Heart
Part Three

Oh, God. Dean was unconscious. Which meant I'd have to kill Madison myself. But the first thing I needed to do was get her away from Dean, because what if, in my frenzied state, I shot Dean? Or worse, what if Madison bit him?

"Hey," I shouted, drawing her attention.

I trained my gun on her, but she launched herself at me and I fell to my back to kick her over me. She growled loudly. I stood back up, but it turned out werewolves were faster than humans, so by the time I got up, Madison was already knocking me over again.

I felt her nails dig into my chest and felt the blood seep into my shirt. But, oh well, I'd heal. I tried to get out from under her and I didn't know what happened the next second, but the second after that I was screaming. I had fire running through my veins originating at my wrist.

Madison had grabbed my arm and had bitten me.

I started convulsing and my muscles seized - kinda like when someone has tetanus or lockjaw. Oh, God, was I gonna be a werewolf now? I didn't wanna turn into something Sam and Dean hunted.

It felt as if lava venom was going through me originating from where her teeth sank into me. I used my other hand - my left one - and used all my strength to knock her in the temple and she drew back, away from me, shrieking.

She turned and before I knew it she went away the same way she'd come in: through the sliding glass door.

I grabbed onto my wrist and then noticed on the ring finger of my left hand the silver sapphire ring Dean had given me for Valentine's Day. Silver. The silver must've been pure and the sapphire must've cut into Madison's skin.

Suddenly, an even bigger pain shot through my arm. My head started spinning and it felt like my blood was flowing backwards. I cried out as the pain and the burning centered at the bite mark.

The only thing I could compare the pain to was that time when we'd been trying to get rid of the succubus. The same burning sensation was going through me now.

Dean groaned and shifted slightly, so I called out to him. My voice roused him even more.

"Aly?" he said, grabbing the back of his head.

"Dean." I swallowed back bile as my stomach churned. "A-are you okay?"

I sat up, still holding my wrist, and moved closer to Dean. I stopped halfway there, though, and grabbed my own head. It felt all big and float-y and my skin was overheated and I really felt like I had to vomit and my muscles were still tightened - painfully so.

"I'm good. Head hurts like hell, though."

"Dean…I'm - I don't feel so good. It hurts to move."

That got Dean's attention and he moved quicker.

"Did you break something? Again?" he asked.

"No," I said. "I…she bit me."

It looked like all the color left Dean's face. "What?"

"I'm sorry," I said shakily. "She pushed me and it happened so fast I couldn't react quick enough."

My breath came in small gasps - partly from pain and partly from freaking out.

"But…it's okay, right?" Dean asked desperately. "I mean…you'll heal, right?"

I bit my lip. "I haven't healed yet," I said. That statement was partly true. The wounds from my chest had healed almost instantly. It was just the bite marks that were being stubborn. "It hurts."

Dean seemed helpless. He didn't know what to do here.

"Dean…I don't wanna be a monster."

"Hey, you're not gonna be a monster. Okay? This is…we don't even know what that bite'll do to you. I mean, maybe your body's fighting it off right now."

Dean was grasping at straws here. He took my wrist and looked at the wound, rubbing his thumb over the mark.

"Dean…you have to call Sam. Make sure he's okay."

"We gotta get you outta here first. Someone could've heard the noise we made."

He stooped to pick me up, which was the best thing because my muscles were still convulsing slightly.

"We're gonna get you cleaned up, okay?"

"Mm." I grabbed my head again. "Are we spinning? It feel like we're spinning."

"No. We're not even moving, Aly," Dean said shakily. "Don't you dare pass out on me."

"My head is dizzy," I said. And, wow, I hoped I didn't throw up on him.

The motion of him moving, however, dulled my senses somewhat. Or maybe I was gonna pass out. Me being unconscious would've been better than me having to see the different emotions playing over Dean's face.

There was fear, probably for both me and Sam. There was uncertainty at what exactly was happening to me. And then there was wonder at what we would do if I did change. And of course there was self-loathing in there, too. That was just his way. He was probably thinking that since he'd been knocked unconscious that it was his fault that I'd been bitten.

"I'm gonna get you back to the motel," he said. "And then I'm goin' for Sam."

"What if I change?" I didn't want to mention it, but it needed to be said.

"You won't change."

"But, Dean -"

"No," he cut me off firmly. "Just…no."

Dean couldn't deal with this right now, it seemed, so I closed my mouth. I didn't want to think too much about it either.


