Chapter Forty-Four

The ride back to the motel was silent apart from the classic rock playing on the radio. Once there, Alyson went to get her and Dean's bags while Dean went to check into another room.

"You're getting your own room?" Sam asked. "This isn't because of the fighting, is it? Because we know it was the trickster now, and we're okay."

"No, it's not that. Dean and I just . . . uh . . . wanna be alone tonight."

Alyson's face heated up as realization filled Sam's face. He had the decency to look embarrassed at having made her specify why she and Dean were getting another room.

To change the subject, she turned to Bobby just to let him know he was more than welcome to use the bed if he wanted to stay. It was late, after all.

"Then you can come with us tomorrow. I wanted you too anyway."

Bobby agreed and she bid them goodnight. She walked to the front desk and found Dean waiting there for her. He took the bags and led her to their new room.

Dean tossed the bags of clothes to the floor near the bed and then quickly took off his two layers of shirts. It was only when he'd unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans that Alyson grabbed his hands.

"Are you in a rush?" she teased.

Dean didn't answer vocally, but he did shrug.

She pulled down his jeans, which had been hanging from his hips, tempting her, and he stepped out of them. Alyson noticed the tent in his boxer-briefs and wondered if he'd been aroused the whole way back. If he had been, then no wonder he'd been in a hurry to undress.

She helped him out of his boxer-briefs as well, and there he was, completely naked in front of her while she was fully dressed. If Dean had been anyone else, he might have been nervous, but she was glad he wasn't. He actually allowed her to look as long as she wanted to and she was grateful.

She teased her hands up his chest and then circled them around to the back of his neck so she could pull him down for a kiss. He let her lead and opened to her when she caressed his lip with her tongue.

A moan slipped out when Dean carded his fingers through her hair and he began massaging her scalp.

Alyson's right hand tickled its way down to Dean's arousal and she began stroking him just hard enough to tease.

"Aly. Bed."

She led him backwards and she landed on him when he fell to the mattress. Only then did she realize she really wanted to not be separated from him by being fully clothed.

"My shirt," she said before latching onto his neck and nipping playfully with her teeth.

Dean grabbed the end of her shirt and Alyson moved away, giving them space for Dean to pull it over her head. His hands fell to her sides, fingers sliding gently over her skin on the way. He waited for her go-ahead when he reached for the button on her jeans, she gave it to him almost immediately.

Once she was just as bare as he was, Dean grabbed her legs and helped her straddle his thighs. She tensed because she didn't know what they were doing, but relaxed when Dean began rubbing slow, soothing circles over her legs.

"Do you want to try something new? You will probably like it, but we can do something else if you don't."

"O – Okay," she said.

Dean grinned and she relaxed further. Dean would never suggest something she would be against doing, not when it came to this. He knew that in this – as in other areas of life – he was her teacher and she trusted him not to take that lightly.

If Dean thought she would like this, then she probably would.

"Dean . . . I can't move," Alyson said from her place on top of him.

"I don't mind you bein' this close," he admitted.

"But you're all sticky and I'm tired."

After what they had just done, he wasn't surprised. They had come pretty much as close to having sex as they could without actually having it.

Dean had let her control everything by letting her be on top, but he'd showed her how to move against him so he would slide against her without sliding into her. She had been embarrassed at first, until the pleasure had taken over and then she'd found a rhythm that suited them both.

She'd become quite enthusiastic and Dean had enjoyed watching her enjoying herself.

"It was good, though, right?"

"Mm. I . . . that's my favorite thing we've done," she admitted, hiding her face against his chest. "Still tired, though. Still sticky. Need a shower."

"Later," Dean said, gently pushing her off of him and onto her back.

He moved to the foot of the bed and grabbed his shirt. He cleaned Aly and himself off, and threw the shirt back on the floor.

Once he was comfortable, he drew Alyson back towards him and pulled the sheet up over them.

Sleep came quickly for both of them.

Alyson awoke the next morning still tangled around Dean. She could feel his heartbeat against her as she was pressed against him. She felt calm in a way that she hadn't in a while.

Dean was already awake and rubbing a hand up and down her ribs. That was when she realized she was still naked from the night before.

She moved slightly and her breath caught. Her thighs hurt, the muscles sore from the previous nights' activities, and they hadn't even had sex.

"You okay?" Dean asked.

"Mm." She kissed his chest quickly. "My legs hurt. Too much work, Dean. I don't know if the orgasm was worth it."

"Oh, really?" Dean had her on her back in no time, tickling her skin with the stubble on his face. "That's not what you said last night."

