Everything was foggy… distant. Sara could hear voices, but she couldn't distinguish them. Somewhere in her clouded thoughts she found herself looking at something. It was dark… the outline of a face began to shape, but it wasn't one she recognized. It didn't even appear to be human.
"What.. who.." She mumbled out loud. The boys looked up from across the room where they had been discussing their next move.
Sara felt pulled to the figure, and in the darkness she felt it coming closer. It was in front of her, yet above her at the same time. She felt disoriented, all she could do was try to move backwards, away from the growing shapes.
"Sara?" Sam said softly as he shook her shoulder. She twitched, but wasn't awake.
In her mind she was crawling, scratching, doing anything she could, but every time she turned to look away the dark face was in front of her again.
She stopped, and then the eyes in front of her flew open, displaying glowing red irises. It was him.
All at once she flew forward off the table as she screamed, Sam jumped taken back by the sudden movement. Dean too was caught off guard, and in his shock yelled back.
"Hey, Sara! Hey!"
Sam moved to stand in front of her as her scream continued, he reached up and when he did she grabbed his arms. Suddenly, his vision too was dark, and he could see the large face with bright red eyes, blood dripping down across his terrifying smirk. He could feel the terror flowing through Sara's body and into his own.
"Sammy!" Dean shouted at him as he watched Sam's face go blank with fear, he reached and grabbed both Sam and Sara and yanked them apart.
This brought both Sam and Sara back to the library, both breathing heavily. Sam backing away as he leaned against the table's edge behind him.
"Sam… Sam. I- don't know.." Sara began to ramble. "I'm sorry.. I don't know how.. he. I'm sorry!"
"What the hell happened?!" Dean demanded as he grabbed her face, trying to get her to focus.
"He-he found me… Dean. He was there."
"Where Sara? Who?"
"Zolteon." Sam gulped. "I saw him."
"What?!" Dean asked with instant worry, circling the room with his eyes. Ensuring they were safe in the walls, that nothing had broken their barrier of safety.
"Sam… he was. He was there, I-I don't understand. I thought you said that he only connected to me through the angel."
"I-I don't know, Sara… I don't know." Sam shook his head.
"CAS!" Dean yelled out. "Get your feathered ass back here!"
With a flutter of wings Castiel stood in front of his panicked friends. He looked up to Sam, who was more shaken that Castiel had seen him in quite some time.
"What happened? I just left…"
"The demon. He- he was.. in Sara's head? I don't know… She grabbed me and I could see him, FEEL him. Cas… he was connected to her somehow." Sam began to explain the best he could. As he spoke Dean turned back to Sara, who's entire body trembled as she sat silently, trying to force herself not to hyperventilate. He grabbed her chin and pulled her eyes to his.
"Sara, look at me." He said roughly. "He's not here, he's not going to hurt you. I promise."
Sara's eyes watered as she slowly shook her head up and down. Her hands reached out for Dean's open button down shirt, she grasped it like she was holding on for dear life as she pulled him towards her. He pressed her against his chest as she moved her grip to the back of his collar. She breathed in and out, trying to control her emotions.
"I don't understand. Was it a dream? Were you thinking of him?" Castiel asked with confusion, his concern growing as he took two steps toward Sara.
"Don't. Please." She begged as he moved to press to fingers to her forehead. "I don't want to see him again."
"Try me." Sam said stepping forward, Sara looked up at him. He had quickly pushed to regain his composure. He was determined to show Sara that she didn't have to be afraid, even though in his gut he knew she should be. He couldn't explain how the Demon was reaching out to her, but he did… and for the first time Sam understood why she was so scared of him. Castiel reached up and pressed his fingers against Sam's forehead. He watched as the face appeared, and seemed to grow closer. Thankfully this was only a memory in Sam's mind and it ended as quickly as it began.
"He is connected to her in another way… perhaps when the warding wore off he was able to reach out to her, but he should not be able to find or sense her now that she is protected again." Castiel reasoned.
"Are you sure she's warded!" Dean asked
"Yes. Dean. I assure you she is the most heavily warded thing on this planet. I told you, I went deeper this time. More in depth to her soul than I ever have any living person before… she is no longer illuminated or attracting my attention. She should be safe."
"Should be…" Dean mumbled out loud.
"Can, Can we please. Just check it again." Sara asked as she pulled away from Dean and stood.
"Sara, this won't be comfortable."
"Do it. Please. Make sure." She begged.
Castiel nodded as he reached forward and his hand pressed against her chest, and then into her body. He could feel and see every inch of warding he just carved into her bones. He could feel the warding pushing even his own hand away.
"It's there." He said confidently as he dropped his hand and Sara bent over on her knees.
"C'mon… let's get you some water." Sam said walking over and helping Sara to stand. She nodded as she leaned into him and they walked towards the kitchen.
Castiel looked over to Dean as they were now alone.
"Dean… the warding is the strongest I've ever placed. It pushes even my own grace away from her. There is no possibility of a demon reaching her, physically or in a dream. It had to be something he did while she was unwarded."
"How the hell did Sam see it?"
"Sara connects to people when she heals them, perhaps when her emotions were so strong and Sam touched her she was able to connect in that moment as well… I don't know Dean. Healers have not been around for centuries. I don't know as much about them as older angels did."
"Do some digging for me, please."
"Yes. And I will continue to search for Zolteon. He must have come out of hiding to reach her, it should have left some sort of trail to follow.
With that Castiel was gone, and Dean walked to find Sam and Sara in the kitchen.
"Hey, everybody okay in here?" He asked walking in.
"Yeah. We're good." Sam nodded.
"Did Cas know how he found me?" Sara asked.
"He said it was something he must have done while you were unwarded. He wasn't actually THERE when you saw him, its more likely he did something to scare you while you were vulnerable and it just finally caught up to you."
"Well it worked." She sighed. "Sam, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to do that to you."
"I'm fine, Sara. I have seen worse. It just caught me off guard, that's all."
"How, how… did I. Do It.."
"Cas has a theory on that too." Dean interrupted. "He said that when you heal people you connect to them, and that maybe in that moment your fear and your emotions were so strong, that it allowed you to connect to Sam in that moment, and show him what you saw. What you felt."
