She awoke the next morning for find she was the only one in bed. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Sam glanced over at her. "Slept well, I suppose."

"Mm-hmm." Alex yawned, stretching her arms above her head. Sam just shook his head. "What's the matter, Sammy?" Alex studied the hunter.

"It's just . . . there are two beds, you know."

"I had a nightmare." Alex got up, wincing as her feet touched the cold, thin carpet. "Thanks for not killing me in my sleep."

"Hm. Thanks for the idea."

Alex couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

...

They spent the next three or four days there, looking for cases. Dean somewhat forgave Sam, but what had happened that night was never brought up. One night, Dean and Sam went out to a bar, leaving Alex on her own. She turned on the lights, curling up in her bed. She had gotten over the whole zombie thing from Halloween, but her heart still raced in fear at the thought. She turned on the tv to get her mind off of them.

At some point, she fell asleep. She woke up when the door opened. She sat up, gun in hand. "It's just us." Dean held up his hands.

Alex lowered her gun. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine. You had the right idea." Dean closed the door behind him and Sam. "Get packed. We're leaving."

"What?" Alex stood up, silently protesting as she left the warm bed. "It's, like, midnight or something."

"Well, we've got a case. In Washington."

"Washington?" Alex shook her head in disbelief. "We're in Pennsylvania! That's on the other side of the country!"

"Yep. If we leave now, we'll be there the day after tomorrow."

"Unless you want us to drop you off at Bobby's," Sam added as he packed his things.

"No, no." Alex shook her head again. "Just let me pack." She threw her clothes that where laying by her bag into her bag. Then she checked the bathroom for other stuff. Lastly, she grabbed her necklace out of her bag and put it around her neck. She paused a moment to finger the anti-possession charm next to the angel wing pennant. Bobby had given it to her during those four months when Dean was in hell. It was much different from the tattoos the Winchester's had; instead of a flaming star in a circle, it had a silver Chinese symbol scrawled into a red base - Alex wasn't sure what it meant. The edges and back were the same silver metal. It was old, but worked fine.

With a sigh, she pulled herself out of her thoughts and placed the necklace around her neck. "Okay. Let's go."

She walked out to the car and threw her bag into the back. Sam and Dean got into the front seat. "Aren't you guys even tired?" she mumbled, using her bag as a pillow, laying down.

"Not really."

"You guys are insane," she yawned, falling back into an uncomfortable sleep.

...

She awoke when the Impala hit a large bump, sending Alex up into the air. The sky was light with a rising sun, and clouds dotted the sky. "Where are we?" Alex mumbled, sitting up.

"Somewhere in Illinois," Dean responded. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good, I think." Alex leaned over the bench seat. "Hey Sammy."

"Hey." Sam glanced over at her uneasily as Alex leaned her head against his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Making you uncomfortable."

"It's working."

"Good." Alex yawned, falling back in her seat. "Damn my neck hurts."

"Don't-"

"-swear. I know." Alex rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm hungry."

"We've been waiting for you to wake up before we stopped."

"Thanks." Alex adjusted the necklace under her shirt. She looked down at her clothes. Sam's sweatpants and a t-shirt. She rifled around in her bag, frowning. "Dean-o. Can I borrow a jacket? It's cold, and I see none of them are in my bag."

"They're in the trunk," Dean admitted. "I'll get you one when we stop."

Alex grunted her thanks. They drove a few more minutes before they pulled into a nice looking diner for breakfast. Dean got Alex a jacket out from the trunk, and she gratefully pulled it on. "Are you just going to stay in that?" Dean asked.

Alex looked down at her, well, Sam's, sweatpants. "Yeah. If we're just driving, I'm choosing comfort. Let's eat." She headed for the door.

Sam looked her up and down. "You look wonderful," he told her.

Alex let out a huff of amusement. "I get my fashion tips from you," she shot back lightly. She felt Sam and Dean exchanged a look as they entered the diner. It had a homey feeling inside, and they sat down at a booth. "You know what would be good?" Alex asked them. "Pig in a poke."

Sam stiffened beside her, and Alex smiled. "What's that?" Dean asked.

"Inside joke. Right Sammy?"

Sam said nothing. A waitress approached, bringing them menus. "Hello, and welcome to Sal's Diner. Can I start you off with any drinks? Coffee, juice?"

"I'll just take water, thank you." Sam ordered.

"Yeah, and I think I'll have the same."

The waitress turned to Alex. "And how about you?"

"What do you have with caffeine? Mountain Dew? Coke?"

"Uh, yeah. We have Mountain Dew."

"Okay. I'll have that." Alex stifled a large yawn. The waitress walked away.

"Mountain Dew?" Dean looked over at her. "For breakfast?"

"Breakfast of champions." Alex looked through her menu. "Bacon would go well with that. Ooh. Or pancakes." Sam shifted, brushing up against her, and Alex light-heartedly bumped him back. She quickly decided to go with the chocolate chip pancakes, and set down her menu. "So, today's just driving, eh?" When Dean nodded, Alex sighed. "Wonderful. Mind sharing what brought this about?"

"A woman claims she was pushed down the stairs by a ghost."

