billy

who: billy and maddie
where: their house
when: evening

Madigan headed indoors the second she saw the flash of light from the spell components she'd been preparing a bit back into the woods behind the house. It was about bloody time. So, those gathered up, she walked inside, and started dropping everything into he heavy trunk that was just inside the door. Then, she went in search of her boy. Who wasn't that difficult to find. "Y'know, my life was a lot easier when I was dead." she mused. "Hung around, lurked, watched...teased you...wasn't all bad. Now I've got more spellwork to do than I have in decades, pissy, overly dramatic teenagers about who're constantly demanding attention or downright need it in order not to get themselves killed, have to keep my energy up to tend to you..." she trailed off. "You know that bit about how people should be careful what they wish for?" she asked. Then she smiled at him. "Not feelin that at all." she finished. Then she gave him a kiss on the lips, and a hug.

He hooked her round the waist and pulled her in, returning the kiss. "No, me neither," he agreed as he pulled back a little, resting his forehead against hers. "Anyway, at least you're not getting bored - I know I've been neglecting you a little lately." What with the amount of work he'd been fitting in, and then the fact he'd been mostly laid out over the weekend after the tricks he'd pulled in Lullaby's dreams. He was just beginning to feel himself again now, and had taken the day off before he got hold of Corwin to start on the floor he wanted. He'd give the guy a ring tomorrow.

Who: Billy and Lullaby
Where: In dreams
When: Overnight

The hallway looked a lot like school. Corridors where the light came in from double doors on either end, but the lights were off. The glare off of the polished floor wasn't enough to light her way properly. It was silent, sound missing from the scene entirely. Even when she moved to doors--doors that looked like the ones in Sophie and Oz's house, instead of proper school doors--the sound never made it. As she walked past trophy display cases, she looked inside them, the lights flickering. There were no trophys. There were a lot of seemingly random odds and ends, a necklace standing out in one of the cases, a silver pentacle with amethyst set into it.

Who: Billy, Maddie, Oz and Lullaby
Where: Billy's house
When: Late evening/ night

Maddie was sort of half hovering by the window, watching down into the drive. Not that she could see a lot, even if they'd turned the porch lights on. It was bloody dark. But she was watching anyhow. She also wasn't fantastically enamored with her evening with Billy being interrupted, but she supposed, those things happened. She was leaned against the wall, and she glanced over at her boy. "...still not sure what this is all really about." she said, frowning. "I also don't remember you lot bein this punchy, but maybe I'm romanticizin my memories of it all." she added. That had a little touch of a half smile on the end of it.

Who: Corwin and Billy
Where: Corwin's house
When: Around six in the evening

Corwin had been sitting in the basement since five-thirty. He wanted to be ready when Billy showed up, rather than scrambling to get downstairs and get him inside, so waiting in case he was early was the only thing to do. He sat on the stairs, muffled up in all his usual "going out" clothes, from scarf to hood to gloves to boots, and stared at the basement door a little anxiously. This wasn't something he'd ever done, hiring someone to do... pretty much anything for him. Not even when he was alive. Now that he wasn't? Much more nerve-wracking.

Who: Billy (message left for Corwin)
Where: Phone
When: 9:01am

Hi, Billy Gardiner here. Sorry for not returning your call yesterday. Events in town have me busy at the moment, but I could call round this evening if you're free? Say, around 6ish? Let me know if that's convenient for you.

*****

Who: Billy (message left for Maddie)
Where: Phone
When: 9:04am

Sweetheart? You know, you're allowed to pick up the phone. I hope you can remember how to use the answering machine - I'll call back later. I promise. But anyways, I'm gonna be late home. Mrs Henry's job's bigger than I thought and I have another potential customer to see on my way home. I'll pick up chinese food or something. I love you - I miss you. I'll see you later.

who: billy and maddie
where: back yard, osbourne residence
when: late morning

who: billy and oz
where: osbourne residence
when: mid morning

Another night of not being attacked by vampires had passed and the sun was, once again, well above the horizon. Billy had watched the morning news, which had served to remind him that the rest of town was still suffering - though the glow in the night sky and the drifting sounds of sirens had told him that already. People were still dying out there and the town would never be the same again, of that he could be certain. He'd attempted to dreamwalk last night, just to get a feel for people, but had found that many of the people he would 'normally' visit weren't there. He assumed they were awake, on watch, fighting - or possibly they were dead. Not a pleasant thought. He'd found a few sleepers, but each and every time he'd faced nightmares. He'd done what he could, the key was always the same - the vampires, or the monsters if the dreamer hadn't cottoned on to what was happening. A few more people would have had better sleep because of him. It had left him tired, as it always did, but he'd never intended to get proper sleep last night anyway - he'd catch up this afternoon.

Now, though, he was going to enjoy the sunshine as he poured himself a coffee and fixed it to his liking before wandering, barefoot, outside to sit on the wall in the back garden, closing his eyes for a moment, letting the sun play over his face. It was peaceful here - far removed from town, the neighbours fled, the sirens quieted with the coming of the day. One could almost forget what was going on. Almost. He could, at least, pretend and take a moment.

