February 8th, 2010
They pulled into a motel several hours later. The sky was growing light in the east when Alex's head hit the pillow. "Ugh. Wake me when the apocalypse ends." She heard Sam and Dean collapse in the bed across from her. Dean grumbled out something about Sam being a bed hog, but their arguing quickly ceased. They fell asleep.
...
"Wake up." Dean was shaking her awake. "We got to go."
"Unnnggh." Alex rolled over, burying her head back into her pillow. She whined out a "why?"
"Case. A couple of old friends need help." Dean threw back her covers, and the girl let out a yelp at the cold outside air. "Get your ass out of bed." Dean smacked her on the back to emphasize his point. "We're going to have lunch then leave."
Alex reluctantly rolled out of the warm bed. "I hate you."
"I know."
...
"Okay, so what's going on?" Alex sat across from the two Winchesters at the local McDonalds. "You said something about old friends?"
"Yeah. Donna use to babysit us back when we were kids." Sam reached over and stole two of Dean's fries, ignoring how his brother protested. "She called John's cell this morning and said she had a ghost problem. It attacked her daughter."
"Okay. Sounds simple enough." Alex glanced at Sam's meal. "You know, you have your own fries."
The Winchester picked up his burger. "I won't for long." He took a large bite before smacking Dean's hand away.
Alex watched the siblings pettily argue over food. While neither were looking, she stole some fries for herself, stuffing them in her mouth.
...
Housatonic, Mississippi
Dean pulled the Impala in front of a large Victorian style house before killing the engine. All three got out and made their way up the front walk to the porch. Dean rung the doorbell.
A woman answered. "Dean and Sammy Winchester." Her voice grew soft at the sight of them. "Come in, come in."
They were ushered into a living room. In between two couches sat a coffee table. On the near couch sat a young teenage girl. Dean and Sam sat down on the couch, and Alex awkwardly bumped Sam to one side so she could sit as well.
"Who are you?" The woman looked curiously down at Alex before looking at the Winchesters. "Is she yours?"
Sam blushed, and Dean shook his head. "No, no. Donna, this is Alex. She's been working with us for the past two years."
"Ah. It's nice to meet you." Donna shook Alex's hand. Alex smiled, voicing her greeting as well. She studied Donna. Tall, blonde, wavy hair. She was pretty. "This is my daughter Katie."
The blonde teen in the chair smiled at them, but the cheerfulness seemed forced.
"I have snacks." Donna turned to walk into the kitchen. "I made your favorite." She returned several seconds later carrying a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a pitcher of lemonade. "So, how long has it been?"
"The summer before 6th grade," Sam replied.
"Mmm, I remember. You assigned yourself your own reading list."
Dean chuckled. ''That's right. I forgot about that."
"Your mom happens to be be the best babysitter we ever had," Sam told the girl.
"Well, when I was a maid at the Mayflower, out on the interstate - long before you were even an idea - their daddy used to pass through town and leave the boys with me while he went off to . . . work. One time he was gone for two weeks."
"Two weeks?" Katie looked at her mother, surprised.
"Mm-hmm. Oh, he'd always come limping back." Donna looked fondly over at the Winchester. "He loved you boys."
"Did you know what he did all that time?"
"Little Samy kept trying to tell me. Of course, I didn't believe him. Not at first, anyways."
"Katie, our dad, um, happened to be an expert at getting rid of ghosts," Sam explained. "And now, so are we."
"That's why I called them, sweetie. They can help us."
At those words, a man entered the room, carrying several suitcases by the handles. Alex deduced him to be Donna's husband.
Dean looked up at him. "Sounds like you guys got yourself a poltergeist."
The man nodded. "Started a month or two after we moved in."
"Yeah, first it was, uh, just bumps and knocks and scratches on the wall. And then it started breaking things."
"And then it attacked Katie?"
"That was two nights ago," the man confirmed.
"Can you show them, honey?"
Katie nodded and stood up. She pulled up up the hem of her shirt, revealing scratches across her stomach. Alex felt a shiver run through her as she realized the scratches formed two words.
" 'Murdered Chylde.' " Sam read.
"Katie, everything's gonna be fine," Dean promised. "Why don't you guys take yourselves a vacation, and, uh we'll take of it."
Donna let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." She stood up. "Here's the keys. If we need anything, please call."
"Yes ma'am." Dean stood up and shook her hand. "Don't you worry."
...
They had dinner at a local diner. Dean was up at the counter, ordering their food. Sam and Alex sat across from each other. Sam was on his laptop, researching the house. Alex was impatiently waiting for dinner. Finally Dean returned, carrying their food. Sam grabbed his food, and Alex stared. "Dude, what the hell is that?"