"That makes sense actually. It was so brief. It only lasted as long as we were touching."
Sara nodded up and down.
"I'm going to take a shower." She said running her hand through her hair as she stepped out of the kitchen and down the hall.
"Dean." Sam said catching his brother's attention. Speaking softly so as not to let Sara hear him. "He was there… I felt him. I don't know how. I don't think he's there now. But at some point, he got to her."
"I know… We have to figure out how before we can figure out how to protect her better."
"Do we still go back to the hunt?"
"Yes. We can't let her live in fear Sam. I'll watch her day and night if I have to. We won't leave her side… We'll keep her in arms reach. But we have already seen that without some sense of normalcy she doesn't do well."
"Yeah. You're right. I'll make sure we have some extra holy water and double check the devil's traps on the perimeter."
…..
…..
…..
"Dean. NO. I'm not leaving this bunker." Sara argued as Dean filled her in on the plan to still hunt the witch.
"You are. This is for your own good." He argued back.
"Oh, so what you're just going to kidnap me again?"
"If I have to… but I don't. Because you're going to come with us." Dean said calmly. "Sara… listen to me. You can't live in this bunker for the rest of your life, you need to be in the world. You've said it yourself, you've shown it in the past. And you KNOW I wouldn't take you out there if I didn't know that I could protect you."
"Dean…" Sara sighed. "Please."
"Sara. Do you trust me?"
Dean's eyes bored into hers, he was sure he could protect her. He was sure she was safe. But, mostly he was sure that if she didn't leave this bunker tonight, she would have too much time to think about things and she'd never leave again. Each day would get harder to push her out the door. This had to happen, and it had to happen now.
"Yes." She finally mustered her response.
"Then let's go." He said reaching out his hand. She looked down at it, and back up to him. Wondering how she was going to live with this man and keep her distance from him. Keep herself from being the fool. Keep herself from the embarrassment of him having to turn her down again.
Everything in her ached to reach out and grab his hand, she almost couldn't control her own limbs. But she pulled her arms in tightly across her chest and nodded. Smiling slightly as she walked past him and down the hall.
Dean put his hand down, and followed. He felt like something odd had just occurred, that her brain was taking her somewhere else… that she was holding back. But why? Did he push too much? Has he been to forward with his movements? Did he hold her too much? He shamed himself for being too comfortable with her against his body.
He told himself again and again, he had to get it under control.
"Ready to go?" Sam asked as they both reached the garage. Pulling both Dean and Sara out of their dwelling thoughts.
"I guess so." Sara shrugged. "I don't know that I have a choice."
She raised her eyebrows as she turned to Dean.
"Oh you have a choice, you just won't like the other options." He grinned back at her before climbing in.
Sara took a long deep breath before climbing into the backseat, she slid in and settled herself in the middle of the seat. Dean watched her carefully in the rearview mirror as she got settled. He put the car in drive and could swear he heard her trying to force deep breaths in and out of her chest.
"Sara, would you feel better up here?" Sam asked her softly, also noting her hesitance.
"Umm… yes. But. I don't want to be THAT person." She said as he shook her leg up and down, watching as the trees passed out the windows. She stared at them as if the demon would be standing between them. Waiting… Watching. She looked for wolves, vampires, monsters of any kind.
"Sara. Stop." Sam interrupted her brain as he set his hand on her knee. "Come up here and sit with me."
"Maybe this is a bad idea… we should go back. Maybe I could just stay by myself." She rambled. "I don't think we should push our luck, I mean the warding just got placed. What if something was already coming, what if they knew where w-"
"Sara." Sam said again forcing her eyes to land on him. He could see they were wide, watering, and full of fear. "You're safe. We wouldn't have left the bunker if we weren't SURE. Cas literally said you are the most heavily warded thing on planet earth… Okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah okay." She nodded "I'm sorry."
"Don't be… just take a deep breath. Trust us, okay?"
Dean watched as she leaned back against the seat again, her head leaning back and she coached herself to breathe silently. He wanted so badly for her to climb over the seat and sit between them. To have her closer. To comfort her in some way, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. He was overflowing with relief when Sam finally asked, but then began his inner torture again when she turned him down.
"We'll be there by bed time tonight, okay?" Dean promised her.
She looked up to the rearview mirror and nodded, trying to push a smile onto her face. Trying to force herself to relax. He winked at her, and for a moment, she forgot that she was afraid.
…..
…..
…..
"We should stop for lunch." Sam interrupted the silence. Sara had finally began to relax slightly. Still watching out the window.
"How close are we to where the ghosts first came at us in the road?" Sara asked before Dean could respond.
"Sweetheart we passed that over an hour ago. We're in the clear." Dean smiled to her. She took another deep breath.
"Yeah, Okay. I'm fine with that." She said leaning forward and resting her chin on her arms over the back of the front seat.
"Are you hungry for anything?" Sam asked her, trying to engage her brain in something normal, and get her off 'defense' mode.
"No, I'm not really hungry. But we should stop. You guys haven't eaten all day."
"Sara you haven't eaten in over a day." Sam softly scolded her. "Dean and I had dinner last night."
"Oh. Yeah." She was hoping they hadn't noticed. "I'm fine with anything really."
Sam and Dean met eyes, having their conversation quietly… they're pretty sure she didn't eat anything yesterday at all. That she hadn't eaten since barely picking at her Mexican food a couple of nights ago. Sam wondered if it was all just related to her warding wearing off, or if this was more or less her anxiety.
"I'll pull off next time something looks good." Dean shrugged. Sara watched out the windshield as they came into a small town. Dean didn't waste any time pulling into what looked like a fairly popular BBQ place. Sara took note that it was more crowded than their typical road side diner, but it was also right at peak lunch hour. She kind of wished they had stopped at a later time, fewer people. She didn't want to be with this many people. She didn't want to risk missing something, overlooking the obvious signs that someone was here to hurt them.
"Sara, you and Dean want to find us a table? I'm going to run to the bathroom."
