Night had fallen, and the motel room was dark as both Sam and Dean were in bed, asleep. Dean, snoring slightly, rolled over, his arm flopping on the empty mattress. Feeling nothing but the empty mattress, he groggily opened his eyes and saw Alicia's side unoccupied. The hunter furrowed his eyebrows and slowly sat up, looking around. He paused when he saw Alicia, wearing her night clothes, sitting at the table, different books, papers, some lit candles, and crystals spread out; Sam's laptop and the remains of their takeout were on the kitchenette counter. A purple flame hovered over the table, giving her enough light as she scribbled furiously on a blank piece of paper.

"Allie?" Dean asked. "When did you come out?"

"Shortly after you both fell asleep," Alicia replied, not looking up from her writing.

Dean got out of bed and walked over, yawning. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to create a spell to see if I can find out exactly what we're up against," Alicia answered.

Dean sat backwards in the chair next to her. "You can do that?"

"Well, I may not be a powerful witch," Alicia replied, "but yeah."

Dean guilty averted his eyes briefly. "Look, about that, I—"

"No, you were right," Alicia interrupted. "I may be good at casting small spells and things, but I should have been able to sense that magic as soon as we walked in the casino. That's Witchcraft One Oh One."

"Hey, you healed me, remember?"

"And it took me several hours to do so," Alicia replied. "My mother would have been able to do it immediately with just a flick of her wrist."

"Hey, you gotta start somewhere," Dean joked. Alicia didn't even crack a smile, and Dean became more serious. "What about teleporting and astral projection? You do both of those pretty easily, along with a bunch of other things, and that's pretty badass stuff, right?"

"Well, yeah, but that's not going to do jack squat against fighting powerful magic." She finished writing and smiled. "There we go."

"That's it? Just write some words, and hocus pocus?"

"It has to be the right words," Alicia replied as she carefully removed all the books and papers, setting them on the empty chairs, then she rearranged the candle into five points and placed five crystals in the center. The young woman silently reread the words she had written, then took a deep breath as she held her hands up, closing her eyes. "Mente, spiritu, et corpore te oro ut tibi patefacias."

Alicia's eyes shot open, and Dean could see her eyes glowing purple, then the crystals on the table glowed the same color. He was a little startled, but he didn't make a sound or move from his spot. After a few moments, the young woman's hands started shaking, and the woman made a whimpering sound, like she was straining or fighting something.

"Allie?" Dean said with concern, sitting up straighter.

The young woman gave a loud grunt, and the flames and crystals briefly glowed brighter before everything went dark, save for the purple flame above the table. Alicia just sat there, her breathing ragged, then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over and saw Dean looking at her with concern.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Alicia replied shakily.

"What happened?" Dean asked.

"Something was blocking me," Alicia answered. "I can't get a read on anything in the casino; it's all…garbled, like television static. I tried pushing through it, but it was too strong." She looked a little apologetic.

"It's okay," Dean replied. "We'll figure something else out."

"We could go to the casino," Alicia suggested. "There's a chance it'll work there if I'm actually in the building."

"No," Dean said. Alicia opened her mouth, but Dean pointed a finger at her. "No."

"Fine," Alicia replied sulkily, folding her arms. "So, what do you suggest we do?" Dean opened his mouth, but she stopped him. "And, no, I'm not in the mood to make out, so you can take that off the table."

"Okay, first, that's rude," Dean said. "Second, I was actually going to suggest we go to sleep and figure this out in the morning. It's late, I'm exhausted, and you look like hell."

"Thanks," Alicia muttered, but she stood up with Dean. She and Dean walked across the room to their bed and got under the sheets. Alicia looked at the flame over the table and blew at it, like blowing out a candle. The flame instantly went out, plunging the world into darkness.

"That's awesome," Dean said before Alicia kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight," the young woman said before laying down and turning on her side, facing away from him. Dean looked a little wounded, but he lay down and turned on his side, his back facing her. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Dean?" Dean craned his head. "Will you hold me?"

Dean furrowed his eyebrows. Her voice sounded softer, and he could tell she was trying to hide her concern. Wordlessly, he turned over and moved closer to her, gently moving one arm under her head, letting it rest on his bicep, while he pulled the covers over her shoulders before wrapping his arm around her waist. He rested his head on her shoulder as she put her hand on top of his, and he could feel the tension leaving her body as her breathing grew slow and steady. After a few minutes, satisfied she was asleep, Dean finally closed his eyes and drifted off.