"Hm. Claims?"

"Yep."

"So we're driving two days because some woman claims to have been pushed down the stairs. Maybe she just tripped and was embarrassed."

Sam shrugged. "We've driven farther for less." He trailed off as the waitress returned with their drinks.

"Are you ready to order?"

"Yeah." Sam looked down at him menu. "I'll take the chocolate chip pancakes, please."

"Same for me," Alex piped up.

"I'll just have the bacon and eggs. With hash browns." Dean handed the waitress the menus with a wink. She blushed and walked away.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Do you have to flirt with every girl you meet?"

"No. I didn't flirt with you, did I?"

Sam let out an amused noise, but Alex just shook her head, holding back a smile. "Well then, in that case."

...

They were back on the road within the hour. Alex had to admit those were some of the best pancakes she had ever had, and was now sitting contently in the backseat.

...

They drove the whole day. Sam and Dean switched off at one point, giving Dean a chance to sleep. They stopped for lunch, for dinner, and one time in the afternoon for snacks, gas, and a chance to stretch their legs. Otherwise, they were in the car. They pulled into a motel sometime late that night, but the next morning, they were back on the road. They arrived the next day.

...

October 10th, 2008

Concrete, Washington

"Okay." Dean emerged out of the bathroom, pulling a blue plaid shirt over his black t-shirt. "Here's the plan. You two go talk to Candace like you talked about. Get her story. I'll . . . go check out the woman's shower room. Just to see if there's any EMF," he added quickly when both Sam and Alex rolled their eyes. "Shut up." He threw a faded jacket on as well.

They went outside and got into the car. Dean dropped them off outside of Lucky Chin's Chinese Restaurant before driving off. Sam led them inside, and Alex inhaled deeply. It smelled like fried goodness. There was a young woman sitting at a table, right arm in a sling. When they entered, she looked up.

"Uh, Candace Armstrong?" Sam approached.

"Yes, that's me."

"My name is Sam, and this is Alex." Alex gave a small wave. "I contacted you about using your story for my book?"

"Yes. Please. Sit."

Sam obliged, and Alex pulled up a chair. Sam pulled out a pen and a small pad of paper. "So, you say you encountered a spirit?"

"Yes. It was terrifying."

"Where did this happen?"

"At the Fitness Center across town. I had just finished my workout and I was in the shower room, taking a shower. I got out, and that's when I got the feeling that I wasn't alone. I asked if someone was there, but there wasn't an answer." She watched Sam write something down before continuing. "That's when I threw the towel behind me, and it landed . . . on the spirit." She paused. "I'm not surprised the spirit would choose to make contact with me. I'm something of a . . . natural sensitive."

"I can sense that about you . . . Candace," Sam lied slowly. "About the . . . sensitive thing."

"So, what did you say you're calling your book?"

"Oh, well, it's called . . ." Sam searched his brain.

"Supernatural," Alex cut in. "Well, that's the working title."

"Yeah, I - We've been crossing the country, gathering stories like yours." Sam nodded. "But, uh, anyways. You were telling me about your encounter."

"Yes. Well," she let out a small sigh. "After I saw the apparition, that's when I ran."

Alex nodded, glancing up at Sam. He was staring at a couple a few tables down, who were kissing. She kicked him under the table. Sam jumped. "Uh, you said the ghost was chasing you?"

"Now just that . . . It knew my name." Candace's face grew confused. "It kept yelling, 'Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs. Armstrong.' And that's when I reached the stairs and fell."

Alex tilted her head. "Fell? I thought you were pushed."

"Oh I don't - I don't know. I think it did. Maybe."

"Did you feel like it meant to hurt you?" Sam asked. "Like it was violent, or . . ."

"It was a ghost. I'm lucky to be alive. Anyways, I was at the bottom of the stairs, and that's when it got weird." She let out a small chuckle. "It helped me up."

Both Alex and Sam exchanged a look. "Say again?"

"Yeah. It helped me up. And it kept saying, 'Please don't tell my mom'."

"Yeah. That's weird." Sam put his pen away. "Uh, thank you. Is there anything else?"

"No, no. That's it."

"Uh, okay." Sam stood up, and Alex followed. "Thanks then. Have a good day." They left.

...

They walked down main street. The Impala came into view, parked in front of a large blue house with the sign, Concrete Fitness Center next to it. Dean was sitting on the front step, reading the newspaper when they approached. "Well, you pick up anything?" Sam asked.

Dean looked up. "No EMF in the showers or anything else. This house is clean."

"Yeah. I'm not surprised. I kind of think get the feeling that crazy pushed down those stairs."

"I got to tell you, I'm pretty disappointed." Dean stood up and started walking towards the car.

Sam let out a breath. "You wanted to save naked women."

"Damn right I wanted to save naked women."

Sam let out a small chuckle. Rapid footsteps approached, and all three looked up to see a small boy being chased by three other ones. They were yelling. They ran past.

"Run, Forrest, run!" Dean called after them in a southern drawl. Alex laughed.

Sam let out an amused noise as well before turning back to his brother. "Sorry, Dean, but I don't think anything's going on around here."

"Waste of a trip," Alex mumbled. She looked up at Sam and Dean who were staring to the right. She looked.

