A/N: Hey guys, really sorry that it's been so long since I updated, I had a serious case of writers block plus work and such. However, here we are, the penultimate chapter. Let me know what you think. As per usual, Sam, Dean and supernatural are not mine, Kia and Alyssa are.
The pale light of dawn was just breaking through the window when Kia awoke. Her head rested on Sam's bare chest, one of his arms encircled her shoulders while the other hand rested on her leg which was flung across his body. Kia remained still, the only sounds the steady beat of his heart and gentle breathing. She had only been awake for a few moments when she felt, rather than heard Alyssa's presence in the apartment. Carefully, so as not to wake Sam, she disentangled herself from his embrace and pulled on a dressing gown before slipping quietly from the room.
When she saw her twin, Kia stared in shock. Alyssa stood with her hand on the door to her room; she had turned as Kia emerged from her own room, revealing to her twin the too healthy glow of stolen life force running through her body. Her eyes were bright, almost fevered and the expression in them almost unrecognisable.
"Oh, Alyssa, what have you done?" Kia's voice was a shocked whisper.
"There's so many of them, no one ever notices at the time. Some of them don't even make a sound; they just fall...so still and quiet." Her voice was slightly breathless, her eyes unfocused.
"Do you know how many?" Kia was dreading the answer she might receive
"No." Alyssa's voice trembled.
"Alyssa, you have to stop, you can't carry on killing." Kia's voice was quiet, the note of sadness plain.
Alyssa shook her head, her breath shuddering. "I can't stop, there's so much life here; I can feel it." She closed her eyes and leaned against the door shuddering. Suddenly her eyes opened and her gaze fixed on Kia. "I need more."
"No you don't." Kia's voice was desperate now. "Please, Alyssa you have to stop. If you don't then..."
"Then what? Your pretty boys will stop me?" Anger flashed in Alyssa's eyes, her temper rising faster than it ever had before.
"If you carry on killing then I can't stop them. I told Dean he could give you a chance; that you were in control, please don't prove me wrong." Kia looked at Alyssa. A new look had appeared in her eyes, one of suspicion and betrayal. She backed away as Kia moved towards her.
"Don't touch me. I should have known you would be on their side." Her eyes darted around the room wildly. "They've poisoned you against me; I can't even trust you anymore." She backed away, edging around the room to the door and fumbling with the latch in her desperation to get away. As she stood in the doorway, Alyssa turned, her eyes briefly meeting Kia's; when she spoke, her voice was quiet. "If they try to stop me, I swear I'll stop them first." Leaving the threat hanging in the air, she left.
Sam quietly pulled on his jeans, his hand rested on the door handle as he hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the room. Kia sat on the couch, her legs drawn up to her chest; her dark hair flowed over the dark green of her dressing gown and her body shook with silent sobs. She looked up as Sam entered the room, tears flowing down her pale cheeks. Sam knew that his face had told her he that had heard everything.
It took only seconds for Sam to cross the room and sit beside her, enveloping her in his arms as he did so. She leaned into him and he could feel her tears hot against the bare skin of his chest.
"She's gone." She drew in a shuddering breath. "I've lost her, I should have stopped her, tried to help her..."
"Shh, there's nothing you could have done."
He held her close as she shook with sobs, dreading what they had to do next.
Dean paced around the motel room like a caged lion; what Bobby had told him had worried him, but not surprised him and he waited anxiously for Sam to come back.
Just as Dean had decided to go out and look for Sam he heard the key in the lock of the door and it swung open. Dean stepped forward relief plain on his face as he saw Sam. It disappeared when he saw Kia.
Her face was, if at all possible, paler than usual. Her arms were wrapped about herself, hugging a small bag to her. The self assurance was gone from her face and her usually strong gaze was downcast. Dean could tell she had been crying.
Dean watched as his brother gently placed an arm around Kia's shoulders and guided her into the room; she sat on the end of one of the beds, clutching the bag to her as if it were the most important thing in the world.
"What happened?" Dean glanced at Sam.
"Alyssa turned up at their apartment then disappeared. She's been killing people." Sam's voice was quiet.
"How many?" Dean turned to Sam, who shrugged his shoulders. He turned to face Kia, anger in his eyes. "How many did your psycho sister kill?"