"So, remind me why we're doing this again?" Dean asked as he tightened the black bowtie of his tuxedo. It was the following evening, before sundown, and both he and Sam were putting the finishing touches on the outfits: classic black tuxedos and dress shoes. Their hair was styled similarly to their normal, but a little neater.

"Because we have jack squat on anything," Sam replied as he shrugged into his tux jacket, buttoning it. "I checked McIntire's records three times. Even for a casino mogul, he's clean: his taxes are in order, he donates to charities, he gives his employees dental and benefits—I mean, he doesn't even have a parking ticket." He shrugged. "So, unless you have a better idea, I think our best bet is to get Alicia inside that building again and let her do her thing."

"But why do we have to wear these monkey suits?" Dean griped, shrugging into his jacket.

"Because they're having a black tie charity event," Sam replied patiently, "and flannel and jeans aren't going to help us blend in."

Dean grumbled as he buttoned his jacket as he glanced at the closed bathroom door. "Allie! What's taking so long? We gotta get going!"

"You know," Alicia shouted back on the other side, "some of us need to do a little more than just change clothes to get ready!"

"Hey, we put on deodorant, too!" Dean retorted. He paused and raised his elbow, sniffing his underarm. He looked satisfied, then glanced at Sam, who just rolled his eyes. "Look, just wiggle your nose so we can go." The door opened, and both Sam and Dean looked over as the young woman walked out.

Alicia was wearing a long black dress with spaghetti straps and a split on one side all the way to her hip. The bodice was form-fitting with a plunging neckline, showing off every curve as well as her brass ankh, while the lower half flowed like water as she walked. Her hair was down and styled in soft curls, and she wore just enough makeup to look classy but not trashy. A pair of black heels and pearl stud earrings complimented the young woman's outfit.

Dean's eyebrows went up as his jaw grew slack. "Uh," he said, looking dumbfounded. "Wow…you look…." He chuckled as he looked her up and down appreciatively.

"I hate this thing," Alicia said bluntly, folding her arms. "I wish I could take it off right now."

"Oh, believe me, the feeling's very, very mutual," Dean replied. Alicia gave him a look, but he could see the corners of her mouth curl up slightly. Still smirking, he glanced at Sam, who just continued staring at Alicia, and Dean smirk turned to a frown. "Dude."

Sam's expression changed, like he was snapping out of a stupor. He appeared a little embarrassed as he averted his gaze. "Are we ready to go?" He looked at Alicia. "You have what you need?"

"Yeah, it's in my handbag," Alicia replied, then she paused. "Which I left in the bathroom." She headed back in. Dean smacked his brother across the back of the head.

"Ow," Sam hissed "What was that for?" Dean gave him a 'really?' expression, and Sam sighed. "I've just never seen her in a dress before; she looks good, that's all"

"Just keep those eyes above neck level," Dean replied right before Alicia came out, carrying a small black handbag.

"Okay, let's go," the young woman replied. She walked over to the brothers and put her hands on their shoulders. Her eyes glowed briefly, and the trio vanished from the motel room, instantly appearing in a dark alley. Dean reacted better than the last time, but he still needed a moment as he shook his head clear of the fog. A few seconds later, the trio were on the main strip's sidewalk, heading toward the front of Atlantis. They joined the line of fancy-dressed patrons waiting to be let in, slowly moving forward as employees—who could have passed for bouncers—were checking names off a list. In a few moments, the trio reached the front.

"Name," the man who could easily have been linebacker, gruffed at them.

"Transeamus," Alicia replied, her eyes briefly glowing.

The linebacker scribbled something on the list and nodded. "You can go in," he replied, and the trio walked in the entrance.

Dean leaned over to Alicia. "You are being all kinds of hot tonight, you know that?" he said, grinning, as the three of them walked among the slot machines and game tables, this time, filled to capacity with generous patrons and customers. The trio looked around, trying to take everything in and figure their next move. A few guys who passed by glanced appreciatively at Alicia, but then saw Dean's cold stare and quickly looked away.

"Okay, so I'll stay here and keep an eye on things," Sam replied. "You two go find a secluded place to—" He stopped when he and Alicia noticed Dean had left their vicinity. The two of them looked around, and Sam stopped when he finally spotted his brother in the buffet area, plate in hand. He sighed, frustrated.

"I'll get him," Alicia replied, leaving Sam and walking over to Dean, who was currently at the dessert section, grabbing mini pies and piling them on his plate. "Dean?"

"Allie, have you seen this?" Dean asked excitedly, grinning as if he had found a chest full of gold. "They've got all these kinds of mini pies." He stuffed one in his mouth, sighed with content, and continued putting more on his plate.