"Yeah. Sure." Sara said as she moved towards Dean. He pushed her gently with his hand on the small of her back as she moved to walk in front of him. "By the window okay?" She asked as she eyed a booth open in the back corner, it was the most space she would get from the rest of the crowd.
"Yeah. That's fine."
They both slid in, Sara across from him, leaving room for Sam to slide in beside her. Dean scanned the room, a typical practice. Sara however copied his movements, something she didn't usually do.
"You're safe." He smiled to her as he watched her eyes wander. "I know those are words, I wish I could make you feel safe."
Sara felt guilty suddenly. After everything they've been through. After everything they've done for her… and she's acting as if they're going to leave her on the side of the road on a full moon.
"I'm sorry Dean. I don't mean to be so much trouble, or insult you. I know you wouldn't have brought me if it wasn't safe, I just… can't shake this feeling."
"It's okay. It will take time… the last 24 hours was a lot. I know its nothing personal."
"You do make me feel safe, Dean. Out of everything on this planet… you and Sam are by far my most reassuring safety feature."
Dean chuckled at her wording.
"What are we laughing at?" Sam asked sliding in next to Sara. He hung his arm over the back of the bench seat and she sat comfortably under it. Dean was her safety, but Sam was her comfort. She knew she didn't have to hide anything with him, there was no more risk of embarrassing herself because he already knew how desperately hopeless she was.
"Oh just listening to Sara explain her thought processes." Dean answered glancing at the menu.
"What can I get you 3 to drink?" A young friendly waitress popped up at their table.
"Water." Sara smiled, Dean and Sam both had tea.
"Okay, you guys know what you want to eat?"
"Give us a minute." Sam smiled. She nodded and trotted away.
"Feeling hungry yet?" Dean asked aloud.
"Ummm. Not really. Maybe just some fries or something."
Dean stared at her, she felt small under his gaze.
"Sara. You have to eat. Are you feeling sick, or is it just your nerves?"
"I mean I haven't felt sick, but I just haven't felt great either… even before the attack of the supernatural world."
"What else is going on, other than the poor appetite?" Sam asked. Determined to fix whatever is bothering her.
"I don't know… I slept if off in the car I thought, then things got complicated and my warding got replaced."
"… I think its nerves." Dean said leaning back. "Maybe you should have a drink, relax a little." Dean smiled while his eyebrows jumped.
"No." Sara smiled back at him with a chuckle of her own. "I don't know that I should even think about drinking with the two of you again. I was a mess."
"I didn't mind." Dean shrugged as he grinned to himself. Suddenly Sara looked up to him, wishing that he meant what she thought he meant. But she knew better…
"Okay, what are we having?" The young waitress asked coming back around to the table.
"We'll take 3 chopped pork sandwiches, slaw, and fries." Dean said cutting Sara off before she could skimp out on a real meal. Sam smiled and closed the menu in front of him, willing to take what's given if it means Sara will eat.
"Alrighty, I'll get that going for you guys!" She smiled before walking away again.
"…That was dirty." Sara said rolling her eyes.
"Oh sweetheart you ain't seen dirty yet." Dean smiled and winked and again.
…..
…..
…..
"Okay… we made it. Not a single ghost, vamp, or wolf in sight." Dean sighed as he pulled into the motel. Sara napped on and off in the backseat after actually eating half of her meal. She was thankful the boys pushed her to get some protein in her system. She felt better afterwards.
"Well I don't know about the 2 of you, but that makes me feel a lot better." Sara smiled as she climbed out and stretched her limbs. "So… what's the deal with this witch?"
"Seems to be like a petty argument in the PTA." Sam shrugged.
"PTA? Seriously… we're hunting a soccer mom?"
"Don't underestimate a woman obsessed with her place in society."
"Yeah, we've seen it before." Dean added as he moved towards the office to get them a room.
"Sam." Sara sighed. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Making me eat, getting me out of the bunker, for letting me feel like an idiot, but not judging me."
"Sara. You're not an idiot… I wish. I wish you'd just talk to him."
"And say what?"
"Tell him you remember…"
"No." Sara said firmly as Dean walked back up to them.
"Lets go." He waved them over and they followed him to what would be home for the next few days. Sara settled in and even agreed to ordering take out for dinner. She still wasn't hungry, but knew she should eat something before bed.
"So where do we start."
"Interview the only living victim. Figure out who she's been making enemies with, cross reference those people with relationships to the dead victims." Sam explained.
"How did they die?"
"Well… one choked on her own words. Literally. She was hosting a fundraiser, and in the middle of her speech choked on thin air and dropped dead. The other was a freak accident in the bathroom, slipped. Fell. Found in the floor by her housekeeper."
"Why does that raise flags? Don't people slip and fall all the time?"
"… Yeah, but they don't always decapitate themselves falling through a glass shower door." Dean mumbled. Sara shuttered at the thought.
"No morgue visits this time… right?"
"Well. Actually. We should check for hex bags in the homes. That would confirm the theory, and if we don't find any. We should check the bodies."
"Please let there be hex bags in the house." Sara said aloud as she looked up. Dean smiled, seeing that she was indeed starting to loosen up a little bit.
"Well. How about a movie?" Dean asked flipping through the channels on the TV.
"What are our options?"
"Umm… looks like we got some chick flicks." Dean shrugged as he went past them, Sara rolled her eyes as he obviously discredited them. "The Quick and The Dead, Avatar, Home Alone 2, or Captain America."
"Oooh! That one!" Sara bounced onto the foot of the bed,
"Well… someone has a thing for Steve Rogers." Sam teased.
"True… but honestly I'm a Marvel movie junkie. I've seen every one of them."
"Really?" Dean asked surprised. "I mean… there's no Batman or Superman… DC is obviously superior."
"You sure about that? I know you got a thing for redheads… Romanoff is pretty hot."
"True." Dean nodded appreciatively.
Sara made herself comfortable laying on her stomach, with her feet towards the headboard where Dean was perched. He watched as her feet bounced, never letting her be still. He could tell how much she truly loved this movie. While she sat thoroughly distracted his mind began to wander, his eyes tracing the curves of her hips. The way her body mimicked an hourglass, rounded in all the right places…
A soft knock on the door caught Dean's attention, he looked up and got ready to move but noticed Sara was already asleep again.
