Slight detour in this chapter but don't worry, the search for the medallion starts up next chap, I promise. I don't know any Spanish and just used an online dictionary so I apologize for any mistakes in the Spanish in this chapter. Also, remember this is set halfway through season 4 so Dean and Cas are still developing their 'profound bond' – there are still some trust issues there (this is shortly after the first Anna episode).
CHAPTER 2 - Now We're Indiana Jones?
"So what, now we're Indiana Jones?" Sam scowled at his brother when he had finished relaying the exchange with the angel.
Dean just grinned.
"How is this medallion used to open a seal? Sam asked between mouthfuls of his Twinkie as they barreled south along the highway.
"I dunno. Cas didn't say." Dean replied without waiting for the 'between mouthfuls'.
Sam let out a huff in frustration. "So that's all he said? 'Unparalleled importance' and 'keep it safe'?"
Dean shrugged. "It's an olive branch, Sam. At least they're not pissed at us anymore."
"Since when are you all Team Angel?" Sam asked his brother suspiciously. It had been less than two months since the angels had been instructed to kill Anna simply because she had made a choice for herself. "What, now you're all Employee of the Month again?"
Dean took another bite of his junk food snack, not answering for a few seconds. "Look, I'm not sayin' the angels are perfect... but we got a common goal here. I don't agree with the way they do things but this is war and we gotta choose a side. N' theirs is a damn site better than the other choice."
Sam couldn't argue with that. "Alright," he conceded, "but we go in with our eyes open."
Dean's reply was interrupted by his cell phone ringing, the opening chords of Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water wailing from his pocket. With one hand holding his chocolate bar, he skillfully steadied the steering wheel with his knee while his other hand dug around for his cell.
"It's not a hands-free state," he grumbled indignantly in answer to Sam's reproachful look.
"Blocked call." He read his phone's display screen aloud then shrugged and answered it anyway. "Hello?…. Yeah, this is Dean. Who's this?….." His eyes lit up. "Hey! Didn't figure I'd ever hear from you again…. Oh, no shit….. In Texas? Bad place to get pinched, man…. As a matter of fact, I have. In Green River County Detention Center. Was in less than a week... Wasn't so bad. Sammy here didn't like it much though." Dean laughed and threw an amused look at his little brother.
Sam was curious to know who Dean was talking to. "Who is it?" he mouthed to his brother, who ignored him, still laughing into the phone. The conversation seemed to revolve around jail for a minute, even further piquing Sam's interest. He repeated his question out loud and was finally acknowledged by Dean pressing the speaker button on his phone.
Sam recognized the voice right away as that of Josh Brenton, a self-proclaimed 'part-time hunter' who traveled with his sister, Alex. Sam and Dean had met the very likeable siblings last October in Indiana. They had been hunting a Celtic god of revenge that turned out to be a particularly powerful foe and the Brentons had helped the Winchesters more than once during the hunt.
Josh and Alex had been living off the grid using fake ID's for several years now and it sounded to Sam like he had been arrested.
"…cellmate's not bad but chow in here sucks!" Josh was saying through the phone's speaker.
"I hear ya," Dean replied with a chuckle, speaking more loudly now. "Don't get me wrong, dude, I'm happy to hear from ya, but why are you calling me now?" he asked bluntly. "You guys cut off your phones the day after we saw you last and we haven't heard a peep from you since."
They could hear Josh sigh. "I hate to trouble you," he said apologetically, "but I need a favour and I have nobody else I trust to get this done. It's my sister."
"She alright?" both Winchesters asked in unison. The brothers had liked the Brentons, both Josh and Alex, and were genuinely concerned for the younger of the two.
"Hey Fiver! That you I hear?" Josh laughed through the phone at the sound of Sam's voice. "Last I saw you, you were so drunk the walls were holding you up."
Sam rolled his eyes at the tease and the nickname. Ex-surfer Josh had called him everything but Sam during the few days the Winchesters had spent with him. This particular nickname, Fiver, was a after a rabbit in Watership Down that had death visions, much like Sam once had. Josh had overheard a conversation between the Winchesters about Sam's psychic abilities and had later pressed Sam for details. Sam had confessed his visions only, not mentioning the more recent powers that he had secretly been practicing with Ruby. Josh and his sister were on the very short list of people who knew that the yellow-eyed demon had dripped his blood into baby Sam's mouth.
"Yeah, I'm here," Sam replied, ignoring Dean's guffaw at the memory of drunk Sam.
"Don't worry, Lexie's fine as far as I'm aware," Josh elaborated. "She hasn't been picked up by the cops, anyway. But she's being her usual stubborn self and I'm kinda worried about her. I think she's planning on doing something stupid."
"She's not going to try break you out is she?" Sam asked with concern. That was not a good idea.
Josh laughed again. Good to see even prison hadn't dampened the affable man's sense of humour. "She's a bit reckless, kid, not stupid. Nah, I got word from one of the guards here that she was pressing him for information on who the big players are in here. I think she's going to pay a visit to the family of one of them and try to, I dunno, buy me some protection on the inside or something." He was no longer laughing. "I know it sounds insane but she's stubborn and just crazy enough to do it."
"I don't think that sounds so crazy," Sam defended. Federal prison was not a good place for someone like Josh - who looked the way Josh did, all blue eyes and white teeth and dimples. Someone who may have taken years of martial arts classes but didn't know how to street-fight.
Dean gave Sam a disapproving look, obviously agreeing with Josh.
"I'm fine," Josh continued. "This place sucks and yeah, I'll admit I've already been in the infirmary once, but I'll be fine. I can't call her and I need you guys to find her and convince her I'm okay and that I don't need her help. And make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. She's kinda soft on you two so who knows, she may actually listen to you."
Dean shook his head and rolled his eyes, but Sam could tell he had already made up his mind to help Josh out.
