The Hitchhiker

by

anais

Disclaimers: This story might be helped out by reading last year's Halloween submission, Make a Wish which introduces these characters. While some reference is made to that story, this one can certainly stand on its own.

Thanks very much to my good pals who helped me out. Midgit, I love ya even if you do speak funny and try and trip me up with those British spellings. Idryth, thanks for putting up with me <g>. Thanks to the Academy for coming up with these "specials."

These characters might physically resemble characters created by Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi but that's where the similiarity ends. Thank you for allowing me to mess with the prototypes, but these two are mine.

Some girl on girl action is in this story so if it's not your style or if you are too young, whatever age that may be in your location. Go back!

I appreciate feedback, but hate mail goes where it belongs, in the trash.



 

Two women planning for a trip away. A trip to help them forget their demons...as it were. A peaceful ride interrupted. A bump in the road, a bump in the night. What else could be bumping? Let's take a look through....the Twilight Zone

 



Part 1

 

"Ok honey, I've got the car packed. Are you ready to go?" Jessica lifted the baseball cap covering her sweaty dark hair and wiped her brow with her forearm.

Andi stood in the yard, watching the sweat drip down the side of her soul-mate's face, inexplicably making a blush race up her face. Look at her, damn... she's beautiful. Ok, so maybe the blush was explicable.

"Hello, Earth to Andi. Are you in there?" The darker woman put her face within four inches of the blonde's with no recognition. "Hey!" she said louder.

Andi's glazed over eyes were testament to her mind wandering, and to what they could do once they got to the condo.

"Oh yeah, sorry, was just..uh...thinking." She shook herself out of the trance, took a step back and grinned innocently. It would be late when they arrived at their destination but the previous Halloween had proven a bit unnerving for them. Instead of tempting fate, the women had decided on a quick getaway to the beach about 300 miles away

Walking away, Jess shook her head and smiled, then threw the cap at her partner. "Ready to get out of here?"

"Oh yeah..." Andi purred with a wide, rakish grin. "I'm so ready."

 


 

Part 2

The road was dark. They had been traveling for over three hours. The only light shone from the stars above and a slight orange glow on the horizon from a small town. The ride had been pleasant so far with the conversation flowing freely. The drive had allowed the women to re-connect after too many work hours and conflicting schedules. Plus a road trip was always fun for the two.

 

Jess reached over and tangled her fingers with Andi's. A satisfied sigh escaped the smaller woman's lips. "Who would have thought...huh, babe?" she said after a minute of quiet contentedness.

Jess sneaked a glance at her partner, while still trying to maintain her view of the road, "Thought what? " she questioned.

"Oh I don't know, just that I don't think a lot of people thought we would still be together. I got the feeling most of our friends didn't think we would last nine months, much less nine years." She squeezed her partner's hand and snuggled closer to Jess.

Jess smiled. "Where did that come from?"

Andi, lost in her memories, continued, "Funny thing is," she took her partner's hand, covering it with her two. She paused and pulled the hand to her lips and gently kissed it. "I knew we'd still be together, I know we'll always be together. It's like when I first saw you. It was love at first sight and every glance since then."

"Why, Miss Andi Belle Henrietta McDonald, you certainly do have a way with words. I do declare your southern charms are enough to even melt my Yankee heart," Jess drawled in a fair imitation of Scarlett O'Hara

 

Andi dropped the hand and playfully slapped her partner's arm. "Don't make fun of my romantic side!"

"I'm not making fun at all, sweetheart. Just darned lucky that I was able to snag me a southern belle," Jess returned just as playfully.

As Andi was preparing her next retort, a sudden bump in the road threw them off-course and into a skid. Jess slammed on the brakes which caused the car to spin around in the roadway. When they came to rest, the car's headlights were pointed directly at tail lights that belonged to a sedan sticking out of a drainage ditch.

They got out of the car and approached the other. "What..?" the smaller woman looked at her partner.

"I'm not sure. Why don't you grab your cell phone, Babe, and call 9-1-1. Tell them there's a ..." Jess steadied herself as she approached the slippery slope. She placed her hand on the back of the car and then leaned a bit to inspect the vehicle, "A mid —80’s Mercury Cougar sedan. I can't tell if anyone is in it or not, there's no license plate." The animal control officer had plenty of experience responding to accidents, but usually the victims weren't of the human variety. She straightened and took in the area. "You know, I haven't the faintest idea where we are. It's too dark to see anything but the fields. I don't know how we'll be able to tell the dispatcher where we are"

"It doesn't matter," Andi threw the phone back into their open car window disgustedly, "No signal."

 A sudden breeze chilled the air. Fog quickly formed making it that much harder to distinguish the surroundings. Perhaps it was because of this, or the fact that both women were concentrating on the car, that they didn't see the figure advancing from the fog.

 

The figure slowly made its way through the haze. The thickness of which made it appear as if it were gliding on air.