The first thing we did when we got back to the car was get the first-aid kit out of the trunk. It wasn't only to clean me up, I knew. It was to give Dean something to do.

Using the anti-bacteria cream didn't help; it just made it burn worse.

"I think you'd get more results with a rabies shot," I said.

"That's so not funny," Dean said, glaring sadly at me. "This is serious, Alyson."

"God, you think I don't know that, Dean?" I yanked my arm away from him. "I am freaking out here, okay? I don't wanna be a werewolf," I said. "I just wanna be me." And I would never again resent the fact that I was different if I just wouldn't become a werewolf. "I don't wanna be bad."

I didn't wanna become something Dean would hate, something he would hunt. I didn't wanna lose him.

"You're not gonna be bad," he said. "We'll find a way to deal with this, okay? We'll figure somethin' out."

"What? Locking me in a cage every month until I change back? I don't think werewolves can be housebroken."

Dean went back to bandaging my wrist. It made me itch.

As we were racing back to the motel Dean said he was sorry. Then I told him truthfully that it wasn't his fault. I'd messed up, not him.

"It's just…I forget sometimes that you haven't been doin' this as long as I have. You've been great with the hunting and the killin' evil. You're good at what you do. I should've been able to stop this from happening."

I sighed. I hated when Dean blamed himself for things that were out of his control.

I was still hurting, but my muscles had loosened. Now I just felt shaky and weak.

I took my phone out and dialed Sam's number. I really wanted to know if he was okay.

"Hey. You okay?" Sam said from the other side. It sounded like he'd been worried, too.

"Um…Dean's okay. He was knocked out. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why? I've been here the whole time."

"You didn't hear anything strange?"

"No."

"Oh."

"What's wrong with you?" Sam asked suddenly. "I've known you long enough to know when something's bothering you."

"Sam…I have bad news and then worse news."

"Well, what is it?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"Madison's the werewolf," I said.

"What?" Sam sounded like he thought we'd made a mistake. "That's impossible. She's here in bed, asleep."

"Well, she must've left sometime during the night, because I know she was out. Sam, she bit me."

There was a brief silence and then, "What? But that means…"

"I know what it means, Sam," I said.

Sam sighed. "Well…don't worry about it. We'll figure something out. We'll help you."

I knew he was just saying it to be saying it. It was the right thing to say; he didn't actually mean it. He was just wanting to say something to make me feel better.

"Yeah, okay." Tears stung my eyes because I didn't think everything was gonna be okay. I didn't think I was gonna be okay. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that we're, ya know…alive. And to see if you were okay."

"Well, I'm good…I guess."

"Okay, well, Dean'll see you in a bit. I'm gonna go back to the motel."

"Jack,' Sam said suddenly, "is there."

"What?" Oh, I so didn't want to deal with him right now.

"Yeah, he called and asked where we were."

"Oh. Great."

"Sorry. He said he tried calling you, but you didn't answer."

Jack had called while Dean and I had been watching Kurt's place. Maybe I should've answered.

"Okay, well, thanks for tellin' me," I said before hanging up.


At the motel, sure enough, Jack was there. When he saw the condition I was in he seemed concerned.

"What happened to you?" he asked, grabbing for my wrist, which was still bleeding lightly. I could tell because it was soaking through the white gauze bandage on it.

"Don't touch her," Dean said, getting between me and Jack. "You don't get to do that."

At first, Jack just looked taken aback. Dean had never really been outwardly aggressive to him before. But then after he got over the initial shock, Jack became angry.

"Well, I don't know who you think you are, but I am her father. I think I deserve to know what happened."

"No, you don't. You've been lying to us from the moment we saw you."

"What're you talking about?" Jack asked, incredulous.

"You were dead," I said softly. We were in the parking lot still, and I was just trying to keep the peace. "You died last year."

Jack's jaw tightened. "How do you know that? Who told you?"

"It doesn't matter," Dean said vehemently. "The only thing that matters is that you didn't."

"I didn't…I just…" Jack's anger vanished, but he still seemed frustrated. "I would never do anything to hurt her."

"You already have," Dean said as we moved around him. "And we don't have time for you now."

"Wait," Jack said desperately. "She won't turn."

Dean and I stilled beside each other. Had Jack said what I thought he said? Did he know I'd been bitten? How did he know?

"What d'you mean?" Dean asked, feigning cluelessness.

