Not Until We Are Lost

Johnny had been bounced around from world to world quickly, like the little silver ball in a pinball machine. He'd hardly get to know what was going on in a place before they threw him somewhere else, and he was always alone. He didn't know if it was some kind of punishment or if they were trying to meet him up with the others and just kept missing. He just knew that he was really fucking sick of it. And he missed people. Mary most of all, but there were others, too.

When he woke up this time, he was wearing a flannel pajama set, and the house he was in was more like a little cottage than anything. Looking out the window, Johnny could see snow and Christmas decorations. It was eerily normal. Right up until the reindeer trotted by wearing bells on it's antlers. It was almost a relief to see, since the worlds that had been mostly normal had been some of the worst ones they'd encountered. Sighting the absurd immediately felt like it might bode well for his time here.

He rifled through the dresser and found some warm clothes, then headed outside. Johnny realized as he moved through the little building that it wasn't a cottage at all, but a little cabin. This was confirmed as he walked out the door entirely and saw the outside of the structure.

He was also now aware of all the fucking Christmas lights all over the whole thing.

Johnny shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets. He was determined to explore this world before they kicked him to another one. If his past few weeks were any indication, he would have until he went to bed to see what was going on, and then he'd be gone again.

After the haunted insane asylum, Mary came to in a city. A little time spent walking around confirmed that it was New York City. And from what she could tell by the fashion, cars and technology, she was sometime around the 2010s. She rifled through her pockets and turned up a little bit of money, but not enough to actually get by. Which sort of pissed her off. If the aliens insisted on dropping them off at random places, they could at least provide room and board.

She also didn't like that it had just been herself and the Doctor in the last place. And here, she seemed to be alone. It would be hard to find the others in a place as big as New York City, assuming they were even here. She had to think of Rob, whom she hadn't seen since the pirate ship. Her dad and Johnny, who she hadn't seen since the resort. And her mom had been missing since before that. None of that set her mind at ease. She didn't know if she'd find any of them in this place, or if the aliens had decided to separate them again. Her heart ached a little at the idea of losing the people she loved over and over again.

But she knew that musing over that wouldn't help her much. So she wandered and eventually found her way into a bar that had a TV set to the news. She ordered a drink and paid attention to the reporters, as well as idly listening in on any nearby conversations.

It didn't take long before the news report gave way to the celebrity gossip segment. But what caught her attention was a very familiar face featured in the gossip. Jack's, to be exact. There was some mention of her being one of the most famous 'hunters' in the US that had Mary sitting up straight and staring at the TV in a mixture of surprise and horror. The idea of hunters being famous went against the very nature of the family business. And when the gossip reporter went on to discuss Jack's latest ghost hunt, it left little question that they were talking about Mary's brand of hunting.

She took a long drink from her beer bottle, trying to ease her nerves a bit. This place apparently had a lot that she needed to wrap her mind around.

The first thing Mary noticed when she came to was that she no longer had a dozen layers of skirts. The second was that she was sleeping on a cot with straps. A look around revealed a poorly lit room that looked like it belonged in some sort of loony bin. A draft played over her and she sucked in a breath as she sat up. A few brown stains suggestive of blood decorated the walls and floor, and she thought she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, this feels a little more like home," she muttered to herself.

A quick look around turned up her own supply bag. The simple canvas bag contained a few of her favorite guns, knives, two canisters of salt, a can of spray paint, and three bottles of holy water. There was a small comfort in having her things, but that didn't stop the hair on the back of her neck from standing on edge when an inhuman scream sounded from somewhere else in the building.

She got to her feet and headed out into the hall. She supposed she should be thankful that the lock on the door had rusted over and was easy enough to jimmy open. She also gave a moment of thanks that she hadn't woken up in a straight jacket.

( Read more... )

Rob hadn't seen anyone he knew since he woke up down below, but he supposed he would see them eventually. The travelers were busy keeping the ship in shape; they had to, or they would die. It was just a matter of fact.

The youngest Winchester had taken the job of a rigger. He would have preferred something a little more academic, but there wasn't much in the way of academy onboard a pirate ship. It was all about moving and working.

So, there he was hanging from a rope, high above many of his fellow sailors/pirates/travelers. He'd taken to wearing nothing more than vest for a top and the loose breeches. Well worn boots covered his feet, so he didn't get much in the way of splinters. He'd started wrapping torn fabric around his hands to minimize the rope burn. Even with the tan/sunburn, he seemed to be in his element. Then again, he was a hunter and a Man of Letters - there weren't many things that wouldn't be in his element if he needed to survive.