There was a ranger talking to a man, who seemed to be getting worked up. "How the hell was I suppose to get a look at it? It grabbed me from behind and threw me into a tree!"

"Yeah, okay, Gus. I understand you got shook up. Anyone would be," the ranger tried to calm him down. "But don't you think that . . . don't you think it had to be a bear?"

"Something's going on," Dean muttered. They started walking towards the scene.

"I know a damn bear track when I see one," Gus yelled. "This thing didn't leave bear tracks! It's feet were huge!"

"Now, Gus . . ."

"It was Bigfoot. Ha! The Bigfoot."

Alex looked at Sam and Dean. They were reaching into their pockets. Alex knew they were pulling out some sort of ID. Then they hurried over to the two men. Alex followed behind.

"Gus, you're not talking sense here."

"There's a Bigfoot out there, and he's a son of a bitch!"

"Excuse me." Sam interrupted Gus. "FBI." Both Winchesters flashed their badges, and Alex made a mental note to start carrying hers as well.

"What?" The ranger studied them.

"Yes sir. We're here about the . . . that." Sam motioned to Gus.

"About Bigfoot?"

"That's right." Sam sounded absolutely confident. "Sir, can you tell me exactly where this happened?"

"Yes I can." Gus pointed behind him. "Just up that trail a few miles, up on that hill. Clear as day."

"Thank you." Sam and Dean started walking the way he pointed. Alex followed.

...

It was almost an hour hike before they reached the top of the hill. Alex was enjoying herself, even though it was slightly chilly. Sam and Dean were a few feet ahead of her, walking in silence. "What the hell is going on in this town?" Dean finally asked. "First there's a ghost that's not real, and now a Bigfoot sighting."

"Well, every hunter worth his salt knows Bigfoot's a hoax." Alex grunted in agreement with Sam.

"Maybe someone's pumping LSD int the town's water supply," Dean suggested.

They both stopped in their tracks. Alex caught up, confused. Then she stopped as well. Large footprints led away from them down the trail. They were definitely not bear tracks.

"Okay, who do you suppose made that?" Dean looked over at Sam.

"That, uh . . . is a big foot."

"Uh, yeah." Dean started following the tracks down the trail. Sam and Alex followed.

...

They quickly came out of the woods. Across the clearing was a metal bridge that led over a gully. One the other side was a liquor store. They crossed the narrow bridge and walked up to the building. Footprints led up to a wooden door that had been torn of it's hinges. They entered. "So what, Bigfoot breaks into a liquor store jousting for some hooch?" Dean studied the broken bottles on the floor. "Amaretto and Irish cream. He's a girl-drink drunk." He stood up, cast an amused look at Sam, and took a bottle of the shelf. He put it in his jacket pocket.

"Hey. Check it out." Sam stopped near the back of the store.

Dean and Alex walked over to him. "He took the whole porno rack?" Dean shook his head unbelievingly. Sam pulled something out from the shelf. It was fur. Dean blinked. "Well, I'll say it again. What the hell is going on in this town?"

Sam shook his head. He walked towards the front door. Dean followed. Alex hesitated, then grabbed a Coke out of the fridge. Then she walked after them, unscrewing the cap.

They were sitting on the bench outside, completely silent. Alex leaned against the building, watching them. Finally Dean spoke. "I got nothing."

"It's got to be a joke, right? Some big-ass mother in a gorilla suit."

"Or it's a Bigfoot," Dean suggested. "You know, he's a alcoholo-porno addict. Kind of like a deep woods Duchovny." Sam shot his brother a glance. Dean ignore him. "You remember any of this?" he called over his shoulder.

Alex let out a breath. "Nope. Sorries."

"Whatever." Their attention was drawn to a young girl riding a bike. She rode right past them, and something fell out of the crate that was strapped to the bicycle's back.

Dean tipped his head in confusion, getting up. He grabbed it. Sam followed. "Little young for busty Asian beauties," Dean commented dryly. He rolled it up and hurried after the girl. Sam and Alex followed. They peered around the corner, and Alex saw the girl reappear, crate empty. She pedaled away.

They walked around to the back. There, on the back step, was a box that contained several bottles of alcohol and some porno magazines. A note was laying on top of them, and on it was written the word Sorry.

"Okay. That's weird too." Alex spoke, taking a sip of her drink. Dean grunted his agreement.

"Should we . . . go find this girl?" Sam asked slowly. "I mean, unless she robbed the store herself, she might know who did."

"Then she'd still know who did it," Alex pointed out. She was ignored.

"Come on." They started walking back down towards the town.

...

Within the hour they were back in the Impala, driving through the suburbs surrounding the town.

"There." Sam spoke, pointing to one house. In front of it stood the very same bike they had seen the girl riding.

Dean parked the car, and they got out. Alex checked her pockets to make sure the FBI badge was there before following. "What's this, like a 'Harry and the Henderson's' deal?" Dean grumbled as Sam rang the doorbell.

They young girl answered. "Hello?"

"Hello," Sam responded. "Can we, um . . . you know what? Are your parents home?"

"Nope."

"No," Sam repeated.

