Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural nor do I own Sam or Dean. I do, however, own Alex, and her belt. I hope it comes in handy soon.

Beta: Wingedteen

Defiance

Get the hell out of Hell House! Sam, Dean and Alex defy a homicidal spirit, but their efforts are encumbered by a pair of goofball paranormal investigators who hope ghost busting will get them girls.

Torture Quarters- (Hell House II)

Richardson, Texas

For the first half of the morning, they didn't do anything. Dean didn't even leave the room. He was continuously drawing the symbol that had him so worked up. Sam was trying to find out what the symbols were, using any books they had (including the text books Alex had packed) and the internet.

"What the hell is this symbol? It's buggin' the hell outta me." Dean cried suddenly. Alex looked over at him, wondering what he was going on about. "This whole damn job is buggin' me. I thought the legend said that Mordechai only goes after chicks."

"He does." Sam answered, still looking at his computer. Alex was still copying out things from the journal, sitting on Sam's bed as he wasn't using it.

"Right. Well, then that explains why he went after you both, but why me?"

"Hilarious." Sam answered. Alex smirked at their bartering. "The legend also says he hung himself, but did you see those slit wrists?" Sam answered

"Yeah." Dean scratched his head, before going back to the symbol.

"No." Alex muttered, knowing they didn't really care.

"What's up with that?" Sam asked. Alex respected that it was a rhetorical question, and didn't answer. Sam continued to talk, though. "And the axe, too. I mean, ghosts are usually pretty strict, right? Following the same patterns over and over?"

"But his mood keeps changin'." Dean agreed.

"Exactly." Sam fiddled with his computer, and Alex noticed that he was going onto the geek's website, 'Hell Hounds Lair'. "I'm tellin' you, the way the story goes—wait a minute."

"What?" Dean looked over at Sam briefly, before going back to his own thoughts on the symbol. Alex, however got off the bed and walked over, looking at the website, reading over Sam's shoulder.

"Someone added a new post into the Hell Hounds' site." She answered. Sam jumped at her voice, surprised at how close she was.

"Listen to this." Sam began reading the new post off the sight. "They say Mordechai Murdoch was really a Satanist who chopped up his victims with an axe before slitting his own wrists. Now he's imprisoned in the house for eternity."

"Where the hell is this going?" Alex asked, turning. She noticed Dean had sat up, off the wall, and was staring at the sheet holding the symbol he'd drawn.

"I don't know, but I think I might have just figured out where it all started." Dean said, and Sam turned to look at him. He jumped off the bed and walked to the door, Alex and Sam following. Neither had any idea what was going on.

Dean got into the car, Alex slipping into the back, Sam jumping into shotgun. Alex couldn't believe where they were when they stopped, and she had to question Dean's sanity as she recognised the place.

"The record store?" she asked. Without a word, Dean got out of the car and they all walked through the door, bell chiming.

"Hey, Craig. Remember us?" Dean called out. Craig turned around, looking tired.

"Guys, I'm really not in the mood to answer anymore of your questions, okay?" his voice was rough, like he hadn't slept in a while.

"Oh, don't worry, we're just here to buy an album, that's all." Dean responded. Craig turned away and flipped through the records. Dean also went looking for something, and kept glancing Craig's way. Although she trusted him, Alex had to wonder what Dean was up to. After a while, though, Dean picked up an album and walked over to Craig, Alex and Sam not far behind.

"You know, I couldn't figure out what that symbol was, and then I realized, it doesn't mean anything. It's a logo for Blue Oyster Cult." Dean said. Craig looked guilty at Dean's words, and he turned to face them again. "So, tell me, Craig—are you into BOC? Or just scarin' the hell outta people?" he handed the record to Craig, who took it, flipping it over to see the same symbol that been haunting Dean for the past few days. "So, why don't you tell us about that house without lyin' through your ass this time."

Craig sighed before talking. "All right, um—my cousin, Dana, was on break from TCU, and I guess we were just bored, lookin' for something to do, so I showed her this abandoned dump I found. We thought it'd be funny if we made it look like it was haunted. So, we painted symbols on the walls—some from some albums, and some from some of Dana's theology textbook. And then we found out this guy Murdoch used to live there, so we made up some story to go along with that.

"So, they told people, who told other people, and then these two guys put it on their stupid website. Everything just took on a life of its own. I mean, I thought it was funny at first, but….now that girl's dead." The tears that had been building up fell out of his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. "It was just a joke, you know, I mean—none of it was real, we made the whole thing up, I swear." Craig wiped at the tears that were now sitting on his cheeks, and Alex had to hand it to him, he was sorry. Although crying about it really wasn't a manly thing at all.

"All right." Dean nodded at the crying boy and they left.

"If none of it was real, then how the hell do you explain Mordechai?" Alex asked as they headed out the door.

They got back to the motel, and Alex got some pictures of things in the house and started comparing them to the ones in her textbooks. She got some matches, but they were a bust. After a few hours, Dean left, doing who knew what.

It was shortly after that Alex found what they were looking for. She showed it to Sam, and he began to look into it in more detail. Alex, on the other hand, went to the journals and yet again, began copying. Sam found what he wanted and slipped into the shower.

Alex looked up as the door opened to admit Dean back into the room. She smiled at him before going back to the journal. She hated copying, but this was a good way to find things out. She might actually remember it.

"Hey, I'm back." Dean called.

"Hey. Where were you?" Sam asked, through the door to the shower.

"Oh, I went out." Dean responded. Alex was only half listening, concentrating on what the information was that she was writing.

