Alex sleeps restlessly on the bed, her eyelids flutter and she occasionally moans softly. Sam is at the pedestal table, flipping through the files making quick notes on a note pad. The notepad is covered with scribbled notes, things circled, things crossed off, doodles, two different sets of writing, Dean's neat stuff at the top, Sam's messier stuff at the bottom. Sam flips the file shut and grabs another, then reads the notes again; he smiles and then tosses the pen down, grabs his phone and starts to dial. Just then, a knock on the door interrupts him. Sam flips the phone shut, irritated and jumps up, peeking out the peephole before opening the door. Dean walks in carrying his duffel bag. Sam glances at him then grabs the notepad and glances over at Dean; he's excited and trying to talk quiet so he won't wake up Alex.
"I was just calling your cell. I've got it! Well most of it! There is a pattern, it was just hidden, and your notes did it! It's simple really, there were pre-existing heart conditions."
Dean does not look happy; he sets the bag down on the floor and sticks his hands on his hips.
"Sam..."
Sam ignores Dean completely and turns to the papers on the table, he talks even faster.
"Dean, it starts with a fever and a rash but somewhere along the line it gets worse for people with heart conditions. They don't recover...but."
Sam digs in the papers again, completely ignoring Dean. Dean rubs his face with the palm of his hand and looks over at his brother.
"Sam listen..."
Sam is still not looking at Dean or listens to him; he keeps digging in the papers.
"I mean it sucks cause your sick but the doctor left a note on five files that there were similar cases all over town, none of them are dead."
Dean has had enough of his brother and finally snaps at him, Dean steps over and grabs the papers out of his hands, Sam looks surprised for a second, then looks closer at Dean. He finally notices something's not quite right with him.
"SAM! Will you listen for a second! You have to clear out of here right now! Leave the files and go."
Sam frowns at Dean, looking at him like he has two heads and then turns back to the table and grabs a handful of paper.
"Dean, it's all here. It's just a fever."
Dean grabs the paper away from Sam and smacks it onto the table, he grabs Sam's jacket and shoves it into his hands instead.
"NO Sam! It's not just a fever. Now get out."
Sam frowns at his brother and looks around the room and finally notices Dean's duffel bag.
"Dean, what do you mean? Why do I have to leave? What are you talking about? And why did you bring your stuff?"
Dean pulls up his sleeve; he's got the same rash as Alex. Sam looks at him and realises his eyes are glassy, his cheeks flushed.
"Whatever it is we've both got it. I called Bobby, he's on his way. You've got to clear out of here now, leave us here and find that woman. Whether she's got brown hair or blond hair or freakin' blue hair, get her and find out what she's doing to everybody."
"I'm not leaving you here alone, Dean."
Dean walks over to the spare, empty, bed and sits down, rubbing his forehead.
"You're leaving us here alone and you're going to go get us breakfast, and then you're going to go find her. We can't, whatever we have, is obviously contagious."
Sam frowns at Dean, not buying his explanation, there is something else going on his brother is not telling him, he can tell just by the way he's acting.
"How did you get it then?" Dean looks up at Sam and smiles at him.
"We shared forks...Alex tasted the chocolate...then we shared pie. The victims were all couples, they probably shared something too, like a kiss. Everybody's kissing...so it's probably spread though saliva like a Siren. But it's not a Siren...go Sam. I'm starving and I'm hot. It is hot in here. Please go."
Sam looks at Dean, then hands him the bottle of Tylenol and a bottle of water.
"You have a fever Dean. Fine, I'll go get you breakfast but I'm coming back, here, with you."
Dean rubs his forehead like Alex was and sags on the bed. He looks terrible, what really worries Sam is when Dean cracks open the Tylenol and actually takes two. He'd drink a quart of whiskey before he'd take Tylenol for pain, so he must be hurting bad or really worried.
"Fine Sam, just get me some breakfast, lots of coffee. I feel like crap."
Sam pulls his jacket on, and then grabs his phone. Sam looks at Dean for a second, worried, then leaves, closing the door quietly behind him. Dean strips down to his t-shirt, and then lies back against the pillows and close his eyes. Dean lays there for a minute, then climbs off the bed and digs his shaving kit out of the duffel bag. He heads towards the bathroom, on the way by he checks Alex. She sleeps peacefully for now; he checks her forehead smiles, no fever. He walks into the bathroom and looks around.
The bathroom is clean and neat, Alex's things perfectly arranged on the counter top. Dean leans in and starts the shower. A shower might make him feel better, it was like his brain was trying to pound its way out of his head, at the very least a cool shower would at least cool him off a bit. If he was lucky this was like a bad hangover and a cool shower would help.
Dean stands with his face in the water. The door squeaks, he can hear a movement on the other side of the curtain. He opens his mouth to say something when a very shapely female leg slowly enters the shower stall, followed by a very shapely Alex. Of all the ways he fantasized about having sex with her, this was one of his favourites, and now here she was climbing into the shower with him. He could hardly think straight. She looks like she's going to pounce on him, her eyes intent on him, full of desire; she steps closer to him, slowly runs her fingers down his chest, and then steps in close. Alex presses her body against him; her fingers dig into his back and pull him close to her. His groin tightens in response, it had been ages since he'd picked anything up worthwhile and the idea of finally being with Alex was just way too much for him to ignore. The water is cool and slippery and she slowly rubs against him, then whispers in his ear. Her lips brush over his earlobe, sending tickling, tingling sensations right through him.
"I was going to volunteer to wash your back, but then I thought it would be more fun to wash your front."
Alex's hand slides back up his chest, slides it around the back of his head, pulls his lips down for a passionate, intense kiss. Dean bolts up awake on the bed panting; he quickly looks over to see Alex is still asleep. He rolls his eyes and then flops back on the bed, breathing heavy.
"Son-of-a-bitch! Not again!"