She grinned. "I wasn't sore last night."

"No." His mouth fell on hers briefly. "You were amazing last night."

Her breath caught again, for a different reason this time. Dean was being sincere, and not in a cheesy way. It had been a nice thing for Dean to say because he knew she was still insecure about all the intimacy stuff. She was learning as she went, and he knew that – she needed affirmation sometimes.

Dean kissed her a few times, once on the nose, the other times on her lips. The kisses were barely there, butterfly kisses. Alyson kissed back until Dean decided they needed to get up and get ready.

Check out was in an hour.

Three hours later, Alyson and the Winchesters were in the middle of Indiana headed towards the Indiana/Kentucky border. Before they'd left the motel, Sam's laptop and Alyson's phone had popped up. The laptop had been in its case, and Alyson's phone had ended up in her bag. Maybe killing the Trickster had made the tricks reverse or something.

Once Alyson had gotten her phone back, she found that her mother's attorney had called at least a dozen times to let her know more about the selling of her old house and which accounts everything had been put in.

Alyson called him back to let him know she'd gotten his messages but that she hadn't gotten back to him sooner because she'd misplaced her phone.

"So how did Jack say this priest guy can help you?" Dean asked.

"He didn't. He just said James Murphy could answer questions that he couldn't, and that James was the one who translated the prophecy thing. He probably knows more than Jack does."

"Likely," Sam said, "since a demon tried to kill him for agreeing to talk to us."

"You mean since Meg tried to kill him," Alyson added bitterly.

The conversation grew silent and Dean turned the radio back on.

When they finally arrived at their destination Alyson was surprised but happy to realize they wouldn't be staying in the middle of the boondocks somewhere.

They were staying near a cemetery, however, which Alyson didn't particularly care for, but that was beside the point. The only reason they knew they were in the right place was because they saw Jack's blue Charger parked outside a nearby house.

Jack standing outside and leaning against the car helped too.

Bobby pulled in behind the Impala and they all got out to head towards the Charger.

"Is he out of the hospital?" Alyson asked when she reached her dad.

"He's inside. He's fine. A little shocked but completely fine."

"Was this guy a hunter?" Dean asked. "Ever."

"His specialty is exorcisms," Jack said. "I don't understand how this demon got the jump on him, to be honest."

"Old age?" Alyson suggested.

"Possibly."

Jack tapped Alyson on the shoulder, a little more familiar than she was comfortable with, but she went with it.

"Before we go in . . . You should know this guy's kind of eccentric for a priest."

"Like crazy-eccentric or cool-eccentric?" Dean asked. "I mean, Jim was okay, but we've never met his dad."

"He's not dangerous if that's what you're getting at," Jack said, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "What I meant by eccentric was that he does things that are sort of unorthodox. Rituals and things like that."

"So he's a witch doctor or somethin'?" Sam asked, interested.

"Simply put, yes." To Alyson he said, "Enough chit-chat?"

"Yes, quite enough, thanks."

Behind Jack was a small cabin. It appeared to have been well-kept and was made of dark wood that blended into the trees around it. There was a stone pathway leading to the front steps, but it also led around to the back yard. Alyson could see a wood path near the end of the back yard, and she could hear running water from a creek or a stream.

Jack led the Winchesters, Bobby, and Alyson to the front door, on which he knocked. Alyson grabbed Dean's jacket sleeve and he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer to his side.

The door was opened by a man in his late sixties or early seventies.

"You've brought visitors."

"Yeah. They're all demon-free, so don't worry," Jack said with sincerity and amusement in his voice.

"How do you know?" Alyson asked. "You didn't test us."

The man at the door almost grinned before moving aside to let them in. They were led to the kitchen. Alyson noticed demon traps everywhere, most overtop doorways or under windows. Salt outlined windows and doorways as well.

"Allow me to make the introductions," Jack said.

"They can't introduce themselves?"

"Of course they can," Jack answered. "My mistake."

"I'm James Murphy," the man said. "But since you're in my house, I hope you know that."

"Bobby," he said and stepped forward to shake James' hand.

James seemed to have already heard of Sam and Dean, but he was definitely surprised when Alyson said her last name.

"She's my daughter," Jack explained. To Alyson he said, "I didn't tell him anything because I didn't know what you wanted him to know."

"Oh." Alyson turned to James. "Did he tell you why we wanted to see you?"

The man shook his head. "Just asked me if I was up to some company who wanted to ask me some questions."

"About the Warrior of Light prophecy," she said.

James looked shocked and then angry. Most of it was directed at Jack.