He opened his eyes again and as he did so, he spoke her name, calling Maddie to him, knowing that she'd come - she had to, after all. So he called for her and waited.

Nothing.

Who: Dean and Thia, then Billy and Thia
Where: Dean's house
When: Midafternoon

Dean was actually sleeping, trying to get some in before it got dark again. He hadn't thought he'd be able to, but he'd promised he'd try, climbing into bed after lunch and stretching out under the blankets, one hand hooked underneath his pillow as he lay half on his side, half on his front, facing away from the bedroom door, which was ajar, breathing gently.

Lullaby had a bit of a issue to discuss with the sleeping boy, so when she walked into his room, she was less worried about his being asleep. And later--she might actually feel bad about it, but at current, she wasn't thinking about that and instead she marched up to the side of his bed and grabbed his shoulder, shaking him. "Hey!" she said, to try to get his attention better.

Who: Billy and Lullaby, then with Oz and Dean thrown in
Where: Oz' house
When: Wee small hours

Lullaby had not slept much. At all, really. She'd shut her eyes, and removed her bells so she didn't wake Dean up--she figured even if he were asleep in his room with the door shut, he'd hear it when she moved and she thought he needed a ton of sleep right now. And she'd tried. She'd really, really tried, but it hadn't happened. She thought maybe she drifted a few times, but she never actually stopped being awake. Eventually, she got up, and wanted to head downstairs, just to sit quietly for a while. When she crept into the hall as quietly as she could--invisible in the darkness that was starting only faintly to turn into morning, she stopped and looked over at Dean's door.

It was open. Frowning a tiny bit, she moved as silently as she could manage to look in the doorway. He was asleep, laid out on his bed, and she felt a little relieved. He'd gotten to crash at some point after all. Thank goodness--he'd needed it. So, witness her retreating away from it and down the steps quietly, so she didn't do any noise making to interrupt that. She got down the steps, and sort of half looked around, not sure where to go from there. So she wandered slightly, finding the living room easily enough. She was silent as she walked in, looking ghostly in the pale light in there. Someone was on the couch. Wait...someone was hurt and on the couch, weren't they? She tried to remember the name...Dean had said it. It started with a B.

Who: In various groupings: billy dean joshua lullaby maddie oz and sophie
Where: All over the damn place!
When: After dark

The world was swimming as Billy drove up the road to Oz' house. It was a damned good job that there was no other traffic and that the place wasn't far, because he was swerving all over the place. His head was throbbing, the world wouldn't keep still, and he only had one hand that wanted to help with the whole 'working' thing. He clipped the corner as he pulled the battered truck into the gravel driveway of his friend's house and swerved to a stop, pushing down far too hard on the brake. He felt the pain lance through him as he jerked forward, then back and for a moment he lost his breath. This was the part where he got out of the car, he knew. But he didn't want to move. He was tired and his head was spinning. He should just sit here for a while. Maybe sleep for a bit.

who: billy and maddie
where: the island
when: dusk

It was a nice night and Billy doubted there'd be that many more of them coming as they progressed into fall, with winter likely to arrive fast on its heels. You had to enjoy the good weather whilst it lasted. Plus, you had to enjoy the guy you were working for apparently being out of town, which left him with free days that he couldn't always fill with odd jobs for other people. Today had been one of those days and he'd spent it with Maddie, to the enjoyment of both of them. As night settled it, it found them on the island, just walking, enjoying being together and alone, where they could talk without anyone looking at the dreamwalker as if he were insane for holding an apparently one sided conversation with the air. It made all the difference in the world.

Maddie liked the island. When she wandered alone, she often went there. There was a lot of wildlife, and they were interesting to look at. "So, what're we watchin next?" she asked, watching him out of the corner of her eye. They'd started lately to rent seasons of things. It was different for Maddie. She didn't usually like keeping up with any television, because she couldn't be guaranteed to watch it regularly, but the season on dvd fixed that issue. So, they carefully picked out things that might be interesting. They'd just finished one up, and she was curious what he might bring home next. It wasn't like she was overly helpful in the decision making process--she had no idea what was out there.

Who: Billy and Geo
Where: Mya's diner
When: breakfast

Billy was at a loose end today. He'd turned up at the Lockwood house to continue his work and found the place locked up. He'd waited around for a while, but there was no sign of anyone home and he didn't have a key to let himself in. In the end, he'd left a note saying that Mathias should ring him when he got back and headed over to Mya's for some breakfast.

Who: Sammy and Billy
Where: His dreams
When: Early morning

Cool; the marble underneath Sammy's feet was cool - icily so - and smooth - practically flawless. In the light from the flickering candles that sat in niches at the ends of each pew he watched the cracks in the stone that marked the end of each block passing beneath his feet as he walked up the central aisle of the large cathedral. Behind the golden, flickering light the shadows reigned, thick and dark, creeping and crawling close with sneaking tendrils of black that slid over the edge of the pew and down towards the candles like searching fingers.

Who: Billy and Sammy
Where: The Williams' residence
When: About an hour after school let out.