"I got it." Sam said as he stood and went to receive their food.
Dean leaned forward and shook Sara softly.
"Hey. Hey.. Sara, you wanna eat something?"
"Nooo…" She slurred. "M'tired."
"Okay." Dean caved, knowing she at least ate something today. He leaned back against the headboard as Sam walked over with his food.
"What do you thinks up with that?" Sam asked.
"I don't know… She's wiped out though. Maybe the warding? Her body trying to play catch up?"
"Yeah. Maybe." Sam wondered to himself.
…..
…..
…..
"Found it!" Sam called out to Sara from the first victim's bedroom. She had been searching under the bathroom sink but he has discovered the hex bag hiding under the bed.
"Great, so we really got a witch then huh?"
"Yeah looks like." He said walking in and holding it up in the air.
"What's inside of it?"
"We'll crack it open back at the motel, lets call Dean and see if he found one too."
Sara leaned against the wall as Sam dialed. She still felt so tired… so, off kilter.
"Yeah, yeah… okay good. Yeah. Come get us." Sam spoke as he turned and found Sara with her eyes closed, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. He ended the call.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Sara smiled. "Don't you ever get tired of asking me that."
"Not when I know somethings wrong."
"I don't know, Sam. I keep telling myself its just about the warding, but… I'm just tired."
"C'mon, lets go wait for Dean outside. Get you some sunshine." He said pulling his arm around her. She leaned into him as they walked, they sat on the front porch steps quietly as they waited for Dean to arrive.
Shortly, the sound of an engine caught their attention and Sara turned to see Dean driving towards them. She stood and smiled, walking ahead of Sam to the car.
"Looking for a good time?" She teased as she leaned towards the open window.
"Oh sweetheart, it would be more than just a good time." He teased back, Sara laughed and popped him on the shoulder before climbing into the backseat.
"So did you find one too?" She asked as Dean pulled off.
"Yup. Nice and crunchy." He replied as he held it up in the air, then handed it off to Sam.
"So what, we crack em open and what does that tell us?"
"How old the witch is, what kind of resources she has, and where in town to start tracking down a seller or a garden or whatever may be in there."
"Do we have a common enemy yet?"
"Nope… we just know that they were both members of the local PTA."
"Great. Spoiled ass soccer moms."
"Well that sounded a little judgmental…" Dean stated, he was caught off guard at Sara's distaste.
"You ever have to go to high school as a foster kid who had the same two pairs of jeans all year?"
"Can't say I have."
"They're a bunch of self righteous stay at home moms who like pretending to have some sense of power in their lives."
"… Wow." Sam mumbled before meeting eyes with Dean.
"You uh, you might actually be the best option at finding this witch." Dean told her encouragingly.
"Doubt it, they're all pretty evil to me."
"Damn girl, that's cold." Dean sighed shaking his head.
"It's honest."
They pulled back into the motel room and Sara immediately went to lay on the bed, Sam sat at the table opening the two bags side by side. Hoping to find some similarity or pattern. Dean looked over to Sara as he sipped on a beer out of the mini fridge.
"You still not feel good?"
"I don't feel bad, I'm just kinda tired."
"Hmm. You need anything?"
"To find this witch so that we can go home for a few days."
"Well… that's not going to be hard to do." Sam interrupted them. "Almost everything in here is herb based, no bones, no animal parts. Just stones and herbs. Someone's making their own special blend around here if I had to guess."
"So, someone with a garden?"
"Not just a garden, they'd have to have a pretty good green thumb to grow some of these, according to Google some of these are super rare. Hard to keep alive, need to be grown in green houses and require temperature and moisture monitoring around the clock. But they're powerful…"
"So do we scope out the neighborhoods for a backyard green house or what?"
"That could take days." Dean told her sitting at the table across from Sam.
"Sara, I hate to say it. But… I think we need you to go undercover."
"What?!"
Sam turned the laptop towards her as he displayed the local PTA's next meeting, scheduled for later that afternoon.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."
"Oh we're serious." Sam shrugged.
"Sam. I don't know how to talk to those people! I don't have a kid! How the hell am I supposed to pull that off?"
"Sara, chill." Dean said leaning towards her. "All you have to do is go in, say you're an army wife or something, your husband is stationed in town and your kid starts next week when he gets back from his grandparents farm or some shit. There's a military base two towns over. It's do-able."
"Dean. I don't know what to say to these women! I can't fit in with them."
"You don't have to fit in, you just have to scope them out. See if you get a feel for anyone."
"… And what exactly do you suppose I wear? Converse, jeans, and a hoodie?" She asked pointing down to her attire.
…..
…..
…..
"Hi! I'm Sara, umm. We're new in town and my son starts school next week. Is there anyway I could crash the meeting tonight? If there are membership dues I'd be happy to bring them next time, or any registration paperwork."
Sara smiled at the woman in the pink blouse with perfect blonde hair, red lipstick, and a pearl necklace on. She was ready to murder the boys, after she burned her khaki ankle length pants and the pale colored sandals to match. She at least won the battle on her top. Simple black blouse. Easy to match. She carried an overly large purse, filled with trash to make it seem full, and of course her gun in the bottom.
"Oh well sure honey! Welcome to town! I'm Denise, PTA vice president. You just sign in right here and we'll get all the membership paperwork filled out before our next one."
"Oh thank you! I really appreciate it!"
"Us mom's gotta stick together!"
"Yes we do!" Sara waved as she walked in, trying not to gag once she made it past the sign in desk. She walked down the hall to a classroom with a small sign out front. She stopped, took a deep breath, pushed on a fake smile and turned to enter the room.
Immediately her eyes were drawn to the table of gourmet finger foods and punch bowls. Then as she took two steps in she began to assess the women already in the room. Only about six of them of so. Mostly blondes. A brunette or two, and in the front of the class eyeing her as she stepped in was a tall slender woman with long red hair. She wore a black pantsuit with bright red stilettos. Sara instantly felt every bit of fear and insecurity flood her body, as if she was 15 again and she was wearing the same outfit two days in a row.