"Why did you tell her? She's a child. Not to mention it's no one's business except –"

"Sir, wait." Did this man really not know who she was? Did he have no idea at all? "This is my business because I'm her."

"Her who?"

"The Warrior," Sam, Dean, and Alyson said in unison.

James, who had been standing the whole time, now sat on one of the chairs. He apparently really hadn't known.

"Can you prove it?" he asked.

"Your son knew," Jack said. "He's the one who came to me."

James stood back up. "I need a drink."

"Are you allowed to do that?" Dean asked. Then to Alyson he asked. "Is he allowed to drink?"

"Jesus turned water to wine and allowed his followers to drink. He was accused of being a drunkard, which means he was probably caught drinking at some point. People are allowed to drink; they're just not allowed to drink to excess. They aren't supposed to get drunk."

"Well-stated," James said, moving to a cabinet to get a small glass and a bottle of amber liquid.

Scotch? Brandy? Alyson had no clue.

"Dad said you saw the prophecy before he destroyed it," she said, hoping to prompt him to speak.

"I did."

James took a swig of his drink straight from the bottle, made a face, and then poured a very small amount into his glass.

"Do you remember anything specific?" Jack asked.

"My memory's as good as ever."

"I still want proof," James requested. "I'm not gonna give information to someone I don't know."

"I can heal myself," Alyson admitted. "If your son knew, why did he not tell you?"

Could they not trust this guy? Had his own son not trusted him?

"Sadly, my son hardly ever told me anything." James sat down again and sighed. "How do I know I can believe you?"

"Because she's my daughter and you know me," Jack said firmly. "You know I would never bring her here to lie to you."

"Please," Alyson said. "If you can help me . . . I know you've been through a lot because of this, but I need your help."

"With what? If you're really who you say you are, then you're pretty powerful all on your own."

"My abilities are not under my control," she said, admitting the heart of the problem. "I mean, some are okay, and they are useful, but at least one of them is dangerous."

"You're not dangerous," James said. "Your abilities come from a place of compassion and nurturing and unconditional love."

James stood up once again and beckoned them all to follow him down a short hallway and into the living room. Alyson noticed that there was an entertainment center without a TV. There were, however, religious books from just about every culture stacked on top of each other. On top of the books was a radio.

By way of furniture, there were two chairs and a love seat with a coffee table between them. In the center of the table was a much-used Bible with various sticky-note things poking out of the side.

"This may take a while, so make yourselves comfortable. I don't know how much help I'll be, but I can try."

James took one of the chairs while Bobby took the other. Sam and Jack were on the loveseat, and Dean and Alyson sat side-by-side on the floor.

"Okay, well . . . the first time I realized I could do anything at all was in June. There was a demon and I got hurt, but then I healed. I can sense things. It's different for different things. Sometimes it's stronger depending on what it is I'm feeling."

"Kind of like a TV," James said confidently. "Most people can't perceive the paranormal at all. It's like they're on a different frequency altogether. Most people can only tune into one frequency at a time. You, on the other hand, can tune into almost any frequency out there. You're like one of those fancy double or triple screened TVs."

"I can keep people out of my head. Sometimes it's harder than others, but it works most of the time. It's harder to take the wall down than it is to build it up, actually.

"I astral projected one time, but it was only for a little while. Dean was . . . unconscious and his spirit had left his body. I fell asleep and he called me to him, I guess. I'm not too sure on that part, and he doesn't remember."

"Hm. Go on."

"I blew out all the windows in a church one time, and I can move things with my mind . . . sometimes."

"It's your heart, actually," James said. "That's where you power comes from. It's where your compassion and love come from, so it's also where your power lies."

"Was that in the prophecy?"

"It said that your power comes from within and that you will be a force of goodness." He smiled before taking a sip of his drink. "You can heal other people. Correct?"

She nodded. "But I've only done it twice, and only with Dean."

James looked between Alyson and Dean knowingly. "No doubt it was something that made you happy that triggered that response."

"Well, yeah." She quickly moved on. "I got a demon out of Sam once – or at least I broke the binding link that was keeping it inside him. I don't know if I could do it again."

"That is your problem right there," James said, narrowing his eyes. "You have no confidence in your abilities and you haven't accepted them as parts of yourself. The more explosive one . . . you said they were dangerous and not yourself, which means you consider them to be something outside yourself."

"My abilities make me dangerous because I can't control them. When my emotions get out of control my abilities go haywire."

"Do you want to be able to control them? Your abilities?"

"Well . . . no," she admitted. "I want to be able to control myself."

