February 4, 2007. El Paso, Texas

When morning came the brothers rented the only available room several doors down from Lady's and got some sleep. In the afternoon they gathered to iron out more details, have a bite to eat and check their weapons and wait for Lady to get ready to go out again.

"Bobby, can you tie this in the back?" she asked, holding a red halter top to her front and turning to show the ties that were dangling down her back.

Dean had seen more interesting parts of Lady than her bare back, but it had been a long time. He forced himself to look at his pistol and continued loading silver bullets.

"Lady, is this really necessary?" Sam asked.

Bobby finished tying the strap across her back and Lady turned to face him. "Hey! You were on the Lady-bait train last night!"

"No, I am! I mean…this?" Sam motioned towards her skimpy clothes.

Lady grinned, "Give me a chance to dress up and I'm all over it, Sam-my-man."

Sam looked skeptical, "You enjoy looking like…" Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"A tramp?" Dean finished.

"Hey!" Bobby snapped.

Lady just snorted a laugh and leaned against the table he was sitting at. "I'm trying to be the best bait I can be. Through years of studying the small male mind I have discovered several tricks to reel them in. This outfit alone is guaranteed to give me a few phone numbers, and hopefully a sex-demon."

"Incubuses don't…" Dean began.

"Incubi," Sam corrected.

"What?" Dean snapped at his brother.

"The plural for an incubus is incubi," Sam said.

"Who cares?" Dean snapped. "The thing isn't human, it doesn't think like your average guy."

"I watched the thing in my head for a long time, it's a guy," Lady assured Dean. "Come on, I'm practically wrapping myself up for this thing and all I'm missing is the Christmas bow." Lady looked thoughtful, "Hm, a bow would look really cute, actually."

"Just remember this thing isn't interested in the wrapping, Lady," Sam said.

Lady grinned, "Oh, come on, Sam, unwrapping the present is half the fun!"

"And will take two seconds," Dean said. Before he could prove his point by tugging one of the strings of her top she moved away from him. "Do you have a weapon on you?"

"Of course," Lady said, sitting on the bed and pulling on knee-high boots. Once they were on she tucked a silver dagger inside the right one.

"Well, no sense waiting around. Let's go," Dean said, tucking his loaded pistol into his jacket.

"I'm not ready," Lady said, getting up and walking to the mirror. Fixing her hair and applying make-up took an additional hour.

As Dean drove to the club he told himself it wouldn't be so bad. Sit at the bar, have a few beers while looking for something he could stab or shoot. And then he actually got inside the club.

The pounding bass drowned out all but the loudest voices, the drinks were ten dollars a piece, and even the scantily clad women couldn't distract him from his frustration of the whole thing. He and his brother had been researching the hunt for days before making it into town and Lady got a vision that told her exactly what they were hunting. It seemed a little unfair. They had done a lot of legwork, but now they were relying on Lady whose ass was hanging out and on the line to pull in this monster.

He went to the bar, the music muted enough that it didn't hurt his ears and he had a good vantage point of most of the club. The lights were dark and there were flashing strobe lights on the dance floor. Sam and Lady sat on either side of him.

"You two do not fit in," Lady said. And they didn't. Dean was in his brown leather jacket with a plain black t-shirt underneath with worn-out jeans and his usual biker boots. Sam had worn-out sneakers, comfortable jeans and a plaid button-down shirt over a white t-shirt. Lady had to tip the bouncer an extra fifty dollars just to let them in with her.

Lady fit in by standing out. She was wearing black knee-high boots with spiked heels, a tiny black skirt and a red halter top that left her back and midriff exposed and would come undone with a tug of a string. Her black hair was down and touching her bare shoulders, framing her pretty face that was painted to perfection.

"Ready, Sam?" Lady asked.

"For what?" he asked as he paid for the first round of beers.

"Get out there," she nodded toward the dance floor.

Sam laughed and shook his head, "Yeah, I don't think so."

"C'mon! Haven't you ever gone fishing before?" she asked, and he looked confused. "The best bait is one that wiggles a bit." Sam rolled his eyes as she wiggled her butt in his direction. "Please?" she pouted.

"No," he laughed. "We're here to watch."

"Fine," she said, her eyes glinting wickedly.

