The buzzing of my phone wakes me from a pleasant dream. "Who the heck is that?!" I think. "A girl needs her beauty sleep!" I grumble and reach my hand out from under the covers to feel for my phone. I finally find it and pull it into the burrito of blankets. "Hel..." I clear my throat and shake the cobwebs away. "Hello."

A horribly off-key voice starts singing the happy birthday song. "Good morning my sun and stars." Dean's voice warbles at the end. "I know Mina has tons of things planned for your special day, but I had to call you before she whisked you away. I wish I could be there to awaken you with kisses. We still haven't heard from Cas so I'm stuck here healing the old-fashioned way." I can hear the frown in his voice.

"Oh, Dean." I giggle back and sit up, suddenly wide awake. "That was... a... a great rendition...?"

"Oh, I know." He chuckles back. "You loved it."

"Yeah, I did." I laugh. "And don't worry, Cas will show up soon. Anyways, it's good for you to take it easy. I know you have a hard time sitting still. Even though you were hurt, I'm kind of glad you get some time off."

"You're right, I know. It's just this case!" He growls. "I'm bouncing off the walls here Alyx. I'm itching for a fight of some kind. Even a good verbal sparring would do. Sam and Charlie won't engage with me, they are so busy working up our newest lead. And Bobby just peers into my room with sad eyes. It's driving me nuts! I need some violence in my life right now!"

"Dean, don't you play video games? There's plenty of violence to be held in them you know." I remind him.

"Yeah, but it's not the same! Not after actually punching someone in the face. Or shooting them. Or stabbing them." He whines.

"Wow! Homicidal much?!" I ask. I can hear his eye roll. "Listen, I like a bit of brutality just as much as the next, but you need to heal. Don't make me use my girlfriend voice. Especially on my birthday." I remind him.

"You're right. You're right. Today is all about you. Forgive me?" He coos.

"You know I can't stay mad at you." I chuckle. "Besides. You are hurt so I forgive you. How are you feeling anyway? Are you in much pain?"

"No. Not at all surprisingly. Mostly I'm just annoyed I can't do normal stuff. I hate having to be waited on and ask for help to go to the bathroom. It sucks." He admits to me. "Maybe if you were here, it might not be so bad..." I can hear the longing in his voice.

"I want to be there too. You know I do. I hate not being able to take care of you. Although most people would like to be waited on, Dean. I may have to teach you how to relax." I tease him.

"Hey, I know how to relax." He pauses. "It's just that ever since the demon thing with Sam... that when things... Every time I let my guard down, things go to hell. So I can never..." He trails off. I know we are bringing up some deep-seated issues here, but I feel it's important for him to talk about his feelings. Even if it's just a little bit here and there.

I decide to let him off the hook. This is too serious a conversation for first thing in the morning. Or for birthdays. "What have you been doing then? Annoying everyone?" I taunt him.

"Yep! Sam gave me a research assignment, but only because he is the one out doing the investigation. I'm sure he wishes we could swap places. Bobby has flitted in and out checking on me while doing his own research. He's translating some lore from Japanese and Greek. We have everyone we know working on this case. It's big, Alyx. I'm talking apocalyptic big." Dean whispers.

"Why haven't you told me anything about this? Don't I have a right to know?" I ask confused and a little hurt he hasn't.

"Of course you do. I wanted to tell you everything as we found out about it but Sam and Bobby both convinced me that the less you know right now the better. It will keep you safer. We want you to focus on school and getting ready to join us, not watching your back every second!"

I already watch my back every second Dean! If you only..." I stop myself from revealing the things that have happened to me. Dean doesn't need to know about any of it. Especially my new foray into magic. These are things you can't discuss with someone over the phone anyway.

"If I only knew what?" Dean asks picking up on the tone of my voice and becoming serious.

"Nothing." I sigh. "It's nothing." I guess we are both trying to protect each other here.

"Alyx, that doesn't sound like nothing. What's happened?" Dean asks concern in his voice.

"Really, it's nothing Dean," I reply.

"I know you're not telling me something. Why?" He puts some pressure on me, trying to get me to open up.

"It's not important and anyway it's been handled," I tell him.

"Does this have anything to do with when Charlie came to visit?" He asks.

I see a way out of this conversation, so I take it. "Yes. I don't really want to talk about this today, okay? I want to have a good birthday and those memories won't help."

