Warnings: Angst. Violence.

Bamby

DPOV

I was in a foul mood. I had been for hours now. All night I'd found it impossible to sleep. Not because of the alcohol, but because of the fact that Liz had gone back to her room with the same asshole who'd left her with no sign that he was okay.

If I thought there was any chance that he would come back, and she would go with him again, I wouldn't have slept with her. I wouldn't have set myself up for rejection like that. So of course I was pissed.

It didn't help that now I had no distraction to keep my mind off of whatever Sam had been up to the last few weeks.

He'd left an hour or so ago to do some research. We were both pretty sure Liz and her boyfriend would be too busy catching up for either of them to actually do any work, so Sam had offered to do it. On his way out, he'd accidentally left his phone in the room.

I was sitting at the table, staring down at it, contemplating my options. Leave it be and wait for Sam to tell me what he was up to… though I was pretty sure that would never happen. That left me with option two, go through his phone logs and find out who he's been talking to lately…

Making my mind up, I reached over and picked the phone up, scrolling through the contacts until I found the only unknown number on the list, and rang it.

After a few rings, someone answered.

"Hey, Sam." It was Ruby. When I stayed silent, she spoke again, "Sam…? You there…?"

Not knowing what else to do, I quickly hung up.

I couldn't believe it. Sam was talking to Ruby again. Were they meeting up? Did they talk a lot? Was he doing jobs for her? Were they hunting behind my back? Was she making him use his powers again? Were they sleeping together again…?

Ruby, she was bad news. Sure, she'd saved my life and helped Sam and Liz even seemed to like her now. But she was a demon, and nothing would change that. Eventually, things will change and she'll turn into an evil bitch like every other demon.

The door opened then, Sam coming in. "Lenny Bristol was definitely another siren vic."

"You get in to see him?" I asked.

He'd left when we'd gotten word that someone else who'd been at the strip club had killed someone close to them. We were hoping it was part of the case, while also hoping it wasn't- because no one wanted more bodies to be added to the growing list.

He gave a short nod. "Yep. He bought home a stripper named Belle. Coupla hours later he offed his mother. Belle, of course, went MIA."

"Wait, he killed his mum?"

"The woman he was closest to." He shrugged a second before his phone started to ring.

I reached over and grabbed his phone, tossing it to him. "Yeah, you, uh… forgot your cell phone."

Giving me a worried look, he checked the ID and answered it without a word to me. Taking a seat at the table, he put the phone on speaker. "Hey, Lizzie."

"Hey, Sam. Sorry I'm MIA right now. Tristan and I just have some catching up to do."

I rolled my eyes but said nothing as Sam spoke to her. "That's okay. Look, Dean and I can finish this case-"

"No," she cut him off quickly. "I mean… that wouldn't be fair. And anyway, Tristan and I can still do some research. We've actually been working on some stuff this morning."

"Really?" Sam sounded as surprised as I felt. Neither of us thought Liz would get back to the case so soon, and I sure as hell didn't think Tristan would help her. "So, what you got?"

"Tristan helped me break apart a Greek poem. It says you need 'a bronze dagger, covered in the blood of a sailor, under the spell of the song'. We're dealing with three thousand years of lore here, so I'm not one hundred per cent sure… but I'm gonna say the siren's spell is most likely some kind of venom. Something she gets in the victim's system."

"And makes them go all Manchurian Candidate." Sam nodded. "Uh, what do you think, she infects the men during sex?"

"Maybe."

I let out a light scoff. "Supernatural STD."

"Dean… uh, hi…" Liz sounded a little nervous suddenly.

"Hey," I said back to her, before clearing my throat.

Getting back on track, she went on, "Apparently once the siren doses the men she's gotta be careful. One dose of her own medicine and she's out. Like a snake getting hit by its own venom."

"So, we just gotta find a way to juice one of the OJs in jail?" I asked.

There was a pause before Liz answered, "Tristan said it won't be that easy. Those guys aren't under the spell anymore," she noted. "Not sure where you're going to get the blood you need… unless you find and stalk the siren and wait for her to infect someone else…"

Sam and I exchanged looks. I didn't like the idea of putting people in danger. Especially when what we were hunting could change its appearance. It makes it harder to track the son of a bitch. So, Liz's suggestion wasn't exactly something I wanted to try unless we had to.