"Salad shake." Sam poured dressing in there and shook it, letting everything mix up.
Alex shook her head. "That's disgusting." She took her bacon burger and unwrapped it, licking her lips.
"And that isn't?" Sam looked disdainfully at her food. "It's drowned in grease!"
"Grease is amazing." Dean unwrapped his bacon burger turbo and sunk his teeth into it. He let out a carnal moan.
Alex kicked him under the table. "Stop making sex noises with food. It's weird."
Dean completely ignored her. In an act of revenge, Alex stole a chili cheese fry.
Sam shook his salad one more time, and Dean turned his attention to his brother. "Oh shake it up baby," he said dryly. He put down his burger. "You know, poltergeist aside, Donna looked pretty good, don't you think?"
"Dude, don't tell me you still got the hots for our babysitter."
"What? No. That's weird." He let out a chuckle. "I'm just saying that she, you know, she - she's - she's doing good. You know, with her husband, her kid. This whole Amityville thing being thrown at them, and they're hanging tough."
"Yeah." Sam took the fork and stabbed at his salad.
"You ever think you'd want something like that? Wife, rugrats, the whole nine?"
Sam shook his head. "No, not really my thing anymore." He looked over at Alex.
She shrugged. "I dunno. It'd be nice, but I don't see it happening. Not anymore."
Dean glanced at Sam's open laptop. "Yeah. What do you got?"
"Uh, well, that house of theirs, it's old - really old. Um, hundreds of years. And I found a legend. It's unconfirmed, but still."
"Saying?"
"Supposedly, in the 1720's, the house was owned by a guy named Isaiah Pickett." He spun his laptop so Dean and Alex could see. He was on a site that was titled 'Witchcraft.' "Legend has it he hung a woman in his backyard for witchcraft - a woman named Maggie Briggs."
"Okay, so an angry ghost witch?"
"There was a Scooby-Doo movie about a ghost witch!" Alex said excitedly. "We should watch it. You know, for research."
Dean smiled, while Sam just huffed. "We don't even know if it's true. That still doesn't explain what ''Murdered Chylde' means."
"Or where the bitch is buried."
"You know, I mean, it's a long way back, but I can see if I can find something in the town records."
"It's worth a shot." Dean took a large bite of his burger. "I'll take Alex and find a motel."
"Okay." Sam finished the rest of his salad then stood up. "See you then."
"Yup." They watched as Sam left.
...
They pulled up to the nearest motel. "Uh, Dean?" Alex caught the hunter before he could get out. "Can I get a separate room this time? I mean, I like you guys, but I kinda want my own space this time, okay?"
Dean studied her eyes, then nodded. "Sure."
He came back a few minutes later with four keys. He held one out to Alex as she got out of the Impala. "Room 34. You're right next to us." Alex reached for the key, but he pulled it back. "No boys over, okay? In fact, unless it's me or Sam, no one else in there."
"Yes, Dad." Alex rolled her eyes, reaching once again for the key.
"I'm keeping the second key. If you're going somewhere, tell me."
"Just give me the damn key."
Dean handed it to her. Then he slung his and Sam's bags over his shoulders and led the way to their rooms.
Alex walked into her room, dropping her bag on the bed. This was nice. No Winchesters to get in the way. She dropped down on the bed, then felt her pockets, a frown on her face. She left her phone in the car. Great. She let out a sigh. Oh well. She didn't need it right now.
...
A flutter of wings announced the arrival of Castiel. Alex looked up from the tv. "Hey."
Castiel looked around. "Where's Dean?"
"The next room over." Alex spread out on the bed. "I got a room all to myself."
"Congratulations." The angel didn't move from where he was standing. "How are you?"
"I'm good."
"Are you sure?" Piercing blue eyes studying the female. "You were quite distraught when I last saw you."
Alex sat up, eyes dropping her lap. "Thanks for reminding me," she muttered. Then she looked up. "I'm just trying to move past their deaths, okay? T-The nightmares are still there, but at least when I'm awake I can forget about it."
"I'm sorry."
Alex shook her head. "It's not your fault. There's nothing you can do anyways." She moved over, patting the bed next to her, changing the channel. "Here. Documentary about the savannah." She pointed to the small sandy creature on the screen as the angel sat beside her. "Fennec fox. They're adorable. I want one of those."
Castiel looked over at her, not sure what she was asking. "I . . . can get you one," he finally said, standing up to go.
"What? No." Alex grabbed his arm before he could fly off. "I don't actually want you to bring me one. I mean, that'd be really cool, but -"
The door opened, and Dean stepped in. Seeing Castiel, he frowned. "I thought I said no boys."