He relents, but I know he'll bring it up later. "Okay. You deserve a great birthday." Then, switching the topic to happier things, "Did you get the card I sent you?"

"Yes," I say, happy he picked up on my cue, "It's waiting patiently to be opened tomorrow. I put it in a safe place."

"You're going to have fun with it. I promise." I hear a crash in my living room. "Um, Dean. I gotta go. There's someone in my living room."

"It's probably Mina." He laughs. "Make sure you check your email sometime today. I sent you a little something."

"I will. And Dean, my moon. I love you." I tell him.

"I love you too, my sun and stars." He answers. Then with a soft click as he hangs up. I sit there hugging my phone. I wish he were here. There's another crash, this time from the kitchen so I figure I better investigate. I check my clock, it's only eight.

I throw on my robe and tiptoe toward the front of the house. I peek around the corner and see Mina, Max, Jean, Allen, Stacey and a few other acquaintances I know milling around my kitchen. There's a cookie sheet on the floor, cookies scattered everywhere. Mina quietly roars, "There are too many people in here!" She blows some hair from her eyes forcefully. "Jean, Terra, Allen, you go finish up with the living room. Scott, Penelope, Stacey you go finish with the dining room and Max go grab breakfast from my apartment." They all leave and Mina whispers under her breath and the cookies go flying toward her. "Alyx, I know you're in the hallway. Go to your room and stay there until I come and get you! Otherwise, you'll ruin the surprise."

"You don't have to tell me twice," I whisper back and smiling head to my room. I duck into my office and grab my laptop so I can check my email and maybe work on the data spreadsheets some more. Who knows how long she'll be?

I power it up and change into suitable pajamas. As in ones that I wouldn't mind people seeing me in vs ones that are so old and ratty that I'm better off sleeping naked. I power up my computer and hop into bed, propping myself up with pillows. I grab Henri and snuggle him while Dean's message loads. It's a video narrated by him featuring Charlie, Sam and some gruff old man who keeps hiding so you can't get a clear view of him. Just a flash of a blue truckers' hat and some flannel every now and again. That must be Bobby. He takes me on a tour of Bobby's house. Charlie and Sam popping in to give their two cents at the most unexpected moments. Upstairs are the sleeping quarters and bathrooms, all sparsely furnished. I can tell whose room is supposed to be Sam's, Dean's or Charlie's by the things in it before said person starts speaking. Sam's is full of books of course, both old and new. Charlie has her laptop, a few techy gadgets and pictures of Hermione and the Potterverse stuck to the wall next to a WWHD? Dean's has pictures and old polaroid's taped to his wall. A few of him and Sam during happy times, one that looks like him and his mom, one of I'm assuming his parents. One of him, Bobby and Sam together and the last one, the newest one is of me on the mountain. There are a few weapons scattered on the dresser with a disassembled gun on the bed. Each room feels like a reflection of them. I'm touched they took the time to show me.

The video cuts out at the top of the stairs and starts up again when he's reached the lower level. Dean takes me into the library full of old books, mugs of old coffee and empty bottles of whiskey. There's a fireplace half hidden in the corner by tomes and a large desk buried in publications and scraps of paper with weird writing on them. Sam is perched in the window seat, his nose in a book. Charlie in the kitchen, glued to her computer screen. They wave as Dean narrates his little film. Bobby has quite the book collection. Almost every inch of wall space has books stacked against it. The kitchen has all the normal accouterments. Near the table, there are several phones stuck to the wall. Each has a large sticker on it to designate, CIA, FBI, Fish and Wildlife, and a few others I can't make out.

Then Dean takes me outside on a worn porch to a porch swing and table. The house is surrounded by a junkyard. Cars in states of disrepair or repair, depending on who you ask, shield the house from a view of anything else. Dean sits down on the bench and finally turns the camera on himself. He does look good considering. With a bandage over one side of his head, his eyes twinkle with a little mischief. "So that's Bobby's place. I didn't take you downstairs to the panic room. That's Bobby's pride and joy and I thought I'd let him show that off when you come to visit." He chuckles. I know it's not much to look at but it the only home I've ever known. That is until we found the bunker. I remember being a little kid and watching Bobby fixing up old cars, right over there." He pans the camera to a large warehouse with an open covered section. He turns it back on himself. "He taught me everything he knows about mechanics. It's how I was able to rebuild Baby from the ground up after she got in her accident." He sighs and spends the next few minutes swinging in silence, the faint creak of the swing serenading us. "Anyway, I wish you were here." He spends the next segment talking with me as if I were. Telling me stories about him and Sam growing up and their adventures in the junkyard. Pointing things out, laughing to himself. It's refreshing to see him so at ease. I like it.

