She stopped at the café first to get some coffee for herself and Sam, and then she drove to the motel where they were staying at.

Knocking on the door, Sam opened it with a huge smile.

"At least I get a smile!" she told him grinning. He picked her up and swung her around. "Sammy I've got coffee in my hands" he put her down and grabbed one.

"I am so glad to see you" he wrapped one arm around her and led her into their room. "You look great"

"Missouri kept a close eye on me; she wouldn't let me lift anything"

"Yeah we asked her to take care of you, -"he sat back and just looked at her. "I'm glad that encounter didn't leave any marks on you" she lifted the lock of hair off her forehead. "Ok one scar" he grinned.

"My shoulder still pains me but –"she shrugged.

"So what are you going to do now?" Sam asked her.

"Head back to Lawrence, then see what I'm going to do" she looked down at her coffee.

"Emma, what's going on?" Sam asked leaning forward. She looked at him, she had watery eyes.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, I don't know how to do anything Sammy, I'm – I'm not cut out for the stay at home thing you know? This means I'll have to get a decent job – "

"You can study, and work part time – do something you've always wanted to do" he replied softly. He understood her dilemma; he had once done the same thing too.

"I don't know what I want to do Sam, -"she scratched her scar. "I guess I'll have to think about it" he smiled at her.

"I know you'll make the right choice" she looked at him.

"Sammy that's not even funny – what if I don't make one at all or even worse I make the wrong one?"

"You've never made a wrong choice in your life Emma, so have you spoken to Dean yet?"

"I saw him at the library –, he was busy but we caught up some"

"Yeah researching this case is driving us nuts"

"Some girl called Cassie was there; apparently they had just run into each other"

"Jealous sister act coming through" Sam rebuked her. She shrugged. "Emma" she looked at him. "I'm not going to pretend I don't get it, because I do, but don't wait around for him if he won't risk it"

"A lot of wisdom in those words Sam" she murmured.

"I've grown up a lot in the last few months, since jess died"

"I know honey" she stood up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Let's go out to eat, my shout, I'm starved" her mobile rang. She looked at the caller ID.

Dean. She answered it. "Hey honey, I'm with Sam, if your not busy meet us at the corner café for a bite" she hung up.

"Dean?" Sam asked.

"Yep, he's meeting us there" she replied. She took his arm and they walked there.

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Everyone looked at them when they walked in. Emma was self conscious of it.

"Do I have a wart on my nose?" she asked Sam who laughed.

"No – they can tell we're from out of town" Emma spied some men down the end of the bar; they were rough looking and looking at her.

"Sam you know when you look at someone and you get a funny feeling?" Sam looked sharply at her, thankful when he heard the Impala's roar just outside. At least he had backup.

"Yeah what of it?"

"I'm getting that funny feeling now" he pulled her into the booth and made her sit at the window while he sat next to her.

Dean joined them. "Something wrong?" he asked sliding in opposite them.

"Some people here give Emma the creeps" Sam replied. Dean gave the place a once over then looked at her.

"Anything in particular?"

"No maybe I'm wrong – never mind" she offered them a smile.

Sam looked at her. "Have you had any more visions or whatever?"

"When I was in hospital and off the morphine, I started having nightmares again, those – brutes at the end of the bar? – I've seen them before" both Dean's and Sam's look sharpened. "Anyways, I'm hungry and I need food, Missouri already complained I didn't eat enough"

"Mother's are like that – lets order" Sam replied.

Unbeknownst to Sam or Emma, dean kept an eye on the patrons that Emma had told them about. If she had an uneasy feeling about them then so did he.

They made their way to the car, getting in and driving to the motel.

"So where you staying?" dean asked her. She looked at him.

"I rented a room, 4 doors down from you" she replied.

"And you plan on sleeping there by yourself?" dean asked stopping what he was doing and facing her.

"I'm a big girl dean; I can take care of myself"

"No way" Sam put in. making dean and Emma look at him.

"What do you mean no way? I've still got all my stuff"

"What about those guys at the café? If they followed us, who knows what their intentions are" Sam told her in his usual "Sam is freaked out" way.

"Sam I paid for that room, I'm using it"

"But you don't have to use it alone –"Sam looked at Dean.

"Right, I'll share with you Emma, Sam call me if you need anything" dean moved whatever he needed into her room.

Once in her room, dean dumped his stuff on the bed closest to the door.

"No midnight visitors?" she asked. He turned and looked at her.

"Ok obviously something is biting your butt, care to share?"

"Well I'm glad you managed some inkling of humanity until now, why are you pissed at me?"