Sam walks out of the restaurant with two bags in his hand, the cell phone in his ear. He glances up and down the street for cars, and then runs across; he's unlocking the Impala when he stops. He turns and notices a couple on a park bench making out way too much for being in public. Then he looks down the street the other way and notices several car windows fogged up one car is actually slightly rocking. Another couple necking against a store front a few buildings down. His attention is jerked back to the phone...
"Bobby? Dean said he called you. Ya him and Alex. I think we figured out how its spreading, but I can't figure out what it is. Well the quicker you can get here the better. I don't think it's going to kill Dean or Alex but we don't even know what it is yet. Bobby if you do come here we can't guarantee you won't get it too. I know, we're family. Bye Bobby."
Sam glances around, the couples are still making out, and he shakes his head then climbs in the Impala and pulls away.
The knocking on the door is insistent enough to wake her up, and she forces herself out of bed and onto her feet. Her fingers automatically close around her pistol but she doubts she could muster up the energy to even pull the trigger right now. A quick glance in the peephole reveals Sam on the other side of the door, patiently waiting. She unlocks it and pulls the door open to let him in, and glances around the room. Sam enters and stops taking in Alex's dishevelled appearance.
"Did I just wake you up?" he smiles at her.
Alex rubs her face, she feels like she's in a haze, everything moves slow. She glances around the room and takes in the mess, then looks back to Sam.
"Ya, who's in my shower? and why is Dean's stuff all over the place?" she mutters, sliding into a chair at the table. Sam smiles at her, then dumps the bags and coffee tray on the table.
"Ahhh, there's been a development, you've got a rash to go with your fever. Dean's not feeling good either. We're trying to keep you both isolated till we figure out what you've got."
The news hits her in the gut like a fist, Dean's sick because of her, and if he's got what she's got then it's not going to be good at all. Sam only knew the half of it and there was no way in hell she was going to tell him everything. Alex's eyes get wide and she glances around the room and shakes her head.
"Oh No! No, No, that's bad, that's real bad Sam, he can't stay here."
"Whoa now, it's only till we figure out what it is."
Sam frowns at her reaction to the idea of having to spend time with Dean alone. He was positive without a doubt she had it as bad for Dean as he had for her. Alex looks positively panicked, her eyes flick around the room, looking at Dean's stuff.
"Oh I can tell you exactly what it is, its trouble that's what it is."
Sam unpacks breakfast and shakes his head at her over-reaction to the situation. She was a lot like Dean sometimes; it was going to take some convincing on his part to get her to let him stay.
"You guys hardly fight at all anymore, and it's only for a day till Bobby gets here."
Alex groans softly under her breath and looks around the room before burying her face in her hands, she rubs her face as she speaks to him, and he swears he can see her blushing under her fingers.
"It's not the fighting I'm worried about..."
Sam looks at her strangely when her voice trails off, then moves the files off the chairs, moves the laptop, and arranges the chairs around the table. He slides into a chair beside her and watches her rub her face.
"Do you feel like eating anything? Sal said it was French toast day and you ordered it the last time you were in. You look a lot better this morning."
"I'm starving, Sam. Thanks." She looks up at him and smiles faintly.
Sam and pulls out a huge coffee cup from the tray and sets it in Alex's hands, then puts two more on the table and dumps out a pile of sugar packs and creamers. Alex smiles and starts fixing up her coffee.
"I couldn't remember what you liked, is it two sugars? How are you feeling?
"Normally, but in a cup this big I think it's going to be four." She laughs. "Ahhh, it's hard to explain, I feel normal when I get up, but then after I'm up for a bit I start to get hot, flushed, elevated heart rate. I can't sit still, it's like I have all this energy and no way to get rid of it. And, yesterday I think I was hallucinating, or something."
She frowns at the last statement and stirs her coffee, she strictly avoids his eyes, Sam immediately knows she's not telling him something.
"Hallucinating? Alex that's bad. What were you seeing?"
Alex looks up at Sam and pauses for a second then blushes red and looks down at her coffee and shakes her head.
"I don't want to talk about it."
Sam's eyebrows pop up, that could mean a dozen different things, all bad. Dean emerges from the bathroom drying his hair and stops eyeing Alex, then throws the towel over his shoulder and joins them at the table. Sam smiles and hands him a coffee. Dean takes it and slides into a chair and avoids Alex's eyes completely. The tension jumps about ten levels between Dean and Alex, and Sam glances between the two of them. Oh for god's sake don't tell me he hit on her last night...or worse.
"Thanks Sam. Have you filled Alex in on our little problem? And why are you still here? You should be outta here." He grumbles.
Dean was such a grump without his morning coffee, Sam was tempted to grab him and pour the contents of the cup right down his throat.
"Yes I filled her in, and if it's transmitted through saliva then I don't have to leave."
"If what's transmitted through saliva?" Alex asks, looking between the two boys.
Dean sticks out his arm and shows the rash has spread up his arm and gotten more pronounced. He gestures to Alex's arm. She looks and sees the rash is also on her and spreading rapidly.
"This rash and the fever I seemed to have developed. We shared spoons at the restaurant, looks like I have whatever you have."
Alex looks horrified at the two boys, trying to figure out a way to tell them exactly what was going on, it was much, much worse that she had let on and now she was going to have to fess up.
"So you do have what I have? Oh, no."
Dean shrugs and drinks some coffee and looks nonchalant. He shakes his head and smiles faintly.
"It's okay, I've been sick before. Not a first time. We're not exactly sure how it's transmitted; it could be any close contact Sam. I don't think you should be here."
"Dean, I think you're over reacting." Sam mutters, shovelling a forkful of scrambles eggs into his mouth. Dean shakes his head at him and pours syrup all over his French toast and sausages, then glances at Alex. Alex looks like she's going to throw up, and stares at her plates of food. When she starts babbling excuses Sam's head jerks up, intent on her. Something is definitely wrong; she's practically pushing him out the door.
"Sam, please he's not, you don't get it yet...this just isn't about a rash or a fever...it's about people dying. There's other stuff too. Please Sam it's not safe for you here. If they all had heart conditions then that explains some deaths but how do you explain the strokes?"
