everyonelives | for the rest of us death will be a relief

I'm telling the truth.

( The brunette speaks as Jody gets back from her lunch break. The woman in handcuffs is dressed in a paper gown tries walking closer to the officer walking away, but the line catches to the bench she's been attached to. )

If you can just get me in touch with someone from Wolfram and Hart. I'm not crazy and I did not break into that laundromat. Why would anyone break into a laundromat?

( The officer pointedly looks her up and down. Without clothes. Barefoot. )

Okay, yes, I see why someone - not me - would break into the laundromat. But it was closed. People don't do laundry when it's closed. If I was trying to find clothes I could change into then it wouldn't be a very good plan, would it?

( The police officer shuts the drawer after filing some important file, not about her case, which is a case! "Your words." )

I swear, I woke up inside the laundromat.

( "Then why can't you tell me where you were before you woke up inside that laundromat?" the officer asks. Which is a valid question. )

I told you, it - it wouldn't make sense to you and I wanted to avoid this. ( She holds her shackled wrists up. ) I get one phone call!

[Jody makes a mental note to sign Silverman up for sensitivity training. He'll hate it, but maybe he might be a little more gentle with things that are out of the ordinary.

For now, she's just going to take over.]

I got this Silverman.

[The reason it's sensitivity training, and not outright fired, is because Silverman knows he's screwed up if Jody is stepping in. She's not much of a meddler, and they know that, unless she feels like they're going wrong. "But boss ..."]

We'll talk about it later. I got this.

[She moves to sit across from Fred, offering her a cup of water as she does.]

Hi. I'm Sheriff Mills. Can you tell me your name?

No offense, Sheriff Mills, but I do better telling people who I am when I'm not cuffed to a bench like some kidnapee to a radiator in one of those violent films.

( She should lead with kindness, but, she doesn't like being cuffed, as indicated by her lifting her hands up. She would take the water, though. She is thirsty.

Who is she going to hurt in this paper gown? Who?

And, to show her she does have good will. )

Fred. Winifred. Burkle. Do me a favor and don't look that name up just yet.

( She has a feeling she's dead. She got a glimpse of the date on a newspaper. She thinks her friends did something, but how can she say that? )

Alright, I won't.

[She leans forward and removes the silver plated handcuffs. It's an expensive means of protection, but it works well for weaseling out a shapeshifter or some other kind of bad when she has the opportunity.

She also isn't going to tell Fred that the water she's handed her comes from a case of water bottles blessed by the local pastor, but just in case of demon too.]

So long as you tell me why? Maybe after we get you some clean clothes?

[There's probably a spare set of police issue sweats around here somewhere. But she will wait until Fred's actually taken a sip of the water.]

( Flexing her wrists, she does take the water, gratefully, and finishing it one less-than-ladylike gulp. )

Well, because, it'll probably say I'm dead. For a long time now. But, that wouldn't make me sound any less crazy, now would it.

( But, maybe it'll earn her that pair of sweats. )

[That it will, and Jody doesn't seem all that surprised by that assessment. She also doesn't know how to check for zombies, though she probably should. She'll be putting in a call to Dean right after she gets Fred settled.]

You'd be surprised how often that kind of problem comes up around here. Let's get you some clothes and while you're getting dressed, I'll make some calls. See if we can figure out how to get you where you need to go.

[She moves to one of the nearby closets and finds a set of sweats in the size that eyeballs closest to Fred's skinny, lanky frame.]

Bathroom is right down the hall. Or if you'd like to take a shower, I can take you to the locker room.

You believe me, your next call won't be to the local psych ward?

( She doesn't know where Jody should call. Her eyes go wide and she sets her cup down, hands coming up. )

Don't call my parents? I was missing some years back and they took that bad enough. We fixed our relationship but, I'd rather not show up alive and, to be honest, they might be dead. ( She winces, bringing her hands down. ) Please don't tell me if my parents are dead.

( There are a lot of directives she needs.

All that said now, she stands and accepts the sweats. )

Please. You have no idea how dirty the floor of a laundromat really is until you wake up on one.

( She leans in. )

It's probably pretty clear, but the last place I was before I died wasn't a laundromat. If you get a hold of Wolfram and Hart, you're looking for the Los Angeles branch. Angel. If he's still not working with them, I bet they have a forwarding number, or address, if they're still even on the same side. Or, perhaps they've reached a d'etente. ...I'm going to go shower now.

( She's brought to the locker room, where she takes extra time. Inspecting her newly ressurected body. She tries to see if she feels Illyria. If she's back or if that god is underneath the surface. She doesn't even know how that would feel.

Meanwhile, Dean's in the main hallway, Elena is taken back to get stitches. He eyes Jeremy's tattered, burned clothing,

"Don't ask," he says.

"Don't have to. Fireball, right, and not the good kind," he says, seeing his caller ID. He turns around, heading toward one of the empty doorways, hopping out of the way of a witch given Jaqueline-caliber-orders. "Hey, Jody. Just wrapping something up, but it might be awhile. What's up?" )

[Jody nods and agrees that she will not call Fred's parents. But she does take note of the threads running through that explanation and decides to have a list on hand for when Dean does answer his phone.]

Hey, Dean. Couple quick questions for you: the test for zombies is silver, right?

[She's pretty sure it is but their last zombie invasion was well ... it was a rough time for her.]

Also have you ever heard of a place called Wolfram and Hart?

Silver should do the trick, why you got a zombie problem?

( He does recognize her next question, though, switching his phone to his other ear. )

They were Cordelia's old stomping grounds. Kinda. Pretty much off the table now, but major players in a few of the apocalypses not attributed to us or Chuck. ...You got a zombie lawyer problem?