"Do you remember why we're here?" Alicia asked, amused as she folded her arms. Dean stopped and looked at her, his mouth full and bulging. "Look, we'll come back when I'm done, and you can have all the pies you want, okay? Until then, stay focused." She raised an eyebrow, and Dean stared at her for a few moments before sighing. He mumbled and swallowed before reluctantly putting his plate on the counter. The two headed off toward the elevators, but then Dean stopped and quickly went back, grabbing a couple of the pies and putting them in his jacket pockets before catching back up with her.


Dean and Alicia made their way down an empty, upper-level corridor until they came to a set of double doors with the word 'Boardroom' over it in large letters. Dean pulled a lockpick gun from his pants pocket and knelt in front of the door, working the lock.

"I could do that, too," Alicia replied, standing next to him, her back to him, keeping an eye out for unwanted visitors. "And I don't need a lockpick."

"True," Dean said, "but," he glanced over, smirking at her backside level with his eyes, "then I wouldn't have such a lovely view.." Alicia glanced over, and Dean grinned up at her lasciviously. She rolled her eyes, but still smiled. A moment later, they heard a click, and Dean stood up, turning the knob. He gave her a smug smile as he opened the door.

The hunters slowly walked into the dark and empty room, and Dean whistled softly as he closed the doors and looked around. There was a long, custom-made conference table with twenty one beige leather chairs in the center, three large flat screens on the surrounding walls, cabinets with black marble granite tops, and a few pieces of artwork.

Alicia held up her hand, and a purple flame shot out of her palm, floating up to the center of the room and hovering over the table, bathing the room in a soft purple glow. She walked over to the long part of the table and put her handbag down, opening it and pulling out a few things—candles, crystals, and the spell she had written the previous night—and set them on the table. She started setting things up on the table when she felt Dean behind her a moment before his hands gently grabbed her hips and she felt his lips on her neck.

"Dean," she smiled as she moved the candles around. "What are you doing?"

"Making a little magic of my own," Dean mumbled, planting kisses along the length of her neck.

Alicia's expression became more dazed, and she closed her eyes as her head grew a little fuzzy. She quickly snapped out of it, clearing her throat. "Dean," she said as she gently extracted herself from his grip. "I need to stay focused."

"Am I distracting you?" Dean asked, putting his hands back on her hip, holding her a little tighter, kissing her neck a little harder.

"Just…a tad," Alicia replied, swallowing nervously. She yelped softly as Dean suddenly turned her around, moving close to her and pinning her against the table.

"Good," Dean replied, his voice a little husky.

Alicia tilted her head. There was a hunger in his eye, one she hadn't seen in a long time. "Dean, are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm great," Dean answered, moving his arms around her waist and pulling her close before kissing her softly. "Why are we doing this, Allie?"

"To, um, to find out what's, um, going on around here," Alicia replied slowly before gently clearing her throat.

"I mean us," Dean corrected. "You know, we've been doing this song and dance for over a month now when we both know what we want."

"Dean, I—"

Dean put a finger on her lips, shushing her. "Look, I get it. You're scared of getting hurt, of being vulnerable." He removed his finger and leaned over, pressing his lips against hers, kissing her tenderly as he moved his hands to cradle her head. After a few moments, he pulled back as Alicia slowly opened her eyes, looking dazed. "You don't have to be scared with me, Allie."

Alicia stared at him for a moment, her breathing shaky, then her eyes flashed and her eyebrows furrowed slightly as the corners of her mouth turned up. After a few moments, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his, kissing him furiously.

Dean responded by returning the kiss, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her close. He moved his hands down the curvature of her hips, stopping just above her knees, then lifted her legs off the ground. Never breaking their kiss, Alicia deftly wrapped her thighs around his waist, and Dean turned and crossed over to the cabinets, sitting her on the edge.

Alicia ran her hand over Dean's front, and the buttons of his jacket came undone before she pulled down his arms. Dean tossed his aside before moving his hand between the slit in her dress, his fingers brushing against the smooth skin of her thighs, hearing her moan softly against his mouth, until he felt the waistband of her panties. He raised an eyebrow as he pulled back.

"Are you wearing a thong?" he asked, smiling slightly.

"You'll have to find out," Alicia replied teasingly.

Dean grinned and kissed her with vigor as his thumbs hooked around the fabric, but suddenly the boardroom doors burst open, and the flame above the conference table instantly vanished as a couple of men who were obviously part of security came in. One of them quickly hit a light switch, flooding the room in bright light, and they saw the two hunters pulled apart, looking at each other strangely.