"No." Dean glanced at his brother. "Um, have you seen a really, really, furry . . ."

"Is he in trouble?" the young girl asked, eyes wide.

"No." Dean let out a small chuckle. "No, no no. Not at all. We, uh, we just want to make sure he's okay."

"He's my teddy bear. I think he's sick."

"Wow." Dean looked over at Alex. She had her eyes narrowed in concentration. "Uh . . . amazing."

"Well, we're actually, uh, teddy bear doctors," Alex said gently. Sam looked confused, but went with it. Dean nodded in agreement, and reached into his jacket, pulling out his Health Inspector ID. Sam did the same. Alex looked at them. Did they carry around every ID they had?

"Really?" The young girl seemed to believe them. "Can you please take a look at him?"

"Sure." Sam nodded, and Dean echoed him.

"Yeah. Sure."

The young girl led them into the house and up the wide stairs. "He's in my bedroom," she explained. She stopped beside a closed door and knocked on it. "Teddy? There's some nice doctors here to see you." She opened the door.

Alex stopped, shocked. She looked up to see the same shock on Sam and Dean's face. Inside was a huge teddy bear, at least seven feet tall. It was rocking back and forth, a whiskey bottle in its hand. "Close the friggin door!" it cried, turning to look at them.

The girl closed the door. "See what I mean?"

Sam and Dean said nothing. They just stood there, faces blank. Alex let out a smile. She remembered this. Yes. This was an episode.

Sam looked down at her. "Alex? You okay?"

She looked up at him. "I remember this," she whispered.

"All I wanted was a teddy bear that was big, real, and talked. But now he's sad all the time - not 'ouch' sad, but 'ouch in the head' sad - says weird stuff, and smells like the bus."

"Ummm, little girl," Dean began.

"Audrey."

"Audrey, how exactly did your teddy bear become real?"

"It was the wishing well, wasn't it?" Alex piped up.

Audrey nodded. "The one at the restaurant!"

Dean looked at Alex before stepping forward and opening the bedroom door. Alex peered in.

"Look at this!" the teddy bear cried, pointing to the now-flickering tv across from him. He let out a sad chuckle. "You believe this crap?"

"Not really," Dean said awkwardly, looking back at Sam. Sam shrugged.

"It is a terrible world! Why am I here?!"

"For tea parties!" Audrey insisted.

"Tea parties?" The bear turned to look at the girl. "Is that all there is?" There were gunshots on the tv, and Alex thought back to the show, where the bear tried to commit suicide by shooting himself. It seemed a lot funnier on tv. This, this was just creepy.

Dean closed the door, stepping back into the hall. "Uh, Audrey, can we have a minute?" When the girl walked off, he turned back to them. "Can we . . . should we . . . " Dean stuttered, looking for the right words. "Uh, are we going to kill that teddy bear?"

Alex snorted. "How do kill it? You can't shoot it. I remember this from the show. The bear tries to kill itself with a gun. He blows his stuffing out, but he lives."

"Burn it?" Sam suggested.

"How do we even know that's going to work?" Dean snapped. "I don't want some giant, flaming, pissed-off teddy bear on our hands."

Alex let out a noise in agreement.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Besides, I get the feeling that the teddy bear isn't really the, you know, core problem here." He turned to Audrey. "Audrey, where are your parents?"

"My mom wished they were in Bali, so I think they're in Bali."

"Okay, well . . . I'm really sorry to have to break this to you, but . . . your bear is sick. Yeah. He's . . . he's got . . ."

"Lollipop disease." Dean took over.

Sam nodded, glancing at his brother. "Lollipop disease," he repeated.

"It's not uncommon for a bear his size. But, see it's . . . "

". . . really contagious." Alex finished.

"Yeah." Sam agreed. "Is there someone, maybe a grown-up, that you can stay with while we heal him?"

"Mrs. Hurley lives down the street."

"Perfect."

"Good, yeah, good. Uh, we'd like you to stay there for a couple days, okay?"

"Okay." Audrey started walking away.

"Oh, and Audrey, where exactly is the wishing well?"

"Lucky Chin's."

"Okay." Sam looked down at Alex. We were just there, his eyes told her. She nodded. "Thank you."

Audrey nodded and hurried down the stairs. Dean and Sam exchanged a glance. "What the hell."

"I don't know." Dean shook his head. "Anything, Alex?"

"Uh, Babylonian coin. Belongs to a guy who wished for a girl to love him. Yeah. Should, uh, should we head over to the Chinese place."

"Yeah." They left.

...

Within five minutes Dean had the Impala parked outside Lucky Chin's Chinese Restaurant. He led them in and over to the fountain. "Think it works?" he asked, looking down.

"Got a better explanation for teddy back there?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Dean fished a quarter out of his pocket.

"You sure that's safe?" Alex glanced warily up at the hunter.

Dean let out an amused noise, tossing the coin into the fountain.

"What'd you wish for?"

"Sh." Dean cast a glance at his brother. "I'm not suppose to tell."

A bell rung, signaling the opening of the door. "Somebody order a footlong Italian with jalapeƱos?"

"That'd be me." Dean grinned, turning around. He swiftly crossed the room and took the sandwich from the delivery man.