"You know what I mean. She was bitten by a werewolf."

I grabbed Dean's hand and began tugging him to the room. We couldn't discuss werewolves out in the open like this. We couldn't talk about Jack coming back to life, either. Jack followed us and then, against my better judgment, I let him in.

"How did you know I was bitten?" I asked. "I mean…what, are you psychic now?

"No, I'm…this is one of those things I'm not supposed to tell you."

"Tell me," I said. "If you want me to even begin to trust you again, tell me. Now."

"I…hear things and they come true."

Dean and I looked at each other. What did he mean, he heard things?

"How're you alive?" Dean asked. He must've thought that was more important than the hearing things…thing.

"Someone or something brought me back. He said as long as I do what I'm told, I can live."

"Who?" Dean asked. "Or what?"

Jack hesitated. "He didn't tell me. I never saw him…I just heard his voice. He just said he had the power to keep me alive." Jack's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Look, I told you there are some things I'm not allowed to tell you. My dying was one of them. You were never supposed to find out."

"Why aren't you allowed to tell us certain things?"

"He sees it as interfering with fate…destiny. If I tell you those things…I'll die. I wish I didn't know the things I know, but I wouldn't work with him until he told him why I should."

"So you're working for someone evil," Dean said.

"No, he just…he saved my life."

"And he can take it," I said, deciding to go with the evil concept. Someone good wouldn't hold someone's life over their head like that.

"So, basically, you're his bitch. Whoever he is," Dean retorted. "What did he want? Your undying allegiance?"

"Well, yeah, basically. And he hasn't hurt anyone, I don't think. He doesn't mean anyone harm. So he's not evil. He just needed my help setting things in motion."

"What things, exac -" I broke off abruptly as my stomach churned again, and I placed a hand over my mouth.

"Don't keep it in. You'll feel better once you empty your stomach. The werewolf's venom will hit you like the stomach flu. You'll get a fever and you won't be able to keep anything down, but you'll get it out of your system."

"You said she won't turn, though," Dean said, hope in his voice.

"No, she'll just be sick for a few days, then she'll be fine."

"And we should believe you, of course," I remarked scathingly.

"I wouldn't lie about this. I haven't lied about anything that has already happened. I'm just not supposed to tell you anything about stuff you don't know. Like my dying.

"Oh, that's helpful."

I really felt like I was gonna be sick now and I rushed to the bathroom. I had nothing in my stomach - I hadn't eaten since the morning so bile was all that came up.

I heard Dean tell Jack not to move and then he was in the bathroom with me, kneeling beside me.

"You're okay," he said, pulling my hair back away from my face as I heaved. "You're gonna be okay."

When I was through I sat there out of breath.

"We have to get to Sam," I said. "We have to figure out what to do with Madison."

"Um…we're going to kill her," Dean said. "That's generally what we do with werewolves. Especially one's who go around biting people."

"I could've been a werewolf, Dean," I reminded him. "Were you gonna kill me, too?"

"You wouldn't have killed anyone. You…we would've kept you locked up or something."

"Well…whatever. Just let me brush my teeth and then we can go. I don't wanna stay here with Jack."


I didn't wanna stay with Jack, but we couldn't leave him at the motel either. We didn't trust him to be there when we got back.

Dean said Sam could handle himself so we stopped at this 24-hour gas station and bought some medicine for fever and some Pepto Bismal for the queasiness.

I hadn't questioned Jack further because every time I opened my mouth I felt like I was gonna started heaving again. But I wanted answers, so as soon as the medicine was in me I started talking.

"So…you hear things…this thing tells you the future and then…that's it? What did he tell you? You said he wanted you to set things in motion. What things?"

"Yeah, Jack," Dean said. "What things?"

Jack sighed. He sounded like he wanted Dean to stay out of it.

"Look, it was kind of a mutual thing, okay? I wanted to see you again," Jack said, looking at me. "And he needed someone to get close to you. Someone that you would let train you."

"Train me for what?"

"Well, to be who you're meant to be, of course."

"If this guy wanted Aly to train so badly, why didn't he come to her himself?"

Jack laughed bitterly. "If some strange guy came around to train her, would you have let him within fifty feet of her?"

As we pulled up to Madison's apartment building Dean said, "no. I have a hard enough time letting you near her."

"Yeah, well, lucky for me, it's not your decision," Jack snarked.

We were out of the car now and Dean and Jack were facing each other. I was hoping they wouldn't fight.