When Sam straightened a little, clearly thinking of another way, I was relieved.

"I think I might have an idea," he told her.

"Okay…" She didn't sound too sure. " Just, be careful. Sirens are tricky things, guys. They'll have you wrapped up in knots before you know what hit you."

SPOV

Followed by Dean, I entered the hospital, headed straight for Cara as she headed down the hall, looking over some paperwork.

"Dr Roberts."

She looked up from her paperwork. "Agent Stiles." She smiled, coming to a stop in front of Dean and me. "Can't stay away, huh?"

I chuckled lightly. "Actually, uh, we're here on business. About the blood samples. The ones with the high… you know… oxytocin?"

"You still have them?" Dean asked.

"Mm-hmm." She nodded.

"Good, we need them," Dean told her.

"What for?"

Before either of us could answer her question, a man approached Cara, stopping next to her. "Excuse me, Dr Roberts?"

She turned to him. "Yeah?"

Getting out his FBI badge, Dean cut the guy off before he could say anything else to the doctor. "Excuse me, uh… we're a little busy here, buddy."

"Yeah, so am I, pal." The guy pulled his own badge out.

Oh shit. Looking at Cara, I tried to stay in character as I gave her a light smile. "Doc, can you give us a sec, please?"

Backing away, she gave a short nod. "Sure."

Once the doctor was gone, Dean turned to the FBI agent. "What's your name?"

"Nick Munroe. What's yours?"

"I'm Special Agent Sam Stiles, this is my partner Dean Murdoch," I answered, showing him my own badge. "What office are you from?"

"Omaha, Violent Crimes Unit. My SAC sent me down here to see about the murders. You?"

"D.C. Our Assistant Director assigned us."

Nick looked to Dean. "Oh, which AD?"

"Mike Kaiser," I answered without missing a beat.

"What are your badge numbers?"

Dean scoffed. "You're kidding, right?"

Nick shrugged. "I'm just following protocol."

"Look man, whatever." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a card, handing it over to Nick. "Just call our AD, he'll sort things out."

Taking the card, Nick looked to Dean and me one last time before taking a step back and dialling the number. As he spoke on the phone, I hoped Bobby wouldn't mess the call up. He never did, and I knew he wouldn't, but I always got a little nervous when we bumped into real feds. I always wondered if they could tell that we were lying, and what they might do if they found out who we really were…

After a minute or so, Nick turned around and came back over to stand in front of us again, handing me the card back "I'm sorry, guys."

Dean shrugged just like Nick had a moment ago. "Just don't let it happen again."

Nodding, Nick looked to both of us again, a little more relaxed this time. "Where are you at with this?"

"Where are you at with this?" Dean countered.

"Well, I was just about to run the, uh… perps' bloodwork."

"I already checked, dead-end," I informed him.

"Oh yeah?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"But get this. I feel like I found something that, uh, connects all the murderers."

"Really?" I asked, only slightly interested. There wouldn't be much this guy knew that we didn't already.

"They were all banging strippers… from the same club."

"You don't say!" Dean gave a light grin, controlling his sarcasm.

"What do you say we, uh, go down there and check it out?" Nick suggested.

"Well, here's the thing, Nick. See, we're kinda lone wolves-"

Before Dean could go on, I cut him off, talking to Nick, "You know what, that sounds like an excellent idea. Just… just give me a second with my partner and we'll, uh…one sec." I looked to Dean, nodding over my shoulder. "Come here." Once we were out of earshot, I spoke again, "Dude, you gotta stay with him."

"What?" Dean clearly didn't like that idea.

"Keep him outta the way."

"Why me?"

"'Cause I gotta get the blood samples."

"What the hell am I supposed to do with him?"

"Just take him to the strip club…keep an eye out for the siren. Come on, Dean, just… just focus on the naked girls. You'll forget he's even there."

He thought about it for a moment, but we both knew what he was going to do. "I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for the girls."

DPOV

As we walked through the carpark of the hospital, I pulled my keys out, talking to Munroe without looking at him. "All right, we're taking my ride, no complaining about the tunes," I told him as we reached Baby.

