#and the hand on zachs shoulder to make him assist with a stall until she can get herself together

[zztophat]

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑡: 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔

SUMMARY: Taking place during the time warp event, we see the return of Ritual Night Club and all those who were transported to 1693. The return of the club is both a welcome sight and a place of much confusion as the team tries to put together what exactly happened on St. Patrick’s Day. TRIGGERS: Depression, PTSD, Grief, Death Mentions WRITTEN WITH: @yrahcaz-arataz, @of-hexes, @ofsamwinchester, @daisyljohnson, @ofdeathstouch​

SAM: Zach had told Sam and Thorn his plan. It was a stupid plan. Getting left behind shouldn't have been an option, especially when Sam was sure Zatanna was already worried as Hell back in their own universe trying to find a way to bring them home. It would've broken her heart from them to come back without her family, but Sam didn't get a chance to tell Zachary that before he was running off and making sure they couldn't come after him. After the doors slammed shut, Sam was already pushing on them, but they didn't budge. He could hear something moving on the other side of them. Something was crawling across them, or growing. "Do we have anything to knock the door down?" He asked Thorn.

THORN: In terms of bad plans, pulling a heroic sacrifice was always a bad move. Thorn didn't want to go home without Zach. She didn't want to explain to his family what had happened to him. Zach didn't seem to care. This whole thing had him feeling like he needed to be some sort of sacrificial lamb. She tried to tell him that punishing himself like that wasn't going to do anyone any favors, but he just wouldn't listen. So, here they were locked back up in the club. Even the windows seemed to be blocked by growing shrubbery, vines, and woodwork. She looked around for something they could use to break down the door. "Emergency fire ax," she recalled. She grabbed the ax from the glass plated lock box and handed it over to Sam.

SAM: In a way, Sam understood where Zach was coming from. He'd been in similar situations where he'd seriously screwed up. Hell, he'd been the cause for the apocalypse starting how many times now? He'd felt that need to make up for everything, and self sacrifice often felt like the only option. It didn't mean Zach was right though. Sam hadn't been right when he'd tried the same things before either. He accepted the ax from Thorn and backed up a little, indicating for Thorn to do the same. He brought the ax down on the door with full force. It just bounced off, doing absolutely nothing. Magic. Of course. Sam groaned, but it didn't stop him from trying over and over. In the end, the ax just broke off the handle, splintering apart. Sam tossed it to the side. "Maybe there's something else," he said optimistically. He searched through the things they'd gotten from Eleanor, but there was nothing there. He searched through the whole club for anything they could use and found absolutely nothing. He met back up with Thorn near the doors. "I don't know. Maybe we can . . . Maybe, uh." He racked his brain, but was coming up blank. "Have we tried-" The building started to shake, just like it had done when they'd been sent here. "Shit." It was too late then. Zach wasn't here, and they were being sent back. He'd done it but at too much of a cast. He sat down to make sure he didn't fall over and raked his fingers through his hair. "I'll handle telling his cousin what happened." It wasn't going to be easy, for her or him, but someone had to tell her.

THORN: She flinched as Sam hit the door with the ax several times. Despite the heavy hits, the door took almost no damage. Whatever magic Zach used to re-enforce it wouldn't be broken by physical blows. Thorn looked around the club frantically for something they could use. Could they make a Molotov? Would fire break down the door? She wasn't sure and she judged that it was too risky to try. If the doors didn't budge despite the fire, they would all burn. She grabbed onto one of the pillars as the building began to shake. "No!" Whatever Zach had done was working but he hadn't made it back into the building yet. They couldn't just leave him in this timeline, but they were helpless to stop it. Thorn held on quietly to the pillar until the building calmed. She sniffled when Sam addressed her. This was the second person within the span of a month who'd tossed their life to the wind for her and his benefit. "Maybe we can bring him back?" Thorn asked hopefully. "His cousin...she's a powerful magician. Maybe she can track him down if we give her enough information to find him." Maybe they weren't too late. Zach had learned a lot about survival in the last month. He just had to hold on long enough, right?

ZATANNA: They'd gotten some information back now from Cupid and Maze's interrogation. It was enough for Zatanna to be able to create a spell to locate the correct universe where the club had disappeared off too. She was setting up the final preparations for the spell with Daisy when they heard a loud crackling. At first, Zatanna thought maybe Daisy was quaking something but she looked almost as confused as Zee. A minute later, the club manifested itself back onto its original foundation. "Holy shit..." Zatanna breathed. The investigation site had seen a lot of weird shit lately, including a pirate ship, but this new development gave her some hope. Zee made her way over to the doors of the club and could see some sort of enchantments were placed on it to keep the doors secured. "I'm gonna lift the spell holding the doors shut. I dunno what's in there," she admitted. She hoped it was all the missing people, but she couldn't be sure. "Have your agents ready." Zatanna turned her attention to the door as she placed a hand upon it. "Nepo emases!" she pushed the spell forward and with that motion the doors opened. Zatanna stepped aside as people slowly started making their way out of the club. She kept her eyes peeled for her people. Zach, Ambrose, and Sam. Sam would be the easiest to find, that is if he was still himself.