"Here you go. Free of charge." Then the man left, and Dean turned back to them, face smug. He sat down at the table. Sam and Alex joined him.

Dean unwrapped the sandwich, taking a large bite. "I think it works, dude," he mumbled around it. "That was pretty specific."

"The teddy bear, the sandwich . . ."

"And I'm guessing this." Dean slid the newspaper article about the lottery winner over to Sam.

"I'm guessing that." Sam pointed to where a couple were kissing. Alex blinked as she recognized them as the same couple from before.

"Yeah, that definitely goes on the list. What are we suppose to do, huh? Stop people's wishes from coming true? I mean, it sounds like kind of a douche-y thing to do."

"Yeah, maybe. But come on, man. When does something like this ever come without a price tag? And usually a deadly one."

"I don't know." Dean looked down at his food. "It's only a goddamn sandwich. Fine. We'll put a hold on the wishing until we figure out what's going on." He glanced over at Alex. "Want some?" He held out the sandwich, wiggling it appetizingly.

"No thanks. I'd rather keep my guts on the inside, thank you." Alex was partially drowned out as the manager came over to them.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen. I'm sorry, but we do not allow people to eat outside food here."

"Well, I am certainly not going to eat the inside food here," Dean said, voice rising authoritatively, reaching into his jacket. He pulled out a badge, starting to open it. Then he put it back. Alex smirked. Apparently the wrong ID. Dean fished out another. He glanced at it, then showed the manager. "Health Department. You, my friend, have a rat infestation. We're gonna have to shut this place down under emergency hazard code 56C."

"Rats?!"

"Yes, rats. Now. Can we please get everyone out of here? And uh, drain that fountain."

...

Five minutes later, it was done. The restaurant was empty and so was the fountain. Dean was kneeling beside it, sweeping away the many coins. "Typical fountain, plater Buddha," he reported. "Nothing I can see." Dean stood up.

"Yes, nothing," the manager agreed. "We keep a clean place here."

Sam turned to him. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave during the preliminary investigation, okay? Thank you."

The manager nodded and moved back several steps.

"Oh, come on." Dean picked up a penny. "Aren't you a little bit tempted?" he tossed the coin to Sam.

He chuckled. "No. Wouldn't be real." He handed it back. "I wouldn't trust it."

"I don't know. The bear seemed pretty real."

Alex grunted in agreement with Dean's statement. "Yeah."

"Come on. If you could wish yourself back, before it all started . . . Think about it. You'd be some big yuppie lawyer with a nice car and a white picket fence."

"Not what I'd wish for."

"Seriously?"

"It's too late to go back to our own lives, Dean. I'm not that guy anymore."

"So what would you wish for?" Alex asked, tipping her head to one side.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "What would Sammy wish for."

"Lilith's head on a plate. Bloody."

"Okay." Dean looked slightly disconcerted. He turned back to the fountain. "Hey. What's this?"

Alex leaned over him to see what it was. It looked like an old coin, but it refused to move when Dean tried to pick it up.

"Some kind of old coin." Sam stated what everyone knew. "But I don't recognize the markings."

"Babylonian," Alex insisted, figuring this was the coin they were looking for.

"It's possible."

Dean tried to move it again. "Damn," he hissed, making no progress.

"Lift with your legs," Sam suggested.

Dean glared at him. "Is this little mother welded on there? Huh. We're going to need bigger guns. Stay here."

He came back a minute later holding a hammer and a crowbar, a green bag slung around his shoulder. He handed the hammer to Sam and tried to pry the coin away with the crowbar.

"Hey hey hey!" the manager exclaimed, hurrying over. "You're going to break my fountain!"

"Sir, I don't want to slap you with a 44/16, but I will," Sam warned. The manager stepped back, letting Dean through. "All right. Thanks."

"Let me see that hammer. I got an idea." Dean put the crowbar next to the coin, using the hammer to try and budge it. He hit the crowbar hard. The coin didn't move. But the hammer broke.

"Ho!" the waiter cried in surprise as the head of the hammer's head flew backwards.

"Damn." Dean held up the cracked wooden handle.

"Coin's magical," Sam deduced.

"No shit, Sherlock," Alex muttered, ignoring the glare.

"I think it's hoodoo that's protecting the well. I don't think we can destroy it."

Sam knelt down beside his brother, pulling out a piece of paper. He took a pencil out of his jacket and quickly traced the coin onto it. Then he handed it to Dean. "All right. Here. You got to look into this."

"Where are you going?"

"Something just occurred to me. Give me the keys." Dean did, and Sam quickly left.

Dean stood up and cleared his throat. "Uh, everything looks in order here. I'd say it's, uh, safe to reopen. We'll be back for another inspection if we find it necessary. Thank you for your time." He gathered up his tools and they left.

The manager stared after them. "What about the rats?"

...

They hurried across the street and down a few blocks to the Concrete Library. Dean led her towards the computers, pulling out the paper Sam had given him. "Babylonian, you say? Here. See what you can find. I'll go look for books."