James grinned. "Good job. Nice distinction. You have to be able to control yourself before you ever have a chance of controlling your abilities."

He took another sip.

"Now, about that prophecy. I'm warning you now that I only know the basics because I wasn't a great translator, and I'm not much better now."

Alyson nodded and settled closer to Dean. She noticed that Dean was sitting up straighter, and Sam and Bobby leaned forward to pay more attention. Jack was alert too, even though he already knew all of this.

"The table was in Aramaic and we couldn't take it to an actual translator for obvious reasons. Jack told me he had to protect the person it was about. Now I know why."

"Anything you could tell us would be great," Alyson said, sending a small smile in her dad's direction.

"First and foremost . . . you have a purpose here. You're not here by chance. The prophecy didn't say exactly what you were meant to do, but it hinted."

"So what was the hint?" Dean asked.

"It talks about opposites. Good and evil, light and dark." To Alyson he said, "Your abilities come from goodness, light. This other person's abilities will come from a place of darkness."

Sam. Alyson had learned this already. As far as she knew, only she and Dean knew that Sam was her opposite. Only they knew that Sam was supposed to somehow, some way, kill her someday.

Alyson could believe that Sam's abilities came from a place of darkness – they were connected to the yellow-eyed demon, after all.

"There is to be a battle and one of you will die – one will kill the other. The word the prophecy used was 'destroy.'"

Alyson knew that when the word 'destroy' was used way back when, it usually meant that whatever was destroyed was wiped out completely. It was like the things had never existed in the first place.

"Do you know who the opposite is?" Sam asked.

"No idea," James said. "I just hope the prophecy is wrong."

"Yeah," Dean agreed emphatically.

Alyson grabbed Dean's hand and squeezed. She still didn't believe that Sam was capable of killing her, no matter where his abilities came from.

"The next two things were a little vague and hard to understand."

"I'll keep that in mind," Alyson said softly. "Besides, most things in a hunter's life are hard to understand. Nothing new there."

"I tried and tried to put this in other words, but I kept coming up with the same thing. It was 'gift' and 'humanity.' Now, there was a word between them that was either 'of' or 'to', but I couldn't decipher it.

"The other thing is vague as well. It said that you are 'protector of the righteous' something. There was a word there, too, that I couldn't translate. It was either 'Man' or 'One.'"

"She's supposed to protect someone who's righteous?" Dean asked. "She protects people every day."

"That's just what the prophecy said." James looked at Alyson. "Would you accept my help in maybe getting over whatever is holding you back."

"Um . . . depends on what it is."

"You might call it a vision quest. It will help you deal with things. You can't face the present or future without getting over the past."

"How does it work?" Bobby asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

"She'll drink a tincture of herbs that I will mix myself. She'll go into a trance. Then her mind takes over from there. She'll be here physically. You can watch over her. This is just a way for her subconscious to get past roadblocks."

Explaining even further to Alyson, he said. "You'll 'wake up' somewhere else in your head, but you won't really be there, so don't panic. You may have to wait wherever you are for a few minutes, but sooner or later a guide will come to you. It may be an animal, or it may be a human. Just don't be scared. Nothing can hurt you in your dream state."

Alyson looked at Dean and then down at the floor. She'd noticed his expression. He didn't like this, but he was leaving it up to her.

"Does it take very long?"

"The longest I've ever witnessed has lasted two days, but it really depends on how long it takes you to find out what's bothering you."

"And nothing has ever gone wrong?"

"Not that I've seen or heard of. It will help if you let it."

Alyson looked at Dean again, the question flowing silently between them. Should she do this? Was he okay with her doing this?

"It's up to you," he said sincerely. "We'll be here."

She squeezed his hand before nodding and turning back to James.

"Let's do it."

Two hours after Alyson had agreed to do the vision quest, she was able to drink freshly brewed 'something' that was meant to help her relax. Whatever it was must've been awful because she gagged.

Dean didn't know what all was in it, but Sam promised there was nothing toxic in it. Sam had watched James make it. They didn't know this guy; they weren't going to let Aly drink some unknown substance this stranger had given her. Ergo, Sam had supervised.

James was now burning incense around Alyson, who had made herself at home in James' bed. Her eyes were getting droopy, but Dean's were too from the smell and the smoke from the incense.

"Think of a place where you'd be safe and comfortable if you were alone," James told Alyson.

"Like a beach or the mountains?" she asked.

"Those are perfect. As long as you're at peace there."

Dean watched as Alyson let sleep take her. He leaned forward on the chair he'd brought in from the kitchen. There was nothing he could do now, but he still felt he needed to keep watch.