"Lucky for you, your daughter's a good person. Anyone else would've told you to go straight to hell."

"Guys, stop," I said. "We have a werewolf to deal with."

Dean looked at me and then back at Jack. He followed me.

"Oh, that's right. You two are inseparable. You're attached at the hip. I was sent to find a place in her life, but ya know, there wasn't a place left. It was all Dean, Dean, Dean." Jack stepped forward. "Why are you so special?"

Dean smirked. "It's 'cause I'm awesome." Then he sobered quickly. "I don't know, okay? I ask myself that everyday."

"Hm…maybe it's your whole self-worth issue. Even I can see you hate yourself. Maybe she thinks she can fix you." He was talking as if he were thinking to himself.

Jack looked at me. He seemed…mean now. He'd never been mean before, but maybe he'd had enough of me putting Dean first. And then just like that…his anger vanished. Bipolar man.

I looked at Dean and saw that he looked ready to punch something. Or more precisely, someone.

"Just don't pay attention to him," I said, grabbing his hand. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

I could tell, though, that this wasn't over.


At Madison's door, we knocked twice before Sam answered. He was visibly upset and not just because Madison had got one over on us. Did Sam…like her? Like…like her, like her?

Madison was tied to a chair. She was crying, and she looked hysterical. She had a cut at her temple, close to her eye where my ring had cut her.

Sam looked suspiciously at Jack. "Can he be trusted?"

"Hm, the jury's still out on that one," Dean said.

"But…I don't think he's here to hurt us," I added. "Not physically, anyway."

"We'll explain later," Dean said.

"Okay, good," Sam said. "We need to talk."

Sam led us - Jack included - to the kitchen where we began talking amongst ourselves.

"She says she has no idea what I'm talkin' about."

"Well, she's lyin'," Dean said simply.

"Or maybe she really doesn't know she's changing. Ya know, maybe when the creature takes over, she blacks out."

"Like a really hot Incredible Hulk," Dean quipped. "Come on, dude, she ganked her boss and her ex-boyfriend. That doesn't sound rash and unconscious."

"Yeah, but what if it was, Dean?" Sam asked desperately. "I mean, what if some animal part of her brain saw both those guys as threats? Hell, the cop, too."

"What, are you the Dog Whisperer now?"

"Dean," I started, "I'm with Sam on this one. I mean, that could've been me. What if it had been me?"

"But if she can't control it, more people are gonna die," Dean said. "It doesn't change anything."

"There may be another way," Jack said, speaking for the first time. "There's an old legend about a cure. You, uh, kill the werewolf that bit her and like a sickness, it'll go away."

"It's worth a shot," Sam said, but then his face fell. "Wait…that means she has to die, anyway. She bit you," he added, looking at me.

"Oh, uh, actually, I'm fine here. Um…I won't turn."

Sam looked confused. "But you were bitten."

"She can't be turned into anything dark or evil. It's against her nature. Werewolf, vampire, demon. She can't be fully possessed, either. A demon would die before they fully took her over. The succubus that took her over? She would've killed it eventually."

And wow, wasn't Jack full of fun facts to know and learn?

Dean sighed, looking at Jack. Dean really didn't wanna work with him, it seemed.

"Okay, even if what you say is true, we don't know where to start looking. I mean, the puppy that bit Madison could be anyone, anywhere. It could've been years ago."

Sam shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

Sam began walking back to the room Madison was in.

"Wait, what do you mean?" I asked. "Why don't you think so?"

"You'll see," Sam said.

Well, that cleared everything up. It would've been so annoying if he hadn't explained himself properly.

When we reached the room Madison was in, Sam knelt in front of her.

"Madison, when were you mugged?"

She just looked defiantly back at him.

"Please. It's important, all right? Just answer the question."

"About a month ago."

"Did you see the guy?"

"No. He grabbed me from behind."

"Did he bite you?"

Madison looked at Sam for a long time before answering. "How did you know that?"

"Where's the mark?" Sam asked.

"O-on the back of my neck."

Sam stood up and went behind her. He removed her hair from her neck and looked.

"Where were you at the time?" Dean asked.

"Walking home from a friend's loft."

"Let me guess. Not too far from Hunter's Point?"

Madison nodded hesitantly. Sam and Dean exchanged glances. I knew why. Hunter's Point was where the other murders happened.

The guys nodded for me to follow them back out the room, so I did.