DAISY: She was relieved that they'd been making some sort of progress on all of this. They needed it after the week they'd had. Some of her agents were still recovering from the effects that Belphegor had put on them, but they were all mostly okay and had been relieved of their duties until they could be cleared. With what information they'd gotten from Mrs. Morningstar and Ms. Valentine, they'd been able to figure out how the times worked differently too. For the other universe, it would've been a month now since everyone had been gone, but with Zatanna's spell work, they had a way to get everyone back. Before they could do it though, the club appeared on its own. "I guess it decided to meet us halfway," Daisy muttered. She waved her hands at her agents, but they were already preparing, either for the worst or the best. Daisy hoped it was the latter. "Have medical on standby," she told them. "We don't know what these people have been through, so let's try not to traumatize them further."  She nodded at Zatanna once they were all in position, and then the doors were opening. She was relieved once people started pouring out, and she moved forward to help as many people as she could. "Anyone who needs medical attention, head in that direction. If you need help walking, wave down an agent, and we will assist you. Water and food stations are available to you, but we will ask you to stay for some basic questions unless you need immediate attention. We're here to help in any way we can." She repeated these statements as more and more people exited the club. Once they were all out, she focused her attentions on helping everyone.

SAM: Sam heard Zatanna's voice not long after the shaking stopped. It was both a relief and a crushing burden. She'd expect to see her whole family here, but she'd only find Ambrose. He prepared himself for telling her the truth as the doors opened, but he stalled a little to figure out what to say. He focused on helping the other people first. Some of them were injured, and he offered them a shoulder to lean on until they could get to an agent to help them the rest of the way or just carried some of them out the doors. He was glad that this was a club, so no kids had been here at least. After everyone else had been taken care of, Sam left the club too. He met Zatanna's eyes and saw her walking towards him. It was then that he realized what she might've been thinking. "MugwortMUGWORTMUGWORT!" he said in a panic so she wouldn't just knock him out while thinking he was the other Sam.

THORN: She was relieved when the doors to the club finally opened up. It was getting more than a little claustrophobic in there. She started helping people out of the club, hoping against all hope that she'd see Zach somewhere in there. Maybe he managed one last magic trick and snuck in just before the whole thing disappeared. Her disappointment grew as the club began to empty with no Zach in sight. She looked at Sam helplessly and shook her head as they exited. Her eyes adjusted to the light enough to see someone barreling toward them. She recognized that someone as Zach's cousin, Zatanna. She was making a B-line for Sam, a determined look in her eyes. Sam started hollering something about Mugwort. It was a healing herb but also kind of a psychedelic that opened up the senses. "That's an interesting way to say hello. Mugwort, Ms. Zatara," Thorn greeted her with a Vulcan salute. She gave Sam a silent look that said If you need me to stall some, I can definitely stall. She was always good for providing distractions.

ZATANNA: She watched as people filed out of the club. To her relief, she was able to see Ambrose being helped out by one of Daisy's agents. There wasn't a sign of Zach yet in the crowd and slowly the crowd was thinning out. Where the hell was he? Zatanna spotted Sam's tall frame as he was one of the last individuals to walk out of the club. She made a B-Line for him, a spell on her lips to put him to sleep just in case he wasn't her Sam. He seemed to realize what was on her mind as he shouted the code word. Zee eased up and hugged him instead. "Thank fuck, I was seriously starting to get worried," she replied as she pulled away. She recognized the redhead beside him as Thorn, lead singer of the Hex Girls and somehow the only friend Zach managed to keep other than Ambrose. "Hello Thorn. I'm glad you're both okay. If either of you need medical attention, we have a set up this way. We'll have to ask you guys some questions, but first I need to ask Zach a few of my own. Where is he?" Zee wouldn't have been surprised if he put on a disguise just to get past her so he didn't have to face her. She knew Sam and Thorn wouldn't cover for him if he did.