Sam and Dean both watched as she moved into the flashing lights of the dance floor and disappeared in the crowd. Dean was liking this less, now he couldn't even see her to tell if anyone was stalking her.

"You okay with this?" Sam asked.

"No," Dean admitted. "But we need to do it."

Sam cleared his throat as he caught sight of Lady dancing to fast hip hop with a man, "I mean, are you okay with that."

Dean's face was hard, only seeing Lady for a moment before other people blocked her from view again. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He lifted his beer, furious that it was almost empty already. He could manage a few and still be more than ready to work, and sitting at the bar without at least drinking made him look suspicious. The people on the dance floor shifted and Lady had found a new dance partner already. He finished the last of his beer without a thought and waived to the bartender for another one. "That's not even dancing," Dean let out a frustrated breath as he dug out cash.

"Nope, that's dry humping," Sam said flatly while turning to hide the smirk that was forming. He didn't enjoy seeing his brother get worked up, but when it came to Lady he found it amusing. He thought it would be so much easier if Dean just gave in and went to her, and it was almost hilarious that they were hunting the one thing where his brother not only could not have fun with Lady but he was also practically useless. Lady was prepared enough that if their plan worked out he wouldn't even get a shot at the monster himself.

For nearly half an hour they lost Lady completely until she appeared at the other side of the bar taking shots with a few different guys, laughing and chatting happily. By then Dean looked close to actually losing his temper so Sam got out of his seat and went to bring Lady back to them.

"Having fun?" Dean asked with a forced smile.

Lady shrugged as she leaned against the bar, there were no stools available to sit in.

"Come on, this isn't fun for her," Sam said, trying to give his brother the image that Lady wasn't enjoying herself as much as she looked like she was.

"You know, there is nothing wrong with going out and having a little fun," Lady said, crushing Sam's plan to calm his brother down. "Even while you are working." Lady patted Dean's shoulder, "Right?"

Dean tensed as the shoulder she patted was the one he had been shot in a week ago and was still rather tender, "Right," he nodded. "Don't forget why you are here."

Lady studied his face, looking perplexed. Then understanding seemed to show, "I get it, not your scene. What if..." Lady was rubbing his shoulder now and he couldn't hide the pain in his face. "What's...oh, I'm sorry, I forgot," she said, moving her hand across his back to rub his other shoulder. "I'm sorry the monsters had to pick a place with a live DJ that was really into Jay Z."

"How late do we need to stay?" Sam asked. If he couldn't get Dean calmed down maybe he could at least brighten his mood that they didn't have to stay any longer.

Lady grabbed Dean's left hand and squinted at his watch, "At least one more hour. I say we stay until closing, no reason to do this half-assed."

"You know half your ass is hanging out," Dean said.

She smiled at him while running a hand over her skirt to make sure. "No it isn't. Do I look okay? The scar really bothers me." she said, looking over herself and her hand moving to cover the scar from the bullet Roy had shot her with months ago. It was old but paler than the skin around it.

It didn't take much to make her look appetizing to Dean, "You look fine," he said casually, barely giving her a glance.

Lady gave him a quick bump with her hip, "Thanks. You'd look great if you'd smile." Dean gave her a forced smile. "I take that back. Well, I'm off to earn more free drinks." Lady went back to the dance floor with a slight wave.

Lady admittedly enjoyed the attention she got. It was almost too easy to attract guys, and it was even a bit thrilling to be able to get whoever she wanted to dance with her with just a teasing smile. So often when she worked she had to stay low-key, be forgettable and blend in. Standing out, wrapping people around her finger, drawing in half the men and hopefully a sex-demon to her presence…it was fun. If she was going to do the job, she was going to do it right. But she was eager to finish the job. Sam and Dean were in town, but not for long. And Dean was in a foul mood that made her want to crawl into his lap and make him feel better.

The pulsing bass was only fueling Dean's frustration at the whole situation. He watched Lady slither against half a dozen men before a few led her to the bar again.

"Dean, you look ready to punch someone," Sam said anxiously. At first it had been amusing but now he was concerned.

"I'm focused on the job," Dean argued without looking at his brother.

"So am I. The only person stalking Lady tonight is you," Sam said.