"He's not a boy," Alex pointed out, dropping his arm. "He's a celestial being."
"Hello, Dean." Castiel dipped his head. "It's good to see you."
"Uh, yeah. You too, Cas. Why are you here?" He looked over at Alex.
She shrugged. "We're having a sleep over." She smirked. "When Sam gets back we're gonna braid his hair. Right now we're just discussing how cute you are. Isn't that right, Cassie?"
Castiel looked down at her uncomfortably. "I should go." Before either could respond, he disappeared.
Alex looked over at Dean. "He's totally got a crush on you."
"Unlikely."
"I've seen the show." Before Dean could answer, she added, "And next time knock. For all you know, I could have been naked." Seeing Dean's smirk, she added with a blush, "No. No, Dean. N-Not like that. You know what I meant."
Dean walked farther into the room. "Sam's not back yet," he told her. "I talked with him two hours ago, and he said he was on his way back. He hasn't been answering his phone.."
"That's weird." Alex narrowed her eyes in brief worry. "Well, he's probably fine. Maybe his phone died. If anyone tried anything, he'd kick their ass pretty damn fast."
Dean grunted in agreement. "Still. It's not like him." He sighed, then moved back towards the door. "If he's not back in the next hour, we're going after him."
Alex nodded, watching him go. Then she turned back to her tv show.
...
A pounding on her door had her getting up. She opened the door, surprised to see Dean standing there. "Did you find him?"
"Get your things." Dean's voice was terse. "The maid saw our weapons."
"What?" Alex hurried over to her bag and threw it over her shoulder. "How'd that happen?"
"Sam said it was an accident."
"Sam's back? That's good. Where is he?" Alex hurriedly grabbed her things.
"Out in the car." Dean accompanied her over to the Impala. Sam was standing there.
Alex walked up to him, smiling. "Hey. Glad you're back. We were worried."
Sam looked down at her. "Yeah, sorry about that."
"Hey. You ready?" Dean circled around to driver's side.
"Absolutely." As Dean got in the car, Sam added, "Hey, can I drive?"
Dean looked up, confused. "Uh, sure." He tossed his brother the keys, and Sam slid into the car. Alex got in the back.
She felt around for her phone, then frowned. "I thought I left it in here."
"What?" Dean looked back at her.
"My phone. I thought it was here."
"You lost it?"
"Yeah. I guess so." Alex's frowned deepened. "Dammit."
"This is so sweet!" Sam exclaimed, turning on the car. He revved the engine.
Dean frowned. "You want to get the lead out, Andretti? Come on." He watched as his brother shifted the Impala into gear, then his frown deepened. "Reverse. Reverse!"
The car shot backwards. Alex let out a cry as there was a large crash, and something landed on the trunk. She looked back to see that they had rear-ended the dumpster. Trash bags lay on the trunk.
"It's in reverse," Dean explained, voice terse. He threw open the door and got out, face dark.
"I am really really sorry," Sam began, getting out as well.
"Shut up." Dean circled around the car and slid into the driver's side.
Sam watched him. "Hang on -"
"No." Dean started the car as Sam got into the passenger's seat. He put the Impala in the correct gear and drove off. Alex listened as trash bags rolled off and hit the ground.
...
They stopped at a motel across town. "You want your own room again?" Dean asked.
"I had that room for like, two hours," Alex shot back. Then she took a deep breath. "Yes, please."
Dean grunted and disappeared into the motel office.
Alex crossed her arms and laid them on the back of the seat, looking up at Sam. "So." She rested her head on her arms.
"You're cute."
Alex blinked, pulled her head back. "What?" She squinted. "Are you drunk?"
"W-What? No." Sam looked flustered. "I-I just thought -" He quickly got out of the Impala.
Alex followed, mouth open, ready to ask a question. However, before she could get the words out, Dean was there. "Here." He tossed her a key. "Same rules as before, okay? And this time no 'celestial beings' either."
Alex snorted, crossing her arms angrily. "You're ridiculous." She stalked over to her room, unlocked the door, and stepped in. "Ooh." This motel was nicer than the last one. Alex threw her bag on the bed before changing into different clothes. Too tired to do much exploring, she crawled into bed, staring at the ceiling. What the fuck was up with Sam?
...
It was the next day. They had eaten a late lunch at the local Biggersons, and were now off to work on the case. Alex followed Dean and Sam out of the restaurant and over to the car, licking the last of her lunch off of her corner of her lips.
"So, uh, where are we going, anyway?" Sam looked down at his brother.
Dean blinked in confusion. "To work. The case?"
"Oh, right. Yeah – the case. Of course." However, Sam still looked confused. And now Alex was worried. "Where, uh, do you want to start?"
