Chapter 4

It was around noon when Dean and Melody crossed into Kansas. The sky was clear, the sun was shining bright, and it was a warm spring day. The silence inside the Impala was getting tiresome, so Dean fiddled with the radio. Mel busied herself playing games on Sam's phone for most of the drive. They weren't due for a pit stop for a while yet, and Dean was ready for some tunes! Unfortunately being in Kansas meant the airwaves were full of country music, and Dean didn't want to distract himself by digging through his tapes. Heaving a big sigh, the older man stared out the windshield. He heard Mel smirk at him as he shifted in his seat.

Mel looked at Dean. He was studiously ignoring her. He hadn't said much to her since she told them all about her past last night. She didn't want any pity or awkward moments between the Winchesters, since she was stuck with them until they found was way to reverse this. Using her powers, the young woman picked a song from a list of Dean's favorites playing in his head, and let it come through the speakers. You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC filled the car.

Dean looked at the radio to Mel and back. "How did you do that?"

"Psychic powers from a god; there's not much I can't do," Mel said smiling. "A really good memory helps too."

The two of them continued listening to music, singing along, until they stopped in Topeka. After getting gas and some snacks, Dean allowed Mel to drive since the next stop would be her house. Once Mel had gotten them back on the interstate, he regretted letting her drive. She quit playing his favorites and started playing modern rock crap. When he asked about it, she told him his own house rules. That pissed the hunter off. Though he wouldn't admit it, the music didn't sound that bad. He didn't know if she decided to give him a break, but she eventually mixed classic rock into her mental playlist.

Dean managed to doze off as Mel drove to her house. She smirked when he didn't wake as she eased the classic car onto the gravel road. Knowing what the sharp flint rocks could do to tires, the native Kansan was careful to drive at a reasonable speed, stay in the well-traveled ruts, and keep an eye out for large rocks. Dean slept until the car stopped in front of a large two story house. Mel was already out of the car while the older man was stretching. Looking around, Dean saw that they were in the middle of nowhere. The enormous country house was three stories, with a wrap-around porch and a balcony that wrapped around the second floor. Behind the house, Dean could see two large barns. One was long, and the other was two stories.

"We'll get these bags inside and then I'll show you my garage," Mel said with a grin.

Together, they grabbed all the bags and went inside the house. The inside of the house was stunning. Beautiful cedar hardwood floors seemed to be in every room of the first floor. Dean followed Mel to what appeared to be the dining room. They had walk through a few of the large rooms to get there. The living room had a large fireplace, chairs and bookshelves. Dean was surprised that despite the size of the house and the expensive interior, there didn't appear to be any outlandishly expensive, or useless items.

He was nervous when he didn't hear anyone. "Where's Sam?"

"He's helping Ian with the cows." Mel set Sam's duffel on the dining room table. "Ian texted me saying that Sam was getting bored and wasn't finding much, so I suggested he help out one the farm."

Dean chuckled at the thought of Sam trying to herd cattle. "I don't know how much help he'll be."

"C'mon, I wanna show you my garage," Mel said running out the door.

Dean followed the eager young woman trapped in his brother's giant body. Seeing her excited and running reminded Dean of when Sam was a kid. She carefully drove them to the long barn. Mel used her powers to open the large doors and drove inside. Dean was impressed when he saw it was full of vehicles. There were two large trucks, a Jeep Wrangler, a Hemi orange 1970 Challenger, a midnight purple 1967 Camaro, a bright blue 1969 fastback Mustang, an old Chevy truck, a newer SUV/crossover, and a car hidden under a tarp. Mel parked the Impala between the Camaro and the Mustang. Dean got out and gawked at the classic muscle cars. He was walking across the wide floor of the barn to look at the Challenger, when he heard Mel clear her throat. She was standing by the covered car. Dean quickly made his way toward her.

"I thought I'd show you my baby. Maybe later, I'll let you take her for a spin since you let me drive yours," Mel said. She pulled the tarp off and stepped back so Dean could inspect her favorite car.

Dean gasped when the mystery car was revealed. It was a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda. The body was a Granny Smith apple green with metal flake paint, the roof was black, and the stripes following the curve of the rear fenders were dark metallic red. Dean was impressed with the beauty of the car. He wasn't that surprised with the color scheme, considering Mel's other car colors. "What kind of engine does she have?" Dean asked, gently stroking the hood.

"A 426 cubic inch, 7.0L Hemi," Mel said. "She's got a standard transmission, though. If you're out of practice, then you can drive the Camaro. I would kill you for grinding any gears on Darling. My uncle and I rebuilt her from the ground up, so she's pretty special to me."

Dean nodded and looked around at the other cars. He spotted some large tool boxes at the opposite end of the barn. "How can you afford all this? I thought you said you were 20?"