While he was high in the rigging, he thought he saw someone familiar. Well, a familiar head of hair anyway. With only a whoop of a warning, he swung down and landed by a wayward sister.

A hard breath.

Diana squinted her eyes closed tightly for a moment as she inhaled a sharp breath.

When she forced her eyes to open again her vision was at first a blur. Then it was met with sunlight creeping through a porthole in the wall. It was unlike the window she had been so used to seeing, the quadruple panes of glass that made up the beachside view...

A push from the bed and she sat up slowly, mindful of the feeling that something hovered over her head. Her eyes tilted from the window, upward, and she beheld a series of wooden slats with what seemed to be a mattress atop. There was a body there, above her. She could hear the twist and turn of the last remnants of sleep.

Not far beside them another warm body lay restless.

Diana didn't like this at all. Not in the slightest.

They weren't in the resort, this felt safer than that. And the gentle rocking motion suggested that there was a ship of some sort instead of actual ground. Diana knew ships of all sorts, her own people had built such vessels for travel. She was quite familiar with them.

Sitting up, the tall warrior goddess minded the slats and she realized the strange garb she was wearing. It was unlike her usual attire, though somehow she had managed to keep her bracers and the tiara. What had become of her lariat, however, was a good question indeed.

"By Hera..." She breathed, tugging at the tight fitting clothes, the miles of skirting rumpled and coursing up her legs as she moved. What was this trickery?

Mary had gotten cagey in the time spent at the resort. She knew that it was probably asking for trouble to wish for some action, but she didn't do relaxation well. Certainly not forced relaxation. Once she found her guns, she had a feeling that it wouldn't be much longer before something came along. Or before she found her family and they all decided to take their chances outside the wall. She hadn't expected the wall to come down. In hindsight, she probably should have. She was glad that she'd started carrying her gun and a few strategically hidden knives everywhere. She felt too exposed without a weapon, and she'd rather be armed than go swimming and put her gun down. She was extra glad when the goblins showed up.

A group of about fifteen or so burst into the kitchen when she was preparing a meal. She didn't hesitate to drop her serving utensils, and dive behind one of the counters for cover. Defense strategies first, even if she was the sort to run headlong into danger. There was a reason that she was still alive, after all. She at least tried to be smart about it.

"You little bastards picked the wrong kitchen," she spat out. "I've been just waiting for something to shoot."

She peeked around the counter and fired off a round of shots, feeling a surge of satisfaction as she spotted bullet wounds on at least a few of the goblins before she ducked behind the counter and started moving again. Never stay in one spot too long. Always keep moving and keep shooting as long as you had bullets left to shoot. Her dad had taught her both those things.

It didn't take long for Mary to notice that the staff was entirely missing. There was a note left at the front desk that they refused to return until they no longer had reason to fear for their lives. Coupled with the blood spatter she found in another portion of the hotel, she had to believe that one of them had been killed. Whether through the fault of a member of their group or not was the question. She didn't know everyone they were traveling with. Not anymore. So she didn't know what they were capable of. That worried her.

What she did know, however, was how to survive. If there was no one cooking or cleaning, then she'd do what she could to fill in those gaps. She'd certainly managed with less help. And while she thought that everyone here should be able to fend for themselves, she recognized that cooking to feed a large group was a good way to manage their food supplies. She just didn't want to think about what would happen when the food was completely gone. Fresh ingredients were used first, and she tried to cook for a large group. Anything unused was stored in one of the refrigerators for anyone to help themselves. She tried to spread the word as best as she could, hoping that someone else would be willing to chip in and hoping that people would know where to look for meals.

Today, she'd cooked up 6 lasagnas and frozen two of them. That would stretch out the food supply for at least a little longer. As long as the power stayed on, anyway. She tried not to think about that too much. And if things got really bad, she was mentally preparing herself for venturing outside the wall to hunt.

When everything was cooked and stored in the fridge, she sat down to take a break and eat a piece of lasagna herself. She still had yet to find anyone but Johnny, but she figured that if she hung out where the food was long enough, somebody else would turn up. Assuming that they were still with the group. Hoping that they were still with the group.