"Hello, I'm Victoria Pennington. You are?" The red headed woman approached her with suspicion.
"Oh, I'm Sara… I'm sorry I'm new in town. I was hoping to make some connections before my son starts school next week." Sara said extending her hand. Hoping that this woman didn't realize the large diamond on her left finger was nothing more than cubic zirconia.
"I see." Victoria nodded looking down at her hand, but not accepting it. "Why don't you have a seat, we'll be starting in a few minutes.
"Thanks." Sara mumbled, tripping over her own feet and stumbling as she made her way to the very back of the room.
Her money was already on Victoria being the witch… she can't imagine that if she wasn't the witch whoever it was let her live and killed off the other two. She was on a serious power trip as she stood at a podium in the front of the room and banged her gavel.
"Ladies! Ladies… please settle down. We have a lot to discuss."
The room settled and the other women took their seats at the tables across the classroom, two chairs at each, they sat in pairs. Sara glanced at the empty seat beside her… high school all over again.
She was going to murder Sam and Dean with her bare hands when she got out of here.
"Alright, the first topic on our agenda is going to be the end of the month financial gap. We did not meet our sales goals at the carwash. So how do we plan to make up for that?"
"Bake Sale!" One of the peppy moms instantly called out, she was a little chubbier than those around her, still platinum blonde and dressed to the nines but if Sara had to guess, she'd say she's a hobby baker.
"Dear God, another bake sale?" Another woman groaned from across the room. "Why can't we just have a raffle? Minimum effort and high reward she argued."
"And what do you suggest would be the prize we're raffling? That costs money as well Phoebe."
"Her husband can just donate another car, it's not like he doesn't have the surplus on the lot." A woman from the table in front of me mumbled. 'Phoebe' rolled her eyes.
"Hey! Sorry I'm late!" A curly haired brunette woman in a t-shirt and jeans entered the room. Converse on her feet. Sara was intrigued to say the least. "I had an client that ran late."
"Well Alex some of us actually make this a priority, so if you're done taking away from everyone's time why don't you have a seat." Victoria chastised her, but to Sara's surprise the woman let it roll right off of her back, not the least bit bothered.
Alex walked towards her, and suddenly their eyes met. Sara offered a small smile.
"This seat taken?" Alex asked sitting before Sara could even answer.
"No."
"What did I miss?" She whispered leaning back in her chair and pulling out a bag of M&Ms, tilting it towards Sara as she chewed. Sara smiled as she opened her hand.
She liked this woman.
"Oh, well we are apparently trying to figure out how to make up for the gap in funds, I guess your carwash was a bust."
"Yeah well, when you choose to have a carwash the same weekend as a snowstorm that happens."
Sara giggled.
"I'm Sara by the way, I'm new in town."
"And you ended up here?! Are you blind or lost?"
Sara giggled again as she reached out for more candy.
"Well, my son starts next week so I wanted to make some connections in the school."
"Eh, I get that."
"Excuse me, ladies in the back." Victoria called out, everyone in the room turned to look at them. "Did you want to participate in this vote or does it not matter to you if the football team is able to stay in the Hilton at the state championship next week? I mean… I guess we could just book them in a Motel 6."
"Relax Vicky. We're all for it… whatever it is." Alex smiled and dumped more candy into her mouth. Victoria rolled her eyes and then picked up her gavel.
"Fine, the I's have it. Phoebe I'm going to need you to make sure the car isn't used this time. That was an awkward conversation to have at last year's fundraiser."
"Yes Victoria." Phoebe nodded, as if her mother had given her an order.
Sara watched and listened for the rest of the meeting, but she was much more intrigued by the woman next to her. She wanted to know where she got her confidence, where she learned how to keep the rich bitches at bay, and what the hell was someone like her doing in the PTA anyways?
"Meeting adjourned, ladies please enjoy some sweets." Victoria finally called out, everyone stood and rushed to the tables filled with pastries and sweets.
"So, where are you coming from?"
"Uh, Denver." Sara smiled as she and Alex hung back from the crowd.
"Oh, wow. Big move."
"Yes. My husband moves for work."
"And you said you have a son?"
"Yes, Um. Sam. He's 16. He is staying with his grandparents while we get everything settled here."
"Oh cool, my son Nick is 16 too. Plays on the football team. Your kid into sports?"
"Yeah, um. He does baseball."
"We have a good sports program here, he'll fit in fine."
"Thanks." Sara smiled as they reached the end of the line and leaned against the walls, snacking on their plates next to the punch bowls.
"Alex, right?"
"Yeah."
"So uh, forgive my boldness but what the hell are you doing in the PTA, and how did you do that?! I mean that woman has claws for eyes. I crumble every time she looks at me."
Alex chuckled.
"Oh Vicky is all bark no bite… she and I go way back. Went to high school together. We were friends for years. She knows I can still kick her ass."
"Really?! I don't mean to offend you at all… it just. Seems like two different worlds we live in. Ours and theirs."
"Yeah… well. Ya know, I used to live in that world. My husband died of cancer about 4 years ago."
"Oh Alex, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, no its okay. It just made me look at life differently. See what's important you know? Besides… the medical bills took all of the insurance money and my job only pays so much. I'm in the PTA because it gets me access to a lot of things for Nick… a lot of things I don't have to pay for. Connections, right? Plus everyone still pity's us so they don't ask questions when we don't turn in our fees."
"Still. I'm sorry for your loss. I know its hard to lose someone that your life is built with."
"Yeah. But, we just keep on going." Alex smiled, taking another bite of the brownie in her hand.
"Oh! Alex! I was just looking for you…" Denise trotted over, waving her hand as she came towards them. "I just wanted to tell you that my momma just loved those beautiful arrangements you made! She said they kept her house smelling like a garden terrace for days! Is there anyway I could get you to make me her a few for her dinner party next weekend?"
Sara's stomach sank, and suddenly she couldn't stomach the plate of mostly eaten sugar coated pastries. She looked up to Alex, waiting for her reply.
"Yes, I can absolutely do so. When do you need them ready for pick up?"
