile from his home. Rumors say his body was mutilated, but the state of the body has not yet been released to the public.
Post by Dean Winchester on Sept 30, 2020 10:18:49 GMT -5
He was tired. He was agitated. Worst of all, he was hungry. So now, thanks to the surprising and not-so-welcoming sight of a face he had seared out of his damned mind and another who's arrogant smile was about to be smacked straight off her face, he was hangry. And no one would like Dean when he was hangry.
With that gun still trained on Danielle's smug face, he carefully watched her as Sam and Sid exchanged words and all that not-so-pleasant shit. Then, of course, the mention of their father came up and Dean's jaw visibly clenched; the grip on that pistol tightening before adjusting upon the handle. It was as though he was getting twitchy to pull the trigger, on anyone at this point, because the last thing he wanted to do was discuss dead parents. Sid's comment about her own did not go ignored, but he barely spared her a sidelong glance, not until she nudged him harshly with that metal barrel to bring angry green eyes over in her direction.
He didn't miss a beat. "What's one more empty, gaping hole from you?" he spat, suddenly forgetting about his brother and the whore. How'd that song go? There's a hole in my heart that can only be filled- no. Caused by you... Fuck Extreme. His lyrics were better.
His weapon was lowered from Dani's head, and not because Sid threatened him or because this situation would probably never go anywhere. No, it was because, he realized, he truly didn't give a shit about any of it. They were only there because they heard a shot, which normally meant danger. Not bitches and ex-girlfriends trying to ruin your life.
Post by Dani Harlow on Sept 30, 2020 10:21:40 GMT -5
She was rubbing at her neck when he finally let her go; dark eyes drifting to each one of them in turn when they spoke. There was so much tension in this room that it was suffocating her, a tension that neither Dean or Sid were going to speak about. But she could see it as clear as day on their faces, and she could only assume their history. What, with Dean's blatant retort and all.
With a gentle sigh, she casually watched as the vampire continued to writhe on the floor amidst them all before slowly attempting to crawl his way out of the motel room. She could stop him, but in case he actually made it out of here alive, she wasn't going to get blamed. Dani was already in deep shit with the elder...and she feared for her grandfather's life.
"Look, Sid..." she broke into the conversation. "I can just call ya later."
Post by Sid Rivers on Sept 30, 2020 17:18:09 GMT -5
Rage. Sid had expected. Anger, she could handle. The flexing of his jaw at the mention of their father, the blistering look he threw at her over his shoulder. But nothing could have prepared her for the blunt truth of his words, the confession in them of what she had done to him. Nothing could have hit her harder or hurt her more. He might as well have turned and literally punched her in the stomach. In that simple, brutal reply was so much that had gone unsaid when she'd left him only a scribbled note on crappy hotel stationary with one of those strips that come out of those photo booths that she'd dragged him into on Coney Island. The photos of them posing and mugging for the camera, looking at one another, and the last one of them kissing. 'The truth is complicated…' the note had said. A poor excuse for a 'Dear John' letter..
Looking at him now, Sid realized she'd been deluding herself all those times she had thought she was past all of this. Without really thinking about it, Sid realized she'd been imagining the conversations they might have, this exact fight, in a million different ways whenever she was on a long stretch of road, or sitting on a stakeout, or waiting for coffee at some shitty diner. Maybe she hadn't really been paying attention, maybe she'd just been lying to herself all this time. It didn't matter now because there was nothing she could possibly say to erase the hurt and anger he threw at her.
Oh Dean, my Dean. Sid couldn't help it. Even after all these years, it was still a knee-jerk reaction for her to hurt when he hurt. She may have raged at John for pushing her away from Dean, she may have hated him to get past her own guilt at leaving…at returning home only to find out she was too late. Maybe, in a way, she'd blamed John for all of that and that was how she had gotten by. Now it didn't mean a thing.
All these years, she'd saved all her hate and rage for John Winchester, and he was dead. And Dean hated her. How could she tell him the truth now?