"Well, since you couldn't find where Maggie Briggs was buried, now we have to do an all-day tombstone roll to see if we can dig her up."
"Wait. M-Maggie Briggs? You mean, like – like, the witch Maggie Briggs?"
"Yeah, Sherlock." Dean circled to his side of the Impala, while Sam stayed by the passenger side.
Alex stood beside him. "Are you okay? You seem a little out of it."
"I'm fine," Sam promised.
Alex looked over at Dean. "Do we really have to check every tombstone in town?"
"If we want to torch this sucker, yeah." Dean opened the car door and started to get in.
"She's in the basement." Sam said suddenly.
Dean stopped. He looked up. "Come again? W-what basement?"
"Isaiah Pickett's house." Sam's voice suddenly grew excited. "Okay, there's this legend that he hung her, but he didn't. The real truth is that she was carrying his illegitimate child, and he killed her and then buried her in the basement."
"The murdered chylde," Dean realized. "That would explain the scratches. How do you know all this?"
"Oh, I've done all kinds of research on it." Seeing Dean's confused and surprised look he added, "I mean, you know, last night."
"Yeah. Nice work . . . I guess." Dean got into the car, and Sam and Alex followed suit. The eldest Winchester started the car, and music immediately filled the car. Alex recognized the song as "Rock 'n' Roll Never Forgets" by Bob Seger.
"Aw, man, turn it up!" Sam looked excitedly at the radio.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously?" Alex echoed. Dean glanced back at her, and they shared concerned looks.
"Hell yeah!" He cranked up the the music, and the lyrics "Rock 'n' roll never forgets" reached Alex's ears. Dean drove off.
...
Dean unlocked the front door, and they entered the house. Alex flicked on her flashlight as Dean opened the basement door. She followed Sam down the stairs.
Sam's flashlight bobbed around the room. "Boo-yah! Master chief is in the house, bizatches!"
Dean looked over at him, thoroughly concerned. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah. Fine."
"How do you even know who Master Chief is?" Alex added scornfully.
"What?" Sam immediately went on the defense. "Can't I appreciate awesome video games?"
"Dude, we don't even own a game console. "
Dean interrupted them. He was on other side of the room. "Well, I'll be damned. Willow moss."
"Yeah, right. It's, uh, supposed to grow over witches' graves, right?" Sam moved back towards the stairs.
Dean looked at his brother. "Yeah," he said slowly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Dude, you stupid." Alex reached up and smacked Sam on the back of the head. She walked over to Dean.
"This is so much better than searching the graveyards."
Dean grunted in agreement and dropped his duffle bag. He pulled out two shovels, and he and Alex started to dig.
It wasn't long before they hit bone. They worked swiftly to unearth the body. Alex knelt down, handing salt to Dean and unscrewing the cap to the flask of gasoline. She dumped it on the body, watching the liquid darken the soil as the pungent smell reached her nose.
Sam finally spoke. "Hey, man, I'm really sorry about this."
"Sorry about what?" Dean didn't even turn around.
Alex, however, looked up in confusion. She saw Sam for only a second before he was being thrown back. Both Alex and Dean dropped their thing, hurrying over to him.
"Sam!" Dean helped him brother to his feet. "You okay?"
"Let's get the hell out of here!" Sam started towards the door.
Alex however, had her eyes focused on something else. She knelt down and picked up Sam's gun.
"Wait, wait, wait." Dean was still talking. Alex stared at the gun. She swore Sam had been pointing it right at Dean. No. That couldn't be right. "We still got to burn the body, you idiot. Come on."
Suddenly Dean flew over her head. Alex jumped to her feet as a female flickered into being in front of her. Alex stumbled back, fumbling with her shotgun. Her back hit the wall beside Dean when she finally aimed. The ghost rushed at her, and Alex fired. The ghost exploded into flames. Dean dropped to the ground, and Alex helped him up.
She looked up. Sam stood by the grave. Yellow flames jumped into the air, crackling and snapping. Sam had a huge grin on his face. "Dude, that was sweet!"
Dean and Alex exchanged looks.
...
They went back to a motel for a few minutes. Alex stepped into her room. Despite it being January, it was warm. Probably had something to do with being in Colorado. She stripped off her shirt, searching for a new outfit when there was a knock on the door. "Yeah?"
"It's, uh, it's Sam."
"Door's unlocked." Alex went back to digging through her bag as the door opened. She tossed a beige tank top on the bed as well as an army green plaid before looking up.
Sam closed the door behind him, eyes traveling around the room before coming to rest on Alex "Oh, God." He turned away.