He paused at the passenger side door, looking Baby over. "No way. You drive an Impala?"

As I came to my own door, I nodded, stopping as well. "Yeah."

"It's a '67, right? It's a 327 four-barrel. "

"Yeah, actually." I was pretty impressed if I'm being honest.

"It's a thing of beauty."

"Thanks."

"How the hell did you talk the Bureau into letting you drive your own wheels?" Shaking his head, he opened the door to get in.

SPOV

I was standing on the other side of Cara's desk, watching as she went through some files. I was trying to get her to give me the blood of the husbands that had killed their wives. At the time of the blood tests, they'd been infected with the siren's song. At least I was hoping that was the case. I was also hoping there wasn't an expiry date on the virus…

"You want this blood because…?" she asked.

"Uh, we'd like to run some tests," I lied.

She paused and looked away from the files, turning to me, giving a light laugh. "You know, I've run every test there is. It's, um, my job. Notice the lab coat."

"We know a specialist who'd like to try out a theory." Another lie.

Sighing, she walked past me. "If you say so." She headed over to a glass fridge that sat on top of a counter in her office. She opened it up and slid a tray of test tubes out, only to pause. "What the hell?"

"What?"

She turned, a look of confusion and slight anger on her face. "The blood's gone."

DPOV

I sat at one of the tables in the strip club with Nick, watching the girls and taking a few shots. I hadn't really been paying much attention to the job we were supposed to be doing, because as we sat there talking, I'd found out that the guy wasn't actually that bad. He was a lot like me actually.

"Nobody's Fault But Mine."

We were playing a game of sorts, where I gave him the name of a song and he had to guess who's it by, and then he gave me a song and I had to guess as well. So far, I'd been impressed with his knowledge of classic rock.

"Oh, oh. Zeppelin recorded it in '75. It was a cover of a Blind Willie Johnson tune."

I nodded, grinning. "Nice."

"You Shook Me."

"'69, debut album, written by Willie Dixon."

"And….?"

"And what?"

"Written by Willie Dixon and J.B. Lenoir."

I chuckled lightly. "Dude. Dude! You know, for a fed, you're not a total dick."

"Aren't we both feds?"

Oh, right… "Yeah, I know," I nodded, recovering from my slight slip of character, "I just… you know, not a lot of feds are as cool as us, huh?"

He shrugged, taking a drink before changing the subject as we turned to the girls dancing. "So, what the hell with this case, man? How does a girl talk four different johns into murder?"

"It's a crazy world."

"I guess." He shook his head. "Hey, can I level with you?"

"Mm."

"I found something kinda weird."

"Well. You have bought your weird to the right spot. Lay it on me."

"I went to the crime scene this morning. Saw them bagging this up." Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out an evidence bag with some purple flowers in it, placing the bag on the table in front of me. "So, I went back, uh, through all the files. It turns out a flower just like that was found at every crime scene."

"Like it was left on purpose?" I frowned. I'd never heard of monsters doing that before…

Munroe shrugged again. "You know, sometimes a serial killer will leave an object behind, like a calling card. But with this case? Tell you the truth, I got no idea what's going on."

As I looked over the flowers, listening to him, something clicked. "I think I might. I've seen a flower like this before…"

SPOV

Cara and I were sitting in her office, we'd been there for a while now, looking over security footage, trying to find out who might have taken the blood samples.

With a sigh, she paused the video. "We've watched them twice. Whoever took the blood…"

"Must have tampered with the tapes." I finished, nodding. She had a point. "Who has access to your office?"

"Everybody." She turned to me. "I don't lock it."

"You what?"

"I've never had this problem before," she noted. "What is so important about the blood anyway?"

"I think someone drugged the men, made them commit murder," I admitted.

"What? What kind of drug?"

"Ahh, I'm not sure yet." It wasn't like I could tell her the truth.

"I don't know." She turned to the screen again. "I mean, I interviewed those guys and they had their reasons."

"Yeah but they all loved their victims."

"I'm sure they did." When I just looked at her, waiting for her to give explain why that didn't matter, she let out a soft laugh. "Come on." She got out of her seat, turning to me. "Haven't you ever been in a relationship where you really love somebody and still kinda wanted to bash their head in?"