Lost in the collision of her past and present, Sid almost didn't hear Dani speak. Blinking past the burning in her eyes, Sid's gaze slid past Dean to her…- what was Dani to her? Not 'friend', certainly. Was 'compatriot' too generous? Associate. Yes. Looking to her 'associate', Sid tried to keep her bright eyes open and devoid of emotion as she slowly and carefully lowered her weapon. "Yeah…that might be a good idea."
Post by Sam Winchester on Sept 30, 2020 17:20:00 GMT -5
This was a night of firsts for Sam. Oh, it wasn't the first time his brother had leveled a gun on a woman nor was it the first time they'd had a run-in without an ex of Dean's. No, it was just the first time that both these things seemed to bother Dean so much. Not in all their time together had Dean ever mentioned a 'Cassie'. Then again, Dean wasn't ever really the type to 'kiss-and-tell'. Those years they'd spent apart while Sam was in college were still mostly a mystery. There had been that one girl with a kid Dean had been half-convinced was his but, even then, Sam had never seen his brother look at someone the way he was looking at this blond pixie with a sawed-off.
Fortunately, it looked like everyone was calming down. Only after the blond had lowered her gun did Sam do the same. Still, he couldn't stop himself from asking, "You alright?" The question was for Dean though Sam didn't take his eyes off of Cassie- Sid?- as she confirmed the brunette's idea to get the hell out of dodge while the getting was good. Sam couldn't agree more. One woman giving his brother hell, that he could handle. Two? Well, then they clearly had a problem.
Post by Dani Harlow on Oct 8, 2020 16:01:40 GMT -5
With the arrival of the famous brothers, Dani was keen on getting out of there as fast as possible. This certainly made things a lot more complicated and she wasn't quite sure how to handle it all at once. The Elder would want the three dealt with, and she already knew it was going to be impossible.
Before any panic could break through her somewhat calm exterior, she nodded slowly to Sid when she finally answered her, then began to leave the motel room. Casually stepping over her former vampiric attacker, she flashed Dean a cheeky grin. "Nice to see you again, D. Don't be a stranger, hmm?"Right, further aggravate him, because that's bloody genius, Dani. But she couldn't help it.
Dark, very brazen eyes swept up the taller brother in passing, saying nothing but offering a wink before she left. Outside, all amusement and wit fled from her face in an instant. She could feel her gut twisting in her stomach, knowing if the coven caught wind of this, they would up the stakes. Her grandfather would be in even more danger.
Fucking Winchesters.
last edited Oct 8, 2020 16:03:19 GMT -5 by Dani Harlow
Post by Dean Winchester on Oct 19, 2020 11:23:57 GMT -5
'The truth is complicated…'
Complicated? Didn't seem at all complicated the night before. Everything, to him, had been peachy keen! Clearly, though, he was simply blindsided by a relationship that, he thought, was going somewhere. And Dean Winchester was never the type to truly stick around, let alone remain with one, single woman for very long. She had proven that his prior ideals made a lot more sense.
And she was looking at him like he had done something wrong?!
That anger inside was beginning to rise, only fueled by the brunette's retort in passing. He was grinding his teeth now, watching as she left, watching how she tried that smile on his brother. "Keep on walkin', Harlot..." he nearly growled, purposely speaking her surname incorrectly. Well, to be fair, he had thought she was one when they first met. Long story and one he wasn't going to share. Ever.
When she was gone, bright eyes turned their tired, raging gaze back to Sid. There were a million things he could say, that he could demand or have a screaming match about...but he decided against it. Catching the crawling vamp in his peripheral, weapon was aimed and the trigger immediately squeezed to send a bullet into the creature's head, rendering it motionless. Bullets couldn't kill a vampire...but a silver bullet and a kill shot? Yep, that did the trick.
He watched Cassidy for a heartbeat longer before forcing himself to turn around and head out the door as well. "Let's go, Sam." Perhaps they should just find another motel to stay at.