Johnny woke with a start, sheets coated with sweat, filled with the feeling of emptiness that came with being unconscious for a long while. He thrashed at the bed, throwing the covers onto the floor in a pile, wanting them away from him. His eyes scanned the room. The empty room. He couldn't place where he was. His bike wasn't there, the walls weren't the strange metal, so they weren't on the ship anymore. How long had it been since they had been?

Instinct drove him up and around the room, yanking open drawers and ripping through the closet to find anything that was his, finding nothing. Only clothes that should be worn at a resort. No weapons, no hat. Johnny hated being without his things. Especially with these bastards in control. They liked to throw everybody into dangerous situations. They needed to be prepared. He tossed a handful of clothes onto the top of the dresser, irritated. The only things he could find that were acceptable replacements for the swim trunks that he'd woken up in was a pair of red linen pants and a breezy white shirt. No boots, no actual shoes. Just absurd boaters. Not even a pair of socks to be found.

As he pulled the shirt on, buttoning it, Johnny saw the note. He figured at first that it would be a typical resort welcoming letter. Telling him of the afternoon luau or something. What he read instead upped his irritation to outright anger. Stasis? Some people were missing?

Only one important name came to mind.

Johnny crumpled the letter and threw it across the room, and then exited quickly. His door slammed open and he was out in the hallway of a rather nice place. His eyes didn't see it, though. Saw nothing, really. Determination and fear drove him.

"Mary?" He shouted. Johnny jogged down the hall. Each successive call of her name got louder, filled with more worry. He didn't stop moving, though. Every door he passed, Johnny yelled for her, needing her to come out. Needing to see her face. "Mary!"

Waking up in a new place in unfamiliar clothes had become par for the course as far as Mary was concerned. That didn't mean that she liked it, but she'd learned to just roll with the punches. And since she'd woken up in a bed in modern clothes, that was somewhat of an improvement over a few of the planets. She wasn't going to just blindly trust that everything was as tranquil as it appeared.

She glanced at the note left on her nightstand and grimaced. "Sadistic bastards," she muttered to herself.

It wouldn't be the first time that they'd sent people away. Not by a long shot. But if they felt it was worthy of mentioning in a letter, that made her wonder how many of the original group were left. She thought of her parents, Sam, and Rob. Were they still here? Was it even right to hope that they were? Considering that she still wasn't sure if people who disappeared were sent home, she didn't feel all that guilty about hoping that her family was still here. Especially considering that she didn't know if she could stand losing anyone else just now. She still wasn't over losing Johnny. She wasn't sure that she'd ever really be over that.

When she didn't find a gun in her room, she cursed the aliens yet again and then set out to explore. She would likely go knocking on hotel room doors at some point, but she figured it was best to just start looking for familiar places around the common areas first. Plus, she figured it was worth it to see if this place had a bar. She could use a drink right about now. She just hoped this wasn't one of those planets where they were required to find their own income source.

Mary woke up in clothes that were a little more modern. She had pants again. That alone was cause for celebration. She also had her go box of weapons, and she'd woken up in a small cabin that she appeared to have to herself. Those were all good things. No forced roommates, a seemingly more current time period. There had to be a catch. There always was, wasn't there?

She explored he cabin first. It wasn't huge, but it was a good size for one person. And she was getting to a point where that didn't feel as lonely as it used to. She still missed Johnny, but she was capable of existing without him. The less people she had that she cared about, the less she had to lose. Right? And with her family around her, she still had so very much to lose. That might be why she refused to look for anyone at first. Instead, she took to exploring the new plane by herself.

There was a wall around the village that she'd woken up in. There were also lizard-people guarding the wall who didn't outright stop her from leaving, though they did issue some warnings. Mary mostly ignored those. Oh, she was armed all right. But she wasn't going to let fear stop her from exploring. She didn't like he idea of spending the next few weeks or months confined within a wall.

In hindsight, she probably should have heeded the warnings of the lizard-people. Instead, she'd found herself in the midst of a prehistoric-type jungle. She didn't run into any wildlife until she was too far to simply sprint for the safety of the wall. And when she did? She found herself on the business end of a pair of velociraptors who had a whole lot more teeth than she could ever have imagined. She didn't scream, but she definitely backed up and started shooting in the hopes that it would scare them off.

Much as Destiny was iffy on her arrival, and a little bit on Sam, she managed to make the best of it.

Rumanceks always did.

She found a room at the inn, near to Sam's. She found a longer skirt, and while getting things together, she decided that there was a point where if you couldn't beat a stereotype, you oughta pander to it. It'd worked for her in Hemlock Grove, it would work here. So rather than trading in her clothing completely, she made herself look every inch the fortune teller she intended to be in this little shit town.