"Why can't you just call her?" Sam asked, still speaking loudly into the speaker phone.
"The cells we had were on a family plan," Josh explained with a snort, clearly annoyed with himself for the amateur oversight. "When I got picked up I had mine on me and my uncle showed up and got the cops to trace hers. He tried to pick her up at the motel but apparently she got away but she ditched the phone. So now I have no way of contacting her. Uncle Bryce has a lot of pull with some pretty influential people and he's all over me trying to find her. I'm pretty sure he's the one who got me banned from making phone calls. I've got the guard who spoke to Lex to thank for this one call off the books."
"Uncle Bryce... is that the psychiatrist uncle that's been trying to put Alex away?" Dean asked, remembering that she had admitted to him that her uncle wanted to have her committed to his psychiatric hospital, believing the monster that was after her to be a figment of her imagination. It was this uncle who had issued a warrant for her involuntary confinement in a psychiatric facility. It was breaking Alex out of a facility when she was seventeen that had earned Josh an outstanding warrant for his arrest and the reason the pair had been on the run for the last eight years from the law as well as the stalker-monster that had been terrorizing Alex since childhood.
"Yeah, that's the uncle. He means well, but he just doesn't understand the consequences for Lex if she was trapped in some facility and not able to run."
"So you get one call and you call us?" Dean joked. "You are seriously hurtin' for friends."
Josh laughed half-heartedly and the brothers could hear the echo of voices in the background. "I know it's not your usual gig but I figured if anyone would understand my dilemma, it would be you, Dean."
"Yeah, I get it," Dean replied with a pointed look at Sam. "I know too well what a pain in the ass little siblings can be."
"How are we supposed to find her if you don't know where she is?" Sam asked, ignoring the jibe from Dean.
"The top dog in my block is a gang thug from San Antonio named Carlos Mendoza. I'm pretty sure she's gonna go see his old lady to make some kind of deal. I was thinking you could probably catch her at his place. He's a hard core drug dealer, man. I can't have her walking around in the middle of his turf." There was a pause. "I'm sorry to ask this of you guys. I really appreciate it."
"No sweat," Dean assured him quickly. "We're driving right by there anyway on the way to our next gig."
"Thanks. Can you make sure she gets her new ID's and maybe check in on her from time to time 'til I get out? Just the odd phone call's all I'm asking, make sure Red-Eyes hasn't caught up with her." The Winchesters could hear the worry in his voice when it hitched at the name of the supernatural creature that had been stalking Alex since childhood.
"Yeah, of course," Sam chimed in, simultaneously throwing a look at Dean that said San Antonio was definitely not on their way.
"This means that Desert Eagle of yours is mine fair and square, then," Dean bartered, remembering how he had won the gun from Josh in a poker game then lost it back in a bet but hadn't had a chance to return it before the Brentons had taken off, speeding away in their SUV to get away from Red-Eyes.
"Like I was going to get it back anyway," Josh retorted. "Bro, you do this for me and I will totally owe you. Oh, and one more thing Romeo, I'm asking you to take care of my sister, not take care of her," he warned in only partial jest. This comment, Sam noted with amusement, was directed squarely at Dean.
"I would never!" Dean replied indignantly, giving Sam a sly wink. Josh's sister was undeniably a pretty girl.
"Where are you guys now?" Josh asked. "How soon can you be in Texas?"
"We're in Colorado," Sam answered. "If we drive most of the night, we can be in San Antonio by tomorrow afternoon, so that's Sunday."
"That's good, you should be able to catch her then. She won't have access to any big chunk of money until Monday." His voice got muffled for a few seconds, as if speaking to someone else while holding the phone to his chest. "Look, I gotta get going," he said quickly back into the phone. "Thanks again guys. I owe you."
The line went dead. Dean flipped his phone closed and looked over at Sam. "What exit do we take for San Antonio?"
"What about Castiel's job?" Sam asked the obvious question.
"This'll take a day, tops," Dean waved his hand in the air, dismissing Sam's concern. He spoke confidently but the angel's words repeated silently in his head, bringing a pang of doubt. So tell me Dean, can I trust you? "We find Alex, tell her not to be so stupid, and we're back on our way," he told his brother confidently. He wasn't going to let anyone down this time. Not Josh, not Alex, and not Castiel.
Sam snorted. "Yeah, 'cause she's not pigheaded or anything when it comes to her brother."
Dean nodded his agreement. "No shit. What the Hell is she thinking?"
"Actually, I can understand what she's doing," Sam again defended Josh's younger sister. "She's trying to look out for her family in any way she can. You older brothers don't have a monopoly on worrying, you know."
Dean just rolled his eyes, fighting the smile that was tugging at the corners of his mouth as he steered the Impala towards the exit south.
SPN-SPN-SPN
With a couple of phone calls and an internet search, Sam easily found the address to the gang member's house, a dilapidated two-storey in a very low-income part of town. They sat outside watching for Alex and, as the time dragged by, Dean grumbled continuously about the safety of the Impala being parked in this neighbourhood.
"Nothin's gonna happen to the car while we're sitting in it," Sam argued with exasperation. "You realize most people would be worried about themselves, not their car," he added.
Dean snorted. "If we can take on demons and wendigos, I think we can handle a couple of gang bangers, Sam."
"They've got guns, you know. You've been killed before by a thug with a gun."
"That doesn't count," Dean defended. "That was the Trickster's doing. If he hadn't been putting his mojo into the mix, I would have just disarmed the guy and sent him on his way."
Sam didn't bother arguing with his brother any further. Dean was generally impatient and it wasn't unusual for him to get bored and in turn snippy on stake-outs, especially when he was hungry. Since his return from the pit, however, Dean had taken an even stronger dislike to quiet times where they had nothing to do. Particularly quiet times where Sam was within watching distance and he wasn't able to slip a few swigs from the whiskey bottle he always had tucked inside his jacket. Sam had called Dean out on the drinking issue a couple of times but after his brother had opened up and admitted that four months up here had been forty years for him in Hell, Sam just didn't have the heart to harass him about downing a few too many shots of whiskey to cope.