Post by Sid Rivers on Oct 28, 2020 18:44:22 GMT -5
Dark-rimmed eyes held Dani's long enough to return the woman's not then promptly rolled ceiling-ward at her parting words to Dean. Really? Was Dani going to poke at the angry Winchester and then leave her to deal with it? Typical Harlow. Sid kept her eyes on the ceiling as Dean retorted in a similar fashion. Oh, this was going to go great. Listening to the crunch of Dani's steps on the shattered glass, Sid sighed and let her arms go slack at her sides, her gun dangling from tired fingertips as she pulled her head up straight once more to find Dean's gaze fixed on her. At that moment, Sid realized two things: One, she was still beat to hell after the raid on the vampire nest that night and looked, as Dani had said, like shit. And two, in the face of all the shocks tonight and her exhaustion from said vampire nest raid, she'd let her mask slip and it was all showing now, the weariness from not just tonight but the last 6 years. Alright, three things...three, she had missed him.
The sound of the gunshot made her start only a little, breaking her eye contact with him. Blinking, Sid made an effort to pull her features back into order while avoiding looking at him directly. She needed to think straight and she couldn't do that when she looked into his eyes. Her efforts were needless when mere seconds after Dani had left Dean turned toward the door calling for Sam to follow. As though released from some hold, Sid dragged in a ragged breath in sudden agony. Though she shouldn't want it, Sid realized that she had wanted him to yell and scream at her, to demand answers that she knew she couldn't give him. This surrender, so unlike him, hurt more than his anger (so much deserved) possibly could have.
As usual, her pain came out as derision. Jerking her thin shoulder into a shrug, Sid released her breath in tired scoff. "Fine." What else was she going to say? What else could she say after all this time? If it was what he wanted, he could have his little retreat and he could crawl back into his turtle shell and be mad at her forever. It was only after she'd drawn in another breath, this one equally as shaky as the first, she continued in a voice not meant for him to hear. "Good seeing you, too, Dean." If this came out thick and a little choked, Sid might have chalked it up to being tired if she cared to give it any thought...which she didn't. Nope...not even a little bit...
last edited Oct 28, 2020 19:01:16 GMT -5 by Sid Rivers
Post by Sam Winchester on Oct 28, 2020 18:55:48 GMT -5
The very room around them seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the tension to break as Dani made her way to leave. The parting look she gave him made Sam feel a bit…hunted. It was not what he'd call a 'comfortable' feeling and yet, still, the corner of his mouth twitched after she had passed. What? It was kind of hot. Despite himself, Sam half-turned to watch her as she went, only turning back around in time for Dean to put a bullet in the vampire. Even Sam jerked in surprise, having nearly forgotten the creature was there in all the tension. "Wh-?" he puffed, appearing only the littlest bit dazed, glancing down at the now dead vampire, the mess of the room, and then at the girl- what was it Dean had called her? Cassie?- in confusion. Then, blinking, Sam seemed to realize what Dean had said. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped, glanced from Dean to the girl and back, opening and closing his mouth several times as he dithered, debated, and then decided. "Okay." He said only a little hesitantly. Well that was...anticlimactic. After all that? Dean was just going to leave after all that? Sam did his back and forth from his brother to the girl again, feeling as though he were being taken away from a movie that was just starting to get really interesting. However, he didn't argue, not when Dean had that look in his eyes. It was one Sam had never seen before and was hesitant to try to name because, well, it was Dean. Because And Dean didn't get his heart broken. Ever.
Then he heard her, that single word and following murmur that he didn't quite catch. Sam's eyes shuttered as he sighed regretfully. Oh crap...
last edited Oct 28, 2020 18:56:34 GMT -5 by Sam Winchester
Post by Dean Winchester on Nov 6, 2020 12:41:07 GMT -5
Fine. Fine, she said.
There was a slight pause in his step as he was ushering Sam out to follow behind...but her following words, words that were most likely not meant for him to hear, were loud and clear. As if he was expecting them, waiting to hear them, waiting for her to say something stupid enough to give him permission to unleash this sudden fury he had bottled up inside. It was this rage that he truly didn't realize had been there until settling eyes upon her again. And now that she was there, wanting to pretend that everything was alright, this silence just wasn't going to happen.