She set a table up outside the inn and put out a painted sign with a crystal ball.

CARD READINGS--LEARN YOUR FUTURE!

No price was listed. Depending on how savvy the person was, Destiny was taking their entire billfold.

She sat and waited, long folds of purple-pink skirt fluttering as a breeze went by, head wrapped in the same fabric, silver jewelry glinting in the sun.

When he slept, Logan always dreamt.

Normal people would probably consider his dreams nightmares. But, really... since they were simply re-enactments of actual events, playing over and over in his subconscious, there was no nightmare about it.

Sometimes, it was the wars. It was watching the bomb go off, and shielding his friend's body as the blast reached them both. Other times, it was Jean.

It was the memory of Jean, of sliding his claws into her abdomen because she asked him to. It was telling her that he would die for her, and meaning it.

It was feeling her die.

Tonight, it was that. But it was that and more.

Since he'd been... back... or caught up, as Xavier had put it, Logan had struggled with what had happened, his version of it, and what everyone said happened. His version of the past wasn't the same as theirs.

Jean was still alive. And so was Scott. And he'd seen them both, and they'd been happy, and...

And still he had the memory of feeling the muscles in her body resist his claws, then part and give up.

He was shaking his head, gently, in his sleep. And, later, when he looked back on his abduction, Logan would recognize his captors as cowards for taking him when he was asleep--because it was probably the only time they COULD take him without ending up a bloody mess. He muttered 'no' here and there, and 'no, Jean.'

When he woke up, he sighed, eyes still closed. He shifted, and the mattress under him felt strange. It poked him. Logan sniffed and recognized it for straw. He drew both eyebrows toward each other and arched one, scowling with his eyes still closed.

He also heard the sound of a horse whinnying outside. At least, he figured it was outside. He couldn't smell the horse.

But he could smell a person. He could smell soap and hair and knew it was a woman before he opened his eyes. A large part of him hoped it was Jean, but he knew it probably wasn't.

Logan opened his eyes, turned his head toward the woman in the chair--a young, pretty blond girl he didn't recognize, and felt his claws start their movement to the surface of his skin.

"Talk," he said.

He didn't raise a hand to her. Yet. But his claws were just below the surface, and itching to make her talk. "Where the Hell am I? Who're you?"

Mary needed a few days to really let it all sink in after getting the news that Rob was her half brother. Well, her half brother in an alternate reality. She went through an entire range of emotions-from angry to grossed out. Because seriously? Of all the people her mom could have ended up with if something ever happened to her dad, why the hell would it be her Uncle Sam? Even as she wondered that, she thought she knew. Those two were the most important people in Dean's life. And vice versa. As gross as it was, if something ever happened to her dad, she could see them finding comfort with each other. Just... she wasn't going to think about that too much.

The fact that Rob had lied to her didn't sit well either. She was really sick of people keeping things from her. And yet, she could understand why he did. She could understand why he'd wanted to fly under the radar and keep the details of his world and his family to himself. She could even understand why he couldn't really stay away from his family. Even if it was a different reality. Even if things were so far upside down here, and maybe especially because of that.

She was ready to talk to him and just trying to find the right way to approach it when her mom gave her the news that the Sam that had previously been here had been replaced. Which was just... that made Mary angry on pretty much every level imaginable. It also brought out her protective instincts towards her sort of baby brother. A new Sam meant going through the explanation of everything all over again. The fact that it seemed to be the Sam from her reality-the Sam who'd been in York... that probably just made things worse for Rob.

So it was with all of these things weighing heavily on her mind that she sought out his room and knocked on the door.

Rob had yet to meet his roommate, but he knew someone was there. Or he thought he did. He tried not to think too hard about things, yet he couldn't help it. He secured his room as best he could before heading out into the world. Or more heading out to find someone in said world.

Being the curious sort, he'd already familiarized himself with the phone he'd found among his new possessions. The Man of Letters was pleased to see that his family had made the trip, and perhaps a little dismayed. If they were all here, then his decision to share certain information would have to be followed through. Just because he knew it had to be done, didn't mean he had to like it. He didn't like it at all.

Knowing his sister like he did, or hoped he did, Rob went in search for her. Rather than go floor by floor, or even bother the people at the front desk about it, he pulled out that handy-dandy device he'd been gifted, and he dialed.