Dean barely heard his brother, he was watching Lady while she waited for a drink to be poured. The man she was with was leaning towards her and she turned her head so all he did was kiss her cheek. Lady was saying something to him, leaning away from him while his hand was on her shoulder. "It's been an hour, we should go," Sam said. Dean nodded and got up.

Dean stepped between Lady and the guy who was paying for her drink, "We're out of here, let's go."

"Hey, man," the guy nudged Dean aside to hand Lady her drink. "She's with me."

Dean turned and said, "No, she's with me."

"You have a boyfriend?" the guy looked a little hurt by that information.

"No," Lady said quickly. "Can't I finish my drink?"

"No," Dean said. "We're leaving."

"You can leave without me. I'll get a cab," she said.

"Hey, bro, she wants to hang out with me," the man said happily.

"Fine, whatever," Dean said, throwing his hands up and walking away. "C'mon, Sammy."

"Maybe I should stay," Sam said as they walked outside into the cool night and he wished he had brought his jacket.

"Yeah, because you were having a blast," Dean said sarcastically.

"I was watching you to make sure you didn't knock someone out," Sam said. "You know what, this was amusing before, it isn't anymore. Whatever you and Lady are you need to figure it out because it is messing with your head."

"I know exactly what..." Dean stopped as Lady came out of the club. "Change your mind?"

"I don't know if I want to be in a car with you, you are scaring me," Lady said as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Holy fuck it got cold."

"Let's just go," Dean said.

"What's wrong?" Lady asked. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing," Dean said sharply.

"Are you so uptight about your music that you couldn't handle a few hours of that?" Lady asked.

"It would be nice if you treated this like a job instead of a playground," Dean said.

Lady raised her eyebrows, "I'm serious about this hunt, Dean, I'm trying do everything the last woman who was nearly killed by this thing did to give myself a chance at drawing this thing to me so it doesn't go after someone else. You guys go screw yourselves, I'm going to find me an incubus." Lady threw up her middle finger as she went back into the club.

"We should..." Sam began but Dean was already going to the parking lot.

Lady stayed another hour, but her mood had soured. It was lonely and even a bit scary knowing the Winchesters weren't there. After everything they'd been through together she wished they'd give her a bit more credit. Sure, they'd witnessed her get into some of her worst jams. But they'd also saw some of her better triumphs, too.

Lady stepped outside of the club and shivered at the cold gust of wind that hit her. She pulled her cell phone out of her shirt and was working on dialing a cab when a big black car pulled up. She hurried and got into the warm Impala.

"We may be in Texas but it is February," Dean said as she rubbed the goosebumps from her arms.

"Unless you are in a better mood you can just drop me off and I'll walk," Lady said, only saying it because he looked like he was in a better mood. Still bitter, but not angry. "Or at least don't talk until we get to the motel because I really don't want to walk."

"Have fun?" he asked in a tense voice. Almost ready to pull over and let her walk the mile or so in the fifty degree weather if she had.

"Not really," Lady said. "And faking it all night has left me pretty worn out."

Dean was quiet until he pulled up to the motel. Lady turned to look at him sharply a few times as he was about to speak, her hand going to the door handle and going back before glaring at him. "What?"

"I haven't said anything," he said.

"You are about to but every time I move you stop and it's confusing me," Lady said.

Dean turned to look at her and even as her eyes grew wide he asked, "Just what the hell am I to you?"

Lady looked away and ran a hand through her hair but didn't try to escape the Impala. "Jesus Christ," she muttered as she realized his bad mood. It hadn't been the music or her being bait, though that possibly contributed to it. Jealousy. She'd rubbed up against probably twenty men or more and while she partly enjoyed it, dancing and flirting was fun, she would have been happier lounging in her trailer with Freddie. She sort of understood his mood toward Roy, but now just for dancing? "Dean, I thought we were both pretty clear. Months ago."

"That's all there is for you? A lot has happened since then," he said.

Lady pulled at her lip with her teeth, "I have fun with you, Dean. And don't twist my words, I'm not saying I'm messing with you or trying to in any way." She rubbed her forehead as she had trouble finding a way out, but there wasn't one. She knew how she felt for Dean. She knew she liked being with him, and wished she could be with him more often. And it wasn't just the sex. Everything they did together, from arguing to joking around, she enjoyed. And she had missed it.