Alex crossed her arms, confused and unamused. "Dude. You've seen me in a bra before. Chill."
"I-I have?" Sam turned back around, his eyes coming to rest on her chest.
Alex blinked slowly, feeling a blush cross her face. This wasn't Sam. Sam never stared at her this. Feeling immediately uncomfortable, she pulled on her clothes. "What do you want?" she snapped.
When Sam didn't respond, she turned back around and took a step back. Sam had cut the distance between them by half.
Alex rolled her shoulders back to appear taller. "Dude, you maybe taller than me, but I will take you down."
Just then, the door opened. Dean stepped through. "Hey. There's a bar in town. Anyone hungry for dinner?"
Alex held Sam's stare until he looked away. "Yeah. Just let me put on a clean pair of pants. And take Horndog here with you."
Dean's puzzlement was evident, but he did as he was asked. "We' ll be in the car."
"Sam." Alex stopped the tall hunter. "Put this in my backpack, okay? Backseat." She dug a small silver cross out of her pocket and tossed it to Sam.
"Yeah. Sure." Sam caught it and with that, they were gone.
Alex watched them leave before shedding her torn hunting jeans and pulling one a faded pair. In dim light, they appeared gray, and went nicely with her shirt. So she wanted to look nice; what was wrong with that? She was a girl, dammit.
With a resigned sigh, she left the motel room, locking the door behind her. The sky was already growing dark. She walked over to the Impala and got inside.
...
They were seated inside the bar twenty minutes later. A waitress brought out two beers and a Pepsi and set it down in front of them. "Ooh. Good." Alex took the Pepsi glass, studying it. It was slightly opaque, but tinted a dark blue. She heard the hiss as Dean opened his beer.
Once she had drunken it all, she held up the glass. "These are the best. You can't tell if it's coke or beer in these glasses." She looked up at Dean. "Order two next time you do. I'm not feeling the caffeine right now."
Dean grunted in agreement, taking a long swig.
Sam grinned. "You let her drink? Dude."
Alex and Dean looked at Sam, and then at each other. They were saved from responding as the waitress returned. "Hey." Dean waved her down. "Three more beers?" Before the waitress could ask why three, he added, "I'm just saving you one trip."
The waitress smiled. "Much appreciated, honey." She walked away. Less than a minute she returned, carrying three beers. She placed them on the table. "Here you go, guys."
"You know, do me a favor, sweetheart. Would you bring me a cheeseburger with extra bacon? And a fried egg on top of it, would you?"
"Absolutely."
"Ooh that, that sounds good. Ditto."
"Anything for you, darling?"
Alex pondered for a moment. "Uh, yeah. Bacon cheeseburger, extra bacon."
"Need a refill on that drink there?"
"No thanks. I'm good for now."
"Be right back with your order." The waitress walked away.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Sam?" Dean turned to look at his brother.
Sam immediately went on the defense. "W-What do you mean?"
"Bacon cheeseburgers now?"
"I don't know. I eat them, don't I?" Before they could respond, Sam added, "Anyways, we are celebrating." He raised his whiskey shot as a toast.
"Yeah, I guess." Dean raised his beer. "Another one bites the dust. Nice work today." Alex grunted in agreement. She cracked open Dean's second beer, and, with a look around, poured it into her glass.
"You too. I had a, uh, really awesome day, man. Seriously." He tipped his head back, downing his drink. "Whoo! Sweet."
Dean looked at Alex, who shook her head. "A really awesome day?" he repeated.
"Yeah. Why not?"
"It was a random, D-list ghost hunt. That's - that's awesome to you?" Dean looked skeptical.
"I can't be in a good mood?"
"Yeah, I guess. It's just . . ." He trailed off. "No, actually. It's not really your style, Sam."
"Well, then, it's a new me. I mean, come on. Why shouldn't I be happy? I've got a gun, I'm getting drunk, and," Sam pointed directly at his face, "I look like this."
Dean and Alex exchanged looks once again.
Sam sighed, not noticing their exchange. "I don't know. You ever feel like your whole future is being decided for you?"
Another exchanged look. This one of pure confusion. "Uh, yeah, Sam, I feel like that a lot."
"You're the devil's vessel," Alex added helpfully.
Sam looked at her, an eyebrow raised. Then he turned back to Dean. "o matter how much you fight it, you can't stop the plan. The stupid, stupid plan. So, I don't know. I guess, uh, it's just nice to do a little ass-kicking for a change, that's all. Uh, you know, what? I - I'm drunk." Sam let out a chuckle. "Sorry. Just - just forget it."
"No, no. It's all right. It's, uh . . . I'll drink to that." He raised his beer once again. Sam did the same, and the bottles clinked together. Dean took a long drink. "Wow, you know, it it just me, or are we actually drinking together?"