Another breeze swept past the two women and made the taller one stand at attention. She slowly turned around feeling something behind her. As she turned, she pushed the smaller woman behind her in a protective gesture.

They both saw the person approaching. "Oh shit," Andi whispered hoarsely, "Not again..." she said in reference to their last Halloween experience. "This is the reason we were trying to leave town for the weekend."

Jess tried to forget what happened last year, it couldn't happen again anyway...could it? "Hey," Jess steeled herself and called towards the figure, "Is this your car?"

The question was ignored, and the distance between the two women and the figure closed.

Jess readied herself to take whatever this thing was going to send their way. She squared her shoulders effectively covering Andi and hopefully keeping her from harm.

Closer it came, until finally they could make out it was a woman.

"Hello," Jess tried again, "Is this your car?"

"Y-yes," the woman found her voice. "It's mine. I've obviously been in a wreck and I need to get home. I've some unfinished business there."

Andi stepped from behind Jess, her rapidly beating heart slowing as she realized this was just someone who needed their help. "Hey," she approached the woman who now looked battered and small, "You're hurt." The blonde went to their car for a towel. When she brought it back, she pressed it against the woman's temple where a small amount of blood had congealed.

"Do you want us to take you to a hospital?" Jess offered, suddenly equally concerned at the vacant look in the woman's eyes.

"No, but could you take me home? I can take care of what I need to, if only I can make it home. It's not too far from here."

Jess looked at Andi. A slight nod of the blonde head solidified the decision.

"Of course." The taller woman offered her hand, "Just tell us how to get there."

The three made the short two mile trek to the accident victim's home in relative quiet; both women in the front listening to the precise directions to the woman's house.

"Here's the street," the stranger uttered, almost to herself.

Jess pulled the car onto the cul-de-sac, and left it idling, waiting for further direction. Silence overtook the automobile, the tick-tock of the car clock perceptible normally to only the keenest of ears threatened to deafen the passengers the longer they waited. After a couple of minutes, which passed as slowly as an ant through a drop of molasses, the woman spoke.

"Thank you," she rasped. "I have been trying to get back home. I just hope it's not too late."

"Too late for what?" Andi's natural curiosity couldn't help but inquire.

The woman stared ahead, her glazed eyes fixed on the porch light of the two story brick Tudor style house in their path. Framed in the picture window was the silhouette of two people, who appeared to be dancing.

Her voice void of emotion, the woman replied, "I've some unfinished business to tend to." She quickly exited the car and the lives of Andi and Jess.

Part 3

The bright sun of the crisp autumn morning trickled in through the bedroom window. Jess began to stir as the light illuminated the surroundings slowly at first, and then with a great urgency.

She raised her arms above her, stretching her muscles and popping her joints back into place. When she was satisfied with the feeling, she turned to her side, and rested her head on her hand. A smile spread as she watched her lover sleep. The smile grew wider still as her partner's face mirrored her expression.

"Awake, huh?"

"Yeah...I was just smelling you," the blonde released a wistful sigh.

"Smelling? You smell me?" Jess moved her head back a little to get a better view at the strange little blonde woman sharing her bed. She had to make sure it was still her Andi Belle and not some freak from the Twilight Zone.

A blush crept up the prone woman's face ending in bright crimson at the top of her ears.

"Uh, well, yeah...smelling. Truth be told, that's what first attracted me to you. Your scent. You smell like..."

"Let me guess, I smell like cinnamon." Jess said smugly, remembering her special soap at home.

"Nope."

What else was in that soap. "Vanilla?"

"Nuh uh."

Jess tried to visualize the package. Vanilla bean, cinnamon stick...."Cocoa butter?"

"No." Andi suppressed a giggle.

"What then? That's all I have in my soap." Jess quizzed.

Andi's shoulders were now shaking from trying to restrain her laughter at her partner's expression.

"It's not funny, what do I smell like?" Jess then put her nose under her arm to try and find the answer herself.

"Ok, ok, you're going to make me have an accident in bed if I don't stop laughing. It's Head and Shoulders."

"Head and Shoulders? I smell like cheap dandruff shampoo?" Jess was incredulous. "And you like it?"

The blonde had to cross her legs as she continued the snickering that threatened to turn to a guffaw.

"Well?" Jess wasn't sure if she was more suprised Andi thought she smelled like that nasty stuff or that she apparently liked that fragrance...if you can call it that. "Explain to me why I spend all the money I do to smell good for you and then you tell me I smell like Head and Shoulders."

As Andi was able to calm herself, she explained. "I think it's your body lotion actually, that mixed with the soap or deodorant or something smells like Head and Shoulders, and Head and Shoulders is what the first girl I had a crush on smelled like. When I met you and I got a whiff of it when you walked past me, that was it. It turns me on, what can I say?" Another blush rose on Andi's face.