"Just tell me that's all there is for you," Dean said, impatient and needing to have it over with. When he had left the club he had dropped Sam off and gone back to wait for Lady, all he could think about was what Sam had said. It was messing with his head in a way he did not like. He just needed her to tell him there was nothing else there. If she said differently he didn't know what the hell to do. She had been a rare constant in his life for nearly a year now. A constant sketchy little thing that popped in and out, but when she was there he enjoyed it. When she wasn't he missed it. "That's all I need to hear. I'm a big boy, I don't need you to sugar coat it."

"Of course that's not all there is...Dean, I am going to get out of the car," she said calmly. "It isn't because I'm avoiding the conversation, it's just because it is a bad time. I'm trying to seduce a freaking incubus and I have a lot of crap in my head. I'd appreciate it if you just let me go to my motel room alone so I can go to bed and wait for a monster to try and sex me up instead if holding me in this car." Dean reached across the seat as her hand went to the door handle and pulled her across the seat to him so he could kiss her. The sweet taste of alcohol on her tongue mixed with her own familiar taste and took away the bitter taste of beer he had in his own mouth. She kissed him back, but made sure it didn't last too long. Nothing more than a goodnight kiss. "And this isn't helping the job either," she said, gently pushing him away but letting her fingertips linger on his neck.

Dean watched as her short skirt swayed back and forth as she walked with those high heels. He never wanted a monster to enter a woman's motel room so he could kill it so badly in his life. He ran his hand through his hair as he let out a breath, trying to calm his nerves. It was a bad time. Adrenaline was running high from the hunt, he had been on edge most of the day, but he knew he wouldn't change his mind. He'd been without Lady for months, dreaming about her and longing for her. Lady had been a spark of interest since he had met her. Maybe trying for something real was stupid, for either of them, but he wanted it. He didn't think he had ever wanted something so badly in his life. It was a relief just to know there was something there, he'd figure out what to do with it later.

Lady leaned against the door of her motel room, slowly pulling off her boots as her mind raced while her lips still tingled, setting her silver knife on the nightstand. Her fate wasn't sealed anymore, she didn't have the curse, but Garrett's way of sacrificing her still worried her. She could hear Dean entering Bobby's motel room and muffled voices, even laughter. She hoped by the time the job was done she could figure out what to say to Dean, that was if he even wanted to think about it further. What was wrong with how things were before Gordon sent them their separate ways?

Lady let her club clothes drop to the floor and pulled on a t-shirt and comfortable underwear. She wasn't even sure what the hell he was asking for. As tired as she was she couldn't sleep as her mind worked.

"You okay?" Bobby asked Dean as he came into the room.

Dean worked on reducing his smirk as he shrugged out of his jacket, "Fine. Why?"

Sam smiled, "That shade of lipstick doesn't go with your shirt."

Dean's smirk returned as he rubbed his lips, "Don't be jealous."

Sam shrugged, "You and Lady are either hot or cold it seems. I give up."

"How do you guys want to do this?" Bobby asked. "I'm going to need a few hours of sleep at some point. Sam and I take the first shift, Dean comes and relieves one of us in a few hours?"

"I'm not really tired," Dean said. "But yeah, you know what, that sounds good." Maybe he could get an hour or two of sleep, but at least he'd get a few hours alone to think, too. He walked down the row of motel rooms and entered the one he and his brother were sharing.

Lady was relieved when the voices from Bobby's room went quiet, but now there was no distraction to her thoughts and no way she was falling asleep with her busy mind. Lady was working out things to tell Dean, coming up with nothing. For so long she had enjoyed Dean, appreciating his no-bull approach to what she had wanted from him...but he was right. A lot had happened since they had met. For years she had ignored the typical relationship and emotional connections, and she was clueless now. Frustrated she got out of bed silently, not wanting to cause Bobby to run in ready to shoot at any noise, and left her motel room to knock on Dean's door.

A/N - Songs for this chapter are:

Bad Girlfriend, by Theory of a Deadman

Circus, by Britney Spears

Dirrty, by Christina Aguilara

I Like It, by Enrique Ingelsias

OMG, by Usher

Bad Time, by Grand Funk Railroad

Punch Drunk Love, by The Summer Set (I prefer the acoustic version of this one)

Pretty much anything fun to dance to fits into this chapter nicely. And ooo, emotional cliffhanger. :)