"Friday afternoon, I'll come by the shop after yoga."
Alex smiled and Denise went back the gang of blondes in the center of the room.
"So uh, what did you say you did again?" Sara asked.
"Oh. I'm a florist. I own a shop in town. Greenhouses, a couple acres worth of planting space, lots of rare flowers. You should come by, I'd love to show you around."
"Yeah, I'll absolutely drop in tomorrow." Sara smiled back.
…..
…..
…..
Sara walked around the building to the very back corner of the parking lot where Sam and Dean were parked waiting for her. Dean smiled to himself as he watched her get closer. He knew she was so uncomfortable, but he couldn't stop himself from poking fun at her.
"Hey, about that good time… can you keep the sandals on?" He asked leaning out the window.
"Dean. Drive the damn car." She deadpanned as she climbed into the backseat. She immediately ripped off the shoes and tossed them out the window.
"Umm. You might need those again." Sam said, noticing that she was now undoing the pants and ripping them off. He immediately turned back to look out the windshield.
"No. I won't. And I won't need these fucking pants either." She said as she chunked them over the seat and pulled on a pair of sweatpants.
"Oh come on, it couldn't have been that bad." Dean tried to reason with her.
"Oh it was worse." She said pointing a finger directly at him. "I might as well have gone back to high school! Those women are terrible!"
Dean pulled back into the motel. Sara wasted no time pushing open the car door and walking barefooted across the parking lot.
"Ow!" She suddenly jumped, causing Sam to turn around.
"What's wrong?"
"I think I stepped on glass or something?" Sara grumbled as she lifted her foot.
"Here." Dean said as he came up beside her. "Get on."
He kneeled slightly, signaling for Sara to climb on his back to make it the rest of the way back to their room.
"I'm still mad at you." She pouted as he carried her through the doorway. Dean laughed to himself.
"Was it really that bad?" He asked laying her on the bed, but as he turned and met her eyes he could see that she was truly upset. Trying to cover it with her pouting, but somewhere in her mind she felt like she had been thrown back into a bad dream.
"… they weren't nice." She mumbled looking at her foot.
"Here, let me look." Sam said walking over.
"I'm still mad at you too." She said as she leaned back on her elbows and lifted her foot towards Sam, who had grabbed their first aid kit and had a pair of tweezers in hand.
"I know." He sighed. "Did you get anything useful while they were harassing you?"
Sara's stomach sank. She didn't want to tell them… she didn't want what she feared to be true.
Not the ONE woman in the room with any real soul to be the one responsible for the murders. Why couldn't it be Victoria?
"Sara?" Dean asked. Noting her hesitancy.
"Yeah… I uh. I met a woman who owns a flower shop and garden in town. Said she had everything from greenhouses to planted acres, blah blah blah."
"Okay, well that's great!" Dean shrugged. Sara didn't seem to agree. "…Right?"
"I just… she was the only one there that actually treated me like a human being." Sara said sadly. "I just can't imagine her doing tha- OW!" She flinched as Sam twisted the tweezers against her foot, pulling out the small shard of glass.
"Got it." Sam said throwing it down in the trash. "Well. Maybe it's not her, Sara. Maybe its just a coincidence. Did anyone else strike you as capable of witch craft?"
"Only the red headed queen. The rest I honestly don't think are smart or brave enough to pull it off."
"Red headed queen?" Dean asked intrigued. "Is she like… Romanoff hot?"
"She was the most hateful person I've met in the last decade." Sara deadpanned at him. Dean instantly dropped his grin.
"My bad." He mumbled. "What did she say to you?"
"Its not just what she said… its how she speaks to you, and how she looks at you. Its basically like being told in a room full of people that you're not worthy of being in her presence."
"Ouch. Sounds like a bitch."
"Yeah… you could sum it up with that."
"Well, we need to rule out your friend."
"Or confirm it." Sara sighed. "I really don't want it to be her, but she even said she keeps a lot of rare flowers. I just don't know that any one else could have access to herbs like that."
"Don't jump to any conclusions yet. Okay?" Sam reassured her.
"Yeah. Okay."
Dean hated the look on her face. It was defeated. It was insecure. He wanted so badly to hunt down the woman who treated her so poorly… maybe he couldn't kill her but he began to think of the ways he could damage her standings in town.
"You want leftovers for dinner? Or. Something else?" Sam asked as he reached into the fridge and handed Sara the container of chicken fried rice she never ate from the night before.
"Actually, I'm kind of full… I think I ate a pound of chocolate in that meeting. And then half a cake to top it off."
"Really?!" Dean asked surprised. Her appetite had been nonexistent for days.
"Yeah. I mean I couldn't stop myself. It was sooo good. They had these little chocolate croissants that I would literally pay my life savings for. I probably ate four of them."
The puzzle pieces in Sam's mind began to come together… the exhaustion, the taste for sweets, the increased anxiety, and her moody outburst in the car.
"Um. Sara… Can I ask you a personal question?" Sam stumbled over his words as he spoke. Obviously uncomfortable.
"… yes." Sara answered hesitantly. She had lived with the boys for months. There wasn't much to be shy about, but she sensed he was hesitant to ask and that made her nervous.
Dean froze with his drink in hand, waiting.
"Um, Is there… any way you could. Uh… You know. Maybe be. PMSing?"
"What?!" Sara laughed. Dean still sat frozen, waiting to gauge her reaction. Was this bad laughing or good laughing?
"I just… I mean I was just thinking you know how tired you've been, and the sweets, and. Well. You've been a bit moody."
"Oh. I'm sorry… I didn't mean to be moody while EVERY SUPERNATURAL BEING IN A 10 MILE RADIUS WAS HUNTING ME!"
"… YIKES." Dean breathed as he stood with his beer in hand, moving away from the unfolding situation. Although he had to admit, Sam was right. And it would make sense.
"No! No… Sara. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you've been extra… um. Fired up about the case. That's all! I totally get the monsters thing… totally." Sam said with his hands raised.
Sara sat and sighed. Then she began to count back the days, her eyes darted back and forth… she couldn't remember her last period. She kept trying to nail down a date, or something else that was happening at that time. But. All she could think of was the first time she had Sam run her to target for tampons. That was at least 5-6 months ago.