"We need to talk. Pick the place." was the greeting he gave to the woman on the other end of the call. Yes, asking how she was would have been the nicer, better mannered thing to do, but this wasn't about nice or manners. Rob did add, "Please, Mary."

Dream sat up.

He was acutely aware that he had again been lying in bed, and this time he seemed to be doing so in boxers and no shirt. That wasn't strange, in and of itself--he often padded around his apartment in the French Quarter like that. But the sheets felt wrong, and this wasn't his bed there.

The threadcount wasn't quite absurdly high enough.

He put his feet on the floor, stood, and walked to the window, watching the light reflect into the room and onto the carpet, and noting the extremely high height the room he was in seemed to be at. His eyebrows narrowed, considering the world he could see below. It was not where he had been, not that town square where he'd broken a window and told stories, and it wasn't anything that looked familiar, though it was modern and pretty, aesthetically.

But she wasn't here. Nanshe. He still did not feel her.

It was then that he heard a door open somewhere behind him, and Morpheus realized he was in part of a suite.

He turned his head over his shoulder but did not move, waiting to hear who his neighbor was.

Waiting to see who he needed to be, how he needed to act, as he tried to put the pieces of his insides back together.

Mary had spent the days after being approached by the angel avoiding her family. She wasn't sure yet if she wanted to tell them, even though she knew that she should. She was a little ashamed to admit that there was a part of her that really wanted to say yes. If it was as easy as saying yes and getting her life back the way it had been before the trip back in time to York and the hellmouth, if it was as easy as saying yes and knowing that Ellen and Johnny were okay... there was a part of her that would have said yes in a flash. The only thing stopping her right now was doubting that it would ever be that easy. Nothing with her family ever had and historically, they didn't have a lot of luck when making deals with angels or demons. She clung to that thought like a lifeline.

Eventually, she realized that she needed to get out and tell someone about the rogue angel on the loose in search of a vessel. She had a feeling that nobody in her family would say yes easily, and she also suspected that he'd go after the others until he found a way in. For whatever reason, the Winchester bloodline seemed ideal for possession.

She took a long walk around the small village to clear her head and try to gather up her thoughts and figure out what she was going to say and who she was going to say it to. It was possible that she wouldn't have much choice in that matter since Jo, Dean, and Sam were all staying at the pub. Rob was the only one who was elsewhere and while she was tempted to seek her brother out first, she thought that she should probably go for her parents and uncle.

When she finally figured out at least some of what she wanted to say, she headed toward the pub and let herself in. Once inside, she glanced behind the bar to see if Sam was there. Somehow, she felt that talking to him first might be a little easier than talking to her parents. They all understood loss and they all understood considering the wrong decisions for the right reasons, but it just... felt easier to talk to someone who wasn't her mom or her dad for this. She still hadn't done much talking about Johnny being missing at all, though enough that they knew that it was possible. And she hadn't brought up Ellen in ages because... well, she already knew that they felt as bad as she did about it. No point in rubbing salt in that wound.

Once she spotted Sam, she headed over to the counter and slid into one of the seats. She cleared her throat to get his attention.

"One tankard of mead, please," she said with an attempt at a smile.

Mary's dreams were usually a jumble of the nightmares involving the New Dietrich Slayer standing over her with that knife and that manic grin, nightmares that involved Ellen and losing her over and over again in progressively worse ways, nightmares where the New Dietrich Slayer shot Johnny right in front of her. Sometimes they were more bittersweet than wake up in a cold sweat. Sometimes she got to spend time with her parents as they were in her time, or with Ellen, or with Johnny. But even in those dreams, there was a haze of surreality, a knowledge that it wasn't real and that she'd lose them all over again once she woke up.

Tonight it seemed to be Ellen's turn to visit. Her sister stood before her in their dad's old leather jacket, with a half-smirk even though she was bleeding from a pretty nasty head wound.

"Still waiting on you, sis," Ellen looked directly into Mary's eyes and the younger Winchester sister felt a great stab of guilt.

"Ellen, we've been looking. We're trying."

"Have you tried everything?" Ellen asked. "Absolutely everything in your power?"

She gave Mary one last shake of her head and then turned to go.

"Ellen, wait," Mary said, the tears starting to spill over. She didn't like to think about it, but she missed having her older sister. "Please."

Ellen didn't turn around.

"I can't wait much longer, Mary. Find me."