SAM: He let out a sigh of relief when Zatanna hugged him instead of putting some kind of spell on him to knock him out or something. As much as it might've been nice to have been out for the count to prevent him from having to tell her what happened to Zach, he wouldn't want the truth to be put on Thorn to tell Zatanna. That was his responsibility. He felt guilty, not just because he should've looked out for Zach better but because Zatanna was sounding so relieved and worried about them instead of the one who was really in trouble. "We're okay," he assured her. He swallowed when she asked where Zach was. "Zatanna," he started softly, trying to lead her away from other people. He wasn't worried about them being in danger, but this was personal to her. He doubted she'd want everyone to see her reaction to this. "Zach . . . didn't make it back." He tried to say it as gently as possible, but there wasn't any sugarcoating this. "He found a way to get the thing that sent us to Salem to send the club back, but because he wasn't in it, he's still stuck back there. We tried to stop him from going to do it, but he locked us in. I'm sorry, Zee. He's not here."

THORN: She didn't like having to deliver this kind of news or even hearing it delivered. She knew a bit about Zach's family already. Enough to know that his uncle, Zatanna's father, had passed away some time ago. Hearing the news that Zach was gone too wasn't going to be easy. Especially because from what Thorn knew Zach and Zatanna's last interaction hadn't exactly been a pleasant one. She stayed quiet as Sam told the magician the difficult news. "There's still time..." she offered. Maybe she was naive, but she wasn't willing to just give up on Zach. Sure, he'd gotten them into a lot of trouble, but he didn't deserve to be stuck in that time period. "We can try to give you whatever information we have so you can locate the universe we were in. Maybe we can help you find him." They knew the place better than most. They could guide her through it to the last place they'd seen Zach.

ZATANNA: There was an anxiousness in Sam's voice. The way he said her name caused an ache in her chest. Whenever someone said her name like that, they were about to deliver some bad news. Zatanna couldn't help but look around for Zach, but still there was no sight of him. She focused back on Sam as he continued to speak. Zach...didn't make it. "W-what?" Her chest tightened as the air escaped her lungs. She felt like she'd been punched in the gut. "No, no, there has to be some mistake. He's just playing a trick on you so he doesn't have to face conseq--" she was so dizzy. She grabbed Sam's arm to steady herself. "So he doesn't have to face consequences," she finished, but even she didn't believe herself. Sam continued to explain what Zach had done. How he'd pulled a hero move just like her dad to save the rest of them. "Oh, god..." she whispered as it finally sunk in.

There was a ringing in her ears now. People were talking but it was like they were underwater. She flashed back to the last fight they'd had. She'd warned him again that his stupid antics would get him hurt but she never expected him to actually get hurt. She figured she would always be there to pull him back from his own chaos. She could vaguely here Thorn trying to reassure her. She focused on her voice and the thoughts behind it. She was right. It wasn't too late. They had already set up a spell to take them to that universe. Zatanna wheeled away from Sam and Thorn and made her way over to Daisy. "We have to perform the spell," she replied. There was a determined fire behind her eyes. "My cousin managed to find a way to send everyone home, but the price..." she shook her head. "He's stuck back there still. I have to go get him." She wasn't asking Daisy to come with. There was enough that needed to be done here. But she also wasn't asking for permission to do the spell. Her family was on the line and she was going to do whatever it took to save them.

SAM, DAISY, & ZACHARY: As Zatanna reacted to the new, Sam thought back to what she'd said after she told him the truth about barrier she had to put in his head. This was probably the kind of reaction she'd been expecting back then, maybe not to this extent, but something like it. He remembered when he had been like this, all the times that Dean had died, and he'd fallen apart. Family had a way of hurting you in ways that nothing else could. He wished he could do anything for her besides just tell her the truth. "He's not," and she knew he wasn't. This wasn't something Sam would take lightly. He wouldn't have told her this if he didn't know for sure that Zach wasn't just avoiding trouble. The way Zach had left made it all too clear that in his own eyes, he'd been ready to be left behind. He'd expected it. He held Zatanna up, so she didn't fall. He rubbed her back gently as she processed the news more fully and Thorn offered up other solutions. He appreciated her being here, but he also worried about what consequences Zatanna's spells might've had on her. He knew she would've paid it no matter what, and that's what worried him. It worried him even more that they didn't know what Zach had to do to get them here. If they went back to the past and found him dead there, how much more could Zatanna break. It was one thing for her to think he was stuck in a different universe, but death was a lot more painful to one's family.

She had about as much purpose in walking over to the S.H.I.E.L.D. director as she had when she'd come up to Sam before. Daisy rose a brow when Zatanna suggested doing the spell anyways. As far as she could tell so far, the problem had been solved. The club and its occupants had returned, but then Zatanna mentioned her cousin. Daisy nodded in understanding. She would've done the same for her family. She had done the same kinds of things for her family, but then she looked past Zatanna and shook her head. "You probably shouldn't do that spell."