Dean stares at Alex for a second, completely intent on her. He leans in close and speaks in a very sexy, low, growly voice.
"I'd like to explain some strokes to you..."
Alex and Sam both stare at Dean, who is looking surprised at what he just said. He frowns and blinks at her for a second. Alex goes a little pale and glances between Dean and Sam.
Sorry, I don't know where that came from. It's like my brain when on hold for a second."
Dean shakes his head to clear it, and then goes back to eating his food, Alex swallows hard and watches them, she opens her mouth to speak but Sam interrupts her.
"See that's the other thing, you both are not acting like yourselves, all these comments? I don't know if I should leave you both here alone."
"Sam if you leave and stay away as much as possible then we will stay put. Just check in with us okay? I don't like the idea of you out there alone, go stay next door in our room."
"I won't be alone, Bobby is on his way, he's worried too Dean."
Sam carefully makes his way across the driveway to the back of the split-level house. There is no police car in sight, he is completely alone. He walks up on the deck and looks out across the yard. There are bright green patches across the yard following the path the woman took. Sam frowns and runs down the stairs. He makes his way over to the patches of new bright green grass, each patch surrounded with dead winter grass. Sam follows the patches across the yard, up to where they disappear into the trees. He puts his hand out to push aside a branch and then stops; the tree is covered in new bursting buds, the others around it still bare. Sam gently pushed it aside and steps into the woods, disappearing from view.
A few minutes later he emerges into a clearing, the grass is green, there are flowers starting to grow, the trees have leaves, it's too early for everything to be growing this fast. Sam searches around but the grove is a dead end, there is only the path that he followed in. Frustrated he looks around and does a full sweep of the area. Nothing, shit! What the hell is this? He shakes his head and smacks a tree branch away, then follows the path back to the house. Sam exits the woods, pulls his cell phone out and dials a number.
"Dean? You sound funny, are you okay? Are you sure? Ya, okay then. I found something but I don't know what it means. The woman, the path she took across the yard, its green grass. I followed a trail of trees in full bud, to a grove Dean. A grove in full bloom, flowers, grass, trees. The whole bit. Do you think we are dealing with a nymph, a woodland nymph or something like that?
Dean slouches in one of the old armchairs, surrounded with files and papers, the cell phone pressed to his ear.
"A woodland nymph? Sam, I think you've been sniffing too many flowers or something. Just a sec."
Alex sits at the kitchen table and works away on her laptop; she glances up at Dean, anticipating his request.
"Alex, Sam thinks it a woodland nymph...can you look that up? "
Alex nods, her fingers moving over the keyboard, she opens a new screen to a search engine and gets up a page with old woodcuts, paintings, and information on nymphs. She scrolls thorough the page quickly then turns it around to show Dean. He jumps up and moves closer to the screen, and slides into the chair opposite her. He scans the screen quickly, then flips the phone up to talk to Sam.
"Sam, they live in groups in woods or around ponds or streams. It doesn't say much here about magic or powers. Give us a chance to search it up. Any word from Bobby? Okay then. No nothing new on Sirens, but we'll go to work on this. Alex? She's fine, a little flushed again, but she's okay. I will Sam, later."
Dean hangs up and glances over at Alex who is typing away at the laptop. She is flushed again, chewing her lower lip, she stops typing for a second and wipes her forehead with the back of her hand. Dean watches a bead of sweat roll down her chest, slowly down between her breasts, his eyes following the swell of them under her tank top. He imagines them together, standing close together, he presses her against the dresser and he kisses her roughly, pulls her tongue into his mouth with his own, his hands slide up her torso, he pulls her hard against his body, grinding against her. Suddenly he snaps out of it...back to the table and finds Alex staring at him.
"Did you just...have a hallucination? Cause you look like you did."
Dean looks away from her, all around the room and tries to avoid her eyes. Finally he looks at her, his face is flushed and he's breathing a bit heavier than normal.
"No...yes...maybe...why?" he stammers, suddenly at a loss for words.
Alex shifts in her chair and looks at the laptop screen and sighs. She chews her bottom lip for a second, then finally looks at him. When she finally speaks it's barely a whisper, her voice shakes.
"Because I've been having them for two days. They're getting worse."
Dean watches her for a minute, not saying anything. We can see him weighing the possibilities. Finally he sighs and fiddles with a piece of paper.
"Ya, but I think mine are probably a little different..."
Alex swallows, then puts on her best emotionless face and looks at him.
"Us...naked in the shower, naked on the dresser, naked in truck..."
Dean's head jerks up and he stares at her, stunned and surprised that she would be thinking of him like that. Alex was so smart, and such a good hunter and so god damned sexy, and was probably as damaged as he was. The idea that she'd even consider sleeping with him was such a rush...
"Okay Okay STOP! Too much! I don't need that right now. Having enough trouble on my own without you adding to the stuff in my head."
He says interrupting her from saying anything else. He takes a deep breath and refocuses his thoughts, then looks at her. It all made sense now, why she was so jumpy around him, why she was protesting so much at him being here with her. She was scared silly. Dean smiles and plays with the sheet of paper closest to him.
"Why didn't you say something?"
Alex blushes a brilliant shade of red, then she jumps up and starts pacing around the room, agitated and embarrassed at losing control of herself, especially in front of Dean.
"Oh you have got to be kidding! With Sam here? He's like my little brother, there's no way I'd even consider it. Besides he'd only worry more."
"But I'm not like a little brother?" Alex flushes red again and avoids looking at him.
'You've got it too. You'd understand." For a second he almost looks disappointed at her answer, then realises it wouldn't be Alex to admit how she was feeling. He smiles to himself the focuses on the revelation.
"So, is there anything else you haven't mentioned?
"Very vivid dreams, heightened sense of smell, heightened sense of touch, my skin is almost crawling."
Alex slides back into her chair, her demeanour changes and she looks at him intently, and her voice drops so it's low and husky. Dean's skin tingles at the sound of it.
"I can smell you from here, you smell like leather, soap, musky, warm. If I don't try to block it out and ignore it, it gets so intense it almost hurts."