I chuckled lightly. "Sounds like you're speaking from experience."

"Yeah." Her smile fell as she turned and moved to the cupboard behind her desk.

"Look, I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry."

"It's okay," she assured me, placing two glasses and a bottle of whiskey on her desk. "I was the one who bought it up." She opened the bottle, pouring some of the liquid into the glasses.

I looked at the drink she offered me. "Really?"

"It's medicine. I'm a doctor." She shrugged before a small grin sound its way onto her lips. As I took the glass from her she spoke again. "His name was Karl. We were married," she laughed lightly before we clinked glasses.

"So what happened?" I asked, taking a seat on her desk.

She took a sip and then answered. "Life happened. I don't know. I mean I loved him. Still do I guess but… I don't know." She sat in the desk next to me. "It's like one day I looked up and I was living with a stranger and… you know what I mean, right?"

"I guess." I shrugged, before thinking about Dean and I for a moment. "Or, I don't know, maybe."

"People change. I know I did. But it's nothing to feel guilty about. It happens."

"So, you two split up?"

"I suppose that's a word for it."

My phone began to ring then, but as I looked and saw that it was Dean calling, I wondered if I should answer or not…

"Do you need to get that?" Cara asked.

I looked to her, shaking my head as I hung up and put my hone back in my pocket. "Nope. Not right now."

She shrugged once more as she poured us another drink. "Whatever. We've all got our own sad stories, so… screw it. Have fun, no regrets and live life like there's no tomorrow." We clinked glasses again before she got up as she took a sip, moving closer to me. "For instance, I have been thinking about you, all night… well, parts of you," she whispered in my ear.

"Just parts?"

"Mm-hm." She nodded as she moved to stand in front of me, undoing my tie. "Like your lips. They're very distracting. It's a problem. And I can't stop thinking about kissing them."

"That so?"

"So… what the hell, huh?"

I didn't think or hesitate a moment longer before I leaned forward to kiss her. It only took a matter of seconds before things got heated. Before I knew it, clothes were being torn off as I pushed her against the wall…

DPOV

Driving down the road, trying to get ahold of Sam after I'd called him a hundred times already, I was both shocked and relieved when my phone rang… he was calling me.

"Sam!" I answered in an instant. "Where the hell have you been?"

"With Cara."

"Oh, it's Cara now? And you're not picking up your phone?"

"We were trying to find the blood samples. Someone stole 'em."

"Yeah, I bet!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nick found flower petals at the crime scenes. Hyacinths."

"So?"

"Hyacinths?" I repeated, waiting for him to put the pieces together. But when he stayed silent, I went on to explain. "Mediterranean. From the island where the whole friggin' siren myth started in the first place."

"Okay…"

"Sam, Cara had hyacinth flowers!"

He chuckled lightly. "You think Cara's the siren?"

"Well, I did a little checking up on her. She's only been in town for two months."

"Yeah. And?"

"And she has an ex-husband," I noted. "A dead ex-husband, Carl Roberts. Dropped like a stone, no warning. Supposedly a heart attack."

"Well, maybe it was a heart attack."

"You're kidding me."

"Look, I just don't think it's her."

"And what makes you so sure?"

"I dunno, a hunch."

"A hunch? I'm giving you cold hard facts here and you're giving me a hunch?" I paused for a moment, waiting once more, and that's when it clicked. That's when I realised what was actually going on here. "Did you sleep with her?"

"No," he answered, but I could practically smell the lie through the phone.

"Holy crap. You did." I shook my head. "Middle of Basic Instinct and you bang Sharon Stone? Sam, you could be under her spell right now!"

"Dude, I'm not under her spell."

"Unbelievable, man. I just don't get it."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No. Say it."

"No, it's just… first it's Madison, and then Ruby, and now Cara. It's like… what is with you and banging monsters?"

"Dean, I'm telling you, it's not Cara. I feel fine."

"I'll bet you do."

"You don't trust me?"

"No. Because this could be the siren talking."

"Look, tell me where you are, I'll come meet you and we'll figure things out."

There was no reason for me to think about it. I knew what had to be done. "No."

"Are you serious?"