Hey there baby, baby...

You are my voodoo child, my voodoo child...

Who: Billy and Oz and then Billy and Dean
Where: Dreams
When: Early hours of the morning

Billy had lain in the darkness of his bedroom for hours, contemplating. To simply go to sleep would have been the easy thing, but he knew that was just avoiding the issue. He hadn't Walked since that time in Dean's dreams - he'd been avoiding it, he knew. But the dreams were long gone, apparently, and there was no reason for him to do so anymore. It really was time - there was just the question of actually doing it. That's what kept him awake. But, eventually, he closed his eyes, letting himself go to somewhere he knew he would be safe.

Who: Billy
Where: Phonecall
When: Night

Oz, man - shit, I just got home and saw the news. Is Dean okay? I might come in tonight, if I don't, call me tomorrow.

who: oz, billy, maddie and mathias
where: oz's basement
when: late evening

Oz was kind of nervous about this. He'd gotten the call from Mathias about having some of the girl's stuff, and had started the set up. He was pretty sure that there were explanations that would be needed here, but he wasn't offering them up quite yet. Because really, the less he had to explain about knowing a really, really long dead witch? The better. He didn't really want to explain about the cage either, but maybe Mathias would just think he was a monster movie werewolf, and didn't really know the difference. Otherwise? He just had some crazy shit in his basement.

Either way, he didn't do a whole lot of overexplaining. About all he did was mention that Sophie didn't like magic, and that was why after she'd offered everyone drinks, she hadn't come downstairs. It was just prudent lack of explaining. Or something. Whatever. It was a sound theory about an hour ago, and he was sticking to it.

Who: Billy and Oz
Where: Billy's House
When: Afternoon

Oz was officially worried. He'd been sort of told that Dean had talked to Billy the night after the walk was supposed to take place, and Oz hadn't tried to contact Billy that day because he knew how badly walking kicked his ass. He had, however, expected some word after that. Which he hadn't gotten. And, as he paced around the basement with the phone to his ear, listening to it ring, he was grumbling to himself about not being able to drive, because he would have normally just gone over there. Alas, at current, he couldn't go unless he got a ride, and that rather cut down on sitting down and getting some alone time with Billy. He loved his wife and all, but you couldn't have the same kinds of conversations with someone else there as you could when alone, especially when it was her cousin who was involved, and grr. Pick up the goddamn phone.

Who: Billy and Dorian
Where: Phone Calls
When: Morning

With the new developments in his dreaming, Dorian couldn't sit around and do nothing. Something had to be done, though he'd promised Mathias he wouldn't head down to the mine without him. It left Dorian restless, wondering if the changes in the dream were due to his own imagination, or if this was what everyone else was experiencing. It was impossible to tell, at least on his own, which was why he finally picked up the phone and dialed up Billy. Though the dreamwalker wasn't having the dream himself, Dorian knew he was in contact with someone who was, and that he might be able to tell him if the developments were the same across the board.

Billy hadn't been having - or experiencing in any way - the dream. He'd spent his night last night in peaceful, safe, dreamless sleep, all the better for knowing he was watched over by Maddie. He'd woken this morning feeling a little better, the horror of yesterday ebbing into the past and when the phone rang, he was sitting at the kitchen table with the paper - reading about the murders in town - and a cup of coffee. He picked his cell up with his off hand and answered without looking at the screen. "Billy Gardiner speaking - can I help you?"

Dear Maddie

It’s strange how you can wander for years and then suddenly settle before you even noticed. I had no intention of staying here when I arrived but I’ve suddenly realised that I don’t feel that way anymore. Everything I do screams “permanence” to me. It’s more than just the fact the house is almost up to scratch now, at least in the places you can see.

You would think by now that I would have learnt. After all these years and after nearly two full years on the road. You would have thought that I would have learnt not to sleep in a motel when all they can offer me is the last room in the building.

Of course, normally it wouldn’t be an issue. I’ve managed to keep out of the way for the most part, sticking to the small towns, the back roads and anyway, with the meditations, crowds aren’t as much of an issue as they used to be.

Who: Reno & Billy
When: late morning
Where: Burke's Automotives

Today? Was not Reno's day. She was, in fact, extremely agitated. First of all, Mrs. Johnson did indeed need a new radiator, the very thing she'd been arguing against for weeks now. Really, there was only so much one could do with Bondo. For Christ's sake. Secondly, Reno's dad was having a bad day, lung-wise, and had insisted on arguing in his wheezing, coughing way that he was fine, he could work, there was too much to do. And thirdly? The pipe leading to the sink in the shop had busted. All over her legs. And was steadily pouring water into a bucket that she was having to empty every five minutes or so. There was greasy water everywhere, and Reno's shoes were squishing. She, as a general rule, hated squishy shoes.

So she sat perched up on one of the old barstools, phone cradled between her head and shoulder, finger resting on a page in the phone book, a tight-lipped scowl on her face. This number wasn't her last resort, but it was getting there. Billy's Handy Man Service. "Hope you do pipes, Billy," she muttered as it rang.