Right! The evil lawyers. I remember her mentioning that.

[She reconsiders Fred from their brief conversation and frowns.]

Not currently, but also kinda? A woman was found in one of the laundromats, not sure how she got there and we got to talking and she says she thinks she might have been dead.

[A beat as she replays the conversation.]

Said her name was Winifred Burkle.

If her name shortens to Fred, have her call Cordy, pretty sure she's on team -- ( Jo's outburst is heard through the phone. Dean, surprised for the second time today, but moreso, ) Jody, Cordelia's going to want to speak to her.

( click.

Fred washes up, washes away the disease she carried, worried with every scrub that Illyria is still inside. Knox has another thing coming to him. She owes him a nice right hook.

In her sweats, she navigates her way back to Jody's office. She knocks on the open door to be polite.

"Thank you again, for the clothes and the shower." )

Of course.

[Jody sounds a little bewildered, because she is. Dean isn't one to just hang up unless something's going wrong, so she assumes things are going crazy in Winchester land.]

I have good news, though. I know your friends, Cordelia and Angel. If you have a seat, I can give them a call and see if we can get you back to your people.

( She brightens at that, almost beaming, because last she checked, Cordelia was in a coma. She hopes she's not just being polite and using Cordelia colloquially, like she affiliates Angel with her.

You don't have to tell her twice! She sits right down. )

I memorized his number if it's the same. Cordelia's too. Cordelia's... not in a coma, is she?

Not last I checked. Coma patients don't usually wind up go out for drinks.

[Which is what they did, the last time Cordelia was in Sioux Falls, wanting to discuss a new project she's being included on. Jody pulls out her phone and calls Cordy first - who does not answer, for reasons to be determined, but Fred will hear the familiar voice recite: "Hey, you've reached Cordy. Leave me a message and I'll call you back."]

Hey, Cordy, it's Jody. I'm going to give your other half a call, but in case I don't get him, give me a call back when you get this.

[She then swipes out of the call and pulls up Angel's number instead and starting the call.]

Let's try that again.

( "You and Cordy went out for drinks!" Fred says, happy Cordy has a life. One not in a hospital bed. What did she miss?

Angel does answer. )

Hey, Jody, everything okay?

We hope so, but I do have some news for you. I'm sitting here with your friend, Fred.

[The phone is on speaker, so she gestures for Fred to speak, letting Angel know she's really there and not just Jody pulling his leg with something she couldn't have known.]

( "It's real good to hear your voice," she says, leaning forward, a little too loudly, not used to speakerphone. Technology has had some adjustments since the early 2000's.

There's a long pause, as Angel stirs the blood coffee he's poured. He's at a loss for words. )

... You, too.

( She sounds okay. That's something. Is this the Powers? Turning, he signals for Alexander to come over here. Sorry for the snapping. He knows you're kind of in charge, but time is kind of the essence. )

Is she in Sioux Falls?

She is. I've got her at the sheriff's station, so I can wait with her here, but if you guys are far, I can take her back to my place and we can wait there.

[Fred is human and Dean has vouched for her so if Fred needs to sleep in her guest room, Jody is fine with that.]

( Out of ear range of the phone, to Alexander )

Is Cordy reachable right now?

( And then back into the phone. )

I'm in Baltimore and I don't -- exactly know where she is. She's fine. That sometimes happens. It's better we don't know if they're - helping someone. But, I'm working on getting in touch with her. In the meantime, Fred, we trust Jody. She works with friends of ours. You'll be safe with her.

( "I trust you, Angel," she says, sitting back again, playing the strings on her hoody. When she has nothing better to do, she fidgets. "If you don't mind," she says, knowing Jody still offered. )

Not at all.

[Jody always preferred a full house over an empty one. Claire is out on a hunt and Alex and Paige are flirting with getting their own apartment to share, to try their hand at independence, so she's starting to feel the emptiness of the house these days.

Alexander pulls out his phone and slides a thumb through his text messages. "She's covering something for Annie and Shep, but they're on their way back so she should be back in a couple days? It may be faster if you go get her and Cordy meets you there."]

Can you - what do you call it - get me on an airplane today?

( Back to his phone call. )

I'll send you my uh - fly-in-times. Fred. See you soon.

( "See you soon, Angel!" she says. As she hangs up, Fred catches something from before. "You called Angel Cordelia's better half. Did they finally get their heads out of their you-know-where's?" )

[Alexander will get Angel on a plane and will also use his phone to send a text to Jody when Angel is getting in. It's more efficient this way.

In response to Fred's question:]

I called him her other half. I think we both know that Cordy is the better half.

[That being said, she shrugs.]

They've kind of been together as long as I've known them? Maybe not officially but ... I've never really known them any other way.

Yeah, they kind of danced around each other, for like a year. But, then Cordelia was called up to be a higher power and nothing was ever the same.

( There's also a lot of grossness and then Jasmine. And her coma. )

So, Cordelia's back. And Angel's alive and - if I may say so, out of Hell. Have you heard anything about Wesley Wyndham-Pryce or Charles Gunn?

[Jody glances up at her before shaking her head sympathetically.]

I'm not familiar with those names, no. The only other friend of Cordy and Angel's I've met other than you is a guy named Spike.

[And Spike is a character, she doesn't think she needs to qualify that further.]

Spike?

( He survived? )

Well, he did help where he could when he could actually make physical contact. And he was brought back for a reason. Maybe I was brought back for a reason. I didn't find a giant gaudy necklace near by body, though.

SIOUX FALLS | SHERIFF STATION | JODY AND FRED

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