The scene around her shifted and suddenly Mary was back on the beach of that tiny island, with Johnny beside her. The gunshot wound was still healing in his chest. He reached out to take her hand, but the waves came forward and washed him further down the beach.

"Mary, it's your turn to find me," he said. "I went through hell to get you back, you know that?"

"Johnny," she began, but yet another wave came in and he was washed out to sea. She was on her feet now, shouting his name until her voice grew hoarse and her muscles ached.

None of it did any good. The waves continued to crash against the sand, the sun continued to warm her skin, and she was alone on the island.

"Mary," a voice that she didn't recognize whispered.

She turned and looked up. Maybe not entirely alone. Her tears still made their tracks down her face, but her posture stiffened as she squared off the stranger. He moved a little closer and gave her a small smile.

"I'm here to help," he said. "I can help you find them-all of them. I can bring you back to your time, to right before you were brought back. All you have to do is let me."

That was... an awfully tempting offer, but something about those words made her hesitate. Mary didn't know this guy from Adam and she knew for a fact that Lucifer was among the abductees. Actual, freaking Lucifer. She'd also been raised as a part of Team Free Will and she knew the angelic catchphrases.

"Who are you?"

The man-or rather, the angel-smiled. She was sure by this point that he was an angel. Something about the speech patterns that weren't quite human, and there was just something about angels and Winchesters.

"They call me Gadreel. The aliens... took me by mistake. They'll come to regret that soon enough. Mary, none of you belong here. The timeline's been altered for long enough. I can fix it. I owe it to you to repair the damage that my brother did."

Would it be that easy? An angel had gotten her into this mess originally. Could she just accept the help and have everything go back to the way it was supposed to be?

"And what about the hellmouth? York?"

Gadreel waved his hand dismissively.

"Your part in that will be preserved. You saved your mother. I can make them forget and go back to the way things are supposed to happen. I can get everything back on track."

He was promising a lot. Maybe more than any angel was capable of at this point.

And as much as she wanted Ellen and Johnny back, she wasn't sure that she was willing to pay the price of her parents losing all of this time. Of Johnny losing the time they'd had while abducted. Was there another way? There had to be, didn't there?

She straightened her back and looked the angel in the eye.

"Just so we're clear, what exactly are you asking me to do?"

The angel almost imperceptibly flinched. It was then that Mary knew that she couldn't say yes. No matter how badly she wanted to, it was then that the enormity of what he was asking hit her.

"I need a host. Just for long enough to put things right. And then I can return home. We can all return home."

"No." It was quiet at first, but then she repeated it, her voice gaining volume and strength. "No way. You want to help? Find another meatsuit. And then leave that poor sap alone once you're done."

The disappointment on Gadreel's face was clear.

"I'm not sure that there is a better host than you, Mary. I want to help you. Please let me." He sighed. "I'll return to ask again. Take the time to think on it. You Winchesters tend to have a knee-jerk reaction when it comes to my family."

With that, the angel disappeared and Mary sat upright as consciousness slammed into her yet again. Gone was the warm air of the beach in favor of the chill of winter that was just outside her barely insulated cabin. She was completely alone this time, in a bed that had more than enough room for two, the empty space practically echoing the angel's offer.

She climbed out of bed and headed down to her shop to get a head start on her work for the day. She wouldn't be sleeping anymore tonight.

Mary knew that her Uncle Sam-or a version of her Uncle Sam was in town, courtesy of her mom. She also knew that he wasn't from her actual reality, though that didn't matter as much. What did matter was that he was family and she wanted to see him. She'd given it time to allow him the chance to catch up with her dad and get used to the idea that he had a sort of niece from the future running around. Jo had mentioned that he knew about her, so Mary knew that her turning up wouldn't be a surprise.

When she'd given it enough time, she dropped by the tavern that she knew he worked at. She even came bearing gifts. She'd gotten some fresh produce at the market. Or whatever they called it in this time and place. Either way, it was an assortment of fresh fruits and veggies. She could only assume that these were the sorts of things that flourished even in winter. Or a result of trade, perhaps. Whatever the case, she remembered that her uncle liked healthier foods and she thought that having something fresh to eat couldn't be a bad thing.

So she turned up with a sack in hand, as well as with a small present. It wasn't much-just a protection charm that she'd forged for him. But if the solstice ball was any indication, it was almost Christmas and after so long away from him, she really liked the idea of giving something to her uncle. She didn't expect anything in return. She just wanted to see him.