"FINE? Good to see you?! You really going to stand there and spit that shit at me?" His voice boomed as he spun back around, his brother temporarily forgotten. Then, the sarcasm was seeping out of him like a bleeding wound as he held his hand up in gesture, "No, wait, I'm sorry. The 'truth is complicated', right? I forgot. I completely understand, Cas."
6 months. That's how long she'd been back. 6 months and somehow she was already here. How did that old American film put it? 'Of all the gin joints in all the world...?' No, scratch that - 'Of all the flea-infested, middle of nowhere motels in all of North America...' Yeah. Fuck Casablanca, her lines were better. 'It's a big country, what are the odds that our paths will ever cross? ' she'd thought, 'It's not like he'll ever turn up at Xander's Cross considering they probably wouldn't let his kind within city limits.' Seemed logical, right? It wasn't as though she was as famous- ahem, infamous - as the Winchesters.
The sad truth was, she hadn't been being a sarcastic ass making a parting dig at her retreating ex-flame/former love-of-her-life. When she'd said it was good to see him, she'd meant it. It was true. In the past, Sid would have said anything just to rile him, just to get a reaction. Now she was actually giving him what he wanted - an out. There was no pretending here, no games, no ulterior motives. Dean had every right to be angry at her just as Sid had no right to stop him from leaving. She was letting him go. So, naturally, because she had intended for him to go, he wasn't. And not only was he not leaving but, because she wasn't putting up anything resembling a fight, he now seemed intent on having one. She might have laughed if she wasn't so god-damned tired and the situation wasn't so bloody ridiculous.
But if he wanted a fight, well, too fucking bad. She was just too bloody tired to give him one, right now. "Don't." she sighed, her movements heavy and tired as she turned to face him. "Don't start this, Dean. Don't push me. Not now. I'm warning you." She hissed lowly, somehow an edge of steel finding its way into her voice in spite of her exhaustion. Just take the Easy Out and leave. She was giving this to him, she was letting him win for the first time in... ever. He needed to go. She needed him to go before she could betray herself and spill everything of the last 5 years and make all of this worse.
Post by Sam Winchester on Nov 6, 2020 22:11:47 GMT -5
Before they could even get to the door, Dean blew. Really, Sam could have counted it down on one hand...had he been expecting this kind of reaction. Dean never lost it over a woman like this. Not ever. It was just all kinds of new and strange tonight. Whirling, Sam could only watch as his brother screamed at the blond who seemed only to grow more tired as he watched. He'd noticed earlier how battered she looked; being around hunters tended to make one take those kinds of things in stride. Bruised face, couple of cracked ribs, homemade stitches? These were the day to day fare of hunters. But this chick, so small and pixie-like, it should have seemed wrong on her, and yet it didn't. Strange that when she'd had a shotgun leveled at his brother, she'd seemed taller. She wore her injuries like - well, like his brother wore his post-hunt injuries, with tired familiarity and practicality. She didn't even seem like she was in pain, or afraid in the face of Dean's fury. There was no shame or regret. Just that steely resolve that he could recognize in another hunter. "Uh...Dean-?" he started, in a murmur just barely loud enough. But then whatever else he'd been about to say was cut off by Cassie's response and he wisely shut his open mouth.
In the wise words of the legendary Bobby Singer, 'Balls.'
Without realizing he was even doing it, Sam took a step back from the two within the small confines of the motel room and tried to pretend that he was furniture.
Post by Dean Winchester on Dec 21, 2020 22:35:06 GMT -5
There it was. He egged her on and she retaliated in the way he expected...giving him the very excuse he needed to just get it all off his chest. But it would be a very slow boil despite the previous outburst. He was regarding her again with those cold, calculating eyes; head tilting to feel the straining pops in his neck as he prepared for this onslaught of words that was four years in the making. No, Dean didn't get so bent out of shape over a woman, over anyone really...but not many could make him feel like such an idiot with a single, stupid note. The truth is complicated, my ass.