"We don't do that often, huh?"
Dean let out a scoffing noise. "Yeah, you could say that." He looked over at Alex. "Especially not with Pip along."
Alex smiled up at him before returning her attention to the ice cubes in her beer.
"Well, we should. You're a good guy, Dean."
Dean shook his head. "Oh, you are drunk."
At that moment, the waitress returned, carrying three plates. "Here you go." She handed them out.
"Mmm." Dean picked up his burger. "Thank you."
"Enjoy." The waitress winked at Dean then walked away.
"No, I mean it." Sam picked up his burger as well. "You're a really good guy." He took a bite, and his eyes closed. "Mmm! The bread alone! Mmm!"
Alex swirled her fry around in the ketchup, confused. She looked up at Dean, who was completely focused on his food.
...
They ate in relative silence, the two Winchesters far too focused on their food to bother much more than small talk. Sam finished in record time. Then he stood up. "I'm going to get something more alcohol," he told Dean excitedly, then hurried over to the bar.
Alex frowned, finishing the last of her burger. "Dude, something's seriously wrong," she finally said.
"No kidding." Dean glanced over his shoulder to where Sam was talking with a blonde.
"That's not Sam. Like, seriously. That's not Sam."
Dean turned his attention back to her. "You sure?"
Alex held his emerald green gaze. "He freaked out when he walked into my room and saw I wasn't wearing a shirt. Then he got . . . weird."
Dean frowned darkly. "I was wondering about that 'Horndog' thing."
Alex looked over at Sam. He was still talking to the lady, eyes wide. Then they got up. The woman led Sam towards the door. Seeing where her attention lay, Dean turned, locking eyes with his brother.
"We're gonna do it!" Sam whispered loudly, giving them a thumbs up. Then he left.
Dean turned back to the table, eyes darkening. He got up, but Alex grabbed his arm. "That's not going to help."
Dean sat back down. "I'm going to kill that bastard," he growled.
"Yeah." Alex let go of the Winchester. "Well, he's not a shifter. Doesn't react to silver."
"You tested him?"
"Damn right I tested him." Alex pulled the small silver cross back out of her pocket. She dropped it on the table. "Besides. Shifters get their victim's memories too, right? That guy was an idiot."
"Not a revenant cause Sam's not dead," Dean added. "That leaves possession."
"Not with that tattoo." Alex took a sip of her beer. "My bet's on some sort of Freaky Friday shit."
"Great. Witches."
"I'll call Bobby. He might know how to track down someone by their soul. Otherwise we can always try Cas."
"And what about the dude running around in Sam's skinsuit?"
Alex closed her eyes. "We should probably keep a close eye on him. Something, uh, something tells me that Lucifer isn't going to care if it's Sam in there or not." She reached for her phone, then stopped. "Dammit. I forgot I lost my phone."
"I've got extras in the glove compartment." Dean held out his keys, and Alex took them, hurrying out of the bar.
She unlocked the driver's side door and crawled across the leather seats, opening the glove compartment. She dug around, frowning. Nothing. All the phones were gone.
Alex quickly locked the car back up and circled around to the trunk. She opened the weapon's box, pawing around, until she came across a black flip phone. She shoved it in her pocket, locked the trunk, then returned to the bar.
She slid into her seat next to Dean. "I found one phone in the trunk. That's it." She placed it on the table. "All others are gone."
Dean cursed under his breath, looking up at the ceiling to try and calm himself. "Okay. Uh, you see if you can figure out how to track down Sam. My guess is our phones are back at the first motel. I'll see if I can find them, then try and stop this guy before he does something stupid."
Alex nodded. "Yeah, okay. Call if there's anything new."
"Yeah." Dean tossed some money onto the table then left. Alex grabbed Dean's beer. Then she dialed Bobby's number.
"Hello."
"Hey, Bobby. Alex."
"What's up?"
"Uh, I need a spell."
"What did those idjits do now?"
Alex chuckled. "I, uh, I need to track down Sam."
"Trace his cell."
"He doesn't have it on him."
"Got some DNA? I got a tracking spell somewhere."
"Uh, yeah. That's not going to work either."
"And why not? He's running around without his body now?"
"More or less." Alex reached over and grabbed a fry that Dean had missed. "Some guy, uh, swapped minds with Sam. Dean's tracking down, uh . . . Sam's body. I have to find his mind."
Bobby was silent for several seconds. "I got nothing," he finally admitted. "You don't know anything about they guy he's in."