"I wish I weren't. I gotta handle this, Sam. By myself," with that, I hung up before quickly dialling the next number.

Of course, Liz didn't pick u, just like the other times I'd called her. I'd been ringing her over the last couple of hours, wondering where she might be, hoping she would know where Sam was. But she hadn't picked up her phone, which left me both annoyed and concerned for her.

But now was not the time to worry. I had a siren to deal with.

I left a message on her voice mail, hoping she'd get it in time. "Sam's in trouble, Liz. I think the siren worked her mojo on him. I know you're busy with your boyfriend and everything, but I could really use you right now. Give me a call as soon as you get this," with that, I hung up again before calling the next person.

Munroe answered after just a couple of rings. "Hey man, what's up?"

"I need your help."

"Uh, sure. With what?"

"Canvassing. We gotta find somebody."

EPOV

I sat on my bed in my room, looking down at my phone as it lit up for the millionth time that night. As much as I wanted to answer it I knew Tristan and I needed this time to catch up. We'd been apart for some time, which affected our relationship. If we wanted to stay strong and together, then we had to work through everything.

"So, how long were you with the brothers?"

Tristan and I had talked about pretty much everything but Sam and Dean. It was hard being so close to two guys while in a relationship. I honestly didn't blame Tristan for being unsure. I just hoped he realised that he meant a lot to me, and if I'd known what had happened and that he'd been coming back, then I wouldn't have slept with Dean.

"Just for a month or so."

"Anything happen?" he asked, avoiding my gaze as if he knew the answer.

I could tell him, I could admit, out loud, that I had cheated on him with Dean. I could tell him that it hadn't just been physical and that I had feelings I shouldn't be feeling for a friend. I could tell him about the past I had with Dean, which I'd previously only told a few details about. I could let it all out.

Or… I could lie. I could pretend nothing happened. I could act as if I hadn't had slept with another man. I could even keep the nervous and unsure feeling in my gut, telling me that this thing between us was pretty much over, and had been for some time now…

"No." I shook my head, choosing to lie. "We just hunted, did the usual stuff." I shrugged.

He nodded slowly, looking a little relieved. "You think you can leave them behind for a while? Maybe we could head up to the cabin for a few days? Take a break from everything? Get you back on your feet?" he suggested. "I can get you some more pills."

The promise of more pills had something inside me stand to attention. It was like that's all that mattered now. I would literally jump through hopes if that meant I could get my hands on even one of those beautiful, little red pills.

"I think I'd like that," I answered, trying not to sound too eager.

DPOV

I opened the passenger door to Munroe's car, sliding into the seat and closing the door behind me. As I got comfortable, Nick filled me in on everything.

"She went in just a second ago." He gestured to the bar he'd parked in front of after following Cara here.

"Nice work."

"Should we follow her in?"

I shook my head. "No, no, no, I don't wanna tip her off. Let's just wait and see who she comes out with."

"So you think… what? She's drugging these guys?"

"Pretty much." I shrugged, clearly unable to tell him the truth.

"Uh-huh." I could tell he didn't believe it. Not entirely at least. He could feel the lies and secrets.

"I know how it sounds-"

He cut me off before I could go on, "You sure about that? 'Cause it sounds like crazy on toast. All these different strippers, they're magically the same girl? But then they're not strippers at all, it's Dr Quinn."

"It's kinda hard to explain, but I have my reasons and they're good ones, so you're just gonna have to trust me on 'em."

There was a pause as he contemplated my words before he gave a short nod. "Yeah. okay. I guess."

I was actually surprised. "Thank you. That's actually nice to hear." Reaching into the inside pocket of my jacket, I pulled out my flask and took a swig before offering it to Nick.

He let out a soft laugh as he took the flask and took a drink, then handed it back to me. "So, let's say she is drugging her vics," he started as I took a drink, "how's she pulling that off?"

"She could be injecting them, you know, or passing the toxin through, uh, physical contact."

"Or it could be her saliva. "

I felt the change before I realised what was happening. Before I could stop it. Suddenly it was like nothing mattered except making sure Nick was happy. As long as I did whatever he wanted, we could be happy and together. That's all I wanted. All I would ever want again…

"You really should have wiped the lip of that thing before you drank from it, Dean." He grinned. "I should be your little brother. Sam. You can't trust him. Not like you can trust me. In fact, I really feel like you should get him outta the way, so we can be brothers. Forever."