"Oooh, so now you're warning me?" His voice was low, spoken words slow as he dared a few steps forward in that usual, taunting swagger, like he was tough shit. "No more notes? No more waiting for me to leave so you can just...up and go? Slip out and never return?" A hand ran down his face as he tried not to roll his eyes at his own childish ignorance. "You know I waited? Like a fuckin' idiot, I waited for you." There it was again, that rising anger in his tone, but there was almost wounded pride shining in those eyes. "And now you stand here, acting like everything is just FINE?!"
Post by Sid Rivers on Dec 22, 2020 18:53:37 GMT -5
Yes. The truth was complicated. It had been then and it still was now. He would never have understood if she had told him, then, if she had stayed- if she had told him why she had to go. Worse, he would have tried to stop her...or come with her. Worse still, it would have destroyed his and John's relationship, the one thing that Dean still had and prized above so much else. So, honestly, what could she say now? And no, of course, she hadn't known that he'd waited for her. Though she had wondered... More often than she cared to remember, Sid had lain awake, wondering where he was and if he was thinking about her. For weeks, she'd awoken from dreams of him in bed next to her only to burst into tears upon opening her eyes and realizing that he wasn't there.
"No!" she shot back, incredulous. Used to be that he could read her better than that. Time was he'd have looked in her eyes and called her on her shite, forced her to fess up to it all. But he was too angry for that now. It said a lot about how much she had hurt and betrayed him. Still, it didn't stop her feeling a sting at his assumption of her. "I'm not acting like anything!" she shot back incredulously. 'Especially not like a child having a tantrum like some,' she added silently. 'Like a right prick'. The edges of her features tightened as though she was holding back some emotion. Twisting her chin away, she fought it down with everything she had. When she spoke, it was almost...weary, and it was directed at the floor. She didn't trust herself to look at him. "What do you want from me, Dean?" As though that simple question were the breaking of the dam and more poured out of her. Though she'd started with a sigh, her pitch rose. "Huh? What could I possibly give you that you haven't made up in that teeny tiny brain of yours?!" a battered hand darted up to point jerkily at his head. The gesture felt as though it would fly out of her control at any moment and turn into a punch. "I don't any answers for you, Dean! None that you'd want to hear! So what do you want me to say?!" Without really deciding to do it, Sid had moved forward until she was barely a foot from him and she was screaming this last part up into his stupid, beautiful, stupid face. A face that she wanted to kiss. Even now, after all these years. Even when he was being an idiot, even when she was spitting mad at him.
last edited Jan 9, 2021 15:29:02 GMT -5 by Sid Rivers
Post by Dean Winchester on Jan 30, 2021 11:01:48 GMT -5
Perhaps she was right in her assumptions...but that was the past, and they were now facing each other in current real time. What was the point of lying now? Yet, she would say enough, it seemed; enough to actually keep him from screaming back at her, and she would see it all as some of that pain and defeat seeped onto his face.
Just enough, for a split second before it was gone.
What did he want? The truth. An explanation. Anything, but what was the point? She was fighting him over it, or perhaps she didn't have a reason. She just didn't care, which made him feel even more ignorant and stupid. Her insult pushed him down even further yet all he could do was slowly nod again, just barely. "Nothing," he finally muttered, coming to the conclusion (the wrong one) all on his own. What else was he to think except that she tired of him? Her blatant retorts screamed exactly that.
That was when he threw his hands up in the air in tired surrender. "You've said enough. I get it."This time he got it. She'd not get away so easily, because he was about to lay the guilt on even thicker before he turned away, "Point for you, Cassie, for making me the hapless fool. That ain't easy."
Enough. He was done. She wasn't the only one exhausted from the job. Without looking back, no matter how much he wanted to, Dean left the motel room to head back to the car. He and Sam wouldn't be staying there anymore.
