A/N: Things still aren't quiet right for them, but they're ready to head back to Bobby's. Thanks for hanging in there as we take a different path toward the end. Your thoughts are great, please review. Enjoy... NC


Chapter 44

"You can have the bathroom first and get your shower." Dean offered.

"Alright. I'll try not to take too long since you guys need to shower too."

"Okay, I'll make Sammy go last since he takes the longest of either of us." Dean chuckled.

"I have noticed that." she giggled softly as she pulled the other key card out to open their door. "I noticed they have a laundry room here too and thought tomorrow I'd do some laundry for us."

"Me or Sammy can get ours done." Dean offered.

"It won't take any longer to throw yours in with mine. It'll give me a full load." she shrugged. Lark picked up her pack and dug out clean briefs and an oversized tee shirt that used to belong to Sam. She found her bathroom bag and shuffled to the bathroom wondering if she had the energy to even shower. Lark knew she had to since she couldn't go to bed as dirty and smelly as she was.

She closed the bathroom door behind her and dropped her clean clothes on the counter before stopping to look at herself in the mirror. The reflection that looked back at her shocked her. Her blond hair was streaked with splatters of blood matting it together and her face had smudges of dirt across one side. Her jacket was probably not salvageable with all the blood stains and dirt ground into it. She looked down at her jeans and wondered the same thing. She pulled out shampoo and conditioner, sitting it in the shower to use.

Lark moved to turn on the water and adjust the temperature before taking off her dirty clothes and stepping under the hot spray. She sighed in contentment as the hot water ran over her head and down her body. She ran her hands through her hair trying to work tangles and matted sections out of it. She squirted shampoo into the palm of her hand and worked it through her hair lathering it good before rinsing and shampooing again to get it clean. She put in conditioner, working it through her hair and used the body wash provided by the motel to wash her body. Once she rinsed her body and hair, Lark grabbed a towel to dry off and towel dry her hair before stepping from the shower. She looked at her body in the mirror seeing new bruises and scrapes scattered across it. She put on her briefs and pulled the tee shirt over her head, letting it settle over her body.

"Your turn." she called as she stepped from the bathroom with her dirty clothes.

"This is going to feel good." Dean said picking up some sleep clothes and his bathroom bag.

"Want me to check your wounds once you're done?" she asked trying to suppress a yawn.

"Naw, Sammy or I can do it. You go on to bed. You look like you're about to drop where you stand."

"I can check them Lark, Dean's right go on to bed." Sam told her.

"Al...ri...ght..." she yawned. She grabbed a blanket and pillow and went to the couch to make a bed.

"Hey, you can take the bed; I'll sleep on the couch." Dean told her from the bathroom door.

"That's okay, I don't mind." she mumbled sitting on the couch.

"I can take to couch." Sam offered.

"I don't think you'll fit Sam." Lark told him looking at the couch and then at Sam.

"Look, get in the bed Babe, as exhausted as everyone is, all we're going to do is sleep." Dean told her with a huff. "Go on to bed." he sighed before closing the door.

"He's right Lark, you'll be more comfortable in a bed. I can sleep with Dean if you want." Sam offered.

"No, it's fine." Lark said getting up and going to the bed to pull the covers back. She crawled over to the other side and curled up under the covers. She was asleep within minutes of lying down in the bed.

Sam sat on his bed and waited for Dean to finish up in the bathroom so he could have his turn. He could hear the water running and shivered in anticipation of taking one and getting clean. He had sleep clothes and his bathroom bag beside him ready when Dean was done. He could hear the soft breathing of Lark in the bed beside him and wondered what was brought back to this world with them. His mind drifted to that one night and the love he had found, even if it was only for a short while. He had slipped the necklace she had given him in the zipper pocket of his pack so it wouldn't get lost.

"Your turn bro." Dean said stepping from the bathroom as steam escaped from around him. "Enjoy but don't fall asleep taking a shower."

"Do you need me to check your injuries?"