She nodded past her towards the entrance to the Ritual, where Zachary Zatara was walking out now. He lacked his normal prideful demeanor. He appeared uncertain as he looked around. His clothes were torn in various places, and nearly all patches of skin were covered in cuts and bruises. A black eye forced his right eye shut, and he held his left arm close to himself.

THORN: It wasn't easy news to tell and it definitely wasn't easy news to hear. Her heart broke for Zatanna as she tried to process the news Sam was telling her. Denial came first, but then she was hit with the realization that what Sam was saying was true once Zach didn't appear from the club. She gave Sam a sympathetic look as Zatanna wheeled away from them. "You did what you could for Zach," she whispered to him. "I might not agree with the choice he made, but it was his choice. I meant what I said back there. It might not be too late to save him. The Zach from a month ago had zero sense of how to survive in that universe but the one that left us today knows better." She'd seen Zach grow a lot this past month. Maybe not because he wanted to, but because the circumstances called for it. As she opened her mouth to say more she heard footsteps behind them. Thorn turned slightly and her expression changed to immediate relief as she watched Zach exit the club. "Well, I'll be damned," she smiled. She wasn't sure how he got here, but she was sure glad to see him.

CHARLIE: She felt the shift almost immediately as the club returned. The natural order had just adjusted to it's disappearance and now it had to re-adjust to its reappearance. She didn't spare a thought to how much work this was all going to be though. She was too excited for the possibility of it all. If the club was back, then maybe Sam had come home with it. Charlie traveled quickly through the veil and back toward the investigation site. She'd been here multiple times this week, but this time she was full of hope. She made herself visible as she stepped out of the veil and looked around for Sam. Her heart leapt when she saw him. "Sam!" she called out to him. She didn't spare much of a thought to the fact that it might not be her Sam. She probably should've but Zatanna was here and she hadn't put him to sleep yet so Charlie had to assume it was safe. She sprinted toward him and threw her arms around him. She pulled away only momentarily to cup his face and get a better look at him. He looked tired and worn out but he was okay. He was alive. "I told you," she kissed him. "Clubbing isn't your scene."

ZATANNA: She knew from Sam's tone that he was serious about this, but it was still hard to process. Zach was gone. All of this started because of a fight they'd had, a fight that she'd never get the chance to apologize for. She felt numb just like the day she had when her father died. She knew from experience if she didn't find Zach that feeling wouldn't go away for the next forever. Just like her dad, just like Tracy, this was going to be another soul on her hands. She was operating on fumes and anxiety by the time she reached Daisy. The SHIELD director seemed to understand where Zatanna was coming from but Zee was confused when she said she shouldn't do the spell. Zatanna eyes followed to where Daisy had gestured and before she knew it she was running. Her body was moving automatically as she sprinted toward Zach and threw her arms around him. She held him tightly and just cried. "I thought I lost you, you stupid, moronic..." the insults didn't even make sense after a certain point, she was just relieved he was here. "Don't ever, ever, do that again, okay?" she pulled away so that she could look him directly. "Okay?" she asked, tears still speckling her face. Her eyes communicated the pain underneath. No more dead Zatara's, Zach. I can't do this again. I can't.

SAM: Sam sighed. He knew Thorn was right. He'd done everything he could to try to go after Zach in time, but it just hadn't been enough. He knew it wasn't his fault that Zach was gone, but he just wished he could've done more. Even if they still had a chance to go back to find Zach, it was still a lot to put on Zatanna. "Yeah," he said quietly. "But who knows what he would've had to do to get us sent back? You heard the way he told us that plan. He wasn't just talking like someone who's getting left behind. As someone who's had that kind of experience, he was talking like someone who was getting ready to die in a dramatic blaze, and even if we do bring him back alive, once you get into that kind of mentality, it changes how you handle everything." He wasn't against going back for Zach, but they needed to be prepared for the worst. He sighed, only glancing up once Thorn spoke again. "Son of a-" He laughed as he watched Zatanna running over to her cousin. Zach looked a little worse for wear, but he was alive at least. For Zatanna, that was clear that that was all that mattered.

"I guess-" He turned as he heard Charlie shouting his name. A smile spread across his face, and he ran to her too. "Charlie!" He met her halfway, picking her up and spinning her around as they hugged before setting her down again. "Well, we didn't really do much clubbing." He laughed before pulling her back in for a long kiss. He was just glad to have her back in his arms. "I'll probably need to go see Raphael again after this." He didn't feel like anything was wrong in his head right now, but the whole situation had been stressful, and he didn't want to take any chances. He pulled out of the hug, but didn't let her go just yet, instead walking her back over to where Thorn was. "Thorn, this is my girlfriend, Charlie. Charlie, this is Thorn. She helped us keep everything in order more or less in the other universe."