"I don't..." Kia shook her head, her voice faltering.
"Yes you do." Dean closed the gap between them in a single stride and grasped Kia by the shoulders, lifting her from the bed and pushing her against the wall. He ignored Sam's protests and shook her. "You feel it every time that she takes a life so quit saying you don't know and tell me how many innocent people she's murdered!"
"Sixteen so far." Kia's voice was a choked cry as Dean shook her again. Tears rolled down her cheeks once more and she stood against the wall shaking as Dean released her.
"Sixteen since when?"
"Last night." Her voice was a whisper. "She can't stop."
"And what about you?" The accusing note was clear in Dean's voice and he paced the room like a caged lion.
"And what about me?" Kia's head rose, her bearing a mix of defiance and anger.
"Dean, what the hell?" Sam moved towards his brother, confusion on his face. He did not understand where Dean's train of thought was going and he didn't like it. Dean turned to face him.
"I spoke to Bobby and he did a little research; he told me that there have been others like them, twins with the ability to take and give life and do you know what he told me?"
"No." Sam's reply was quiet.
"He said that all of them found it addictive, and all of them went crazy. The one that took life would start killing people for the high, just like Alyssa, and then the one that gave life got addicted too and they just carried on killing until they got wasted." Dean turned to Kia and advanced on her, his eyes blazing. "So tell me, Kia, do you want her to stop or are you gonna let her carry on because of the high you get?"
The brothers watched as the defiance and anger melted from Kia's features. When she spoke her voice was quiet.
"Your friend was right, Dean; it's been getting harder and harder to resist the high."
"So what the hell has sixteen doses in the last twelve hours done for that?" Dean's expression had softened.
"Nothing." A rueful smile crossed Kia's face.
"O.K, you're gonna have to explain that one." Dean's brow was furrowed in confusion.
"Alyssa gets stronger with every life she takes, both in the physical sense and the control she has of her ability. She can control exactly how much life force I get, and at the moment she's not in a sharing mood."
"Just how strong is she right now?" Sam had stepped forwards.
"I've seen her throw men twice her size across alley ways on far less than this, and she can drain someone in seconds. So at the moment, I would say that if you take her on, you won't come out of it alive."
"Great." The sarcasm dripped from Dean's voice. "So how do we stop her? And I mean stop."
"Dean, you're not suggesting...?" Sam turned to face his brother.
"What are we supposed to do, Sam? She needs to be stopped, none of the murders can be pinned on her and even if the cops did get hold of her do you really think they could hold her? The only thing I can think of is to..."
"Kill her." The brothers looked round at Kia as she spoke, daring to say what neither of them had. "You want to kill my sister." Her breathing had quickened and her dark eyes swirled with emotions.
"Kia, I know the thought of her dying isn't easy." Sam moved towards her, stopping when she flinched away and looked up at him, anger on her face.
"No, apparently you don't." She glared from one to the other. "Have you paid any attention to anything that you've heard or seen since you met us? If something happens to one of us the other feels it and suffers in pretty much the same way, it drains the life from both of us. The likely hood is that if she dies; so will I. So maybe you should get that into your skulls before putting a bullet in hers." Her tirade ended, leaving the brothers in shocked silence. Kia took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. When she spoke again, her voice was calmer. "But you are right; she does need to be stopped."
"But how?" Dean had recovered himself from the shock of Kia's outburst.
"I don't know."
Just as Dean opened his mouth to speak again the door crashed open and Alyssa stepped into the room, a sardonic smile on her face, mockery in her eyes. Her eyes flickered to Sam and Dean as they both reached for their guns and she shook her head.
"I wouldn't if I were you, remember; you shoot me and you kill Kia. Oh and if you come near me, you'll be dead before you hit the ground, now go and stand over there before I decide you're too close." She watched in satisfaction as the brothers moved their hands away from their guns and moved away to the other side of the room.
Alyssa closed the door and turned to face her twin. As she advanced on Kia, Sam noticed the differences between them. Where Kia was pale, Alyssa's skin almost shone with stolen life, the power of it showing in every predatory movement. Kia had moved away from the wall and now stood still as Alyssa closed the gap between them. When she reached her sister, Alyssa shook her head and tutted as though chastising a naughty child. Without warning her arm flashed through the air and she struck Kia a backhanded blow across the face, nearly sending her twin to the floor. Kia raised a hand to her face where a livid mark had formed on her pale skin.