Dean looks at her; he's not surprised at all. He swallows and then takes a breath and tries to stay professional and detached. It's not easy when his body is tingling and starting to throb.
"How long has that been going on?"
"I don't know, dreams right from the start, smells started late last night. It's worse this morning. It sneaks up on you."
Dean pulls out a sheet of paper and starts writing their symptoms down, trying to establish a time line. Alex leans over and watches him for a second.
"What are the stars for?"
Dean pinches his lips together and glances up at her, then gets a grip on himself and takes a breath.
"Both of us." Alex looks at the list, her eyes jerk up to his then back down at the list again.
"Oh shit. You're having all that too? But you were infected later than I was, I should be worse than you."
"If it's a normal infection. Maybe you've peaked, maybe we're at the point where we've got all the symptoms and it's just a matter of getting through it."
Alex grimaces and glances up at him, then takes a sip of her coffee, it's cold and tastes like crap but it's something to do and she doesn't have to look at those eyes.
"Great, glad you're such an optimist. I'm not. I think it's just going to keep getting worse till we stop it."
'And how do we stop it? and even more important how do we keep Sam and Bobby from getting it?"
Sam walks into the diner, glances around and spots Bobby off in the back sitting at a booth. He slides into a chair opposite him and sighs a huge sigh of relief. Bobby was the calm logical one and had an uncanny way of getting right to the heart of the matter.
"Hey! Bobby. Great to see you. We can really use your help. I've got a couple of leads but I can't make sense of anything."
"Ya, I've heard that before. How are Alex and Dean doing?" Bobby grumbles, glancing up from the menu.
"Well you know how they both are, too macho to say anything. Suffering in silence, being smart asses." Sam says, his voice fades away, Bobby looks up at him. The look on Sam's face tells him everything.
"That bad huh? That's how they deal. Keeps them in the job. So what's going on?"
Alex is still at the computer almost buried under piles of paper. Balls of paper are scattered across the floor. Dean is lying on the bed flipping through channels. Alex glances at him and clenches her jaw, then types faster. He flips through more and then stops at a soap opera where a couple is making out on the screen. Dean's eyes narrow, we can see him take a deep breath, then he quickly flips it through several other channels. He then flips it off, and throws the remote beside him on the bed. He rubs his face with both hands, and lays there for a second, his hands over his face. He looks normal except he's breathing pretty heavy; we can see a little bead of sweat run down the side of his face. Alex glances over at him, then stops typing and watches him. When she speaks her voice is soft and full on concern for him.
"Dean? Are you okay?"Dean doesn't move his hands for a second, then drops them and looks at her with dilated pupils, and a husky voice.
"You smell like vanilla and cinnamon, and syrup, sweet. Do you taste sweet Alex?"
Alex catches her breath and then swallows and looks at the computer screen. When she answers her voice is cold and hard.
"No I taste like bitch. A big nasty bitch who will kick your sorry ass, Dean Winchester."
Dean snaps out of it and blinks, then looks at her. They look at each other for a second before Dean looks back at the blank TV set.
"This is insane. I freakin' can't do this. If Sam and Bobby don't hurry up and freakin' do
something I'm gonna...freakin'." He stops for a second searching for the right words. "Take a very cold shower. Right now!" he growls.
Dean jumps off the bed and slams the bathroom door shut behind him. The shower starts and Alex smiles from behind the laptop screen at him, still cursing from inside the shower.
"Son-of-a-bitch! That's cold! This is just not right! This is not fudging right at all!"
Alex giggles, then laughs out loud, throwing her head back and laughing at the stupid situation they are in
"Oh Crap! That is almost funny."
Alex sighs, and shakes her head, then goes back to typing on her laptop, then stops for a minute. Her eyes flick over to the bathroom door, she takes a deep breath, her skin flushes as her mind starts to wander... just a few feet away...Dean in the shower, water running down his face, down his chest. Alex shoves the laptop away and walks over to the bathroom door. Alex's runs her fingers down the door like it's Dean's chest, wet, smooth skin under her fingertips, that mouth moving over hers, kissing her. Oh god she wanted him, bad. Dean pulls the door open, and stops when he realises Alex is right there, inches away. He slowly towels his hair dry, then stops when he sees the look on her face. Alex is right there, her cheeks flushed, breathing hard, eyes dilated and fixed on his mouth. Dean hesitates, then looks at her...
"Alex, stop. Think of Sam, think of Bobby, think of...cleaning weapons...fixing the truck. Come on Alex, not like this." He breathes softly, pleading with her.
Alex takes a deep breath and then another one, her eyes snap up to his eyes for a second she looks like she's going to cry, then her face changes, her jaw sets and she swallows.
"You're still wet. Don't get a chill you'll make the fever worse."
Alex pivots on her heel and walks over to the table and sits down, she sticks her elbows on her knees and buries her face in her hands. Dean watches her for a second; now sure she's pretty close to tears and towels his hair. His voice is very soft and hesitant when he finally speaks.
"You okay?"
"I'm trying. I feel like an animal."
They both jump at the knocking on the door. Alex jumps up and grabs her pistol and then checks the peephole and opens the door a bit. Sam and Bobby are on the other side, paper bags in hand. Sam holds up a paper bag and smiles.
"Lunch anyone?"
Bobby finishes his fries and wipes his hands on a paper napkin then leans back in his chair and looks closely at Dean and Alex.
"So...Sam's been filling me in. How are you two doing? You look okay to me."
Dean glances over at Alex, they catch each other's eyes for a second before Dean looks back at Bobby. He looks over at the stack of papers and grabs the list of symptoms and hands it to him.
"We're coping, but just barely. We tried to break it down give you guys something to look for. Here."
Dean hands Bobby the sheet of paper with notes about nymphs, sirens, the time-line of symptoms on it. Bobby quickly reads through it, then raises his eyebrows as he gets to the bottom of the list.
"Are you two serious? Hallucinations? Like what?"
Alex blushes red, folds arms across her chest and looks at Dean, who is looking uncomfortable also. He glares at her, she glares back at him.