ZACHARY: He was both looking forward to and dreading coming home. He hadn't expected to make it back at all, but he'd somehow still made it here. He wasn't  sure what Belgirel had actually done to convince Mxyzptlk to send him home, but he didn't have a way to find out now. It didn't take him to spot Sam and Thorn. Sam was a giant, so he was easy to spot over everyone, and it was easier to find people close to him soon after that. He spotted Zatanna a little further off soon after that, talking to some S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. They pointed her in his direction, and he prepared himself for the worst as she charged at him. As her arms rose up, he flinched, but then she was hugging him. His arms also wrapped around her and held her tightly. He hadn't thought before that he could ever miss her this much. She was crying, and he was crying, both sobbing over each other. "I'm sorry," he blubbered. "I'm sorry. You were right, and I should've listened to you. And I'm sorry I kept putting everything on you and arguing with you all the time and changing the shows and not thinking and ignoring you and I'm sorry." Both of their faces were covered in tears, Zach's cleared through streaks of dirt on his face. As Zatanna pulled back and got a better look at him, he nodded. "Okay," he said. "Okay, I won't. I won't." It was the most sincere he'd been with her in a long time.

THORN & CHARLIE: She knew Sam was right. The way Zach had talked to them before locking them in made it clear he intended this to be a suicide mission. Even if his cousin went out to find him, there was a chance they'd be too late. Thorn was flooded with relief when she saw Zach walk out of the club, but even now she could see what Sam was talking about. With the way Zach carried himself it was clear he felt the weight on his shoulders. Some of that weight disappeared a little when Zatanna hugged him. Thorn smiled despite the circumstances. It made her miss her sisters, Dusk and Luna. She hadn't seen them in almost a month now. "I guess husbands are really hard to kill these days," she joked. It was clear she was glad Zach was alive. She wanted to check in on him, but she knew she would have to wait until these agents released him.

She looked up when a female voice called for Sam. Thorn's grin widened as she watched him run over to the woman and kiss her. Right on, Samuel, she cheered him on mentally. It was nice to see him happy for once. Much like Zach, Sam spent the last month with a chip on his shoulders trying to keep them all afloat.

Charlie held onto Sam as if he would disappear if she let go. He'd only been gone for a week in her timeline but it was a long and exhausting week. It had been so hard to focus on anything other than the gnawing feeling that she might lose him after just getting him back. Dean, Jack, and Zatanna had all felt the same restlessness. "You can see them after a nice hot shower and a nap," she laughed as she ran her hands through his hair. Based on the clothes, she could tell he'd come back from a time period that was even older than the one she'd been born in. She smiled as they approached Sam's friend, Thorn. Charlie recognized Thorn as a musician and also as one of her charges. "Hello, Thorn. Thank you for keeping him alive. It's not always an easy task," she smiled gently.

Thorn felt a weird sense of familiarity when meeting Sam's girlfriend. It was like seeing an old friend after years of being separated. She knew the woman was a reaper which was pretty cool. Thorn had a lot of questions, but she knew those would have to wait. "It's the hero complex isn't it?" Thorn razzed Sam. She looked up when she heard an agent call for Ms. McKnight and Mr. Winchester. They wanted her and Sam to answer some questions and get medically cleared for release.

"Go," Charlie encouraged them. She stood on her tip toes and kissed Sam one more time and then another for good measure. "I'll wait for you guys out front, okay?"

ZATANNA: She was shaking both from exhaustion and relief. This had been one of the hardest weeks of her life and the last ten minutes alone were an absolute emotional rollercoaster. She pulled away to get a better look at Zach. He looked rough, tired, and somehow older. She knew from questioning Maze and Cupid that time ran different in the other universe, but it wasn't just that. There was a look behind Zach's eyes that Zatanna recognized. She'd seen it in the eyes of League members after a rough battle, in soldiers coming home from war, in Sam and Dean, in Michael, and in herself. Trauma. A heaviness that brought down the soul like a physical weight. She hadn't seen Zach cry like this in a long time and it scared her. "It's okay," she replied as she held him again. "It's alright. I'm not mad. We'll figure it out, okay?" She believed him when he said that he wouldn't do anything like this again and that was the frightening thing. Zach rarely learned from his mistakes but he hadn't been this sincere and honest with her since...well, since her dad died. Whatever happened back there scared the shit out of him, that much was clear.