"Hey," Sam tapped his brother's sleeve and pointed down the street where a blue Ford Bronco was parallel parking. "Check it out."
The brothers watched as a girl about Sam's age with elbow-length blonde hair exited the driver's side, crossed the road, and started walking back towards the Mendoza house. They got out of the car and waited for her to get a bit closer.
"Hey, Sunshine!" Dean called over to her, using the teasing nickname he had given her back in Indiana.
She looked up sharply to see who had yelled and her eyes widened as they fell on the Winchester brothers. Dean was leaning casually against the Impala driver's door while Sam strolled around the front of the car to join him. A huge grin appeared on her face and she changed course quickly, jogging back over the street towards them.
"Oh my God!" she squealed in delight as she reached them, giving Dean a hug, which he returned enthusiastically, throwing his brother a cheeky grin over the blonde's shoulder as he squeezed her tightly. She let go to give the same greeting to Sam, who returned the hug in a far gentler manner. Both Winchesters couldn't help but grin at her obvious glee to see them.
"Well, if it isn't Bo and Luke!" she laughed, struggling with herself to resist giving them each another hug. "And the General," she added, patting the hood of the Impala fondly. "What are you guys doing here? A hunt?"
"Uh, yeah, of sorts," Dean replied with a snort. "We're hunting an irrational little sister who's being an idiot and getting mixed up with a dangerous gang."
Alex's smile disappeared and she frowned at Dean. "Did my brother send you?" she accused, hands landing on her hips. Before he could answer though, another thought struck her. "Oh! That means you talked to him! How is he? I haven't talked to him since he was arrested and it's been over two weeks. I've been going crazy."
"He's fine, Alex," Sam tried to convince her. "That's why we're here. Whatever you're planning on doing, you don't need to. He assured us he's fine."
"No he isn't!" Alex snapped. "He's just being Josh and saying he is, but he isn't. I spoke to one of his guards and he's already had the shit kicked out of him and ended up in the infirmary."
"That always happens in the first week in the joint," Dean reassured her, remembering his tousle with Tiny. "It's probably over now that the hierarchy's been established. Don't ever tell him I said so, but your brother can handle himself. He'll be fine now."
"He's not and you know it, Dean," she argued, eyes ablaze. "Admit it; he's way too much of a pretty-boy to be in prison."
Dean snickered at her comment, remembering the many times he had teased Josh for that very thing. But the mirth didn't last and neither Winchester tried to argue with her any further. No matter how tough Josh may be, the truth was he was going to have a hard time of it in a federal prison. At the very least, he was going to get his ass kicked a few more times. Probably a lot worse.
A thought occurred to Alex. "How did Josh know what I was going to do?"
"A guard told him," Sam answered.
"What?" she huffed indignantly. "I suffered through three hours of excruciatingly dull dinner conversation with that bore and he went and ratted me out?"
"What are you planning on doing here anyway?" Dean asked, gesturing towards the house. During the hours he and Sam had been parked there, a number of unsavoury characters had come and gone from the dwelling.
"Well, me being a girl and all kinda means the Michael Schofield play's out," she said with playful sarcasm. Both Winchesters remained standing with their arms folded over their chests staring at her. "Okay, listen, the guy who owns this house is the big bad ass on Josh's cell block," she explained. "I'm just gonna go talk to his wife, offer her some cash to get her husband to look out for my brother. That's all. I promise."
Dean and Sam hesitated, trying to think of how to best convince her that this wasn't a good idea. Her next words, however, changed their minds and they both simultaneously decided to go along with it, for her sake as much as her brother's.
"He's in there because of me," she said, speaking far more quietly. "The warrant on him was for breaking me out of my Uncle Bryce's psychiatric facility years ago. Of course, he couldn't get bail because of the fake ID's he had on him, you know, flight risk and all that. Obviously I couldn't go to the hearing, but my uncle showed up and convinced the judge to offer Josh a deal. If he turned me in, they would let him off with probation only. I got a hold of the transcripts. He turned it down flat. Repeatedly." She looked pleadingly at the brothers. "Please don't try to stop me because I need to do this for him. I need to do something."
Sam and Dean both understood guilt and every Winchester knew a thing or two about sacrifice for a loved one.
Dean sighed. "Well, you ain't goin' in there alone," he told her, his hand instinctively tapping the Colt .45 tucked in the back of his pants as a subconscious confirmation it was still there.
Alex frowned. "Uh, I dunno, Dean. This guy is apparently high up in the gang and there might be some gang members in the house."
"All the more reason we're comin' in with you," the hunter said in an authoritative tone.
"You're not getting it. I'm less of a threat than you," Alex argued. "Things could turn ugly if I try to bring Sly and Arnie with me."
"Alex, you either let us come with you or nobody goes," Sam said firmly.
"We'll play nice," Dean added with a smirk. "We promise."
Alex knew there was no point in arguing. If she had learned anything about the Winchesters in the short time she had known them, it was that they were stubborn... and extremely handy to have around in a tight spot. "Okay but I do the talking." With that she spun on her heel and marched across the road, leaving Sam and Dean hurrying to catch up.
She knocked loudly on the front door and waited for a reply. A large, Hispanic man opened the main door and stood behind the screen without opening it. He looked surprised at finding Alex standing on the porch but stiffened warily at the sight of the two tall men behind her. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"I'm Alex Winfield," she answered, instinctively using a fake name in case this meeting ended badly. "My brother is in Fort Worth Prison with Carlos. I'm here to speak with Carlos' wife, Selena."
"Who are they?" The man jerked his head towards Sam and Dean.