"Well I can't tell him." She grumbles.
"Well, you're going to have to because I'm not. At least you can whisper it in his ear, I'm not going there sister."
Bobby looks between the two of them fighting like two kids, the tension jumping between the two of them. Sam looks at them and frowns.
"What about me? Will somebody tell me?" Dean and Alex both turn to Sam in unison and growl at him.
"Shut up Sam!"
Bobby tosses the paper down on the table on top of the plastic food trays and glares at the two of them.
"Alex, just tell me! We don't have time for this, crap!"
Alex glares at Dean, stands up, then grabs Bobby's shirt and pulls him closer to her. She whispers in his ear about the sex fantasies they both seem to be having, as she talks his eyes get wider, his mouth falls open. She lets go of his shirt and stands there and looks at him.
"You're serious? I kind of thought that was going on since you two met!"
Alex's mouth falls open and she blushes a deep red color and she spins away from him, pacing around the room again.
"What! NO! Certainly not! What is that suppose to mean? This isn't a joke! All the victims have died of a heart attack or a stroke!"
Bobby at least blushes slightly red, and glares at her from his chair at the table.
"Well I'm just saying! No need to get huffy. Sam and I are going to head out to the other houses tonight. Sal didn't have anything much but she said she's ask around. In the mean time order a movie, watch TV, relax, have a nap, read a book, take a cold shower, take lots of cold showers. And if anything new starts happenin' call us, right away! Got it?"
Its dark out, the lamps cast a warm yellow glow around the room. Dean is lying on his back in the bed, his eyes closed. There is a rhythmic thumping sound, like a headboard on against a wall that thumps through the room. He takes a deep breath then opens his eyes and looks over towards Alex's bed. Alex is nowhere to be seen.
"Alex, what the hell are you doing?" he growls.
Alex is on her back on the floor, her toes stuck under the bed, doing sit-ups at a crazy pace.
"I'm doing sit-ups, push-ups hurt my arm too much." She gasps; sweat running down her face, her t-shirt is stained with sweat. Dean talks to the ceiling bored and frustrated.
"Why are you doing sit-ups?"
"So I'll get tired." She gasps, still doing sit-ups.
"Okay, but you have a fever; it's not good to exercise like that when you have a fever."
"Ya, well, screw it. I can't just sit here anymore, it's driving me nuts. I haven't even gone for a run today."
Alex stops, sweating, breathing heavy, lays on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. Then she jumps up and digs through her bag. She pulls out a roll of heavy duct tape and a long yellow glove and yanks it on her right hand, then tapes it to her arm. Dean's watching her, eyes go big, he sits up on the bed and watches her. The look on his face says everything, she's gone completely off her rocker if she thinks he's got any intention of playing those kind of sex games.
"Ahhh, Alex. I don't know what kind of weird hallucination you're having now but I don't do that...ever..."
Alex freezes and looks at her arm, then at Dean. The look on her face is almost funny, till she gets mad at him.
"What? EWWWW! Dean that's sick! You pervert! I need a shower and I can't get these stupid bandages wet."
Dean relaxes for a second, then lies back down on the bed and breathes a sigh of relief.
"Ohhh! Good! I mean that's too weird even for me."
Alex shakes her head at him, then stomps into the shower and slams the door grumbling at him as she goes.
"I don't know whether to be happy you won't do it or disturbed that you'd even think of that."
Dean laughs at the comment and tries to get a grip on the ideas that are popping into his head. The shower starts running, and Dean relaxes on the bed, he closes his eyes and drifts his head faintly throbbing. Several minutes later, he hears the door open, his eye lids flutter, a cloud of steam and scent wafts across the bed over him. He takes a deep sniff and smiles faintly.
"Ummm, what is that? Vanilla and cinnamon...again."
"Spiced vanilla, it's called spiced vanilla. Easy big fella, stay put."
Dean slowly opens his eyes and rolls his head in the direction of her voice...she's standing at the dresser dressed in her t-shirt and jeans.
"Not like I can go anywhere else...god you smell good."
Alex smiles and digs through her duffel bag, then yanks off the glove and tape. She makes a huge pile of gauze, ointment, bandages on the dresser then glances over to him on the bed. She hits a button on the radio, the old cassette player jumps and a tinny version of Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" whines out of the speakers.
"Can you come help me with this; it's hard to get off."
Dean groans faintly from the bed, a tone of desperation in his voice when he answers her.
"Oh god, please don't take anything off."
Alex laughs and smiles at him in the mirror and holds up her bandaged arm.
"Relax. Despite my best efforts I got the bandage wet and I need it off, quick. Water's bad right now."
Dean jumps up and grabs a handful of stuff and dumps it on the table, then closes her laptop and shoves the files over and makes space for the medical supplies. He arranges the chair and sits down, Alex sits opposite him, her knees slide in between his so she can get as close as she can to him. She holds her arm out and starts rolling the sleeve off. It's tight and the material is stiff and she winces when it pulls. Dean grabs her hand and moves it. He holds her hand in his for a second then sets it down on his leg. With both hands he rolls the stiff elastic sleeve down and off her arm. He cuts the gauze and tape off, and then carefully lifts it off her skin. The skin graft is smooth and pink, greasy looking, little lumpy underneath. Dean takes a breath and looks down at her arm, guilt rolls through him for a second. Alex watches his face and looks down at her arm.
"It's not your fault. We're hunters Dean, we get hurt. It happens. You didn't force me to take on a gang of vamps, I did it."
Dean glances up at her and smirks, then tosses the old bandages into the garbage can.
"I was responsible. You got hurt on my watch. That's on me."
Alex rolls her eyes at him, frustrated and leans in closer to him, her temper rising. He was so pigheaded and stubborn sometimes it drove her nuts.
"You're not responsible for everything, okay. We have to be equals if this is going to work, you can't take responsibility for everything, and I have a mind of my own. I'm not a child."
"I know you're not a child. I just want you to be as safe as I can possibly keep you."