"Okay." Alex watched him walk off. "But stay on track," she called after him, ignoring the agitated hushes she got. She turned to the computer, opening the internet. After a moment's pause, she began. Babylonian coins snakes, she typed into the search bar. Several pages popped up, many were collector's archives. She began scrolling through there. Nothing matched exactly what she was looking for, and she tried another page. Still nothing. She went back to the search bar and deleted the word coins. Enter. A wikipedia page. Tiamat, the Babylonian dragon god. She clicked on it. Hmm.

Dean came back. "Find anything?" he asked, making Alex jump.

She turned to him. "Uh, yeah. I tried looking up Babylonian coins with snakes. Didn't find any matches. So I looked up Babylonian snakes. This led to me to Tiamat, the snake/dragon goddess of primordial chaos. Apparently she was also the goddess of the ocen, and died when she was cut in half. One half became the sky, the other the earth."

Dean grunted in half-interest. "So is this the chick on the coin?"

"Not sure. I was just about to figure that out. You find anything?"

"Not really." Dean sat down at the computer next to her. "You see if it's her on the coin; I'll look around, see what else I can find."

Alex nodded, clicking back to the main page. Clearing the search bar, she typed in, Babylonian coin Tiamat. Enter. Immediately she found what she was looking for. "Dean."

"Hm?"

"This is it." Alex clicked on the picture. "Ancient Babylonian accursed coin."

"Hm." Dean got up and walked farther into the library. Alex kept searching the internet. A few minutes later Dean came back, face taking on a strange expression. "Let's go." He handed her several sheets of paper which he had seemingly photocopied.

Alex took them, watching the hunter. "Uh, Dean. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, uh, yeah. Let's just get back to the motel." Dean started at a hurried pace out of there, and Alex had no choice but to follow.

...

A little while later Dean slowed, face back to normal. Alex caught up to him, and they kept walking.

"You better run!" she heard, and turned towards the sound of the voice. It was the boy whom they had seen being chased. However, now he was the one doing the chasing. The boy stopped, turning to face Alex and Dean. "You got a problem, mister?" he challenged.

"Uh, no." Dean shook his head, watching the kid run off. He put a hand over his stomach.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Alex repeated.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I, uh, just don't feel that good, okay?" Dean hurried off towards the motel.

...

They walked into the motel. Dean hung his jacket on the coat hanger and pulled out his laptop. He had only been on there a minute or two before he hurried into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Alex heard a retching noise, and screwed up her face. She walked over to the bed, looking at the computer screen. It was the website he had been looking for at the library. She got up and walked over to the bathroom door, raising her hand to knock. Then, she paused, thinking better of it. The retching stopped. "You okay in there, Dean?"

"Yeah." Dean's voice sounded strained. "I think I'm-" he was cut off as he vomited once more.

"That's what you get for eating that sandwich."

"What the hell do you mean?"

"I told you the wishes go bad, didn't I?" Come to think of it, Alex couldn't remember if she had or not. When something heavy was thrown at the door, she figured she probably hadn't. She slowly back away and flicked on the tv. "Sorry," she called. Something else hit the door in response.

...

Five minutes later the motel door opened and Sam stepped through. He looked at Alex, then turned towards the bathroom. Alex could here Dean retching again. "Dean?" Sam called. "You all right?"

"The wishes turn bad, Sam." Dean's voice still sounded strained. "Very bad."

"The sandwich, huh?" Sam seemed amused.

The toilet was flushed and the door opened. Dean stepped through, wiping his mouth with a small washcloth. "The coin was Babylonian," he confirmed. "It's cursed. Alex figured out it was Tiamat on the coin, the Babylonian goddess of primordial chaos." He turned back to the bathroom, gagging. "I'm good, I'm good. I, uh, found some fragments of a legend. I guess the priests were working some serious black magic."

"They made the coin?"

"Yeah, to, uh, sow the seeds of chaos. Whoever tosses the coin into a wishing well, makes a wish, it turns the well on. Then it grants wishes to all comers."

"But the wishes get twisted." Sam nodded in understanding. "You wish for a talking teddy,"

"You get a bipolar nut job."

"And you get E. coli."

Dean glared at Alex, and Sam followed his gaze. "What?"

Alex shot him a sorry look. "I thought I had told you," she began.

"Told us what?" Sam furrowed his brow in confusion.

"She knew the wishes turned bad."

"I thought I told you," Alex repeated. "Seriously. Would I do that to you on purpose?"

"You let me go to Hell."

"You came back!" Alex threw her head back in exasperation. "I told you. I'm sorry, okay? I'm only trying to help."

Dean let out a disbelieving snort. He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer can. Sam sat down on the bed next to Alex, taking his laptop. He studied the webpage about the coin along with the papers Dean had copied.

"Anything else?" Sam asked, looking through the pages.

Dean sat down on the bed across from them, cracking open the beer. "Yeah. This thing has turned more than than one town upside down over the centuries. It's even wiped a few off the map. I mean, when one person gets their wish, it's trouble. When everyone gets their wish . . ."

"It's chaos," Sam finished.

"Mm-hmm."

"Any way to stop it?"

