SPN: "The Edge of Midnight"
Category: Supernatural, This Christmas Day 'verse
Title: The Edge of Midnight (Ao3)
Word Count: 960
Summary: Ananda takes a little trip. Set in the same vicinity as "Imaginator."
Notes: There may or may not have been a spanner tossed into the works for the bigger story I'm working on, so, um, Ananda says hi?
Ananda woke up and listened. The house had gone quiet, and she saw everybody in their beds until morning. Now was the time.
She grabbed Bedtime and climbed down the bunk steps, being careful to avoid the one that squeaked. If she woke up Kara, Kara would insist on going with her. Sometimes it was fun to have Kara tag along, but she wasn't in the mood for that tonight.
Ananda peeked into the hall. Nothing but the nightlights and Kevin's snoring. How did Johnny sleep with all that noise?
She slipped out of her room and tiptoed over to the stairs. There were those weird noises from behind Mommy and Daddy's door again. Someday, she'd remember to ask what that was. But at least it wasn't as annoying as Kevin. Maggie was going to be complaining about their brothers closing the door again, or Daddy was going to threaten to take Kevin to a doctor. Ananda didn't know what kind of doctor would fix snoring, though. Maybe it was something shrinks did, and that was why Kevin kept fighting it. Mr. Frankie never made Kevin see a shrink, the way Aunt Jenn and Mr. Bill said all the other kids had to.
Downstairs was dark-there weren't as many nightlights down here, since nobody was supposed to be down here at night. The moon was bright, though, and light streamed in through the windows, enough to light the short path from the bottom of the stairs, across the hall, and into the kitchen. The tile floor was cool against her bare feet as she crossed it.
She pushed open the sliding door that led into the laundry room-remembering this time to push it back closed. She thought maybe Mommy knew how she was getting into Uncle Sammy's room, and Kara, because Kara came with her sometimes, but they were the only ones, and she wanted to keep it that way.
There wasn't a nightlight in the laundry room, but the doors were directly across from each other. It was just a matter of walking straight, finding the wall, and feeling for the latch. If she had to, she knew where the light switch was, but she didn't want to turn it on, either, because that meant a whole complicated thing of running back and forth to turn lights on and off until everything was back the way it was supposed to, and that meant a better chance that Uncle Sammy would figure it out.
He locked his door now. She didn't know why. Daddy said Uncle Sammy liked her. And she was being careful to give him grown-up time. That was why she waited until everybody was asleep. He couldn't want grown-up time if he was asleep.
Besides, if he didn't lock this one, he must not be too upset that she kept coming in.
She slid the second door open and let herself into Uncle Sammy's closet. It was one of the big ones that you could walk around in, like the one in Mommy and Daddy's room, and it was even darker than the laundry room-but Uncle Sammy didn't have that much stuff, so she had plenty of room. She got the door closed, then felt around for the opposite wall, then the door-one with a knob this time, like most of the doors in the house.
Uncle Sammy didn't have any nightlights, but he also didn't have any blinds on his windows, and between the moonlight and the outside security light, it was almost bright enough to read in here. He was asleep in his bed, tangled up in the covers. Maybe he'd had a bad dream. That might be what had woken her.
She closed the closet door as quietly as she could, then trotted over to the bed. She reached up to set Bedtime on the pillow next to Uncle Sammy's head, then went to get the blanket lying over the desk chair. The one time she had gotten under the covers, Uncle Sammy had screeched like Aunt Courtney's kitty when it had gotten its tail squashed. Nobody would tell her why, though, just that she'd understand when she was older.
Grown-ups were weird.
The blanket was tossed up beside Bedtime, and then she climbed into the bed. Uncle Sammy didn't have a stepstool like Mommy and Daddy did, but his bed was almost as high as theirs, so she had to go all the way to the footboard so she could find things to grab onto and pull herself up.
It was exhausting taking care of Uncle Sammy.
Once on the bed, it was easy. She wrapped the blanket around herself, pulled Bedtime close against her back, and snuggled up against Uncle Sammy.
He'd be upset in the morning. He always was. But Mommy and Daddy would just pretend not to laugh. Maybe, if he got really mad, one day they'd make her tell them why, but she wasn't going to until they did. She didn't want Daddy to be sad.
Uncle Sammy's roads were all tangles and knots, and they weren't just beside hers, the way everybody else's were, but twisted in and out of each other, like somehow they walked the same road, and nobody ever walked exactly the same road, even when they went to the same place at the same time. She didn't know what it meant, not yet, but she had faith that someday it would be clear. It always became clear eventually.
Until that day, though, she wasn't going to take chances. Uncle Sammy needed her to protect him, and that's exactly what she was going to do.