"Yeah." I nodded slowly, agreeing with everything he said because I knew he was right. I knew this was something I had to do. "Yeah, you're right."

SPOV

I'd looked around for Dean, but it had been no use. He was nowhere to be found. Even calling him had been pointless, seeing as he didn't answer any of my calls. Despite what he believed, I knew for a fact that I wasn't under any spell. I would know if I was because I would have hunted him down and tried to kill him by now.

I opened the door to the hotel room and stepped inside before turning to close and lock the door behind me. When I turned again and turned on the lights I was surprised to find Nick sitting on one of the beds, looking so casual.

"Nick. What are you doing here?"

Suddenly out of nowhere, Dean jumped up and grabbed me, holding a knife to my throat and an arm around my neck to hold me in place.

"Dean?" I struggled against him. It didn't take me long to figure out what was happening. "I gotta tell ya, you're one butt ugly stripper," I snarled at Nick.

Nick shrugged casually as he rose from the bed and moved towards us. "Well, maybe. But I got exactly what I wanted. I got Dean."

Ignoring him, I tried to get to my brother, hoping he could fight what was happening to him. "Dean, come on man, this isn't you. You can fight this. Let me go."

Nick stepped closer again, talking to Dean. "Why don't you cut him? Just a little, on his neck right there." Dean did as Nick asked, without hesitating or thinking about it. Nick shrugged, his point proven. "Dean's all mine."

"You poisoned him."

"No. I gave him what he needed. And it wasn't some bitch in a G-string. It was you. A little brother that looked up to him, that he could trust. And now he loves me. He'd do anything for me. And I gotta tell you, Sam, that kind of devotion? I mean, watching someone kill for you? It's the best feeling in the world."

"Is that why you're slutting all over town?"

"I get bored like we all do. And I wanna fall in love again. And again… and again."

"I'll tell you what. I have fought some nasty sons of bitches, but you are one needy pathetic loser."

"You won't feel that way in a minute."

Grabbing my face, Nick forced me to open my mouth before he opened his own, revealing a line of sharp teeth and a tongue that lifted. Liquid squirted out of his mouth and into mine, and within a second or two I could feel myself change.

Pulling away, he nodded to Dean, who let me go. The moment I was free, I started towards Nick, wanting to be close to him.

"So, I know you two have a lot you wanna get off your chests," Nick started, talking to both Dean and I. "So why don't you discuss it? And whoever survives can be with me forever."

I turned to face my brother, ready to do whatever it takes to make sure I was the one to stay with Nick. I'd do anything to stay with Nick.

Dean was the first to speak. "Well, I don't know when it happened. Maybe when I was in hell. Maybe when I was staring right at you. But the Sam I knew, he's gone."

I scoffed. "That so?"

"And it's not the demon blood or the psychic crap. It's the little stuff. The lies. The secrets."

"Oh, yeah? What secrets?"

"The phone calls to Ruby for one."

"So I need your say-so to make a phone call?"

"That's the point. You're hiding things from me. What else aren't you telling me?"

"None of your business."

"See what I mean? We used to be in this together. We used to have each other's backs."

"Okay, fine. You know why I didn't tell you about Ruby, and how we're hunting down Lilith? Because you're too weak to go after her, Dean. You're holding me back. I'm a better hunter than you are. Stronger, smarter. I can take out demons you're too scared to go near."

"That's crap."

"You're too busy sitting around feeling sorry for yourself. Whining about all the souls you tortured in hell. Boohoo."

He lunged first, my words crossing the line. We both were pretty evenly matched, each of us throwing punches and landing blows, but I did manage to get the upper hand for a moment, shoving him against the wall.

"You're not standing in my way anymore."

Before I could do anything else, he charged at me. We crashed through the door and into the hallway. I lost my balance and ended up on the ground, the wind knocked out of me. As I tried to recover, Dean smashed the glass of the emergency axe and grabbed the weapon before he came over to look down at me.

"Do it," Nick told him, a light of excitement in his eyes. "Do it for me, Dean."