Dean pinches his lips together thinking and carefully smoothes a layer of ointment over her skin. He slowly wraps it up in gauze and tape, and then grabs the sleeve. Alex hesitates and then holds out her arm, when she talks it's through clenched teeth.
"Careful, this part usually hurts."
Dean nods and eases the elastic sleeve over her hand then up to her wrist, he carefully rolls it up. When he stops, his fingers stroke the skin on the inside of her elbow and he whispers to her.
"See didn't hurt a bit. Trust me."
Alex looks at him, she takes a breath and then realises she's been holding it. The radio clicks and one of her favourite Metallica songs starts. "Loverman" pulses through the room like a heartbeat. When she speaks it's hardly above a whisper.
"I do."
They sit looking at each other, Dean's eyes flicking to her lips, and watches her bite her lower lip for a second. He takes a deep breath at the thoughts running through his head, he had been trying so hard to keep them under control. Alex licks her lower lip and watches his mouth, wondering what it would feel like on hers. Dean swallows hard and blinks at her, breaking the spell for a second. They both stand up the same time and end up banging into each other. Alex gets knocked back into the table and wobbles as she loses her balance. Dean grabs her upper arms to steady her and pulls her against him. It was way too close; her body pressed up against him gave everything away. It was very apparent he wanted her, bad. They stop, their faces inches apart both breathing heavily. Alex's eyes flick to lips, and then she leans in and kisses him, her lips slowly slide over his, hesitant at first then harder. Dean groans in her mouth and slides his hand behind her head and crushes her lips against his. Alex kisses him back, softly moaning in response, her arms wrapping around his body to pull him closer. He's warm and hard, the scent of him fills her head, his mouth tastes like whiskey.
Alex's fingers hook in his belt loops and pulls his hips into hers. The motion bumps her back and the small table goes crashing to the floor. Files, gauze and the laptop fall into a pile across the floor. Dean swings her around, and pushes her back against the dresser, not breaking the kiss. He lets go of her, sweeps everything off the top with his arm into a thumping pile of guns, papers, and personal baggage. Alex's takes hold each side of his face and kisses him harder, desperate and hungry for him, her teeth drag across his lower lip before her tongue traces the outline of it and slips inside his mouth. He groans then grabs her by the waist, picks her up and sits her on top of the dresser. Dean's hands slide up from her waist, to her torso, then stops; he slowly pulls her tank top up. He waits for her to protest, forcing himself to go as slow as the fever will possibly let him. Their lips breaking apart long enough to pull her top off over her head. When Alex's hands mirror his, he knows there will be no turning back from this. She tugs his shirt off, her hands sliding over his bare back leaving a burning trail behind them.
They kiss, their lips crush together again, and Dean pulls her mouth to his, his tongue mating with hers in a dance that mirrors what their bodies will soon be doing. Her hands run over his back, then slide down to tug his hips closer to hers. Dean grabs her hips with both hands, and grinds into her, the layers of zippers and denim create little bumps and ridges that rub in exquisite torture. Alex moans in his mouth then wraps her legs around him and pulls him closer. Dean pulls her against him again, then impatiently tugs the button of her jeans apart, he yanks her to her feet and shoves them off over her hips. Her jeans fall around her feet in a heap and are quickly followed by Dean's.
Alex falls back on the bed, against the pillows, Dean crawls over her, his lips covers hers again, and he slowly kisses his way down her neck. His fingers hook her bra straps out of the way for his lips. Her eyes flutter shut and she bites her lower lip as his lips and tongue move lower. Alex's fingers tangle in his hair as Dean's head slips lower and she gasps when his lips close around her sensitive nipple, sucking it into his hot mouth. Her skins quivers under his fingers as the sensations intensify with the growing fever. Their skin burns hot and they move together, both oblivious to the danger they face, totally consumed by the fever. Months of pent up desire and frustration burst the fragile restrain they had managed to keep on themselves as their bodies fall into an age old rhythm.
Hours later Alex straddles Dean, she pins his hands above his head, then bites his lower lip and pulls back, and then grinds her hips onto him. Her eyes are intent on his face, glassy with fever and passion. He gasps, his eyes shut, his head pressed back against the pillow, she covers his mouth with hers, grinds down on him again as he moans and jerks beneath her, pouring himself into her once again. You should be dead, you should be completely finished, a small rational voice whispers in the back of his head. The thought quickly disappears when her muscles quiver around him again, they pull him in deeper and she moans in his ear. But I can't stop, he thinks, I can't make it stop. Later it's her turn to gasps in pleasure, reacting to Dean as he thrusts into her. He's behind her, his fingers dig into her hips and he pulls her against him. He leans forward and his teeth bite down on her neck, then moves to her ear, biting her earlobe. Alex quivers under him and gasps, then pushes back against him and moans as pleasure engulfs her.
Dean shifts over her, his back glistens with a dozen bloody nail marks and sweat, the muscles in his body clench and burn under the stress and exertion. The sheets are tangled in a forgotten heap on the floor around the bed; the pillows have gone missing long ago. He moves over Alex, her nails dig into his back to make another set of marks. Dean jerks, reacts to the sting and then bites her neck, leaving another set of bruises on her skin. Alex gasps and moans and drives her hips up to meet his, he drives back into her, making her gasp again. Her muscles scream in protest, the pain from his teeth adds to the pain as he muscles cramp up from dehydration and exertion. Desire drives her, and she moans through gritted teeth as the waves of pleasure hit again. Just one more time, this has to be the last, oh god, please make it stop, she thinks, I can't breathe.
Somewhere on the floor the light on Alex's cell phone is flashes indicating a call, it vibrates on the carpet, ignored, seconds later Dean's vibrates and buzzes, buried under the files and gauze. The Impala motors down the country road, Sam at the wheel, Bobby fidgets in the passenger seat beside him. Sam tosses the cell phone away and curses under his breath.
"I don't get it neither one of them are answering their phones. They never do that! Something is wrong; we should have never left them alone."