She didn't want to let go of him but agents were approaching them now. They knew about Zach's involvement in this, and they had questions. Zatanna didn't pull away entirely as she looked up at him. "We're gonna get you cleaned up and into some fresh clothes," she instructed as calmly as she could. If she managed to stay calm, maybe she could keep him calm too. "The agents here have some questions for you. I don't know what happens from this point forward," she admitted. "But I'll be here every step of the way. We'll figure something out," she promised again. While this was a joint investigation, the repercussions were out of her hands. Justice League protections didn't apply to him because he wasn't a member, but she could be here for him as his family.

SAM: It would've been safer to see Raphael as soon as possible. He didn't want to risk anything or anyone by not checking on the state of his barrier soon enough, but Charlie was probably right. He did stink, and the 1600s did little for concealing body odors. "Will you join me in it?" he asked with a smirk, just happy enough to have her back this close. He was excited to have her and Thorn meeting. In their time in that universe together, he considered Thorn a close friend now. "It's something like that." He laughed as he answered Thorn. He turned his head when he heard an agent calling their names. "Um, actually, that's Mrs. Zatara to you," he said as he pointed at Thorn with his thumb. He grinned as he met Charlie's lips for another kiss. He held her close for just another moment. "Can you text Jack, Dean, Bells, and Cupid for me while we're talking to the agents? Let 'em know I'm okay? I don't exactly have my phone right now." He knew they'd be worried, and they deserved to know as soon as possible.

ZACHARY: Breathing in deeply, Zach managed to stop himself from crying. The tears were still fresh on his face though, and he didn't bother to wipe them away. It was weird how much she was comforting him. It was like how they were as kids doing mundane things like when Zach would fall out of a tree and get himself hurt. Zatanna had been right there back then too, telling him that it was okay, that she wasn't mad, and that they would figure it out. It had been a long time since then. Things had changed so much that a reaction like that was abnormal. She was always mad when he did anything these days. She was supposed to be mad. She was supposed to lecture him and tell him everything he did wrong. It was unsettling that she wasn't. It was wrong, but Zach couldn't bring himself to do anything about that. He didn't want to upset her. He didn't want to make things worse. He just wanted to go home.

As the agents approached them, Zach pulled away from Zatanna even as she tried not to pull away entirely. She was trying to protect him, but that shouldn't have been her responsibility, and he shouldn't put it on her. "I know what they're here for," he told her. He knew he'd messed up. He faced towards Zatanna and away from the agents, putting his hands behind his back, so they could properly put the handcuffs on him. "It's okay."

DAISY: Daisy took the step forward to put the handcuffs on him. She understood how hard this must've been on Zatanna, but she couldn't offer her much comfort. From what Mrs. Morningstar and Mrs. Valentine had told them, it seemed like Zach was to blame for everything that had happened. If that was truly the case, her cousin would be locked up for a long time, but that's what this investigation was trying to figure out. She instructed her agents to take Zach to the interrogation room, but she held back for a moment to talk to Zatanna. "I know you're going to want to be there, but you can't be in the room when we're questioning him. You're too close to this, and he might answer differently if you're there asking the questions. I'm not going to stop you from watching." Frankly, she didn't think she could stop Zatanna if she tried. "You'll just have to do it from the observation room. Are you okay with that?" There was an underlying question there. She meant to ask if Zatanna was okay in general, but she could tell what the answer was to that. "I'll be careful with him," she assured the magician.

THORN & CHARLIE: Charlie felt herself blush fiercely, but she didn't look away. "I can definitely clear my schedule and make myself available," she grinned. She'd missed this feeling. It felt like she was whole again. She laughed when Thorn called Sam out on the hero complex. Whatever they'd been through had helped them forge a bond of sorts. She was glad to see both of them made it out alive, but living through these things always left scars. Her eyes ventured over to Zach. The normally flashy magician looked absolutely broken in this moment. He survived the battle, but a part of him still died on the battlefield. The reaper looked up when she heard someone call for Sam and Thorn. Sam's correction made Charlie raise an eyebrow. She looked at Thorn, then at Zach, then back at Thorn. It was a shame Cupid wasn't here.

"Ah, so we're not letting that go even in this universe, huh? I can't annul a fake marriage," she reminded him. She glanced over in Zach's direction and flinched when she saw him put his hands behind his back. A moment later, agents were putting handcuffs on him. It didn't feel right. None of it felt right. She knew Zach had fucked up but this felt unnecessary. He wasn't a threat. When she got arrested in the other timeline for witchcraft, he stepped in to protect her. She felt like she owed him the same, but before she could move in that direction, an agent stepped in her way.