Nothing was going to get to Uncle Sammy while she was around.
Title: The Edge of Midnight (Ao3)
Word Count: 960
Summary: Ananda takes a little trip. Set in the same vicinity as "Imaginator."
Notes: There may or may not have been a spanner tossed into the works for the bigger story I'm working on, so, um, Ananda says hi?
Ananda woke up and listened. The house had gone quiet, and she saw everybody in their beds until morning. Now was the time.
She grabbed Bedtime and climbed down the bunk steps, being careful to avoid the one that squeaked. If she woke up Kara, Kara would insist on going with her. Sometimes it was fun to have Kara tag along, but she wasn't in the mood for that tonight.
Ananda peeked into the hall. Nothing but the nightlights and Kevin's snoring. How did Johnny sleep with all that noise?
She slipped out of her room and tiptoed over to the stairs. There were those weird noises from behind Mommy and Daddy's door again. Someday, she'd remember to ask what that was. But at least it wasn't as annoying as Kevin. Maggie was going to be complaining about their brothers closing the door again, or Daddy was going to threaten to take Kevin to a doctor. Ananda didn't know what kind of doctor would fix snoring, though. Maybe it was something shrinks did, and that was why Kevin kept fighting it. Mr. Frankie never made Kevin see a shrink, the way Aunt Jenn and Mr. Bill said all the other kids had to.
Downstairs was dark-there weren't as many nightlights down here, since nobody was supposed to be down here at night. The moon was bright, though, and light streamed in through the windows, enough to light the short path from the bottom of the stairs, across the hall, and into the kitchen. The tile floor was cool against her bare feet as she crossed it.
She pushed open the sliding door that led into the laundry room-remembering this time to push it back closed. She thought maybe Mommy knew how she was getting into Uncle Sammy's room, and Kara, because Kara came with her sometimes, but they were the only ones, and she wanted to keep it that way.
There wasn't a nightlight in the laundry room, but the doors were directly across from each other. It was just a matter of walking straight, finding the wall, and feeling for the latch. If she had to, she knew where the light switch was, but she didn't want to turn it on, either, because that meant a whole complicated thing of running back and forth to turn lights on and off until everything was back the way it was supposed to, and that meant a better chance that Uncle Sammy would figure it out.
He locked his door now. She didn't know why. Daddy said Uncle Sammy liked her. And she was being careful to give him grown-up time. That was why she waited until everybody was asleep. He couldn't want grown-up time if he was asleep.
Besides, if he didn't lock this one, he must not be too upset that she kept coming in.
She slid the second door open and let herself into Uncle Sammy's closet. It was one of the big ones that you could walk around in, like the one in Mommy and Daddy's room, and it was even darker than the laundry room-but Uncle Sammy didn't have that much stuff, so she had plenty of room. She got the door closed, then felt around for the opposite wall, then the door-one with a knob this time, like most of the doors in the house.
Uncle Sammy didn't have any nightlights, but he also didn't have any blinds on his windows, and between the moonlight and the outside security light, it was almost bright enough to read in here. He was asleep in his bed, tangled up in the covers. Maybe he'd had a bad dream. That might be what had woken her.
She closed the closet door as quietly as she could, then trotted over to the bed. She reached up to set Bedtime on the pillow next to Uncle Sammy's head, then went to get the blanket lying over the desk chair. The one time she had gotten under the covers, Uncle Sammy had screeched like Aunt Courtney's kitty when it had gotten its tail squashed. Nobody would tell her why, though, just that she'd understand when she was older.
Grown-ups were weird.
The blanket was tossed up beside Bedtime, and then she climbed into the bed. Uncle Sammy didn't have a stepstool like Mommy and Daddy did, but his bed was almost as high as theirs, so she had to go all the way to the footboard so she could find things to grab onto and pull herself up.
It was exhausting taking care of Uncle Sammy.
Once on the bed, it was easy. She wrapped the blanket around herself, pulled Bedtime close against her back, and snuggled up against Uncle Sammy.
He'd be upset in the morning. He always was. But Mommy and Daddy would just pretend not to laugh. Maybe, if he got really mad, one day they'd make her tell them why, but she wasn't going to until they did. She didn't want Daddy to be sad.
Uncle Sammy's roads were all tangles and knots, and they weren't just beside hers, the way everybody else's were, but twisted in and out of each other, like somehow they walked the same road, and nobody ever walked exactly the same road, even when they went to the same place at the same time. She didn't know what it meant, not yet, but she had faith that someday it would be clear. It always became clear eventually.
Until that day, though, she wasn't going to take chances. Uncle Sammy needed her to protect him, and that's exactly what she was going to do.
Nothing was going to get to Uncle Sammy while she was around.