A/N: Hi, I'm back! Ill health has kept me off the computer for over a month, but I'm getting better now so I have the next chapter! (Short but at least it's something :).

Cheers,

Miff

5. Stranger Danger

Sam watched covertly as his older brother assimilated all the obvious facts about Tate. He saw the fact that this was a stranger register first which fell into Dean's 'Bad' category, then the fact the she was female and the realisation that she was a very attractive female and carrying food swiftly changed the balance to 'good/flirt', at least... it should have. Taking another look at Dean just to make sure he was interpreting his brother's almost imperceptible reactions correctly Sam was surprised to find that Dean hadn't shifted out of 'Stranger Danger' mode. There was a guarded look in his eye that concerned Sam.

"Um...Hey Tate thanks for these I was just about to go out and rustle up some breakfast," Not a complete lie Sam reasoned to himself, he was going to go out and find out as much as he could about Tate and her family, and there was a high possibility that on his way to the library he would have stopped for food.

He hadn't asked Tate about her similarity to the ghost on the bus yet, but he preferred to have a little research under his belt first, who knew what kind of skeletons she had in her closet? And there was always the possibility that she knew nothing about any skeletons anyway. Ghosts were dead people and death was generally not a good thing for the rest of the family involved. Plus the fact that the ghost had been seen off and on for the past 24 years meant that Tate probably hadn't even been around back then. So - first things first; Sam would research her family tree. He didn't have a surname but owning a hotel left records, and records were his forte.

Dean brushed past him to get a muffin and straightened up with a smile, "Yeah thanks Tate, these are gud" the last word was muffled by the muffin as Dean consumed it in one bite.

"It was no problem, I was making them for class this morning anyway." Sam noted that as she answered Tate was looking everywhere but at Dean. Dean on the other hand was staring at Tate, and to Sam's mounting concern it wasn't the sort of stare that fell into an admiring category. "So I'll see you later, maybe, I mean we'll be in the same building at least some of the time and chaos theory would suggest that at some point our paths could cross...or not, I'll be going..." The look on Tate's face suggested that that was possibly the most cringe worthy thing she'd ever said in her life so far. Sam gave her a small smile and nudged Dean until he did the same. Tate turned on the spot and hurried through the doorway, pulling the door almost closed before it got stuck on her scarf, which she then jerked free, she jerked free.

"Bye." Sam turned to Dean as soon as Tate had left.

"Dude what as that?" he asked, waving vaguely at the door.

"What?" Crumbs fell out of his mouth as Dean shrugged and then winced and grabbed his shoulder.

"Why were you looking at her like that? And don't say 'like what'"

"It's nothing Sammy, don't you have research to do or something?" Dean was sounding grumpy, and Sam knew his brother well enough to know that he only got grumpy when he was hurt or was having trouble identifying exactly what was threatening himself or Sam.

"Look, Dean, if I need to be worried about Tate for some reason that you know and I don't then spit it out" Sam frowned at his older brother and got a niggled frown in response, "Or do you think the FBI have started using techniques based on Hollywood, and Tate's like some undercover police woman who gets in under our guard to bring us down by seeming to be all young and sweet?"

"No, although that 21 Jump Street was great" Dean smiled then visibly brought himself back to the conversation, "Anyway it's nothing, go hang out in your natural geek habitat." Dean waved Sam toward the door as he carefully sank into a lounge chair in front of the television. "And hey when have I ever been taken in by young, sweet and... What?" Dean looked up at Sam who seemed to be attempting shorthand sign language.

"Young, sweet and late for school?" Dean's head whipped around to look at Tate who had come back into the room. "I knocked, but you guys were talking and the door was actually still open so I just thought I'd pick this up, I dropped it when my scarf, you know." Tate brandished a small cell phone and then put it in the pocket of her jacket. She gave them a small wave and left, this time carefully closing the door behind her.

Dean and Sam looked at each other for a moment before Dean asked; "How long was she there, and how much did she overhear? And how fast can the police get here if she's calling them right now?"

"I'll just go... do something" Sam grabbed his jacket from the back of another chair and ran out the door.