Alex shrugged apologetically. "We're not from around here," she replied in a friendly tone. "These are my cousins, Biff and Cletis. They're just looking out for me."
Dean gave her an indignant glare but kept quiet. He was not used to letting someone else take point and found it especially offensive to be referred to as the muscle. Country bumpkin muscle at that.
"You can come in," the man said, looking appraisingly at Alex. "But your cousins, they stay outside." Dean took a step towards Alex, hooking his hand around her elbow, not sure if she was going to agree to the unacceptable terms or not but preparing to stop her if she did.
There came a woman's voice from behind the man. "Hector, quién es?"
The man turned to answer. "Uno belleza and her baboso cousins looking for you." He turned back to the three at the door with a sneer. "Dos gringos de aspecto tonto."
Dean thought it was probably a good thing he didn't understand Spanish.
A woman appeared next to the man. She was young, attractive and held a small toddler on her hip. She looked out at the three on her doorstep curiously. "You have to excuse my brother," she smiled, nodding her head towards the big man next to her. "He has no manners. What do you want with me?"
"My brother is in Fort Worth Federal Prison with your husband," Alex explained again. "Some of the inmates have taken a dislike to him and I was wondering if your husband could maybe look out for him. I can pay for his help." She decided direct and to the point was the best approach.
Selena studied her for a moment, giving Sam and Dean a good look-over also before pulling open the screen door and nudging her brother out of the way, much to his obvious annoyance.
She put the toddler down and shooed him away as she directed them to the small, tidy living room. "Please, have a seat," she offered. Alex did so politely but Sam and Dean remained standing, not turning their back to Hector, who still stood in the kitchen, hands fingering a lump under his shirt that looked suspiciously like a gun. Selena looked nervously at the three men standing tensely behind them.
"They'll be fine," Alex assured her with a wave of her hand in the air, dismissing the tension. "Boys being boys. Let's get this arrangement decided quickly so I can get my two out of here."
Dean gritted his teeth at the comment and Sam let out a small huff of annoyance, but they let it slide, surprised at how well it seemed to work.
"Okay. What do you want me to do?" Selena asked, sitting on the couch across from the chair where Alex was seated.
"Simple. I know your husband has a lot of influence on the inside. You talk to him, get him to agree to look out for my brother. Carlos makes sure nobody lays a hand on him. Ever. And I'll pay you for every month that he stays unharmed."
Selena looked thoughtful. Though the living room was generally neat and obviously kept with some pride, there were a lot of toys around so it was likely she had two or maybe even three kids to raise. With a husband in jail only two years into a five year stretch, things had to be tight on the financial front. She seemed like a woman with dignity and Alex worried briefly that she had offended her with her bluntness.
"How much?" Selena asked after a moment's pause.
"My brother's in there for a maximum of six months. I can come up with five thousand a month plus an extra five thousand the day he walks out safely. I don't have cash; I'll give you post-dated checks. That's all I can possibly get my hands on, so don't try to change the deal or threaten him for more. No bonuses, no advances. And if he gets so much as a black eye, the check for that month will not clear, I promise you. I know some of the guards so trust me, I'll know right away if anything happens to him." Alex had obviously put a lot of thought into this plan. She was straightforward and delivered her terms quickly and clearly.
The woman's eyes had widened at the five thousand dollar figure Alex had thrown at her, it clearly being more than she had expected. "I'll have to send someone to see my husband to discuss it," she said hesitantly.
"Visiting hours are nine o'clock to noon tomorrow," Alex answered, having done her homework. "I'll expect an answer by one." She handed Selena a piece of paper. "Here's my phone number. Call me."
"Okay," the woman agreed, standing up quickly and taking the number as if to shoo Alex outside before she could change her mind. Alex took the hint and got up to leave also, giving Dean a quick, hopeful wink as she passed him on her way to the door. Sam moved with her, subconsciously maneuvering his bulk between her and Selena's brother. Dean waited for both of them to get to the door before turning his back on Hector, who was still standing in the kitchen with a look of disbelief on his face.
"Alejandra?" the woman called from the living room.
"Yes?" Alex stopped and turned around at the top step of the porch.
"Your brother, what's his name?"
"Joshua Brenton," she replied. "Oh, and I'd um... really rather he not find out about our deal," she added with a pleading look.
The woman laughed in understanding. "No pasa nada. You have my word."
When they reached the road, Alex turned to the brothers with a gratified look on her face. "I think this might actually work!" she grinned.
Sam had been impressed by her directness and her thoroughness to the details during her very one-sided negotiations. "I think you missed your calling, Alex. You should have been a lawyer."
"Lawyer?" Alex replied with a snort. "Boring! Can you imagine putting briefs together and all that legalese language crap." She looked up sharply at Sam and flinched. "Oh that's right - you were pre-Law at Stanford. Uh, no offense Matlock. Say, anyone up for supper?"
Sam laughed, remembering her tendency to change the subject quite abruptly whenever it suited her.
The mention of food started Dean's stomach growling. "Yes please!" he said with enthusiasm.
"Where are you staying?" Alex asked.
"We don't have a place yet. We just rolled into town this afternoon," Sam answered.
"I'm at Cecil's Motel. They've got vacancies and a diner. You two should grab a room there. It'll be just like old times," she grinned, "only no Brody!" And no Josh, she realized, but pushed the thought from her mind quickly, refusing to let it get her spirits down right now. The last two weeks had been downright miserable for her and the Winchester brothers showing up out of the blue felt like a godsend.
Sam looked at Dean. They had been driving all night again and could use some sleep - in a bed for a change instead of in the Impala. They should probably wait until tomorrow to get back on the road anyway. Besides, they had been hoping to run into the Brentons again at some point to get more information on Red-Eyes from them since they had made absolutely no headway on their own in finding and ganking the mysterious demon. They weren't going to waste this opportunity.