"Ummm… Actually. I don't know." Sara finally confessed.
"You don't know?" Dean asked cautiously. "I thought women counted days or some shit."
"I mean… I. I don't mean to give TMI here, but I don't think I've had one in a few months or more." Sara admitted nervously. This was odd for her, she was someone who was always fairly regular.
Dean immediately felt he panic crawl up his spine, he had to think back, did he sleep with her that night?! No.. no. He told himself.
"Ummm.. I mean… do you. Like… need a… pregnancy test?" He choked out awkwardly.
"No you dipshit. When would I have had the chance to get knocked up in the last six months?" Sara asked him irritably.
Relief washed over him, but he didn't miss her anger.
"I'm sorry! I don't have one of those! I don't know how it works, all I've ever known is if she's late you buy the girl a test!"
"Really?" Sam deadpanned at him.
"What?! Its true!"
"Well Dean I think you and I both know I've not been having sex with anyone, so that kind of takes that scenario off the table."
Suddenly she met eyes with Sam, brief panic on her face. Did she REALLY just say that outloud?!
"Ha, true… we've uh, we've been pretty selfish with you for months now." Sam tried to cover for her, seeing the panic on her face.
Dean tipped his beer backwards as he walked towards the fridge for another.
… Did she remember? Why would she pretend she didn't?
His mind ran a hundred miles an hour.
"So, if you're not pregnant what else would case you to skip that many?"
"I don't know… stress. Hormones. Life changes. I mean. I just hadn't realized how long it had been."
"Do you… need to see a doctor?" Sam asked, genuinely concerned now that she may truly be sick.
"No.. No. I'm sure its nothing. It's not like I'm having any other issues. It's probably just stress."
"Or… something weird with your abilities. I mean. It was about 6 months ago that you healed me. Right?"
"That's true." Sam nodded.
"Well I don't know to be happy or concerned if that's the case." She shrugged. "I guess we just see what happens."
"Sara, I still think maybe you should see a doctor. I mean that's not normal right? I wouldn't want to ignore something that may be an issue later."
"I mean, there are birth controls that make you skip for months at a time. Its not that uncommon actually… It's just not normal for me."
"So dinner?" Dean smiled trying to get the subject back to something that didn't make him cringe. Sara threw a pillow at him.
"I'm fine with whatever you two want. I'm actually in the mood for a nap." She said laying back on the bed.
Sam looked to Dean and back to Sara. Dean could see the worry on his face, and it made him wonder if he should worry too… but honestly, he was too concerned with trying to decipher her statement. He would give anything to know if she remembered it all.
…..
…..
…..
The bell rang as Sara and Dean walked through the doors of the flower shop. Sara looked up and saw pink and white stripes on the walls. The store front was beautiful. Clean and peaceful… out the window she could see rows of plants and flowers, with 3 green houses on the back of the property. She knew that would be where Sam went first as he slid in the back gate and did some exploring while Alex was occupied.
"Hey girl!" Alex smiled as she came out of the back office and approached them.
"Hey, Alex. This is my husband Dean."
"He Dean, nice to meet you." She said extending her hand.
"Pleasure" Dean smiled as he softly shook it.
"Alex this place is amazing…" Sara said spinning slightly to take it all in.
"Oh, its not much. Hey Roberta, I'm going to step out back and show these two around, okay?" Alex yelled to an older Spanish woman working on arrangements on a table in the back of the shop.
She eyed Sara and Dean carefully, and nodded rather than speaking.
"Does she always look so friendly?" Dean asked jokingly as they were led out the back doors.
"Haha, Roberta is… well, Roberta. She was my husband's caretaker for months. She stayed with us all the way to the end, and when he passed I offered her a job. She became family to us."
"That's nice of you, I'm sure she appreciated the change."
"Yeah, I like to think so. Flowers over death anytime right?" Alex joked.
"Yeah." Dean chuckled. Sara followed as Alex led them up and down the rows of various plants and flowers. Telling small stories of where the different plants come from.
"Wow, you really know your stuff." Sara smiled to her as they began walking towards the greenhouses.
"Yeah, I kinda threw myself into it after Daniel. I needed the distraction ya know?"
"Yeah. I do." She replied genuinely.
"So do you do much work with herbs?" Dean asked. Sara's stomach dropped again as she waited for the answer. Out of habit she reached down and looped her arm around Dean's for comfort.
"A little. Not much. They aren't big sellers around here. I keep some for my own personal reasons. Roberta actually taught me a lot of simple remedies with them. Old school medicine ya know? Its pretty cool… definitely nothing the women around here would be into."
"Oh, wow… That is cool."
Alex opened the door of the greenhouse and led the way as Dean and Sara stepped in behind her. Dean immediately began to recognize some of the herbs as the ones from the hex bags. Sara couldn't be sure… she didn't get a good enough look at them. She twisted her hands anxiously, hoping that Dean or Sam would give her the answers she needed soon. She wanted so desperately for it not to be Alex.
Dean noticed her hands and could see her anxiety increasing on her face, he didn't want to push his luck but he also didn't want her blowing their cover. So he reached down and linked his hand in hers. Calming her incessant twitching.
Dean couldn't deny that it felt right, to have her hand in his… natural. He was thankful they were playing a part and he had good reason to rub his thumb across the back of her hand.
Similarly Sara went from torturing herself over the case to begging herself to stop being so comfortable in his touch. Everything in her settled and yet felt set on fire as his thumb softly ran across her skin.
"Well, I guess I better help Roberta get those arrangements done, the client will be here in an hour or two to pick them up."
"Oh sure, sorry! We didn't mean to keep you." Sara said as she smiled and turned back towards the door, letting Alex lead them back to the building.
"No worries, I like to show it off sometimes. It took a lot of hard work to get here… Hey, you guys grab yourselves an arrangement from today's fresh buckets. Any one you'd like, on the house."
"Oh, Alex… that's not necessary."
"No. I insist… Daniel brought me flowers every day. Its why I started this place, he'd be upset if I let you two walk out of here empty handed."