It was all right there, right at the edges of her teeth. She could scream it into his face and damn the consequences. To hell with saving him all this pain she was keeping inside, this lie she was letting him believe. As if she would have- could have ever left him of her own free will. But it had been. Hadn't John given her a choice? She could either give up her family...or give up Dean. No, there really hadn't been a choice.
And yet, even as the words were on her tongue, all the fight seemed to go out of him. Every part of her went taut as a crossbow string as he threw his hands up in the air in defeat. She'd done it. In spite of herself, in spite of the lie she could feel all over her face, Dean had believed her. The moment his back was turned, Sid clapped a hand over her mouth. Whether it was to keep the confessions inside or a sob or just the contents of her empty stomach, Sid wasn't sure. Whatever the reason, it let Dean walk away from her without another word. The air around her felt charged as though a lightning strike had gone through the tiny motel room. If only he knew who the fool really was, she thought in the silence of her motel room. Point for me.
It was at that moment that her phone chose to ring, actually startling her in the quiet left after their screaming match. Jerking to attention, Sid stepped over the vampire corpse to where her jacket was thrown over a chair. Wrestling her phone from the confines of a pocket, she glanced at the ID on the screen. Bellereve. No...not tonight. Now now. Please, not now.
"Yes?" she answered curtly, followed swiftly by an even more abrupt, "This is she."Just get it over with, it's not as though my night can get any worse. She was, of course, wrong about that. "What? ...What happened to Dr. McCallum?" A pause. "What?! When? Why was I not informed?" A longer pause. This time, when she spoke, there was a note of worry edging her fury. "Is she stable?" Then an even more furious, "You what?!! ...No. No! You've done enough! I'll be there soon." This time, her pause was followed with a bellow of outright rage. "I said no! I will be there soon!" Abruptly ending the call, she stood amidst the wreckage of her room, gripping her phone tight and ignoring the bruises and cuts that were reopening across her knuckles. Get a grip, Rivers. Now is not the time to lose it. Feeling the plastic of the phone creaking in her hand, Sid forced her fingers to unclench as she brought it up and hit a button on the speed dial. Bringing it to her ear, she turned, pacing in a very tiny circle in the small, half-destroyed room as she listened to the ringing on the other end. Voicemail. "SHIT!" she swore, listening to the message. At the beep, she sighed, "It's me. I need your help. Can you go to Bellereve? Stupid, bloody, fucking doctors!!" Bringing up her free hand, Sid pinched the bridge of her nose and somehow mustered the tiniest fraction of patience it would take to finish leaving this message. "It's a long story but you're on the list so they can fucking tell you. It's just that she trusts you and I need you to tell her I will be there in..." she paused, drawing the phone away to check the time. Not yet midnight. Then she remembered where she was and had to swallow another curse. This job for Dani had taken her further away than she normally would go. It was going to take her two days. Two...fucking...days. "Two days. I will be there in two days. Can you tell her that for me, please?" A pause, and this time when she spoke, there was a pleading vulnerability to her voice that had been absent a moment ago. "Thank you, Dahlia."You're the only one I trust with this... she added silently. She hung up.
Sucking in a deep breath, Sid cast the room a glance wondering if she should take the time to clean up the mess. After a second, she muttered a low, "Fuck it." and was snatching up her jacket, shotgun, and duffel bag on her way to the door within seconds. Slinging the bag into the back of the truck and dropping the gun onto the seat, Sid pulled her jacket, the one she'd stolen from the man who'd been screaming at her not 2 minutes ago, back over her battered body. It was only then she felt the weight of the item in her pocket.
Shit. The relic Dani had sent her to get. What with the reappearance of the long lost, pissed off ex-love of her life, Sid had forgotten all about it. She would have to get it to her. Sid needed the money. Holding the parcel in her palm, she seemed to consider for a moment before using her free hand to dial a number on her phone. Dani better fucking pick up this time or she could say bye-bye to her priceless little relic that Sid had nearly gotten herself killed getting. Sid had someplace to be in 48 hours.
last edited Jan 31, 2021 8:34:53 GMT -5 by Sid Rivers