Dean gave him a nod of approval and Sam told Alex they'd meet her there. She practically skipped off towards the Bronco parked a few cars up.
"Thirty-five thousand dollars!" Dean exclaimed in disbelief as soon as she was out of earshot. "I figured she was gonna blow a couple of grand! If you ever gave away thirty-five thousand dollars to save me from a couple of beatings, I would whoop your ass, Sammy!"
Sam chuckled, surprisingly heartened by the familiar childhood nickname that he was hearing less and less from Dean these days. "If the husband agrees, she sure guaranteed Josh won't be left unwatched for even a second." He laughed. "He's gonna be pissed."
"I knew they had a little money put aside but if she can spend thirty-five grand on a deal like that, how much you think they have?" Dean asked him, looking thoughtful.
Sam just laughed at his brother's interest. "What does it matter, Dean?"
"Doesn't really," Dean admitted. "Just curious."
SPN-SPN-SPN
Sam and Dean got a room a couple of doors down from Alex's at Cecil's Motel, a fleapit even by Winchester standards. The diner, however, served a surprisingly tasty burrito and the three enjoyed a pleasant supper. Deciding there was nothing else they needed to be doing for the evening, Dean picked up a case of beer afterwards and the three sat on the mostly broken lounge chairs that were scattered around the empty pool. It was a warm night and the air was definitely fresher outside than in their stuffy rooms.
"I'll hand it to you, Lex," Dean joked, surveying the peeling paint and the rather scary looking brown puddle of rainwater in the pool while remembering the last dump Alex had recommended they stay at in Dayton. "You sure can pick the classiest vacation spots."
Alex just shrugged. "The skeevier the place, the fewer questions they ask."
"So you and Josh ended up in Texas after you split from Ohio?" Sam asked her.
"Nah, but close. We went to Albuquerque. We like to winter in the warmer climates," she said. "We tried this one winter in Vermont. Josh figured he'd snowboard, I mean, how different could that be from surfing, right? He broke his leg the first day on the slope and spent the next eight weeks hopping around the apartment, whining and driving me nuts so now we always make sure we're somewhere in the south come winter." It was strange how an unpleasant experience could seem funny in retrospect and she smiled at the memory.
"We have a New Year's tradition of making some phone calls," she added, "but we always drive at least one state away to avoid the calls being traced. We keep in touch with two old friends from California and can only really chance calling them once or twice a year."
"How'd Josh get arrested?" Dean asked.
"Bar fight," she shook her head disapprovingly. "It was so stupid. All those years we break into places, dig up graves, even carry guns around and we never get so much as a speeding ticket. Then some douchebag with a big mouth says the wrong thing and Josh goes stupidly overprotective and… I swear, my brother needs to learn the difference between harmless drunk-flirting and crossing-the-line vulgarity."
"He punch the guy?" Dean was nodding in apparent understanding and approval.
"Yeah, he has been known to be a little overprotective where I'm concerned."
"That he is," Sam laughed. "He practically threatened Dean warning him to behave."
Alex blushed furiously. "Oh my God, he didn't, did he? I swear, he thinks I'm still fourteen sometimes." She covered her eyes with a groan. "It's because you're hunters."
"Got a thing for hunters do you?" Sam teased.
"No, but let's just say Josh thinks I do. Well, okay, there was this one hunter," she conceded. "Colby. He traveled around with his dog in an old Mustang and he stayed with us for a few weeks waiting for Red-Eyes to show up. I'll admit, I was pretty smitten. More than smitten, even. Of course, I was also nineteen and stupidly naive."
"What happened?" Sam asked.
Alex blushed again. "Apparently I wasn't his type," she said, leaning back on the lounge chair. "Turns out he was into my brother instead. Like, really into him. Totally caught us off guard."
Dean nearly spat out his beer with laughter. "That's...hah... priceless. How did Dr. Phil not see that one comin'?" Dean remembered Josh had been particularly adept at reading people. In the few days they had hunted together in Indiana last year, he had seen through much of the veil that Dean kept pulled tightly around himself - an impressive but very unnerving skill.
"My brother can figure people out pretty well," Alex admitted, "but he has absolutely no gay-dar at all. In fact, when he first saw you two, he thought Sam might have been gay."
Dean snorted. "That's not so strange," he teased. "I've often thought that myself."
The three sat around the empty, derelict pool, sipping beer and chatting until well after dark. Feeling almost relaxed for the first time in a long time, Dean wandered over to the Impala to do the standard inventory of the trunk arsenal, still within earshot but leaving the younger two to gab amongst themselves for a spell.
"Where will you go next?" Sam asked, finding it much easier to keep the questions aimed at Alex this time round. The first time they had met, before he and Dean had found out about Alex's demon stalker, she had been impossible to get any information out of and he had ended up doing most of the sharing. Now he figured she was missing her brother tremendously because she was more than willing to share stories about him and the Brentons' past.
"I got a hold of Beacon." she answered. "He's the old friend in California that gets all our fake ID's for us."
Sam was reminded the Brentons weren't born into 'the life' and didn't fit the usual hunter profile. Hunters all knew how to set-up their own false identities, complete with insurance coverage for their frequent hospital visits.
"He's figuring he'll get me a Nashville ID this time round," Alex continued. "Josh doesn't really blend with the cowboys and refuses to live in Tennessee again so Beke and I thought I may as well hang there while he's...away." Her voice quietened at the last words, reminding her that her brother would be gone a while.
Sam noticed the change and tried to cheer her up. "You know, it's only six months. Maybe even less. Your brother'll be fine and he'll be out before you even know it."
"Yeah, I know." She didn't sound convinced.
"So you keep in touch with people from California?" Sam asked, a little surprised. The Brentons had made no effort to keep in touch with the Winchesters - actually they had deliberately cut ties - until Josh's call from jail. "You still think of there as home?"