"Thanks again Alex." Sara smiled as she stepped forward and hugged her, letting go of Dean in the process.
When she turned back towards Dean he was standing by the door looking through the arrangements made fresh that day, she walked up behind him and he smiled.
"Tulips… right?" As he picked up a small bouquet of pink tulips and baby's breath. It was simple, yet elegant. Everything Sara would want from a man with flowers in hand.
"Yes, Tulips." She smiled at him. He handed her the flowers and then opened the door.
Once in the car with Sam, Sara knew she had to know and she had to know now.
"So… were they there? The herbs."
"Yeah. They were… I'm sorry Sara but those hex bags came out of that shop." Sam replied sadly as he turned around to look at her. She nodded and chewed on her bottom lip. She was heartbroken… she couldn't kill this woman. She couldn't let THEM kill this woman.
There had to be a reason… an explanation… something.
Dean noticed the look on her face as she processed this.
"Sara." He called out softly. She looked up, begging the tears to hold themselves in. "I don't think it's her either."
"Really?" She whispered, her lip quivering so slightly Dean barely noticed it before she sucked in a breath and looked away.
"Really. Those hex bags, they were made by someone with some 'old school remedies'… remind you of anyone?"
"Roberta!" Sara exclaimed as it hit her, how could she have missed it?! She was so focused on it NOT being Alex that she missed all the signs.
"Who?" Sam asked.
"Roberta, older Mexican woman that works in the shop. Took care of the lady's husband until he died, then she invited her to stay and work in the flower shop… said she was like family to them."
"She also said that Roberta taught her about the herbs." Sara chimed in remembering.
"Yeah. And if someone was a threat to my family… or hurt my family in some way. I'd want to protect them. I'd want to hurt that person." Dean explained looking intently at Sara, remembering the way that woman made her feel yesterday.
"… So what now?"
"We have to catch Roberta off guard and alone. We need her address, lets see if we can find her dirty little secrets at home."
"Hey Dean…" Sara called out.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you… for seeing what I saw. Alex is good people."
"Yeah, she is."
…..
…..
…..
Sam and Dean peered through the break in the trees at the small house on the edge of the property.
"See anything?" Sara asked.
"She's home. I can't see much else. I don't see anyone else in the house… no cars. I think she's alone. We need to end this tonight."
"… Can I. Can I hang back for this one? Monsters are one thing but the people still kind of get me twisted. She doesn't look like the last witch… she just looks like a person."
"Yeah sweetheart, go wait in the car." Dean said softly placing the keys in her hand.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled with guilt.
"Don't be, its still new for you."
Sara made her way back through the woods and to the parked car. She opened the passenger and slid in, locking them all after she settled. She leaned against the seat, running her hand over the dash and the radio buttons. Thinking about Alex… she would be devastated over Roberta's disappearance.
Would she put two and two together since Sara skipped town in the same day… She hated to think that Alex would be think poorly of her. She pulled out a notebook from her backpack in the backseat and began to write.
When she finished, she folded it up, and placed Alex's name on the outside. Then she leaned back and closed her eyes.
It only took Sam and Dean about an hour to deal with the witch, and cover any tracks. They knew someone would come looking so they were extra careful as they made their way back through the woods. Taking two separate trails from the one they used to come to the house, this way they couldn't be easily tracked by scent or anything else.
Once back at the car Sam was the first to notice Sara was asleep again in the front seat.
"She asleep again?" Dean called out.
"Yeah. I think somethings up with that Dean… somethings wrong."
"What is it though?"
"I don't know. I don't know if its supernatural or just plain medical… but I know nurses make the worst patients because they think they know everything and they put things off, sure that if its serious they'll deal with it later. Sound familiar?"
"Yeah… damn she's stubborn."
"She needs to see a doctor, but I know she won't. At least not yet."
Dean opened the door and slid in, Sam took the backseat so as not to disturb her, they drove back to the motel in silence and began packing up the car, agreeing to let her sleep until she was ready to wake up.
"Hmmm… Sam?" Sara mumbled as the trunk closing caused her to jump slightly, looking around for either of the brothers. Her fuzzy sight landed on Sam.
"Hey, yeah… you okay?"
"Where are we?" She asked taking in her surroundings.
"Packing up, fixing to head back to the bunker for a few days or so. Let you rest up."
"Wait.. we have to stop somewhere first."
"Ready to go?" Dean asked climbing in, seeing that Sara was now awake.
"Can you stop by the flower shop… please."
"Sara, I don't know if that's a go-"
"Dean… please." She asked again, he could see that whatever this was it was important to her. He looked down and saw the folded note in he seat. He looked back up to her and nodded.
He drove them to the flower shop, and Sara exited the car, it was late and dark. She could barely find the mail box on the outside of the building just to the left of the door. But she did, and she dropped the note inside, she walked backwards to the car as she took in one last glance before climbing back in.
"All good?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, we can go now."
"What did you say, in the note?" Dean asked with curiosity.
Sara smiled at him, then at Sam. They wouldn't understand what its like to be a woman in a man's world… to be the teenage girl desperate to fit in. To be intimidated, they were Winchesters and nothing scared a Winchester. But Alex had given Sara a new hope… a new way to look at the world. She knew if there were more people like Alex, and less like Victoria then the world would be a better place.
Dean looked confused at her expression.
"You wouldn't understand, but… just know that she needs it. And so did I."
"Okay…" He nodded. "You still tired?"
"I shouldn't be, but I am."
Dean reached over and grabbed the shirt he had sitting on top of the bag in the backseat, he balled it up and laid it against his leg, patting it and signaling for her to lay down.
She smiled at him again, then she laid down with her head against his leg, the shirt a makeshift pillow to support her neck.
"Get some sleep sweetheart, I'll get us home."
Sara was only awake for maybe ten minutes before her eyes closed and she drifted to sleep. Once he was sure she was asleep, he reached down and ran his hand through her hair, pinning it back behind her ear. She moaned softly, but didn't stir.
He knew he shouldn't… He knew he had to stop this game he's playing with himself.
But dammit, it just felt right.