"I like it even worse now that we know what we're dealing with. We're so stupid, all of us! We've been so hung up on supernatural crap we can't even recognize the normal human stuff anymore. They're twitterpated!"
Sam glances over at Bobby and shakes his head at him, then turns back to the dark road ahead.
"Ya but Bobby, it's not normal. I mean not really."
Bobby looks hard at Sam, then back out the window of the car obviously frustrated at himself for missing the signs that had been there all along.
"Aroused is aroused Sam. There really aren't too many ways to measure it for degrees of..." he growls back.
Sam glances over to Bobby and thinks for a second.
"So how does that explain the rash? Maybe we're wrong."
"Easy, it's a heat rash. The fever is just them, being hot. The heavy breathing, sweating, all just ...being aroused."
Sam glances around at the road and shakes his head, desperate for a supernatural explanation to everything. There had to be something else they were missing, they couldn't have left Dean and Alex to themselves when they needed protecting.
"Hallucinations?" Bobby almost blushes at Sam and then grits his teeth.
"Come on Sam, those are just normal good old sexual fantasies. A little stronger than normal but..." he shrugs at the idea of it all, lost for another explanation.
"So why not us?"
"Because it only applies to couples. That's the way she works, she just takes what's already there and amps it up several notches."
Sam swings the car onto a side road and slows down coming up on Main Street, then swings onto the street.
"Dean is never going to believe this, Mother Nature. He's going to think we're both nuts."
"Ya, well the kicker is the grass, the trees, the flowers in bloom all way too early. The weather here is way too warm for early spring, that's just her way I guess. She's probably making up for the Apocalypse mess."
Sam fumbles around for the cell phone and tries to dial again; he gets the busy signal then Dean's voice mail again. the cell phone gets tossed back on the seat.
"I just wish Dean would pick up. Do you think something happened?"
Bobby smirks at the scenery passing by and then glances over to Sam.
"Well I've got a pretty good idea of what it is. Those two have been dancing around each other for months now; it's about time they did something. You wouldn't think Dean would be one to hesitate about getting a girl in the sack."
Sam glances over to Bobby and stops and the red traffic light.
"You know as well as I do Alex isn't just another girl."
Bobby grunts from the seat. The traffic lights switch and Sam swings onto the road, and then quickly pulls into the motel parking lot. He parks beside Alex's big old truck and jumps out with Bobby close behind him. They knock at Alex's door but are met with silence. There's no answer, Sam knocks again, panic spreading through him. Bobby's eyebrows go up. Sam tries the doorknob, it's unlocked and the door swings open revealing chaos. The table is flipped over, files and laptop still on the floor, the dresser is trashed, everything on the floor, clothes everywhere.
Sam steps hesitantly into the room his stomach churning at the thought his brother and Alex might be already dead. No, no, no, please not that, we've been through so much, not that way, I shouldn't have left them alone. Bobby follows close behind, and peeks around the room divider. The whole room is trashed; both beds messed up, one bed occupied. Dean is lying face down on the bed, his scratched up back partially visible from under the sheets. Alex's face is partially visible under his shoulder. Sam stops not wanting to go any further; positive he's looking at two bodies. Bobby moves beside Sam and looks surprised, then glances at Sam. Bobby hesitates then yells.
"Dean, Dean! Dean wake up!"
A faint groan comes from the bed, Sam lets out his breath visibly relaxing. Dean shifts on the bed, Alex's eyes flutter a bit, and she takes a breath. Dean rolls over onto his back, squints and trying to focus on who is in the room. Alex shifts with him, blinks awake and then pulls the sheets and blankets up over them both. Bobby's lips twitch, then he bursts into a huge silly grin and he looks at Sam.
"Okay then. They're both alive. I'm going to leave now before my eyes burn out of their sockets. Meet you back in your room."
Bobby leaves the room and shuts the door behind him on the way out. Sam picks up Dean's cell phone off the floor and tosses it on the bed beside him. Dean rubs his face and then grabs the phone.
"What time is it?" he groans, slurring his words together into one long word.
Sam smiles faintly and then shoves his hands in his jacket pockets, happy beyond belief they were both okay. He fumbles for his words, not sure if they needed something or if he should just bolt out the door like Bobby had done. He tosses a couple of pillows up on the bed and then adds the blankets.
"Seven twenty-five. Are you guys...you know...okay?"
Dean shifts in the bed, wincing when his back comes into contact with the sheets; he pulls the blanket around them and glances over at Alex.
"Throw me a bottle of water and go. We'll be fine." He grumbles. Sam smirks and then tosses Dean a couple of water bottles from the floor, then steps around the piles of stuff and slips out the door. The lock clicks into place and Dean hands Alex a bottle. Her hands shake as she undoes the cap and takes a long drink.
The radio switches songs and an old Gordon Lightfoot song starts, "If You Could Read My Mind Love" Dean blinks then turns to look at Alex lying beside him. She blinks and frowns faintly, then looks away from him and stares at ceiling. She caps the water and drops it on the bed beside her and then rubs her face with her shaking hands.
"Feel like supper?" he asks softly.
Alex drops her hands and shakes her head at him, blinks harder then rolls over on her side, away from him. Dean hesitates for a second then rolls up on his side and runs the tips of his fingers over her scarred back.
"You okay?" he whispers, desperate to break through the silence. It had all gone wrong, this isn't what he wanted, but it was too late to fix it and he didn't know how.
Alex shakes her head at him, 'no' but doesn't move. Dean sighs and runs his hand down her arm. His gut twists a little at her reaction and a horrible thought suddenly occurs to him.
"Alex...at least tell me I didn't hurt you." He whispers, his voice cracking a bit at the thought of it. He was supposed to keep her safe, he wanted her to trust him, he needed her to trust him but she was pulling away from him.
Alex squeezes her eyes shut, tears roll out and down her face to drip off the bridge of her nose. She struggles to retain some composure, her voice wobbles when she finally manages to speak.
"You didn't hurt me, not at all. It's what we both wanted. It's just...not the way..."