"Alyssa please..."
"Don't bother. I knew you were against me, but I didn't think you would contemplate killing us." She opened her arms, palms facing towards Kia, her chin raised. "Well come on, little sister, if you want to stop me, do it."
Kia shook her head. "I'm not going to fight you, Alyssa."
"Fine." Alyssa glanced at the Winchester brothers where they still stood before turning back to Kia. "They can't help you, they never could. I could still forgive you, just come back home." Her eyes darkened as Kia shook her head once more.
"No, Alyssa, not this time."
The brothers watched helpless as Alyssa gave a cry of rage and leapt towards Kia, grasping her by the throat and slamming her against the wall. Her grip tightened and Kia began to choke, her fingers grasping at Alyssa's wrist.
"You won't stop me, you can't."
"Alyssa...please..." Kia's plea ended in a shuddering breath which turned into tortured gasps as Alyssa drew the life from her body. Finally Kia's struggles ceased and she slumped back against the wall, barely conscious, held up only by Alyssa's hand around her throat.
Alyssa swung her sister round, grasping her by the hair. Almost tenderly she stroked Kia's face and whispered in her ear.
"There, sister, just enough to keep you alive." Her gaze flickered to Sam and Dean where they stood, muscles tensed in rage. "Good luck stopping me, boys. See you soon." Her arm thrust forwards, pushing Kia and she watched as her twin collapsed to the floor, the force of the thrust sending her rolling towards the brothers where she lay, choking and gasping for air.
Alyssa did not say another word as she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. As it shut the brothers rushed to Kia, Sam lifted her gently, cradling her against his chest.
"Kia?" Sam was relieved when Kia's eyes opened. "Are you alright?"
"Not really." Kia's breathing was laboured. "My bag..." She gestured weakly and Dean rose to his feet and moved across the room, picking up the small bag from where Kia had dropped it.
"What do you need?" He knelt next to Kia, across from Sam, flipping open the top of the bag as he did so. "What is this?" He had pulled out a small wooden box.
"Open it." Kia was fighting to keep her breathing steady and slow, one hand gripping Sam's jacket.
Dean flipped the catch on the box and carefully opened the lid. What he saw made his eyebrows rise. Inside the box, carefully nestled amongst black material sat a syringe and a vial of clear liquid.
"What the hell?" He looked up at Kia who took a deep breath before answering.
"It's a toxin, my Dad found it. No matter how much life she's taken, this will slow her down enough for you to stop her."
"How are we supposed to get close enough to give it to her?"
"You don't." A smile flickered across Kia's face.
"Kia, no." Sam gripped her tighter to him.
"Have you got a better idea?" She looked at Dean who sighed and picked up the syringe.
"How much?"
"All of it."
Sam watched as his brother picked up the bottle and drew the toxin into the syringe. Gently he reached out and took hold of Kia's arm, turning it towards him and looking for a vein. It did not take him long to find one and place the needle against it. He hesitated, closing his eyes briefly before applying a small amount of pressure to break the pale skin and pushing the plunger, sending the toxin into Kia's blood.
Sam watched as Dean pulled the needle from Kia's skin and felt the girl's body shudder against him as the toxin flowed through her veins. He held her close as he felt her muscles tense and closed his eyes as he heard her whimper in pain. He looked at Dean, unsure of what to do as he felt Kia shudder again.
Dean saw that his younger brother had frozen, uncertainty plain on his face as he held the now helpless Kia in his arms. Carefully he moved forwards and slipped his arms under Kia's body. Sam did not resist as Dean lifted Kia from his arms and carried her across the room, gently laying her on one of the beds; she curled up in pain and her breathing came in harsh, shuddering gasps.
"So what do we do now?" Dean turned at the sound of his brother's voice. Sam had risen to his feet and moved a few steps closer to the bed.
"Find her." The brothers looked round as Kia spoke, her voice filled with pain. "Find her and stop her." She gritted her teeth as her body tensed once more.
The brothers turned away from the bed, and Dean looked up at Sam.