"Ms. McKnight, Mr. Winchester...this way please," the agent indicated with their hand. Thorn tried to stand on her tip toes to look over the agent and back at Zach and Zatanna, but the agent gently ushered her toward the medical set up.

"I'll let Dean and Jack know you're home," Charlie nodded. Dean was probably already on his way here. And Jack had taken to loitering around the investigation site even when he shouldn't be. "Some things happened with Cupid and Bells. They're okay, but it's been a heavy few days. I'll fill you in when you get out. They'll be happy you're home," she kissed Sam one last time and watched him disappear down to the medical set up with the SHIELD agents. Much to the confusion of the agents around Charlie, before any one of them could escort her out, she'd already stepped through the veil and was gone.

Thorn waited patiently down by the medial set up as Sam approached. An agent handed them both a bottle of fresh water and directed them to one of the queues. From this vantage point, neither Zatanna nor Zach were visible. "On a scale of 1 to 10, how much trouble do you think he's in?" Thorn asked.

ZATANNA: She felt nauseous as the handcuffs were placed on Zach. It wasn't the first time he'd fucked up, but it was the first time he'd fucked up this badly. If what Cupid and Maze had said was true, then she couldn't protect him from the consequences of these actions. She watched in a daze as the agents took Zach away. Zatanna was half expecting him to pull some sort of escape trick and shimmy out of the handcuffs but to her surprise he didn't. He was so complacent with all of this. It was bizarre, unfamiliar, and terrifying to her. She didn't know how to navigate this anymore. Zatanna took a deep breath as Daisy approached her. "I know," she nodded. Daisy was right. Zatanna couldn't be impartial in this, and Zach was probably afraid of her response to the things he'd done to begin with. She could feel the underlying meaning behind Daisy's question. Zatanna wasn't okay but this wasn't the time to fall apart. They needed to figure out what Zach had done and how to prevent it from here. "Yeah, I'm okay with that," she nodded. She trusted that Daisy would handle this with care even if it turned out that Zach was at fault. Maybe he could avoid jail time if he agreed to give up his magic, but Zatanna wasn't sure how willing he'd be to do something like that. "I have to call his mom and let her know that he's home if you wanna give your agents a heads up." They'd all dealt with Stella this past week, and they could all anticipate how she'd react.

SAM: He was glad Charlie could get time for that with him. He knew how the veil worked, how minor changes could make more work for the reapers and how big things could throw the veil into chaos with how many deaths were moved forward or back. What happened with the club was huge. More lives came back to the universe, and some had regretfully not come back at all. That would throw the veil for a loop, and Charlie's presence would be expected there to help. He'd want to spend as much time with her as he could get before she went back to work. For as long as she was here, he was holding onto her.

“Not in a million years, especially once Cupid hears about it. She'll probably just make it more final and real.” He laughed. How could he not tell Cupid about this? After everything she'd been through, a story like that would help to lift her spirits. “Zatanna would probably just feel sorry for you.” He followed Thorn's gaze where Zach and Zatanna actually were. It wasn't something Thorn needed to see after what she'd been through with him already, so he was glad when the agent stepped in her way. Sam was taller than them all, so he could still see what was happening. He could still see how Zach didn't fight it at all as the agents led him away. Now that his suicide attempt seemed to have failed, it didn't look like he knew what to do with himself besides just accept what was happening. It stung seeing that, especially when Sam related so much to it.

“Thanks, boss.” He kissed her cheek in appreciation. He didn't want to worry them for too long especially when there was always the fear about the other him in the air. He rose a brow when she mentioned Cupid and Belphegor. Even if they were okay, it made him worried about them. He hugged her tightly before she kissed him and went off through the veil, watching her on her way out as he and Thorn were led to the medical area. He looked back to Thorn when she spoke. “A 7 maybe. From what I can see, he's being compliant, which might help him, and while Zatanna can't do too much for him, she'll fight tooth and nail to make sure they aren't just taking advantage or wrongly mistreating him. He'll have consequences, but hopefully they'll see it's not all his fault. He'll be okay.” He elbowed her to try to keep her thoughts off of it. “As his wife, you can probably get rights to go see him.”