"No, I replaced the pads, they're good." he replied dropping his dirty clothes on Lark's and moving to the bed. He looked down at her sleeping form before easing under the covers and settling down. There was plenty of room where neither had to touch and he didn't try to touch her. His eyes closed and he was asleep almost as fast as Lark.

spn

Sam felt the warmth of the bathroom and the moisture hanging in the air. He sat his things down and stripped out of his clothes before turning on the water and adjusting it as hot as he could stand it. After stepping under the spray, Sam sucked in a sharp breath from the heat of the water. He let it beat on his head for a minute just enjoying the feel before taking his shampoo to wash his grimy hair. He lathered it, massaging his scalp as he worked the suds into the length of the hair. He didn't realize how much longer it had gotten since they had been gone, but it seemed it had grown more since they got back. Maybe he would go have it trimmed once they got back to Sioux Falls. He soaped down his body and felt his strength beginning to waver. He now understood what Dean meant about falling asleep in the shower and finished up so he could go to bed too. He shut the water off and grabbed a clean towel to dry and towel dry his hair before stepping to the mirror. After looking at his reflection, Sam decided he could shave later and not waste time doing it now. He dropped his dirty clothes with the rest and stumbled to the bed to pull the covers back and crawl under them. He settled down and listened to the soft snoring coming from the bed beside him and let it lull him to sleep, joining the others in Neverland.

spn

Morning came and the three hunters stirred only long enough to use the bathroom and returned to bed. They slept on through the day as the world moved forward at a fast pace around them. It was late afternoon when they began to wake themselves up.

Lark crawled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom to relieve herself and wash her face to finish waking up. She changed clothes so they could go out and eat in a real restaurant this time. Each brother took their turn in the bathroom and changed clothes getting ready too. There was a steak house within walking distance they were going to try and see if they could eat anything yet.

"How do you feel Sam?" Lark asked as she brushed her hair as they waited for Dean to finish in the bathroom.

"I think some better. I don't have that heaviness on my body like before but I still don't feel exactly right. Have you noticed our hair and nails seemed to have grown overnight?" Sam admitted to her. "How 'bout you?"

"The same. My mind is still trying to catch up I think. It's still a little fuzzy around the edges. I thought I was just dreaming my had grown out more." Lark told him being honest too. "And your brother? Has he let you check his wounds?"

"Of course not, you know how he is." Sam told her with a huff.

Lark moved to the bathroom door and stood in front of it waiting for Dean to come out. He looked up in surprise when she blocked his path and wouldn't let him step around her.

"Ummmm...There a problem?" he asked looking past her to a smirking Sam who bit his lip not to laugh.

"I want to see your wounds and be sure they're not infected." she said arching an eyebrow as she stared him down.

"It's fine." he growled out trying to step around her until she blocked him.

"Let me see." she said crossing her arms over her chest daring him to defy her.

Dean frowned and looked from Lark to Sam seeing he was getting no help from him as he hid his laughter behind his hand. Seeing there was no way around this without a fight, Dean gritted his teeth and hissed, "Fine."

"Take your tee shirt off and let me check your shoulder." Lark told him walking forward and making him step backward.

Dean frowned but did as she said. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head trying not to wince with the discomfort he felt.

Lark pushed him down on the commode and removed the pad covering the claw wounds to check them. She gently touched his shoulder and looked for infection and checked the stitching before looking in her bathroom bag for cream and another pad. Lark smoothed the cream over the stitched wound before placing a clean pad over it. She looked at his arm and replaced the butterfly bandages there.

"Now was that so bad?" she asked stepping to the sink to wash her hands. "It is healing well. How do you feel otherwise? Sam and me still feel a little off, but some better."

"Yeah, the same." Dean said deciding it would be better to admit it than to lie about it.

"I'm hoping a few more days and we'll start feeling more like ourselves."

"I hope so. Not liking that the taste of my favorite food sucks."

"Maybe it'll be different with this meal. We need to start small and work up to our regular foods." Lark suggested as she stepped from the bathroom to look for her coat. "You ready Sam?"

"Yes." he said clearing his throat and grabbing his jacket. "He okay?"

