Title: The Touch – Epilogue

Author: Linda/Brynna/Brynnamorgan
Rating: T for Language
Categories: Romance/Supernatural/AU
Characters: H/OC
Spoilers: None

The night air carried the music clear to the stars and out into the universe.

Sabrina came out to thundering applause, Whistle Stop right behind her, for the encore. Over the years Greg had accompanied her for the occasional concert while she was on tour, drawn to her to fill the ache of being separated; drawn back to Princeton to fill the need he had inside to solve cases. The tours were getting shorter and less frequent as time went on, much to the relief of the band members who had families at home.

Backstage, he was leisurely sitting in an old, beat-up recliner that the guys had found while on the road a few years back, nodding his head in time, occasionally playing an imaginary piano across his knees. The leather was as worn and battered as its occupant, now more gray-haired than ever, the lines in his face deeply etched with time, although at least not with the addiction any more. No, he'd finally won that battle in a determination to prove himself worthy of what he had. Sabrina had become his Vicodin, supplemented with pain relievers that didn't suck in his soul. He still was a misanthropic old bastard, he thought with a wry grin. He yet had very few friends, limited to Jimmy, Allison, Lisa and now Del Thomas, who guarded him almost as fiercely as he did Sabrina. He sighed and closed his eyes, letting her music wash over him like a balm.

Sabrina stood surrounded by her band members and bowing before taking stance in front of the microphone. Del did the count-off and they went into "Oh Atlanta," a favorite concert closer with crowds. The music was more bluesy than her usual, with a seductive tone that caused her to sway her hips and get cheers from the men in the crowd. Between instrumental bridges she danced in front of the mic, getting more whoops and hollers.

As was usual for the finale she moved to the top of one of the large speakers and extended her arms out to the crowd... and her world suddenly veered off sideways, airborne, then... thud... and nothing.

"Sabrina!"

She blinked into reality to see Greg above her, his eyes wide as Del helped him down next to her. "I-I... what..." Damn, her ankle was throbbing.

"Speaker stand not fastened down correctly," Del muttered darkly as EMTs began making their way through. Greg was going over her thoroughly, swearing profusely.

"Stop it, honey," she chided, reaching up to touch his salt-and-pepper hair. "I'll be fine."

"Tell that to your ankle. Hurt?" He gently turned it and she winced. "Uh huh. Broken. You might be shopping for a cane to match mine soon."

Suddenly a commotion and a childish voice screaming "I can help!" made them all turn in time to see a young girl worm her way under the fence and through legs, evading security as neatly as a cat. Hair tangled, face streaked with dirt from having crawled on the ground, the girl slipped right through Del's legs and nearly fell on Greg.

"Goddammit, what are you doing?" he growled out, waving to security. "Get this kid out of..."

"No, I can help."

Sabrina gasped as the girl laid her hands on her ankle and closed her eyes. The pain intensified, then ebbed away and was gone. Tentatively she moved it, then rotated it freely, her eyes widening. No longer broken. What the hell? She was an adult. It couldn't be. Greg probed her ankle and looked up at her, confirming her suspicions.

Strange.

Maybe.

"Goddess Bless," the girl murmured, tracing the sign of the pentagram on her ankle. She looked up at the couple and smiled gently.

"Wait, what's your name, hon?" Sabrina asked as they all rose to their feet. "And, I don't get it, I thought..."

"My Craft name is Cerwidwen, but my mundane name is Sebrina. Merry Part." With that, the girl dove back under everyone and disappeared into the crowd. For a long moment Sabrina stared after the direction where she'd vanished, speechless, then turned to Greg. He was grinning from ear-to-ear and shaking his head.

One word.

I'll bite.

Evolve.