A gruff voice comes from the background. "When are you coming in, Dean? It's cold out there and it's gonna snow soon!"

Dean quickly turns the camera to the door hoping to get a glimpse of the older gentleman. But he knows better. "Soon, Bobby. I've got to finish this video for Alyx. Why don't you come out here and say hello to her, eh?" He taunts.

"I got work to do, ya idjit!" He answers back. "Hurry it up, I could use your help here!" Now I know where the boys get that phrase from.

Dean laughs and the camera jiggles with him. He turns it back on himself. "That's Bobby for ya. I don't know if the guy knows how to relax. I guess it runs in our family." He stops talking and his breath hitches. "It started snowing. It's beautiful." He beams as he watches it fall. He slowly turns the camera and catches the twinkling of snowflakes as they begin to build up, covering the bare ground. "Bobby's right. It's cold out here with the snow. I better get back in." He kisses the camera. "I miss you so much. Every day. But I know that it is all going to be worth it in the end. Love you!" The screen goes black. I don't even realize I'm clutching Henri so tightly my arms are numb. I breathe Henri's fur deeply, Dean's scent filling my nostrils as I try not to cry. He is right. All the months we spend apart are going to be worth it when I am finally able to join him. To be able to protect myself as well as others. To be a real hunter. I close my computer and lie back on the pillows hugging Henri, waiting for my sadness to pass.

After a tick, I snap out of it. It's my birthday, dammit! Time to celebrate the awesomeness that is me. I can still miss my boyfriend, but it doesn't have to be a sad thing. After all, I'll have a moment with him to look forward to when I open his card. I smile and decided to do some tai chi while I continue to wait on Mina and the others out in my apartment. "What are they doing anyway?" I wonder. But soon the rhythm of the routine takes over and I'm focused on that. I finish my short form and realize I'm quite sweaty. I should probably shower, ugh and deal with this hair! I grumble, pick out some nice loungewear and head to the bathroom. I hear noises from the front of the house and laugh. Mina sure has gone all out for today. I smile and wonder what she has in store as I step into the bathroom. My hair is plastered to every bit of skin it can be, down to my calves so I decide to wash it first before I attempt to cut it. Don't want it to be uneven. I've gotten pretty good at doing it myself since it can't seem to stop growing. I'm glad I'm able to donate it when I can too.

After showering and cutting my hair to mid-back, I get dressed and head into the kitchen. I'm hungry and I've waited long enough for breakfast! I round the corner and a huge surprise greets me! The people I saw this morning and so many more are all crowded into my kitchen, about fifty or so. The throw glitter and shriek with glee. I'm a little overwhelmed as they all rush toward me and surround me, making the biggest group hug ever. Some flashes go off and I know there are pictures being taken. And here I am in my yoga pants and tank top fresh from the shower. I turn a little red. Everyone breaks up and Mina leads me to the dining room. The table is heavily laden with every kind of breakfast creation you could think of. Casseroles, burritos, sandwiches, eggs, bacon, sausage, donuts, hash browns, pastries, fruit, yogurt, muffins and probably other things I can't see squished in somewhere. "Here is your birthday breakfast spread! Dig in!"

"I don't know what to say?!" I turn to everyone, "Thank you! It looks amazing!" They all nod.

"Everyone will follow you and come say hi." Mina directs me toward the food. "Like a receiving line, but with food!" She beams.

The guests all form a line behind me as I move around the table throwing things onto my plate. When it's as full as I can make it, Mina leads me to the living room. My eyes are blinded by all the sparkle. It's basically covered in rainbows, glitter, and unicorns. Balloons and streamers and hanging from the ceiling and piles of glitter stir on the floor as we walk by. She leads me through the room to the chair of honor. It's shaped like a unicorn with an enormous cushion. Henri has his own little version right next to me and leaning against it is a tall scepter. It's encrusted with crystals in a swirling rainbow with a large heart-shaped multicolored jewel at the top. It catches the light of a disco ball I didn't see hidden among the balloons. "What is all this?" I ask blinking and looking around. Mina seats me on my 'throne' and pulls a small multihued table for me to place my food down.

"I went with fantasyland. Your fantasyland. Unicorns, fairies, that sort of thing. Do you like it?" Mina says her hands clasped in a hesitant pose.