"Yes, he's healing nicely. I should be able to take the stitches out by the end of the week."

"Standing right here." Dean commented as they talked about him.

"I know bro, but she's honest." Sam shrugged and got a middle finger from Dean. "Shall we go?"

"I'm going to throw a couple loads of clothes in to wash. They should be finished and ready for the dryer by the time we get back." Lark said picking up a pack she had put their dirty clothes in.

Lark stopped off at the laundry room and loaded two washers, starting the machines before joining the brothers waiting outside. They headed out the door and walked across the parking lot toward the steak house that was below the motel. The air had a chill to it but was still comfortable with jackets on. Lark walked between the two brothers, just far enough away to not touch, but close enough to feel each other and to protect.

spn

"I'd say that was a little better." Sam noted as they strolled back from the steak house to their motel.

"Speak for yourself." Dean huffed.

"I told you to get something beside steak." Sam chastised him. "I don't think our bodies are ready for that type of food yet."

"But you ate a baked potato and a piece of bread." Dean whined. "How is that supposed to sustain anyone?"

"Sam's right, we need to take it slow, eat small meals more often if we need to. We don't know how long it will take our bodies to re-acclimate to our world." Lark told them. "So let's get some more sleep tonight and I'll get us a rental in the morning and we'll head for Bobby's. We can drive straight through if we all take turns driving and sleeping."

"That will work. It'll probably take at least a day of driving to get there." Dean noted as he figured it out in his head.

"Well, I'm going to grab another shower tonight so I don't have to do it in the morning. But first I need to put our clothes in the dryers." Lark told them stopping back at the laundry room to do that.

"You can go on, I'll stay with her." Dean told Sam.

"Alright." he nodded heading on back to the room.

Dean watched Lark shaking out clothes before tossing them in the dryer. She set aside a couple of things to hang in the room to dry before feeding money into the machines and starting them. She waited for a moment to be sure they were doing okay before turning to look at Dean leaning in the doorway.

"I can get a quick shower and come back to get them." she said already feeling the weariness taking over her body.

"Me or Sam can do that if you want to turn in after your shower." Dean suggested when he saw Lark wiping her eyes.

"No, I'm good." she replied shaking her body slightly and rolling her shoulders.

"You don't have to be Supergirl Babe, we can share the load."

"I don't mind."

"Lark are we okay?" Dean asked carefully trying to gauge her reaction to the question.

Lark looked down at the floor for a moment as she contemplated her answer. "I know the answer you want Dean..." she started, but stopped. "Be patient with me okay?"

"I can do that. Take the time you need just know I'm here for you no matter what." Dean told her as he cupped her face and stroked it with his thumb. He kissed her forehead and let their heads butt together for a moment before stepping back and opening the door to their room. He let Lark go in first and stepped in behind her closing the door and locking it.

spn

Lark stepped from the bathroom in sweats and her oversized tee shirt deciding to go check on their clothes. She slipped on her boots and pulled Sam's borrowed hoodie over her head.

"I'm going to check the clothes." she told the guys looking around for a key card.

"I'll go check them." Dean said getting up. "You stay here."

"But I can..."

"Stop it." Dean stated firmly. "You don't have to do everything. Now stay here, I'll bring the clothes back if they're dry. And if not, I'll let them dry a little longer." He didn't wait for an answer as he grabbed a key and headed out the door leaving her standing there.

"He's right you know." Sam commented. "You don't have to do everything. You're not alone Lark."

"I know Sam, but sometimes it's hard to change your way of thinking. Especially if you've been on your own as long as I have."

"Give us a chance. Don't let what you two have slip away. My brother's worth it."

"I know." she mumbled more to herself than to him.

Lark took a seat on the bed and waited for Dean to come back. He came back with part of the clothes that were dry and Lark sorted and folded while they watched a random program on the tube. Dean gave the clothes fifteen more minutes before heading back to get them. When the clothes were folded and packed, everyone turned in for the night knowing tomorrow was going to be a long day for them. Lark had gone online and booked a car to be delivered in the morning so they could finish the last part of their journey home.