"Alright, so where do we find her?"
"What about their apartment? If she's hurt she might go back there." Sam looked back at Kia. "One of us should stay here, in case she comes back for her."
Dean drew in a deep breath. "Alright, I'll stay here, and before you start giving me puppy dog eyes hear me out. If you stay here and Alyssa comes back, you're gonna be so worried about looking after Kia that you're not gonna be able to take care of yourself. Now if you can look me in the eye and honestly tell me that I'm wrong, then you can stay." He watched as Sam thought about what he had said before nodding in agreement. "Alright, you go to their apartment, see if you can find her there, if not then we'll figure out what to do next." Dean watched his brother as he checked his gun, took Kia's key from her bag and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Alyssa had not gone far after she left the motel before she felt a crippling pain spread through her body. She leant against a wall, gasping for breath as she felt the strength of stolen life force leaving her. Her dark eyes darted back in the direction of the motel as she realised what had happened.
"Oh, Kia, what have you done?" Her breath shuddered as she asked the question she already knew the answer to and turned back towards the motel.
As she neared the motel, Alyssa heard footsteps heading towards her; quickly she ducked into an alley way, trying to avoid being seen while she was so vulnerable.
She watched with dark eyes as a figure walked past the end of the alley and, as quietly as she could, followed behind.
Dean sat on the other bed and placed his gun carefully on the table that sat between the beds. He leant forwards, resting his elbows on his knees and watching Kia; her skin was white and covered in a slight sheen of moisture, her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow. Dean reached out a hand, resting it on Kia's cheek; her skin was burning. Dean closed his eyes and sighed; Kia was fading fast and all he could do was hope that Alyssa turned up soon.
Sam arrived at the twin's apartment, letting himself in with Kia's key. Quietly he closed the door behind him, one hand ready to reach for his gun should Alyssa appear. He nudged open the doors to each of the rooms, searching for Alyssa. When he was sure that the apartment was empty Sam ran his hand through his hair, uncertain of what to do.
Finally Sam decided to call Dean and find out if he had any suggestions, just as he pulled out his phone the door opened. Sam turned to see Alyssa; she closed the door and leant against it. Her skin was paler than it had been last time he saw her, the glow faded.
"Hey, Sam."
"Alyssa." Sam's hand moved slowly towards his gun and he pulled it out, pointing it at Alyssa. She smiled; mockery once again in her dark eyes.
"What are you going to do? Shoot me?" She moved closer, her steps slow and deliberate.
"If I have to" Sam kept the gun aimed at her.
"You really think you could? Knowing that if you shoot me you may as well have put the gun to Kia's head." Her smile grew as Sam faltered and he lowered the gun. "I didn't think so."
Alyssa moved closer, her dark eyes fixed on Sam's. He raised the gun but she smiled and continued to move forward, knowing that he would not use it. Sam started to back away but her hand flashed out, knocking the gun from his hand and sending it clattering across the floor. Her other hand moved at the same time, landing a blow to his stomach. Sam reacted instinctively; knocking her hands away and striking her a blow across the face. Alyssa stumbled backwards before recovering her balance and launching herself across the room. Sam was unprepared as she crashed into him, propelling him back across the room. He felt the back of his head strike the wall and the breath escape his body, leaving him stunned and unable to fight as Alyssa's hand closed around his neck.
Sam's body shuddered as Alyssa's hand tightened and she began to draw the life from his body, her grip becoming stronger as he became weaker. Sam felt his legs collapse under him and his vision went blurry, he was unable to fight as Alyssa swung him round and threw him to the floor.
Alyssa stood over him as he lay on the floor, struggling to breathe. She smiled and knelt beside him, her skin beginning to regain its glow. Almost tenderly she reached out a hand, running the tips of her fingers over Sam's cheek and down his neck. When she reached the top of his shirt she stopped and smiled before ripping it open in one quick movement. She watched for a moment, as though savouring the sight of Sam's chest rising and falling with his ragged breaths. Her fingers trailed down his chest, stopping over his heart.
Almost tenderly she laid her hand flat, feeling his heart beating, and then she closed her eyes and drew the life from Sam's body, stopping only when she felt his heart shudder and stop beneath her hand.