"No. Yesterday at six he was normal, and the next time we see him it's two in the morning and the dude backed the Impala into a dumpster." Alex paused. "He, uh, sounds like a kid, or maybe a teen? Overly excited, references to video games." She huffed in amusement. "Looks like he's never had sex before."
"Did you call the cops?"
"Uh, no. Why would I do that?"
"Sam's probably stuck in a teenage body. Maybe he's got parents. If we was out to two like you said, maybe they got worried."
Alex nodded. "That makes sense. Thanks Bobby."
"Yup." Bobby hung up.
Alex sighed, then dialed the local police department's number. "Hey. This is Agent Ford, FBI. Do you have a few minutes?"
...
Alex kicked a rock down the street, pulling her jacket tighter around her. It might be Mississippi, but it was also February, and it was cold. She looked down at the words she had scrawled on the napkin. 1708 Fairway Drive. She looked up. There.
Alex hurried up the drive, digging through her jacket. She felt the rectangular form of an ID, and she hoped it was the right one. She knocked on the door, glancing down at the laminated card. Police Department. Perfect.
"Hello?" A woman answered the door. "Can I help you?"
"Hi. I'm with the police." Alex held up her badge. "Is your son Gary home?"
A man joined them at the door. "What do you want with Gary?"
"I just need to ask him a few questions," Alex promised. "He's not in any trouble, I assure you."
The two parents exchanged looks. "He's at his friend's house for a sleepover," the woman finally said.
"Can I have his address?"
...
Alex knocked soundly on the wooden door. A light rain had started up, and now she was wet and cold. Gary's friend - his name was Trevor - lived on the opposite side of town, and it had taken her almost an hour to walk there. While she waited for an answer, her phone rang. She answered. "Hello."
"Hey. You found Sam yet?"
"Possibly." Alex knocked on the door once again. "Bobby couldn't find a spell, but after a bit of talking, we realized that whoever's inside of Sam is probably a kid. Teen, actually. Just took a few calls to the police. We'll see if it pans out." There was still no answer, and she peered through the window. "What about you? He back yet?"
"Nope."
"Okay, I"m going to have to break into this house. Talk later." Alex hung up and circled around. The backdoor slid open, and she stepped into the kitchen. The house was dark and quiet. Alex silently searched the main floor, then the upstairs. A violent scream had her jumping. She ran down the stairs. "Sleepover my ass," she grumbled through gritted teeth, nerves still on end. She paused by the basement door. Light came from under it, and Alex paused, listening for voices. There was nothing.
Alex pushed open the door, and stepped onto the top stair, freezing as it creaked. The basement fell completely silent.
"Who's there?" That was a boy's voice. Scared.
Alex descended three more stairs, just enough for her to see into the room. It was a boy, probably seventeen. Stringy dark brown hair, blue and white striped shirt, blue puffer vest. His hands and legs were tied with white rope.
Their eyes met. "A-Alex?"
Alex hurried down the stairs, gun still drawn. "Sam, I presume." However, she wasn't completely sure. "What's my last name?"
The boy looked surprised. "I - you never told us," he admitted lamely. "I don't know." When Alex didn't say anything, he repeated, "I-I still don't know."
Alex smiled, leaning against the wall. "Good boy, Sammy. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you hate me?"
"Uh, like, five seconds ago it was a 1, but I think we're at a 4 right now." Sam struggled. "Get over here and untie me."
Alex walked over to the boy, ignoring his agitated voice. "I'm going to untie you. So. This is Gary."
"Yeah."
Alex untied his hands, then let him finish as she pulled out her phone, dialing the motel's number. "Who's that?" She pointed to the boy who lay on the ground, a large hole in his chest.
"Uh, Trevor." Sam stood up. "Listen, we have to find Dean. They're going to kill him."
Dean didn't answer the phone, and Alex snapped the cell closed in disgust. "Not answering." She sighed. "He's probably okay. We know something's up with you - er, your body." She turned, eyes falling on the boy. "Oh my God, we're almost the same height." She grinned. "You're short." She poked him in the chest. "Dude, this is so cool."
Sam knocked her hand away. "Shut up. We need to find Dean."
"We don't have a car." Alex knelt beside Trevor, fruitlessly searching for a pulse.
"What? We're on like, the other side of town!"
"Well, that says a lot about me, now doesn't it? Took me two hours of walking, a call to the sheriff, and one irritating call to Bobby, but here I am, still saving your ass." She looked over at Sam and laughed again. "I'm sorry," she immediately apologized. "I - you're so scrawny it's funny."
Sam picked up a leather bond book. "The demons after Dean. They put out an ABP, wanted dead or alive. Preferably dead."
"Did you just reference Bon Jovi?" Alex shook her head in disbelief.
"Did you just hear me?"