Alex shook her head fervently. "Definitely not. I don't miss the days of having a permanent home at all. Home was always just the place Red-Eyes could find me. Truthfully, I like being on the road. I like moving around. I never really needed a 'where' to feel at home, ya know? Just a 'who'."
"You mean Josh."
"Yeah." She picked at the label on her beer bottle and sighed. "I feel lost, Sam. These past two weeks…. I've lived in twenty states in seven and a half years and this is the first time I've ever felt homeless." She looked sheepishly up at Sam. "I know, I'm twenty-five years old. That sounds pretty ridiculous, huh?"
Sam shook his head, stealing a glance over at Dean who was repacking the salt rounds and pretending he wasn't listening. "Not at all," he said softly, not wanting to embarrass Alex for a rare moment of sharing. "I used to always think I wanted a home, like a house or an apartment - more than anything. Then last year, Dean was away for a while... for like four months. I can honestly say no house or even the car would have ever felt like home with him gone." He glanced at his brother again, who was sitting sideways on the rear fender of the Impala, loading a 9mm spare clip and not looking up. "He's the only family I have left. So I agree with you a hundred percent. Home is family, not some semi-detached or a bungalow with a picket fence." Sam couldn't have told Dean this directly, but it felt nice to know his brother was hearing the words anyway.
"You guys split up for four months?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "What, did you have a fight?"
"No, no way. He was just, uh, on a different hunt," Sam explained quickly, getting a warning glance from Dean, who closed the trunk up and strolled back over to join them.
"Need more rock salt," he announced as he sat back down, effectively changing the subject.
Another hour and Sam found himself yawning. He had no idea how his brother was even still conscious. Dean had been running on fumes for almost two months, barely sleeping between hunts. But both he and Alex seemed wide awake now, having a very animated argument about where to find the best bacon double cheeseburger.
"You can't seriously think Carl's Jr. is better than Sonic!" Dean scoffed.
"Sonic's a grease pit! I swear Dean, your arteries must look like the Lincoln Tunnel at rush hour," she retorted. "You're a heart attack waiting to happen."
"I'm gonna turn in," Sam announced, stifling yet another yawn. "You guys stayin' up for a while?"
Alex looked over to Dean, hoping he wasn't leaving also. She had always hated being alone, especially at night, and had felt nothing but alone since Josh had been arrested. She liked both of the Winchester brothers immensely and was enjoying their company, even if they were only here for one day. She had four to six months of 'alone' to look forward to so she would gladly stay up all night chatting if they were willing.
As for Dean, he didn't want to sleep either but for entirely different reasons. He had done everything possible over the past months to try and avoid sleep. Time alone inside his head was not something he looked forward to and neither were the nightmares that still plagued him too often when he did finally fall asleep.
"I'm gonna stay up for a bit," he said.
Sam would have preferred his brother not keep drinking but at least he was smiling and laughing. That was a rare sound in the Winchesters' lives right now. It was becoming increasingly clear to Sam that Alex seemed to bring something out in Dean. Or give something to him, distraction, maybe an ounce of inner peace, even if it was temporary. The lines on his face slackened in her company and his smile actually reached his eyes. Sam had been having a harder and harder time finding any of the zest for life that his big brother had always exhibited, that 'never give up' and 'give 'em Hell' attitude the elder Winchester used to live by.
How I feel? This… inside me. I wish I couldn't feel anything, Sammy. I wish I couldn't feel a damn thing.
Those had been Dean's heart-wrenching words after explaining that he had suffered forty years of Hell, not four months. Dean was broken and tired and near-defeated and Sam felt helpless. Watching him this evening, he found himself hoping something would develop between him and Alex. Maybe she could help him in a way Sam seemed unable to.
She wasn't without baggage, sure, but when had Dean ever chosen an easy path? Dean needed something to make him look forward instead of anguishing over the past. He needed something to give him hope. He seemed so close to despair right now, so close to just giving up. Two days ago, in 'Magic-town' he had so casually told Sam that he had no expectations or even any desire to grow old. It had shocked the younger sibling. How could his brother care so little about being alive? Especially since he knew what death could bring him? It may be a long shot, but perhaps Alex could change that.
He gave the pair a lingering look before closing the motel door behind him.
The friendly argument over fast food now forgotten, Dean offered Alex another beer as his brother left.
"No, thanks. Two's enough for me. I'm a permanent designated driver for the next six months."
"What do you plan on doing in Nashville?"
"I dunno. Line-dancing and the two-step, I guess. Josh made me swear I'd never hunt alone so it's gonna be a really dull."
Dean raised his eyebrows. "Do you enjoy hunting? I figured since you're always insisting you're 'not a hunter'" he finger-quoted sarcastically, "that you just did it when you had to. Thought it was more Josh's boy scout thing."
Alex laughed. "I admit we don't go looking for hunts and sometimes they pop up at awkward times and usually in the worst shithole towns, but I enjoy hunting most of the time. Not the confrontation part, Josh and I usually try to avoid that sort of thing. You know, salt and burns and simple stuff. But I like helping people out, even if they don't have a clue we're there. Hunts are kinda fun, even the research part."
Dean scrunched up his face. That was his least favourite part.
"But most of all," Alex continued, "I think I like succeeding at something. You know that feeling you get when you kill the bad thing and maybe even save somebody?"
Dean knew that feeling very well. In fact, he had developed an almost desperate need for that feeling during his teen years, when he first started going on hunts with his father. He had never felt so good about himself, so needed, so worthy as when he knew he had saved someone's life, whether or not they knew it or appreciated it. It had always made him feel like a hero, a feeling his demanding, strict father never gave him. In later years, after Sam left him for Stanford, that feeling of satisfaction and redemption was the only thing that drove him to keep going, keep getting up every morning, keep hunting. If he wasn't important to his father or Sam, he was at least important to the strangers he saved.