"I love it!" I exclaim. I feel like a fairy princess!" I exclaim as I examine the scepter more closely.

"Don't you mean a Khaleesi?" She giggles. No one else has come into the living room yet and with a wave of her hand a few token words, my yoga pants and tank top have transformed into a beautiful gown befitting a queen.

"Mina!" I burst out excitedly. "I can't..."

"Shhh! You deserve this. Enjoy." I beam up at her. "Oh, and watch your crown, Khaleesi.

"My crown?!" I reach up and feel the cool metal crown encircling my head. My hair has been incorporated into it so it will stay put and I've no doubt I look amazing. I smooth the full, jeweled toned dress down and pull the table toward me to eat. People start to trickle in. Max appears in a periwinkle, plum, and lavender knights costume, bows low and stands beside me. Everyone first stops at my little table to bow and offers a gift, which Max sets around Henri who is now mysteriously there. Even those that can't fit into my living room come first to see me once they've gotten food then head into the kitchen or out on the porch. Some even move to the stairs outside. I notice that everyone is dressed in medieval garb. Knights, pageboys, peasants, a few lords, and ladies. I smile. After my plate is finished, Mina appears again to refill it and Max disappears. I stuff myself with another full plate, having nothing I did the first time. I lean back to look at my tiny glittering kingdom and feel a twinge in my nose. It's so stunning, sparkly and beautiful. I want to capture the moment forever. I stand and the whole room goes silent, all eyes turn toward me.

I hear a crash in the kitchen. "Your Grace!" Max calls, rushing in and bowing low. "Whatever do you need?"

I laugh. He's taking his responsibility to heart. "Rise, good sir. I haven't need of anything." I wait for him to do so. "I only wish to stretch my legs and greet those in my kingdom."

"Of course, Khaleesi. I'm only a call away." He bows low again and proceeds to move out of my way.

The room goes back to the chatter that was and I slowly move among my 'people' talking, laughing, my dress swishing as I walk. The dress has glitter on it and sprinkles more on the floor as I move. "That's going to be a bitch to clean up!" I make a mental note to scold Mina. But not now. Now I'm enjoying being Khaleesi. Max keeps a safe distance as I go about my rounds, swooping in with my phone to take pictures. With just the whisper of his name, he is there, ready and willing, patient as all hell when I ask for re-dos and multiple prints. I make sure to comment on everyone's costumes and hope that everyone is having as much fun as I am.

I catch Mina flitting around everyone, checking things. Making sure that everyone has enough food, talking in low voices with some others. I smile and wave her over. "What if I have to use the loo?" I whisper out of the corner of my mouth into her ear.

She laughs then says with a smirk. "That's easy. One only needs to say the secret word and at once will be back in her loungewear. Say it twice and back in her gown she will be."

"And the word would be?" I probe her.

"Dracarys," she smirks again.

"Of course!" I quip back. I turn to Max. "I need to use the loo."

"Yes, Khaleesi. I will prepare it for you." He bows and goes running off.

"Max!" I shout after him, but it's too late. He's off down the hall. A laugh bubbles up from inside me and I lean on Mina to catch my breath. "What have you done to him? He's taking his job a little too seriously. Wait. You didn't, did you?" I say horrified.

She pouts "Oh ye of little faith. I didn't have to." I change my tune. She continues. "He willingly donned those tights and that get-up so he could be your valiant Ser Mormont. Only without the, being old and a spy bit. The Jorah who loves her but cannot have her and would lay his life down for her. That Jorah."

"Really?" I question.

"Really," Mina responds. "Looks like you have another admirer on your hands, dear. Now I CAN do something about. If you so wish it." She bows low using her cape. When she straightens, she continues, "There will be more time for reflection on that later. Today is your birthday. Your kingdom is here to celebrate. There will be no negativity on this most sacred day."

I open my mouth to say something and Mina puts a finger to my lips. I hear someone clear their throat behind me. "My Queen? Are you ready?"

I turn and Max has bowed again waiting for my response. "Yes. Lead the way." He bobs his head up and offers his arm, which I take. He leads me through the house. I'm not sure how I feel about this new development Mina has told me. I did have an inkling when we first met, but I chalked that part up to the formula. I thought it would have worn off by the time we re-connected at the beginning of this semester. I guess not. We reach the bathroom. "Thank you, Max." he nods, plods halfway down the hall and turns to wait.