"I have been banging my head here – first the library where you act like a jealous – "he cut off, then continued along another line. "Then at the café – if you don't want me around – just say so" he spread his hands then went and removed his guns from his bag so he could clean them. "I just don't get you some times, I trying to protect you, which I failed to do at the cabin and got you into a coma, I've got Sam bugging my ass about you and my thoughts on you –"

"Dean please, save the damsel in distress routine for some other time, I'm sorry if I acted jealous, cause I'm still trying to figure out what I am – and 2ndly – well – I don't know what I'm doing anymore, the only thing I've done right so far is coming to see you both – I have no idea where I'm heading, I'm sick to death of this pain in my shoulder and I'm tired of being alone, so that's me in a nutshell, so if you want to figure me out go ahead, I'm not a puzzle, I'm as easy to read as ever, all you have to do is ask" she went to the bathroom.

Dean just stood gob smacked. He had never heard her have a tirade. They had both always left that for Sam, he was the emotional one of the three. He sat down and cleaned his weapons and waited for her to come out. She did, and didn't look at him; she wore trackie pants and a white singlet to bed and covered herself up.

Half hour later, when he thought she was asleep, she sat up in bed rubbing her temples. Dean put his gun down and looked at her.

"Emma?"

"Do me a favour, go check on Sam" she looked at him. "Please" he gave her his gun and raced down to Sam who was having a vision. How she knew that he didn't know.

45 minutes later, he came back, the room was empty. "Emma!" he checked the bathroom and found her sitting on the floor, her nose was bleeding.

"I'm ok, really, just a nose bleed" dean grabbed a towel and gave it to her.

"Put your head back" he ordered softly.

"Yes sir" she murmured. He sighed and sat on the floor next to her.

"Why do you make it so difficult" he asked. He leant his head back. She didn't say anything. He looked at her, her eyes were closed. "You better get to bed before your butt freezes"

"Covering up your feelings with jokes is something a 10 year old would do, I know you better, your hiding something" she looked at him then cross her legs and faced him. "So what did you mean back there – your thoughts on me, I didn't know you had any" he looked at her meeting her eyes.

"I'm not having a meeting in the bathroom squirt"

"Don't call me squirt, I'm not 5 years old anymore" she told him, looking at him.

"Is that an order?" he asked half smiling.

"It's a request, so Cassie – she means a lot to you?"

"We went out for a bit, but broke up; it wasn't going to work out"

"Because of this?" she asked softly.

"A lot of things – "he stood up and gave her a hand up which she took reluctantly. "Enjoying the floor?" he asked smiling.

"I guess we all have our secrets, some more so then others and you still haven't answered my question" she walked into the room and looked out the window. Dean sat on the bed and continued to clean his guns. Thoughts were racing through his head. He heard her move and looked up when she sat across from him. She took his knife that he kept under his pillow. He watched her, warily. The blade glinted from the room's lights.

"What's on your mind Em" when she didn't answer right away he looked at her face.

"What would you do if someone you knew was in love with you but they didn't risk admitting it for fear of being vulnerable?" she asked him softly. He looked down and kept his cleaning while he was thinking.

"Might tell them how I felt first, give them some base to stand on" he replied meeting her gaze. "Is this going somewhere?"

"Well that's a catch 22, the other person risking it as well – the opportunity for them to be rejected" she smiled wryly.

"There's always a risk on everything"

"So why don't you tell me your thoughts? We used to share everything; did that change that day on the highway?"

"Emma, I – I'm not up for a chick –"she held up her hand.

"Chick flick moment – ok I get it" she turned the knife over. Thoughts going through her head. "What about forced? You know not a chick flick moment?"

"You would tackle me? You know I can kick your butt" he smiled at her making light of it. She met his smile.

"I've learnt a few things since that time"

"You want to test me now?" he asked.

"Nope, element of surprise works better" she stood up to get into bed when he tripped her and tackled her.

"Surprise" he grinned down at her.

"Dean you forgot one thing" she told him smiling.

"really and what's that?" he was really sure he had her, so he didn't expect her trap his legs and turn the whole moment around on him. She flipped him on his back and held the blade to his throat.

"I've got the blade, did I ever tell you I have this nervous tick?" she grinned evilly at him.

"But I have the advantage squirt, your lighter, easier to dislodge and on top of that you have a bad shoulder" he was fast she had to give him that, he knocked the blade out of her hand and threw her off him, she landed not far but he was on top of her again, her arms pinned above her head. "And in answer to your question – you should've figured that out ages ago, I'm not that hard to read"

"You hide your feelings Dean, and if what I'm thinking is right –"he cut her off by kissing her.

"Don't think"

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More to come!