DAISY: Zachary was being led out of view now by Daisy's agents, and she could see just how much this was bothering Zatanna. Even without regulations about family with these things, she felt like it was just a good idea personally that Zatanna wasn't going to be in the room for the interrogation. She wasn't sure what Zachary had been through in the 1600s, but it was clear that it affected him dramatically. It had to be traumatic, and it would probably hurt Zatanna to hear about it. She might've suggested that Zatanna not even listen in, but she doubted that would've been accepted well. "Thanks for the warning." She nodded. She waved one of her agents down. They came up next to her, and she told them to expect Zachary's mother to show up. "Give her whatever accommodations she needs," she told them. "And if there's a problem, let me or Zatanna know." She trusted her agents to gently handle Ms. Zatara, but a worried mother was a powerful force, especially one armed with magic. She looked back at Zatanna. "I can wait to start on the main part of the questions until you finish your call if you want?" she offered. She wasn't sure how long the call would be, but she imagined Zatanna wanted to be there.

THORN: "You're gonna tell Cupid?" Somehow she didn't doubt that Sam knew Cupid. It seemed like a very Sam Winchester sort of thing.  "That's bold. What if she makes fun of you for not getting married yet? I dunno, chief, I wouldn't risk it," she teased. "Honestly, I'd be honored to even be a passing thought in Zatanna's head, but she's got a lot on her plate already." In the grand scheme of things, Zach had fucked up by getting them sent to 1693, but he'd also kept Thorn and some of the others safe while they were there. She hoped that Sam was right that the agents would see it wasn't all Zach's fault. She snorted when Sam brought up that spouse privileges could probably be used here. "You are literally the worst," she laughed and squirted some of the contents of her water bottle at him. "And you smell like a hippy commune." One of the agents called for her name and gestured for her to come forward. "I'll see you on the other side, BSG," she threw some finger guns at him before disappearing behind one of the canopies to be medically cleared for release.

ZATANNA: She numbly watched as Zach disappeared from view. She didn't really want to call her aunt, but she knew she had to. If she didn't, Stella was probably going to ream her in as much as she was going to ream Zach in. She hoped her aunt would at least listen to the agents and not interfere with the interrogation, both for her sake and Zach's. The last thing Zach needed in the middle of being questioned was his mom coming in to yell at him. "Thank you," Zatanna nodded. "I'll make it quick and I'll see if I can get her to be a more rational person before she gets here," she promised. "I'll see you in the interrogation set up in ten minutes." Zatanna looked up at the ruined club one last time before she turned away and made her way to a quiet corner to call her aunt and give her the news.

SAM: "Of course! She's gonna love it. It'll be nice for her to have a project that's less stressful." He laughed when she tried to turn it back on him. There were good reasons why he and Charlie hadn't gotten married yet. They might've been dating for months now, but they weren't ready to take that step yet. Cupid knew a lot of what they had both been through. Sam had almost gotten married once already, and it had ended tragically. Charlie's attempt at marriage had been just as bad, if not worse. They weren't looking to rush things, but at least Cupid knew they were working on developing their relationship. He was pretty sure she didn't expect them to be ready for marriage that quickly, and she was probably just glad that Charlie was ready to be in love with someone after so much time. "She already did make fun of us a little. Before we were sure we loved each other, Charlie can tell you how relentless she was. That's how I know to sic her on you." He shrugged. "But if she does bring up the fact that Charlie and I aren't married yet, I'm not afraid to talk about that with her. I'll just show Cupid the ring I'll use when I eventually propose. It should satisfy her enough." Or at least it might've distracted her enough. He could just keep her talking until she forgot that she was reaming him about not being married yet. 

"You underestimate just how much Zatanna is willing to stack on her plate even when it's already full. I've got a feeling you'll start coming up a lot more in her thoughts, especially now that you're part of her family." He nudged her again before she squirted her water bottle at him, snickering to himself. "Takes one to know one. Actually I think you smell worse." He waved his hand in front of his nose before she got called away. A different agent called his name, so he headed away as well. He'd be glad to be out of here soon, so he could see his family. 

DAISY: "You're welcome. It's probably going to help both of us anyways." That phone call would hopefully at least buy them some time to get some questions answered before Ms. Zatara started getting more hostile about wanting to see her son. "Take your time. I'm sure you'll need it. I can use that time to get Zachary medical attention, cleaned up, and some clean clothes." From the looks of things he really needed all of that. It'd be better for them if he was in less pain while they were asking him questions, so they could more accurately determine if he was telling the truth or not. From how things had been, she had a feeling he wouldn't lie, but it was better safe than sorry, even if Zatanna would be there to keep things contained if they needed her. "But I'll meet you there once we're both done." They turned separate ways, Zatanna going to call her aunt and Daisy going to see to Zachary's medical needs. This had been a long week, but at least they were reaching the conclusion now. // END

#╰☆☆ you know the devil would be jealous of your silver tongue | replies ☆☆╮ #sam: discords #charlie: discords #zach: discords #thorn: discords #daisy: discords #discord chat