"Yeah. One way. We got to find the first wisher. Whoever dropped the coin in and made the first wish, they're only one who can pull it out back out again and reverse the wishes. So,or now, we got a couple of nut-so dreams come true, but once the word gets out about the well, things are just going to get crazier and crazier."

Sam glanced at Alex. She shrugged, glancing out the window. The sun was already setting. She sighed.

"I'm, uh, I think I'm going to hit the hay," Dean announced, standing up.

Sam obliged, taking his laptop. "I'll look into this farther." He moved over to the desk against the far wall.

"I think I'll sleep too." Alex quickly changed into sweatpants and a shirt. Coming back out, she saw that Dean had taken the bed she had been sitting on. He was laying above the covers, still fully dressed. Alex slid under the covers of the other bed, uncomfortably falling into a sleep.

...

Dean managed to sleep for most of the night. Alex woke up when the sun came up. She looked over to see him twitching in his sleep, undoubtably having a nightmare. Sam had turned as well, watching his brother. "No, no," Dean murmured in his sleep.

Sam shook his head. "Dean? Dean. Wake up!"

"What, what?" Dean snapped open his eyes. "I'm up. What?" He sat up, glancing over at his brother.

"Sleep well?" Sam asked pointedly.

"Yeah." Dean didn't turn around, but reached down. He picked up a whiskey bottle, unscrewing the cap and taking a swig. "Tan, rested, and ready." He took another gulp.

"Dean, come on, man. You think I can't see it?"

"See what?"

"The nightmares, the drinking. I'm with you 24/7. I know something's going on."

"Sam, please."

"Uriel wasn't lying, but you are. You remember Hell, don't you?"

"What do you want from me, huh?" Dean finally turned around. "What?"

"The truth, Dean. I mean, I'm your brother. I just wish you'd talk to me."

"Careful what you wish for," Dean joked, trying to lighten the mood. He got up, grabbing yesterday's paper from the table.

"Cute."

"Come on, can we stow the couple's therapy, huh? We're on a job. I want to work. What you got?" When Sam sighed, Dean pouted. "Please?"

Sam turned back to his laptop. Alex sat up. Dean ignored her.

"We got teddy bear, uh, lottery guy, invisible pervert guy."

"And Audrey's parents," Alex added.

"And them. They all must have wished sometime within the last two weeks. But who wished first, and how are we suppose to know who wished for what when?"

"Well, it helps if they announce it in the paper." Dean folded the newspaper and put it down in front of Sam. "Goes back a month." Alex crawled out of bed, cast an uneasy glance at the totem statue in the corner - the motel's theme seemed to be tiki totems - and walked over to them, glancing down.

"Wesley Mondale and Ms. Hope Lynn Casey have announce their surprise engagement," Sam read.

"Ah, true love," Dean joked.

Sam just shrugged. "Best lead we got." He turned back to his laptop. Dean grabbed his bag off the floor and disappeared into the bathroom.

He came back out redressed. "You got an address?" When Sam nodded, he nodded as well. "Okay. Alex, we'll be back in a little while. Hopefully we'll have this wrapped up by lunch." He shot her a charming smile. He and Sam stood up to leave.

Alex watched them go disappointedly. She fell back on the bed. She had to admit she shouldn't have expected them to let her go anyways. I mean, what do I know? she thought. They can figure it out from here. I'd probably just mess things up. Like always. She turned on Disney channel.

Her stomach growled, and Alex placed a hand over it, frowning. Of course they would run off before they fed her breakfast. She shook her head, groaning as she stood up. She pulled Dean's bag closer, rifling through it. Nothing. She checked all his pockets. Three phone numbers - undoubtably from girls - but no money. She checked Sam's backpack. One dollar and twenty cents. That wouldn't by her anything satisfactory. She sat back down on the bed.

...

Dean came back around 11. He stopped, looking around. "Dude. Why didn't you pack our stuff? I told you we were leaving after lunch."

"No, you told me you'd hopefully have the case done by lunch. I'm not your servant, Dean." Alex glared up at him. "And I haven't had breakfast yet. I'm starving." As if in agreement, her stomach let out a loud growl.

"Then why didn't you get some yourself?"

"I couldn't find any money." Alex let out a long breath, trying to calm down. "Where's Sam?"

"He's, uh, down at the pier." Dean walked in, sitting down on the bed next to her. "So, uh, you seriously haven't eaten?"

"Not since last night." Alex sighed, running her hand through her hair. "So, uh, can we stop for lunch somewhere?" She glanced down at the floor. "I'll, uh, start packing up, I guess." She knelt down, pulling open the dresser and pulling out the clothes.

"No, uh, uh, it's fine." Dean knelt down beside her, pulling his bag close. "Uh, you go pack up Sam's research and crap, and, uh, I'll take care of this, okay? Then we'll go get some grub."

Alex nodded in agreement and stood up, walking over to the desk.

...

Five minutes later they were packed and on the road. Dean parked the Impala by the pier. He got out, leaning against the door. Alex did the same.

Dean pulled out the newspaper he had gotten in the motel office while checking out, scanning over the headlines. Alex stared out over the lake, lost in her thoughts. She saw Sam approach, and she gave a small nod.

"Coin's melted down," he informed them. "It shouldn't cause anymore problems."