"Hey," one of the men said, snapping the hunters from their stupor. Dean took a step back as Alicia quickly hopped down, smoothing her dress. "What are you two doing here?" He looked between Dean and Alicia. "This area's off limits."

Dean shook his head slightly, as if he was waking up from a dream. "Uh," he replied slowly, trying to come up with something as he glanced briefly at Alicia. He turned back to the men, chuckling embarrassed, holding his arms out. "What can I say, fellas? Sometimes you hook up with a chick so hot you know you won't be able to make it back to your room before you, uh," he made a mild thrusting motion with his hips, "know what I mean."

"And the candles?" the second man pressed, nodding at the table.

"Wax play," Dean answered bluntly. "I'm into the kinky stuff, and I told her I'd pay her double if she slapped me around wearing a sequined Zorro mask, but she couldn't find one, so we're settling for an extra fifty bucks for waxing my nipples. I mean, hey, 'what stays in Reno', right?" He looked over and saw Alicia just staring at him, but he gave her the 'just go with it' look back.

Alicia turned to the men, smiling tightly, giving a forced chuckle. "Guilty," she replied, briefly shooting Dean an 'I'm going to kill you after this' expression with her eyes. The security men glanced between each other.

"You're coming with us," the first man said.

"And what if we say no?" Dean challenged, standing a little taller.

Both men blinked, and the hunters looked shocked as they saw their eyes went pitch black. Alicia took a step forward and started to fling her arm out, but the first possessed man was faster, and the young woman was thrown over the conference table. She shouted as she slammed into the television screen, fracturing the glass and tumbling to the floor, moaning in pain as she slowly rolled over on her side.

Jaw set, Dean stepped forward, but the second possessed man held his hand out, and the hunter went sailing backwards. He grunted loudly as he crashed into the far wall, leaving an impact mark before falling to the floor. "Son of a bitch," he mumbled, feeling the bruises already forming on his aching body. He looked up as the demon who threw him stood next to him, smirking cruelly down at him.

"I'd reconsider," he replied, tilting his head. "Dean."


Sam stood in front of a large desk, flanked by two security men, in the middle of a large executive office, looking around as he waited in silence. There wasn't anything gaudy about it—polished hardwood floors, tastefully decorated with nice furniture and artwork. Double doors on one end, the desk and a nice large chair on the far end, the chair turned and facing the wall, which was made of glass and overlooking the casino below. It almost felt like being in a mobster movie, waiting for the Godfather.

The hunter heard muffled voices and looked over as the double doors opened and both Dean and Alicia walked through with two large security men behind them. The two hunters seemed almost oblivious to their escorts as they bickered among themselves.

"...first thing I could think of," Dean said.

"Really?" Alicia asked as they approached Sam. "'Cause there's about a million other things you could have said besides that."

"Hey, guys, whatever it is, it can wait," Sam spoke up. He glanced at the two security guards escorting them. "Demons?"

"Yeah, yours?" Dean asked. Sam nodded. "How'd they get you?"

"I was just walking around," Sam replied, "and they cornered me. Flashed their eyes, threatened to start killing people if I didn't come with them. You?"

"Allie was working on her thing," Dean replied, "then Tweedle Dumb and Dumber caught us off guard."

"Oh, that's a load of bollocks," a familiar Scottish voice spoke up before the chair swiveled around, revealing McIntire sitting, dressed sharply in a tuxedo. "Just say the two of you were about to soil my boardroom with your bodily fluids instead of letting Alicia perform her spell. It's much easier to remember the truth." He tilted his head, giving a smug expression. "First rule of advice in a casino: there are cameras everywhere." He stood up and walked around the desk, standing in front of the trio as he folded his arms. "So, you found my message, bravo, but I wouldn't expect anything less from the Winchesters," his gaze moved to Alicia, "or especially Miss Singer."

"You know who we are?" Sam asked.

"From the moment you walked in my casino," McIntire answered. "I mean, I'd never seen you or your brother before, Sam, but I recognized Alicia the moment I saw her." He tilted his head, smiling slightly. "Then again, we do have a history, don't we?"

"I've never seen you before in my life," Alicia replied curtly.

"Technically, you're correct," McIntire agreed, "but I did have a different meatsuit the last time we met, one with more teeth and claws. So, I'll forgive you for not recognizing me."" He blinked and all three hunters froze in horror when they saw his eyes turn a bright yellow. The corners of McIntire's mouth curled into a cruel smile. "Remember me now?"

(End of Chapter 8)