"I'll work somewhere, I guess, but it's not like I can hold down a job." Alex was saying. "I swear I've been fired more times than that tourist cannon at the Alamo."
Now it was Dean's turn to laugh. "Don't sweat it," he admitted, "I've never even had a real job."
"Yes you have," she said, her face instantly serious. "Hunting is your job. It's more of a real job than most people ever have. Don't dismiss the good you and your brother do." There was a brief awkward silence, neither having expected the gushing comment. "Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask you something," she added.
Dean gave her a questioning look, not sure where this was going.
"I don't get my new ID's for a week," she told him. "Sam said you two are just doing a cursed object gig in Arkansas so… mind if I tag along?"
"No, that's not a good idea," Dean answered quickly.
"Why not?"
""I promised your brother I'd look after you, not drag you into a hunt."
"An old medallion?" she pressed. "How dangerous could that be?"
"Any hunt can turn dangerous," Dean pointed out. Especially one handed to them by an angel.
Alex appeared to be thinking for a moment, which made Dean nervous. He wasn't sure if she was accepting the answer or preparing to argue. He should have known it was the latter though; Alex had never given in easily.
"Okay, how about this," she said finally. "I promise I'll stay out of your way and I'll obey every order you give me."
Dean shook his head, not changing his mind. "It still might not be safe."
"You forget, I can find trouble all by myself just as easily," she argued, tapping her temple to remind him of her unusual ability to sense certain supernatural beings. The problem with her 'otherworldly radar' was that many of the creatures she sensed could also sense her, which had often brought her problems of the non-human variety. Red-Eyes was simply the worst of those problems.
Seeing Dean was about to argue his point some more, Alex got desperate and played dirty.
"Come on Dean, please. You promised Josh you'd look after me until I got my ID's. How is leaving me here with my uncle on my heels looking after me?" She felt guilty using the hunter's obvious protective nature against him, but she really wanted some company for a few days. "You know Josh would never leave Sam if you asked him. Come on, I can behave. It's just for a few days and then I'll be line-dancing in Nashville, I swear."
Dean had to laugh. The thought of letting Alex tag along to get Castiel's medallion had crossed his mind already, even though he had quickly dismissed it. He did enjoy her company and had been reluctant to leave her alone in Texas with her uncle and the authorities after her. She also provided a much needed temporary buffer between him and Sam and… all the shit hanging between them. Sam wouldn't push him to talk about Hell if they had company and the two of them had been at each other's throats these days about using these extra powers of Sam's. After seeing what had happened with Samhain…
He could always send her away if this gig turned out to be more trouble than expected. And she had a point about his promise to her brother. He knew her intention in throwing those words at him had been to simply guilt him into letting her come with him and Sam, but they did strike a chord and he found himself relenting. He looked over at her to find a pleading look on her smiling face, baby blues batting exaggeratedly, cheekiness glinting in their depths. Crap, he was such a sucker for a pretty girl.
"You swear you'll do everything I say?" he demanded, jabbing his finger at her. "Even if I tell you to wait in the car everywhere we go?"
Alex laughed her delight and looked like she was about to jump up and hug him for a second before settling back in her chair again. "I promise, I promise," she agreed quickly. "Thanks Dean."
"Yeah, yeah."
"No, thank you. Seriously."
It was the middle of the night by the time Sam heard Dean come into the motel room they shared. His brother was being fairly quiet, which was a good sign that he wasn't completely inebriated. He pushed up onto his elbow to get a look at the elder Winchester, the dim light of the bathroom vanity lights spilling out past the slightly ajar door. "You're getting in late," he grinned, accusing smile on his face.
Dean scoffed, not missing the insinuation. "I behaved," he said, truthfully. "I get the feeling Lex doesn't like being alone. She's had a rough couple of weeks and just wanted some company."
Sam found it just as likely the elder Winchester had been the one avoiding sleep but decided there was no need to point that out. He turned back over in his uncomfortable bed and closed his eyes.
"Uh, by the way," Dean said quietly in the hope Sam wasn't fully awake to hear his next sentence. "I told her she could come with us to Arkansas."
Sam rose up again. "What? Dean, you really think that's a good idea?"
Dean shrugged. "We're picking up some old jewelry. It's just until she gets her new ID's. Besides, she's gotta go back to that crackhouse tomorrow to give the hot prison wife the checks. No way is she goin' there by herself."
"Okay." Sam lay back down, agreeing far more quickly than Dean had expected. Dean decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and quickly got into bed, hoping he could get at least a couple of hours of dreamless sleep.
SPN-SPN-SPN
Dean did dream, but not his usual Hell nightmares. In that final half hour before dawn officially hit, his eyes opened and he found himself fully awake. He glanced around the room to see Sam still sleeping soundly but the motel room door wide open. Jumping into instant alert mode, he sprang up, fist closing around the knife he kept under his pillow. He made his way cautiously to the door to peer outside. His trained eyes scanned around his car, down the line of motel doors, and out across the empty pool. The blue Bronco was still parked two doors down and there was nobody in sight. His eyes came back around to rest on his beloved Impala again but this time Castiel was leaning casually against the hood, still wearing his beige trench coat and suit, his tie loosened about the neck.
Dean relaxed his shoulders and strolled over towards the angel, closing his motel door behind him to keep from waking Sam, not sure if he was awake or dreaming at this point.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded in a hushed voice.
"That's what I came to ask you, Dean."
Dean flinched, feeling rather like a teenager caught playing hooky by his teacher. "Just a quick stopover. We'll be in Arkansas by tomorrow."
"A stopover? Tell me, what could possibly be more important than retrieving the medallion?" Castiel asked in a disapproving tone. "I explained its significance to you."
"It's a personal matter. Like I said, we'll have it wrapped up tomorrow and we'll be on our way." Dean didn't try to hide his dislike at being chastised.