"Well..." Jess pondered, "in that case, screw the good stuff, I'll just go to the wholesale place and get a gallon of it. I'll be able to keep you in bed for a week then." Jess grinned and leaned in for a kiss.

"Trust me, you hot thing you, you don't need cheap shampoo to keep me in bed for a week." The kiss deepened and Andi proved how important having a powerful sense of smell was to Jess.

 

Part 4

Sometime later, the lazy women meandered out of bed. Jess drew a steaming bubble bath for her love and announced she was going to the store to pick up some groceries. In actuality, she wasn't being nice, she just didn't want Andi to be there to hear her ask the store manager how she could special order a certain shampoo by the case.

By the time Andi extracted herself from the relaxed soaking, Jess had arrived with all the makings of a huge breakfast, even if it was afternoon by then. Although Andi usually did most of the cooking, Jess took advantage of the other woman dressing to quickly prepare a huge repast of eggs, toast, sausage, bacon, hash-browns, coffee and orange juice. Well the orange juice was from a carton, but it still counted because it was not from concentrate.

Andi, once again drawn in by her olfactory senses, floated to the kitchen just in time to help set the table. As they worked in unison, everything was promptly deposited on the table and they were soon ready to eat, if not devour, the food.

After fulfilling two healthy appetites, the breakfast in the afternoon was put away. Dishes scraped, cleaned, and dried. Before long, the kitchen looked like no one had ever been there. Satisfied that the area was in good shape for their departure the next day, Jess suggested they go for a walk on the beach. After leisurely taking in the fresh sea breeze, raiding a few of the beachside shops and having dinner, they returned to the condo and prepared for bed.

The next morning there was another leisurely bath, this time with two women fitting themselves in the oversized tub, another breakfast, more cleaning and more....well more of everything not necessarily in that order.

They then packed up for their 4 p.m. check out and filled their car again. Andi spied a folded paper on the kitchen counter and carried it with her to the car, tossing it on the floorboard as she plopped into the passenger seat.

They traveled just a bit before they found themselves just a few miles from the accident scene of two nights before. Storm clouds darkened suddenly. A cold wind whipped things around and cut a path through the car. Although they both quickly rolled up their windows, the smell of a storm permeated everything. The windows were fogged up beyond the abilities of the defroster, so Andi reached down for the newspaper she'd brought with her. She unrolled it and noticed the headlines, afterall a good murder mystery always deserved her attention.

Doctor and Husband Found Dead Under Mysterious Circumstances

was what the headline read. She looked at the pictures of the unfortunate victims and jumped when the peal of thunder announced the deluge of rain suddenly pounding their car. She continued reading...

In a strange turn of events, Doctor Kathleen Ashcroft and her husband, Daniel, were found deceased yesterday morning when co-workers of the doctor arrived to see why she hadn't reported to work. There are no signs of foul play or natural causes, that's the mystery. As both are in their early 40s, it has drawn the attention of the Medical Examiner and local Law Enforcement since both appeared to die at the same time. Toxicology reports have not found anything out of the norm. Autopsies have been scheduled.

What makes this case stranger yet is that Daniel Ashcroft's former wife, Angeline, was killed in a car wreck two years ago to the day. Investigations at the time pointed to a possibility of tampering of her vehicle, but sufficient evidence was never found. A grand jury had acquitted Mr. Ashcroft and his current wife just last week after a series of anonymous calls had identified them as possible suspects.

 

 

Her eyes scanned the paper and stopped when she noticed the picture of the first Mrs. Ashcroft.

Andi threw the paper as if it were a hot piece of coal when the realization overtook her that Mrs. Ashcroft the first, had gotten a ride from them just the night before the deaths happened. They must have taken her to the scene of the deaths.

Andi felt sick to her stomach. Did they help her reach her goal? Did she do it? Did they imagine the whole thing? Maybe it was just someone who looked like her? "That's it!" Andi relaxed."It was just a strange coincidence. Someone who looked like her was in an accident and that was all there was to it."

Jess glanced at her partner, who was still mumbling to herself. Her eyebrows drawn together in concern."Andi? Are you ok?"

The blonde looked up from the paper at her partner's voice, just in time to notice they were in the exact area they picked up the hitchhiker. She could still see the car still sticking out of the ditch. With the wind and the pounding rain, things looked almost distorted. That's why she could barely make out the two figures getting into the car.

She squinted her eyes. That's when she saw it was a man and a woman. It was easier to see them as the car approached. Jess was always a safe driver but with this weather she was driving at practically a crawl.

Andi, not positive she wasn't hallucinating, tried to call for Jess to look up and see what she was witnessing. For some reason though, she was unable to find her voice. Panic momentarily set in and so Andi did the only thing she could think of, she hit Jess' shoulder and pointed at the vehicle. Jess' eyes went directly to the spot the finger pointed to, she wanted to see what was causing the apparent anxiety with her other half. The only problem was, the car was now gone.

 

The end.

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