Psychic powers; can see into the future," Mel said as if it was obvious. "I won the lottery a couple of times. Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same." She began putting the tarp back on her car. Dean decided to help her. "I'll call Ian and tell him that we're here. You can help me make dinner and then we can all start researching a cure."

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Sam and Ian didn't get back to the house until the evening. The younger Winchester was tired, but glad that he was able to get out of the house and be of some use. He had no idea what he was doing half the time, but Ian insisted that he was helping. They took one of the beat up flat-bed trucks into the nearby field, after throwing hay bales and sacks of feed on the bed. Sam had never missed his body more than then. Mel's body was plenty strong, but he had to throw farther and higher because of how short she was. After spreading hay and filling troths of feed for the small herd, Ian took Sam into the barn to bottle feed the few orphaned calves that lived in the barn. That was Sam's favorite thing. The eager calves nearly attacked him for the bottles, sucked and pulled on the nipples, and gathered huge amounts of foam around their mouths. It was the cutest thing Sam had ever seen.

Now all Sam wanted was a hot shower to wash the day away. He went with Ian toward the kitchen. They both froze when a voice called through the house, "Don't you dare come in my kitchen smelling like cows! Go take a shower, dinner will be here when you're done."

Ian snickered as he headed up the stairs. Sam followed, rushing to Mel's bathroom. He was eager to see Dean, and curious to meet Melody. When Sam and Ian entered the dining room, they were greeted with the site of Dean setting the table as Mel brought in two large casserole dishes full of some kind of cheesy concoction. Sam thought it was odd to see his body move about with unfamiliar gestures.

Dean looked up when the two strangers came through the door. He glanced at Ian but focused on the small young women standing in the door. She was short, probably about 5'2", with an elven face, ice blue eyes, and golden copper hair. Dean was disturbed by the metal in her face, and felt bad for his brother for having to deal with it. Sam stood still while his brother stared at him. He waited until Dean came around the table and said his name before rushing in for a hug. He wondered if it was having a female body that was making him feel more emotional.

The brothers were surprised at how small Mel's body was compared to Dean's. Dean towered over Sam, and he pinned him in a strong bear hug. "Now you are the little brother," Dean laughed. He let go of Sam as he struggled to punch him. "Now I see why Mel was complaining about your legs."

"Shut up and sit," Mel said walking in with a basket of rolls, and a glass bowl full of sautéed green beans. "It's dinner time." Everyone took their seats and began filling their plates. "So Sam, did you find anything in my library?" Mel asked after everyone had been served.

"No, I found some spells that had transformed a person into the opposite sex, but none that switched bodies with someone. I really didn't know where to look."

"Mr. Research couldn't do his job? That's new," Dean laughed. He laughed harder when he earned a double bitch face from Mel and Sam.

"Well after dinner, I'll look through some of my collection," Mel sighed. "Maybe something will be there. I'm sure you and Ian are tired, but if you could help, I'd appreciated it."

Sam nodded, wondering about Mel's collection. He was sure he had looked in all the books in her library and through the shelves in the living room. Dinner went quickly and quietly. Sam was impressed with Mel's cooking. She had made a simple tuna casserole, but it was possibly the best thing he has tasted. Ian had asked about the trip, which spurred Dean to complain about the long drive to Kansas from Connecticut.

After everyone had eaten, the Winchesters and Mel went to the study. Mel went to the large black, wooden cabinet in the corner and unlocked it with a key she had gotten from the desk. Inside were spell books from witches she had killed. The brothers were impressed with the collection and how well organized it appeared. The books appeared to be color coded for the month Mel had acquired them, and divided by the year. There were nearly 100 spell books in the cabinet. Sam and Dean were worried they would be reading spell books for the next month looking for a way to reverse the curse, but Mel only chuckled and pulled a large binder from the bottom shelf. She went to her desk to begin flipping through the binder. As the psychic began looking through the binder, books moved from the cabinet to the desk. When Mel was done there were ten books sitting neatly in a stack on the desk.

"These are all the spell books that contain spells to swap gender, change appearance, and mention soul swapping. I suggest we start reading." Mel grabbed three books and walked into the living room.

Sam and Dean set at the desk and each grabbed a book. They grudgingly began reading. Ian had cleaned up after dinner, but once he was done he help read through the books. As the night wore on, the hunters turned to caffeine to help through the late hours. Sam hopelessly stared at the book he was trying to read. He had drunk three large cups of coffee, but he couldn't focus enough to process what he was reading. Mel's body had an unbelievably high caffeine tolerance! Deciding he was done, the youngest Winchester walked through the living room for the stairs. He saw Mel writing notes down as she flipped through a book. A large Monster can was sitting on the coffee table. Too tired to complain about the potential health complications from drinking energy drinks, Sam just went to bed. Hopefully Dean, Ian, and Mel could find something to fix everything.