Dean looked from Nick to me, determination set on his face. "Tell me again how weak I am, Sam, huh? How I hold you back?" Lifting the axe over his head, he got ready to finish me off.

I looked away and covered my face, waiting for the next blow… my heart was thumping in my chest as I realised this was it. This was how I was going to die. But the blow never came.

Opening my eyes, I watched as the axe in Dean's hand flew across the hall as a guy stepped up to my brother and stabbed him in the shoulder. Lizzie stood behind the stranger, watching as Nick began to run away. But before Nick could get far, the guy let go of the knife, letting Lizzie use her mind to throw it down the hall and straight into Nick's back.

Nick froze for a moment before he began to fall to the ground. The moment his lifeless body lay in a pile on the floor, the spell was broken, and both Dean and I realised everything that had just been said and done…

DPOV

Liz leaned against Tristan's pick up, hands in her pockets as she looked to Sam and me leaning against Baby. The three of us were standing in the parking lot, drinking some beers. It was something we did after every case, but this time it felt tense…

"You know, if you hadn't shown up when you did…"

Liz cut Sam off, shaking her head, "You would have done the same thing for me."

"How'd you know anyway?" Sam asked her.

I'd been wondering the same question. It's not like she'd been around to even know about Nick, that we were at our hotel room, or that we were infected and set on killing each other. So, how'd she know?

"Well, Bobby called for starters. He told me he'd made a few calls and found out that Nick Munroe wasn't real. That was the first sign of trouble. Second was Dean's voicemail." Her eyes flicked to mine then. "I went looking for Sam the moment I heard the worry in your voice."

A silence fell over us then as Sam and I struggled to come up with a response, while Liz struggled to find something else to say. It was odd. No matter how close we were, and how much we all meant to each other, it was clear that the tension between the three of us was nowhere near gone.

"You boys gonna be okay?"

I gave Liz a reassuring nod. "We'll be fine."

"'Cause, you know, if you're not, then I'll tell Tristan to wait for me at his cabin. I can spend a couple more weeks with you guys."

But Sam just shook his head. "We're, fine, Lizzie."

Don't get me wrong, I didn't want her going. I didn't want to leave her with this guy, not when there was no way Sam and I could protect her. It scared me to think that we were going to have no way of making sure she was okay.

But I knew this was something she wanted to do, and I had to trust her instincts. I had to trust her boyfriend, even though everything inside me was screaming not to. Letting her go without protest or complaint was just something I had to do.

The sound of a door closing had the three of us turn to see Tristan heading in our direction with the last of his and Liz's bags in hand. None of us said or did anything as we waited for him to come over and put the bags in his car before he moved to stand next to Liz, his arm moving around her waist instantly.

"I just wanna thank you guys for taking care of Lizzie while I was away. Knowing she has friends like the two of you, people who are willing to keep an eye out for her… it helps me sleep better at night." He offered us a smile.

"She's family. It's what you do for the ones you care about," I told him, a little too sharply.

Liz cleared her throat, shifting on the spot slightly. "Well, I guess it's time we head off. I'll see you guys later." She gave a small and slightly sad smile as she stepped away from Tristan and moved closer to give Sam and then me a hug.

I held her a second or two longer, not really wanting to let her go. She didn't fight me. In fact, I was pretty sure she wanted those few extra seconds just as badly as I did.

But we had to break apart eventually, and when we did she didn't meet my eyes as she turned to head to the pickup. It wasn't until she had set herself in the passenger seat and Tristan had turned on the engine, that her eyes finally met mine again. Then they were gone.

Once the truck was out of sight, I cleared my throat, taking a sip of my drink. "You gonna say goodbye to Cara?" I asked Sam.

"Nah," he shook his head, "not interested."

"Really? Why not?"

"What's the point?" He shrugged.

I had not expected that. But I'd grown to expect the unexpected from my brother. "Well, look at you. Love 'em and leave 'em."

He sighed, turning to me. "Dean, look, you know I didn't mean the things I said back there, right? That it was just the siren's spell talking?"

I gave a sharp nod. "Of course, me too."

"'Kay. So… so we're good?"

"Yeah, we're good."

We were so not cool…

Bamby