Alex turned to Sam. Do they really want to kill Dean?" she scoffed. "That's a terrible idea. now you, I could see why they'd want to kill you. Don't get offended," she added when Sam made a face. "I'm serious. If they kill you, Lucifer gets a free ride in your meatsuit. He doesn't need your consent if if you're not gonna bunk together. Same goes for Michael and Dean."
"O-Okay. So that doesn't explain why they haven't killed me."
Alex frowned. "Well, hate to say it, but Lucifer's into the more traditional sense of getting a vessel. He'll use his charm, wit to try and, uh, woo you into consenting. Of course, right now there's a dude in your skin that's totally oblivious to that." Just then, her phone rang. Alex quickly answered. "Dean?"
"Hey. I got, uh, Gary here, and some girl. The demon's gone, and everything's under control."
Alex sighed in relief. "That's great. I've got Sam." She quickly gave the address and hung up. "Dean's on his way."
"Great." Sam hurried upstairs. Alex followed. "Here." Sam handed Alex a blanket. "You're shivering."
Alex held out her hand, watching it tremble. "I'm cold," she realized, quickly shedding her wet jacket. She thankfully accepted the blanket, draping it over her shoulders.
...
Ten minutes later the ever-familiar Chevy Impala pulled into the driveway. Dean got out, and a pouting and petulant Sam followed. A young girl got out of the backseat, eyes wide. Alex opened the front door. "Come on in." She stepped out of the way as Dean entered, followed by the other two.
Gary and Sam stared at each other, unblinking. Alex nudged the short one. "Come on. There's got to be a way to reverse this."
The taller man nodded. "There's a spell," he muttered. He led the way down to the basement.
...
Within five minutes Gary had set up everything he needed. He sat down across from Sam. The girl, who's name was Nora, was sitting on the bed, tightly wrapped in Alex's blanket. Alex stood beside Dean, watching the other two men.
Gary closed his eyes. "Animae domum redeant. Fas atque nefas instaure. Potestate et auctoritate, sic fiat."
It was latin. Alex closed her eyes. She knew several of those words, and she let it roughly translate in her brain. Soul return home. Right and wrong be . . . Alex didn't know this word. Put right? Restored? . . . Power and authority, so be it.
There was a bright flash of light as Gary dropped some powder in to the bowl. When it faded, Sam got too his feet, looking at himself in the mirror.
"So? We good?" Dean looked between the two men.
"Yeah. We're good. Oh man, it's nice to be back."
"Yeah," Gary grumbled. "Awesome."
Dean turned his attention to the teen, crossing his arms. "So . . ." He cleared his throat. "Gary."
"I know. My bad."
" 'My bad?' Kid, 'my bad' ain't going to cut it." Dean's eyes flashed. "See, if you were of voting age . . . you'd be dead. Because we would kill you. So either you straighten up and fly right or we will kill you. Are we clear?"
He took a menacing step forward, and Alex reached out, catching his arm. "Dean," she murmured.
Gary shifted nervously. "Crystal," he promised.
Dean relaxed. "Good." He looked around, anger dispersed. "Let's get you two home."
...
Alex slid out of the front seat. Having simply refused to sit in the back with the two teens, she had squeezed in between the two Winchesters for the five minute drive to Gary's house.
Gary and Nora got out as well. The girl retreated several steps, ready to enter the house. Gary looked towards the door. "Crap."
Sam sighed. "Gary, take it from someone who knows - chin up, man. Your life ain't so bad."
"Uh, you met my parents."
"Yeah. So what?" Sam shook his head. "It's your life. You don't like their plan for you, tell them to cram it. Rebel a little bit. In a healthy, non-Satanic way, of course." He lowered his voice. "By the way, you know why Nora's into witchcraft?"
Gary looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"She doesn't like Satan, you moron. She likes you."
The teen's face went from confusion to a guarded grin. "Really? You mean it?"
"Yeah, I know. I'm telling you, kid - I wish I had your life."
"You do?" Gary smiled. "Thanks."
Sam nodded. "Get out of here."
Gary nodded, and he and Nora hurried into the house. Dean watched them go. "That was a nice thing to say," he finally said, turning back to the car.
Sam snorted. "I totally lied. That kid's life sucked ass."
Alex laughed, getting into the backseat. The two Winchesters got into the front.
"All that apple-pie, family crap?" Sam continued. "It's stressful. Trust me - we didn't miss a damn thing."
"Or we don't know what we're missing." Signaling the end of the conversation, Dean turned on the radio. Alex let out a sigh. Bob Seger again.
Sam groaned. "Oh, come on, man. Turn it down."
Dean chuckled. "Welcome back, Kotter." They drove off.