Castiel pursed his lips, his annoyance at Dean's flippant attitude starting to show through his usually calm demeanor. "Dean," he started to say before being cut off.
"Am I dreaming?" Dean asked with a frown, looking past the angel and down the row of motel doors.
"Yes, in a manner of speaking," Castiel replied impatiently, turning to see what Dean was looking at behind him.
"Well that's surprising," Dean chuckled. "I figured if I had a dream about her, she'd at least be naked."
He watched as Alex walked towards them, a bottle of water in her hand, wearing short cotton shorts and an oversized, hooded sweatshirt. "You need to butt out of my dream, Cas," he grinned cheekily.
"You are dreaming," Cas confirmed with a tilt of his head, an interested tone to his voice. "But she is not."
"Huh?" Dean looked at the angel in confusion. "What do you mean?" Alex was smiling directly at him as she approached. "How come she can see me if I'm not really here?"
"It is complicated," Cas started but stopped when Alex came within earshot.
"Hey," she greeted the pair with a smile as she stepped up to join them. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"
"Uh, hi Lex," Dean replied, wondering how to explain his pre-dawn conversation with a suited stranger outside his room. "This is Cas." He gestured towards the angel, who was still facing her. "He's a hunter friend of mine from, uh, Los Angeles. You know, the City of Angels." He grinned, amused by his own joke, then noticed Alex wasn't looking at him but was now standing in front of Castiel staring wide-eyed at him, an expression on her face that could only be described as awe.
"This is interesting," Cas said calmly as he reached out and placed two fingers on her forehead. Her eyes rolled back and her knees buckled at his touch and Dean had to lunge to catch her before she hit the pavement.
"What did you do that for?" he said angrily to Castiel, scooping Alex up in his arms and looking around for somewhere to put her down.
"Your friend is alive," Castiel said, using the same empty words of assurance he had spoken after finger-tapping Bobby the first night Dean had met the angel.
Dean decided on the Impala for proximity and opened the door, sliding Alex into the passenger seat before turning to face Castiel again, his expression heated.
The angel's head was tilted in an expression of amusement as he stared at Alex through the car's front window. "She wasn't seeing Cas, your hunter friend from Los Angeles, Dean," he explained. "Or the 'holy tax accountant' that you see. She has a rare gift. She was able to perceive my true visage behind this vessel. It is unusual. Most humans who can perceive my true form are what you would call... crazy."
Dean just stared in disbelief, not sure that this was a good development. At least, not good for Alex. That night he had first met Cas, the angel had mentioned such 'special people', and had seemed disappointed Dean had not been one of them.
"She could prove useful," Castiel stated thoughtfully.
Dean's head snapped back around to face him. "Oh no you don't!" he warned sternly. "She has nothing to do with all this. She's not involved. You leave her out of it."
The angel's eyes narrowed slightly and his tone became stern and somewhat foreboding. "Why can't you understand, Dean?" he asked. "This war involves everybody. Every man, woman, and child on this Earth will suffer endlessly if Lucifer is allowed to walk free. We must be prepared to use any weapon or tool available to us to ensure that does not happen. If she can be useful, she will be called upon to play her part. Now I'll say it again, it is imperative you retrieve that medallion."
Dean was suddenly awakening to the sound of the motel door opening and looked up from bed to see Sam entering followed by Alex, still wearing her shorts and the hoodie. Sam had two coffees in his hands and was laughing.
"Hey, you're awake," he greeted his older brother. "Guess who I found sleeping in our car this morning." He jerked his thumb towards Alex, who looked embarrassed and thoroughly confused at waking up in the Impala. "How much did you drink last night?" Sam teased her.
"Just making sure you two don't leave without me," she joked, lifting the lid off her own coffee to cool it faster. "Hey Dean, I had a dream about you last night," she added in an effort to change the subject.
Dean laughed, rolling out of bed with a cocky grin. "I have that effect on a lot of women."
She flushed slightly, annoyed that the eldest Winchester was able to get that reaction out of her. She didn't usually embarrass easily, not putting much stock in what people thought of her as they would soon be out of her life anyway.
"Not that kind of dream, smartass," she clarified. "It was night time and I was outside this motel, I think getting a drink of water from the vending machine, when I saw you talking to this really hot guy out in front of your room. You introduced him…"
"Whoa, whoa," Dean interrupted with a chuckle. "You thought this guy was hot?"
That was wrong on so many levels.
"Hey, it was my dream," she defended. "Do you dream about ugly women or supermodels? He was smokin' hot, okay?"
Dean raised his hands in mock defeat, gesturing for her to continue but unable to wipe the grin off his face.
"I realized this guy had a weird glow about him," she continued, struggling to find the right words. "Like a light from within, only it was more than a light. And I got this feeling, like a supernatural vibe-type feeling only way different and…" she waved her hand in the air in an attempt to illustrate her point. "…Bigger. And not evil. Kind of scary but definitely not evil."
Sam gave Dean a subtle, questioning look. "What was he?" he asked Alex casually.
"I don't know. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was an angel, only without the feathers and halos. Well, if angels wore trench coats, that is. And if they even existed, of course, which they don't." She shrugged. "Anyway, really weird dream." She turned and headed towards the door. "I'm going to head back to my room and get dressed," she told the brothers. "Hopefully Selena will call soon."
Sam spun to Dean as soon as the door shut behind her. "Cas stop by last night?"
Dean nodded. "Yeah, to tell us to get our asses back in gear and our heads back in the game. Recess is over."
SPN-SPN-SPN
A/N: I used this chapter a lot to introduce Alex and Josh to those readers who haven't read the first story, Stones Unturned. The medallion quest starts right up next chap. I should admit, I have a weakness for hurt!Dean - I don't know what that says about me, probably nothing good, but that man in physical or emotional pain just rips at my heart - so be warned, this story has rather a lot of that once it gets going.