"So what're we gonna do?" Dean asked. "We can't just let her bust loose, but she's gonna turn tonight."

"You go to Hunter's Point," Sam said. "I'll stay with Madison."

"And if she gets loose?"

"Then I'll shoot her, okay? Just…look for the thing. Maybe we can save her."

Dean was silent for about a minute, but then he said, "fine."

"Well, what do we do until then," I asked. "We can't just wait for her to turn, can we? I mean, she's gonna get hungry, she's gonna have to go to the bathroom. We can't keep her tied up."

"Yes, we can," Dean said. "That's what we're doin', actually."

"Oh, great. So if we save her, she'll just be traumatized for life," Sam said.

"Sam…" Dean said. "What else can we do?"

"Nothing. I guess."


An hour later we were all in the main room. I felt so bad for Madison - she couldn't help that she'd been bitten. And then here we were making things worse by having to keep her tied up.

The closer it got to nightfall, the worse I felt, which made sense when I thought about it, because the wolf gene - disease? - only took over at night. I hadn't eaten anything, really, and I'd only had a little water since I'd been bitten, so needless to say, I was feeling weak.

Dean was getting ready to leave and he was taking Jack with him. I hoped they didn't get preoccupied with arguing and lose focus on what they were supposed to be doing. Or…scratch that. I hoped Jack didn't get preoccupied. Dean was a professional, whereas Jack sometimes acted like he wasn't.

Not to mention the unresolved issues between them. Jack wouldn't intentionally hurt Dean, would he? He hadn't so far, but they had been arguing recently.

Madison had begged us to let her go, and Sam had tried to comfort her as best a possible. Sam told her if she'd put up with us for another day then we'd leave and this would just be a memory.


After Dean and Jack left, Madison started crying again.

"Please, let me go," she said. She was begging me as much as she was Sam. "This isn't real. You know this isn't real."

I was on the couch - the fever Jack had talked about had hit me, so I felt bad - and I wanted to comfort her, but I didn't know how. Seriously? How do you say 'hi, you're a monster now,' without sounding insensitive? Not to mention the fact that she didn't believe us; she thought we were nuts.

Then it hit me: My bite mark. The one she'd given me. But I couldn't show her that. She's just ask question that I couldn't answer. Like how come I wouldn't turn into a werewolf myself.

"We're not gonna hurt you," Sam said softly. "We're tryin' to help you."

Time passed by pretty quickly after that, but that was mostly because I kept dozing off on the couch. The last time I woke up it was because I felt nauseous again and I was cramping up. My heart was racing the way it does when you feel like you're gonna empty your stomach.

I laid there just swallowing repeatedly, until I decided it would be best if I made it to the bathroom before the bile decided to come up.

After I got done I rinsed my mouth weakly and ran cool water over my face. I felt clammy. When I went back to the main room and laid back on the couch I groaned softly.

"You okay?" Sam asked sympathetically.

I looked at him. He was standing by the window looking out. Madison was asleep now. Or at least she looked asleep. Her neck was tilted down at an odd angle; she would definitely have a crick in her neck when she awoke.

"No," I said honestly. "I feel horrible. I'm hungry, but just the thought of eating makes me queasy."

Sam sat beside me. "Maybe you're pregnant," Sam quipped lightly.

I glared at him. "I'm not. Don't even joke about that."

"It could happen," Sam said just to bug me.

"Sam, when I feel better, I'm gonna smack you so hard it'll make your head spin."

"Uh-huh."

"I will," I threatened.

"Well, I mean…you and Dean have been all over each other lately…so…"

"Shut up, Sam."

If I hadn't been feeling so bad I would've blushed. But as it was, I didn't feel like I was blushing, and usually my cheeks heated from embarrassment.

Something in Sam's voice had caught my attention, though. Not for the first time, I detected a hint of jealousy. It didn't happen very often, but the little green monster had apparently chosen to rear its ugly head tonight.

"Sam…just because Dean and I have each other doesn't mean that you're alone, ya know."

"I know," Sam said quickly. "Really, I'm happy for you guys." Only, he didn't sound happy.

"Sam…"

I was cut off by a snarl and then the sound of rope snapping filled the room. Madison. Sam and I shot off the couch - my sickness be damned - and we got our guns out in record time.

"Don't shoot her unless you have to," Sam said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes, get her to the closet."

We had to lure a werewolf? In a nice non-fatal way?

"Fine," I said reluctantly.