"Audrey's parents are back from Bali." Dean motioned to where Audrey was walking along the lake, a young man and a woman by her side. "Looks like all the wishes are gone. And so are we." He circled around and opened the driver's door, then stopped. "Hang on a second."

"What?"

Dean motioned for Alex to get in the car. She did, but strained her ears to hear what he was saying. "You were right." Dean shut the door, making it harder to hear.

"About what?" Sam sounded confused.

"I shouldn't lie to you. I do remember everything that happened to me in the Pit. Everything."

"So tell me about it."

"No." When Sam started to protest, Dean cut him off. "I won't lie anymore. But I won't talk about it."

"Dean, look, you can't just shoulder this thing alone. You got to let me help."

"How? Do you really think that a little heart-to-heart, some sharing and caring is gonna change anything? Hmm? Somehow heal me? I'm not talking about a bad day here."

"I know that."

"The things that I saw . . . there aren't words. There's no forgetting. Because it's right here. Forever. You won't understand. And I could never make you understand. So I'm sorry." He got in to the car, ending the conversation. Alex sat quietly as Sam got in, and they drove off.

...

The car ride was mostly silent. They stopped for lunch right outside of town and continued on. They drove all day, and Alex lay in the backseat, bored. They ran through Dean's cassettes at least twice before turning them off, driving in silence.

...

Sometime late that night they pulled into a motel. Dean checked them into a room, and Alex collapsed on the bed, tired from her day of doing nothing. Sam was at the table, laptop already open. Dean cracked into the six pack they had picked up at the gas station a few miles back.

...

She exactly sure, but at some point, she must have drifted off because when she woke, the grey sky was looking lighter. Sam was on the other bed, sleeping lightly. It sounded like Dean was in the bathroom. Alex reached for the tv remote, glancing at the clock. It was sometime after 6am. She turned on Disney. The bathroom door opened and Dean stepped out. "Disney?"

"Yeah." Alex watched the show.

"Mickey Mouse Clubhouse?" Dean sat down on the bed across from her.

"Yeah." Alex glanced at him. "You've seen it?"

Dean glanced downwards, and said nothing.

"I love this show," Alex admitted after a moment's pause.

"Me too." Dean shifted, crossing his legs.

...

They were back on the road as soon as Sam woke up. They ate breakfast at a McDonalds, which wasn't as bad as Alex had expected. They drove for another four hours before Dean spoke. "Where was that possible werewolf sighting?"

"Uh, Michigan." Sam looked down at the sheet of paper he had in front of him. "By Lake Superior."

"Hm."

"Hang on. This is the way to Bobby's." Alex sat up in her seat.

"Yep." Dean continued driving.

"Why?"

"Because we're dropping you off."

"Dean." Alex fell back into her seat, exasperated.

"What?" Dean glanced back at her.

"Why?"

"Because you could get hurt."

"So could you! I can help." Alex sighed. "Why do I have to stay with Bobby?"

"Because he's your family."

"You're my family!"

"No, we're not."

Alex fell silent, crushed. "Fine." She held back tears, feeling stupid for wanting to cry. "Whatever."

...

Sioux Fall, South Dakota

Dean pulled the car into the Salvage Yard, and Alex got out, resisting slamming the door behind her. She got out her stuff and dejectedly headed towards the door, desperately trying not to let it show. Dean honked the horn, and Alex glanced back to see him wave. She let out a huff, rolling her eyes before turning away. She pushed her way through the back door and entered the house. "Bobby?" she called. No answer. "Bobby? You home?"

Still nothing. Alex tossed her bag to the side, quickly searching the house. It was empty. She pulled out her phone, dialing Bobby's cell. "Hello?"

"Hey. It's Alex."

"Alex? What's up, girl?"

"Uh, nothing. Sam and Dean dropped me off at your place but, uh, you don't seem to be here."

The other end was silent for a second. "Yeah, I'm in Colorado. What do you mean they just dropped you off at my place?"

"I mean we drove here, I got out, and they drove away." Alex shrugged. "Don't worry, Bobby. I'm fine."

"Hm. Yeah, I'll be home sometime tonight. Garth should be around covering the phones. Make yourself comfortable."

"Okay." Alex hung up. Somehow she had wandered into the kitchen, so she tossed her phone on the counter. A ringing sound filled the air. She turned towards the line of phones on the wall. After a slight hesitation, she answered the phone marked: FBI. Tom Willis. "Hedrick. FBI."

"Hello. This is Sheriff Anderson from Rome, Ohio. I'm here with an Agent Rollins and Graves."

Alex flipped through the folder labelled FBI, finding both Rollins and Graves. It was Felix and Oscar. "Hm. Some of our best agents. And?"

"So they are yours?"

"Or course they are." Alex looked up as Garth approached, shotgun in hand. Seeing Alex, he lowered it, nodding. Alex nodded back.

"I'm sorry. You're not the same person."

"Hm?"

"I called this number two days ago," a man answered. "I talked to a man."

"Agent Willis is busy," Alex informed the man. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Sheriff Anderson picked up on the sharpness in her voice. "No. Thank you." He hung up, and so did Alex.