She dropped in on the bar and immediately her eyes searched behind the counter in the hopes that it would just be that easy. It wasn't like phones were a thing, so she couldn't have called ahead to check on him. All the same, she felt a little flash of nerves and regret that she hadn't tried to schedule something or give him a heads-up that she was coming. What if he didn't want to see her? What if it was all too weird? Then again, a family like theirs, there was no such thing as 'too weird.' So in spite of the case of nerves, she stayed where she was and waited until she caught sight of the person she'd come to see.

The doors of the palace were thrown open. The grand ballroom was decked out with silver and blue decorations, crystal snowflakes hung from the ceiling and the palace entertainers played merry tunes to greet the guests. The aromas of the feast wafted out the door and down the street. The Queen herself sat at the head table with the princess at her side. The princess didn't look entirely happy at the moment, though there was speculation that she wasn't the sort to settle down and the Queen had been the one to decide that now was the time for the princess to narrow her sights to one single suitor.

Most of the kingdom turned up in their finery. From lords and ladies to peasants, all could be seen dining and drinking and after dinner, dancing.

Those that were the abductees had been invited as well. The Queen had even arranged with the aliens to keep one, should the princess decide that she fancied one of the group that had come to temporary fill the open job positions. Oh, it had taken some diplomatic posturing, but it was her hope that those from other worlds might hold her princess' attention more than those native to this one.

After dinner, the princess stood at the edge of the dance floor as a line of gentlemen were introduced to her. Those who attended had more than the princess to focus on, however. The minstrel strolled through the crowd as he played, and various other entertainers were stationed throughout the ballroom. Wine flowed generously, which resulted in some of the guests sliding towards entertainment themselves.

The days were long and exhausting here. Being a blacksmith was a different sort of work than cocktail waitressing as she had back in the 1940s world. She was sore at the end of the day but there was something zen about the process. Mary found that she could easily zone out and keep her mind off all of the things that she had bouncing around in there while she was working on forging weapons with steel and iron. She still didn't know what to make of the randomness of the aliens' choices of planets. On some planets, they had housing taken care of. Here, they had jobs and houses and it was almost as though they'd slipped into other peoples' lives. In fact, some of the items in the house that she'd been directed to indicated that someone else had lived there. Mary wasn't sure if she wanted to think too hard about what might have happened to the previous occupant. In fact, she'd heard a few whispers about 'the war' and that gave her a pretty good idea as to why there were so many job openings to be filled here.

Unlike the 1940s planet, the gender roles were very different here. It had taken her a little while to even realize that she was treated with more respect than even what she was used to in her own time. And that men were sometimes treated as accessories or as though they didn't matter. She didn't like it, even if she was relieved to no longer have to deal with some of the crappy attitudes that she'd dealt with a few planets back.

Of course, all of that was less important than the fact that she hadn't been able to find everyone that she needed to. She'd found her mother and heard that her dad was around. More importantly, she'd heard that her Uncle Sam-or a version of him-had joined them. She wanted very badly to see her uncle, but she was holding back for now. He needed to acclimate himself and she wasn't sure that she was ready to look into his eyes and see the lack of recognition. Not when... certain members of their party were missing.

Maybe it was just like those islands all over again. Evan and Johnny were gone. Possibly others, she wasn't sure yet. It mattered, but didn't matter quite as much. The fear was there. The fear that Johnny was gone for good. That the aliens had decided they were done experimenting with him and...

Well, she supposed that each new planet when she didn't find people immediately, she'd have this fear. Wouldn't she? Especially when she and Johnny had just started to figure things out. They'd just gotten to a very good place and she... well, she missed him on the nights that she woke up screaming.

She'd already lost track of the days that they'd been in this world. One day blended into another when they were all the same. She just kept working her way through it and hoped that they'd get to another planet and that she'd find him again. Unfortunately, today seemed to be a day when there was little work to be had. So she decided to explore a bit more. There was a marketplace in the middle of the village and she wandered through it, idly looking at some of the clothing and fabrics on display, studying the weapons crafted by the silversmith and admiring them. There were also various foods on display-everything from treats to produce. And of course, other fineries that she had no interest in. She did her best to keep walking as various venders called out to her. She had a few gold coins but wasn't quite sure where she wanted to spend them or if she wanted to spend them at all today. Instead, she wandered through the marketplace and kept checking the faces for any sign of a familiar face. There were others that she still hadn't found within the village and she wanted to know who else was here.