Sam and Madison had a brief but intense staring match. Before I knew what was happening, Sam had been knocked to the ground.

I realized unless I could somehow get her in the closet then I'd have to shoot her. But I was in no condition to wrestle with a werewolf. But I figured it was better for me to get bitten again then for Sam to get his heart ripped out. So I did a very stupid thing. I went and grabbed Madison's hair. It got her attention and she growled at me.

I started backing up slowly. "Come on, Maddie, can't ya catch me?"

She chased me around the room and I had her crashing into her coffee table. It just annoyed her further.

Sam got up quickly and made for the closet door, which I led her towards. I moved away just in time for Sam to swiftly shut her in.

I took a deep breath and used my inner strength to move the entertainment center across the room to place in front of the door. A pain shot through my head and I became dizzy. I vaguely wondered why, if the power came from my heart, it hurt my head when I overexerted myself.

Losing my strength altogether, I fell to my knees, panting.

"Whoa, hey, you okay?" Sam asked, quickly coming to me.

"Weak now," I explained softly.

"Do you need something?"

"No, I'll be fine. Just give me a minute."

"Yeah, okay. Let's get you back to the couch, though."

I agreed with that so I let Sam help me up and to the couch, on which I collapsed, exhausted.

"Mm. I hope Dean and Jack are okay," I said.

"Yeah. And that they bagged the werewolf." He looked toward the closet. There were scratching noises coming from inside. "Madison doesn't deserve what's happening to her."

"Yeah, she's nice. Except for the…werewolf thing."

"Right."

It was funny, but Sam sounded…wistful, almost. Then it hit me.

"You really like her, don't you?"

"Yeah, but it's kind of a moot point now, don't you think? Everything's different now."

"It's not a moot point, not if you like her." I turned to him, and noticed for the first time that he had three small scratches on his cheek. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine," he said, shrugging it off. "You should rest, though."


Two hours later, Dean and Jack got back. They said that Glen - Madison's neighbor - was the werewolf, which surprised me. I never would've guessed. Although he had been awfully protective of her. Dean also said that Glen had had no clue what he even was or how he'd gotten to Hunter's Point.

Anyway, there was still tension between Dean and Jack and they both looked like they'd fought the other. Dean had a busted lip, and Jack had a bruise forming on his jaw and another beneath his left eye, high on his cheek.

"Wow, what did you do to each other?" I asked, shaking my head.

"We settled a few things," Dean said vaguely. "Anyway, I knew you hadn't eaten - or couldn't eat anything heavy, so…" He pulled out a pack of Saltines and a 7-up from a bag he'd been carrying. "Maybe once you eat somethin' you'll feel a little better."

I smiled a thank you and then looked pointedly at Jack. He'd asked earlier what made Dean so special, why I'd picked him over Jack. Well, it was this. He was thoughtful and kind - not every boyfriend in the world would go and just randomly be like 'oh, you're feelin' sick? Well, let me go buy you some crackers, see if it helps.' A lot of guys would be like 'My girl's sick? A'right, I can hang out with the guys tonight.'

And sure, Dean could ignore big pink elephants sometimes, but when it really mattered, he'd always come through. And he wasn't just one of those guys who pretended to care; he actually did. Now that I thought about it…I didn't think there was a fake or insincere bone in his body. Not when it came to us.

"So…" Dean began. "I guess we're staying here tonight, and then we'll just keep watch outside tomorrow."

"Sure," Sam said. "I mean, it should be over now, right?"

"Here's to hoping," I said.

"Anyway, why do you think Glen turned Madison instead of just killin' her in the first place?" Dean asked.

"Well, he had to have been fascinated by her," Jack said. "His animal side wouldn't have kept her alive if he hadn't been."

"Why'd she bite me?" I asked. She had been more fascinated by Sam than by me.

"Probably because, in her animal state, she could sense what's inside you. The power. The light. The stronger you get the brighter you'll shine. Dark things like to corrupt things made of light. That's the story of the world."

Things were silent for about a minute, until Dean looked at Sam intently.

"So…about Madison…"

"Oh, whatever," Sam said, weakly - and sadly.

"Don't whatever me, man, you like her."

"Dean, she thinks I'm a stark raving lunatic. That we all are, actually."

"Yeah, but you saved her life."

"And girls get off on that stuff," I said lightly. "Besides, when she sees the damage she's done to her closet…I think she'll believe you."