Alex stops; she struggles with her emotions for a second. It's not the way I wanted us to do this. I wanted it to be us, not some monster putting a spell on us. I wanted you to do it because you cared about me, not because you were horny. I wanted to be special to you, not just another girl. The last thought twists like a knife through her, hurts her more than any real blade ever could have. You'll never be special to him, to anybody, you'll always be expendable, and that's what you are. The horrible little voice echoes through her head, it had been gone for so long, it had tormented her on the rack, reminding her that nobody was ever coming for her. Nobody wanted her. She had started to feel like she had a family again, like somebody cared, believed in her. It would be gone now, he would push her away and protect himself from getting hurt, being vulnerable, and it would just be sex for him. You love him. The horrible little voice tormented her. You've loved him forever. He would never find out she really felt about him, she could do that, she could save herself that torment. Alex slowly slides out of the bed dragging the sheet with her. She swallows hard, refuses to look at him and then sets her mask firmly in place; it would keep her strong and safe. Don't let them see how much they hurt you. Don't give him the chance to hurt you. You kill things; you're a killer, that's what you are, that's all you'll ever be.
"I think I'll take a shower..." she says, her voice flat and emotionless. Dean watches her disappear into the bathroom and listens to the shower start. He stays there a second longer and watches the door before he lies back against the pillows.
"Awwww Shit!" he breathes. He punches the bed beside him, then rubs his face with his hand.
Dean tossed his bags into the Impala and glances at Bobby and Sam standing beside Bobby's car at the other end of the parking lot. He looks sad and upset for a second, then puts on a cheerful face then joins Bobby and Sam over beside Bobby's car. Alex's truck is nowhere to be seen. Dean shoves his hands in his pockets and looks very pleased with himself.
"Bobby, you sure you don't mind Sam and me heading back to your place when we're done? Might not be for a week or two."
"Nope, you're welcomed any time. Alex and I have some catching up to do anyway. We never did get our visit in. I'm sure I can keep her occupied till you get back, besides half the week is going to be spent running up to Rapid City to get her arm checked. You two talk about anything else that needs to be checked?"
Dean frowns at Bobby, then glances at Sam, then back to Bobby, he's confused at the question and the underlying connotations Bobby seems to be hinting at.
"Ahhh, no. Bobby I have no idea what you're talking about"
Bobby's eyebrows go up in surprise and he glances at Sam for a second before staring down Dean.
"Ahhh, hate to pop your bubble there smiley, but Sam and I were talking. The odds aren't in exactly your favour right now."
Dean looks between them still confused, he shoves his hands in his jacket pockets and glares at them both, his temper rising. He was in no mood for playing silly games.
"What odds? Odds on what?"
He looks between Bobby and Sam and waits for the explanation. Sam pinches his lips together and looks at Bobby then starts patiently explaining to Dean.
"Ahhh, Dean, you and Alex were just ahhh, mojo'd by the most powerful fertility goddess ever, and you spent...ahhh what? Four hours having unprotected sex. Not good Dean."
Dean's face changes, a variety of emotions flickers over it, he gets it now. His cheerful fake face falls for a second and he looks around the parking lot as he gathers his emotions. His guts twist again at the thought of what they were hinting at, the last thing he needed right now was that, added to the guilt he was already feeling. He had obviously hurt her, and the idea he had hurt her and got her pregnant...not that way.
"That's not... I never... But she... Son-of-a-bitch! You guys just...! Shut up Sam! Get in the damn car!"
Dean stomps off; yanks the car door opened and climbs into the driver's seat, then slams it shut. He smacks the steering wheel hard with his hand and swears under his breath. He wanted to pound something with his fist but he knew that would only have Sam asking more questions than he was ready to answer. He wanted a drink, he wanted to be completely stupid drunk so he would stop thinking, stop trying to figure out how to fix it. It was broken, she was gone, and things would never be the same again.
'Well that went better than I thought. Now I guess that just leaves Alex." Bobby grumbles, watching Dean in the Impala. Sam winces a little and looks back at Dean. There was something else bugging his brother. When Dean didn't know he was watching him earlier he caught this look of pain on his face, and Alex just up and leaving as soon as she could, something was up. He turns back to Bobby and watches his face.
"How you think she's going to take it?"
"Oh she's gonna kick my ass. Call me Sam; let me know how he's doing. I'll keep you posted on my end, if I can still work the phone. See you in a week or so"
Sam smacks Bobby on the shoulder and laughs, then heads over to the car and climbs in. Bobby watches them drive off, shaking his head at the two of them, then climbs in his car and drives off the other way. The boys drive in silence for a few minutes, then Sam sighs and looks at Dean.
"Are you going to tell me what else happened?"
"Who's to say something happened?" Dean snaps back at him, not taking his eyes off the road. Sam sighs and looks back out the window at the passing scenery. It was always this way with Dean, he would talk about anything but how he was feeling, even when it was obvious he was hurting.
"Was it that bad?" Sam asks. Dean jerks the car onto the shoulder and slams on the brakes. Sam grabs the dash and barely keeps his face from bouncing off it, before he has time to think Dean reaches around and grabs him by the jacket and yanks him up into his face.
"Don't ever...ever ask me that again!" he yells. Dean pushes him away and releases his jacket, then smacks the steering wheel with his hand again. Sam sits stunned for a second, wondering what could have possible happened to make Dean act this way. He watches Dean, then a cold feeling curls in his stomach and rises up in his throat when the though hits him.
"Dean, you didn't rape her did you?" he whispers. Dean shakes his head at Sam and looks out the driver's window.
"I might as well have. It wasn't us Sam. It was whatever magic or mojo or whatever it was that did it. If it would have been any other girl I wouldn't have cared, not really. But that's not what I wanted for her. Not like that."
Sam sighs and glances over at him, the muscle in Dean's jaw twitches under the skin, and his hands grip the steering wheel so hard his knuckles are white.
"Dean..." Sam starts, Dean shoots him a look and then turns back to look out of the windshield.
"Shut up Sam, just don't say anything else. Not now." He growls, turning the key in the ignition.