"So, I think I might have a theory about what's goin' on." Sam told Dean. Alex growled under her breath at him that he hadn't mentioned her help. After all, she'd found what the symbol was.

"Oh, yeah?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. What if Mordechai is a tulpa?" Sam asked. He'd already explained what that was to Alex.

"A tulpa?" Dean questioned. Alex looked up at the sound of the bathroom door opening. Sam came out, in only a towel, and she hurriedly looked back to Dean, who was hiding a packet of something behind his back. Alex smirked, and decided not to tell Sam. Dean winked at her, letting her know he appreciated it.

"Yeah, a Tibetan thought form." Sam continued.

"Yeah, I know what a tulpa is. Hey, why don't you get dressed? We'll go grab somethin' to eat." Sam grabbed his clothes and went back to the bathroom to put them on, while Alex turned to Dean.

"If you ever do that to me, I will castrate you." She growled at him. Dean nodded at her, smiling. Once Sam emerged from the bathroom, dressed, they went to the 'Rodeo Drive-in'. Because of the itching powder Dean had thrown all over Sam's boxers, Alex was having a hard time not laughing her head off at him, and he constantly stopped himself from scratching inappropriate places.

"Hey, what's your problem?" Alex asked him. Sam glanced at her, and she could have sworn he went slightly red.

"Nothing. I'm fine." He told her. They sat down at a table, placing the coffees and chips on its surface.

"Yeah?" Dean pressed. Alex noticed that, for once, she and Dean were working together.

"Yeah." Sam assured him. Dean and Alex shared a look across the table.

"All right, so, keep goin', what about these tulpas?" Dean asked. It would look weird if he pressed the issue too much.

"Okay, uh, so there was this incident in Tibet in 1915. A group of monks visualized a golem in their heads. They meditate on it so hard, they bring the thing to life—out of thin air." Sam told him. Sam had explained to her that it was just a big thing of rock or mud that had been brought to life.

"So?" Dean asked. He was enjoying this.

"That was twenty monks. Imagine what ten thousand web surfers could do. I mean, Craig starts a story about Mordechai, and it spreads, goes online. Now there are countless people all believing in the bastard." Sam told him.

"Okay, wait a second. You're trying to tell me that just because people believe in Mordechai, he's real?" Alex, if she didn't know about the symbols in the house, would have voiced the same question. Sam shifted, uncomfortably, and, because Sam was looking at Dean, Alex allowed herself a smirk.

"I don't know, maybe." Sam pulled his laptop out, and set it on the table, looking for the symbol, and pulling it up.

"People believe in Santa Claus. How come I'm not gettin' hooked up every Christmas?" Dean questioned.

"'Cause you're a bad person. And because of this." Sam turned the computer towards Dean, and Alex knew what was on it. After all, she'd found the blasted thing. It was one of the symbols that they'd found on the wall. "That's a Tibetan spirit sigil on the wall of the house. Craig said they were painting symbols from a theology textbook. I bet you they painted this not even knowing what it was. Now, that sigil has been used for centuries—concentrating meditative thoughts like a magnifying glass. So, people are on the Hell Hounds' website, starin' at the symbol, thinkin' about Mordechai—I mean, I don't know. But it might be enough to bring a tulpa to life."

"It would explain why he keeps changin'." Dean agreed.

"Right. As the legend changes, people think different things, so Mordechai himself changes, like a game of telephone."

"That would also explain why the rock salt didn't work." Alex added, trying to tell Dean that she knew more about it than Sam made it seem.

"Yeah, 'cause he's not a traditional spirit, per se." Dean nodded.

"Yeah." Sam gave her the point, but still didn't mention her involvement in finding the damn thing.

"Okay, so, uh, why don't we just get this spirit sigil thingy off the wall and off the website?" Dean asked, and Alex nodded, knowing that she'd wanted to do just that before reading more into it.

"Well, it's not that simple. You see, once tulpas are created, they take on a life of their own." Alex told him, recalling the page that had told her all about it.

"Great. All right, so, if he really is a thought form, how the hell are we supposed to kill an idea?" Dean asked. Sam and Alex shared a look.

"Well, it's not gonna be easy with these guys helping us. Check out their homepage." Once again, Alex had already seen what Sam was showing Dean. The video of what had happened the night before was playing. "Since they posted the video, the number of hits have quadrupled in the last day alone."

"Huh. I got an idea. Come on." Dean got up and Sam began to gather his things. Alex followed Dean, leaving Sam to put his laptop away.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked, once she'd caught up with him.

"I gotta find a copy store." Dean answered, loud enough for Sam to hear.

"Man, I think I'm allergic to our soap or somethin'." Sam called out. Alex and Dean laughed at him as they walked. "You did this?" Dean laughed at him again. Alex didn't say anything. "You're a friggin' jerk."

"Oh yeah!" Dean called back, as they all walked off. Sam got his things, and caught up with them outside.

"You knew about this?" Sam asked Alex as they all got into the car. "And you didn't do anything."

"Well, I'm not about to stick my head out for someone who takes other's credit." She answered. Dean's eyebrows shot up.

"Ouch, don't want to get on the wrong side of her." Dean muttered, and they pulled out.

Dean knocked on the caravan's door. Honestly, it hadn't been hard to find. They just asked if anyone knew where two geeks lived, and they all pointed in the same direction.

"Who is it?" Harry's voice carried out of the small caravan. Alex rolled her eyes at the idiots inside.

"Come on out here, guys, we hear you in there." Dean told them. Alex sniffled a laugh.

"It's them." Ed sounded resentful, and, if she wasn't mistaken, jealous. She grinned, knowing they were idiots, but the fact they were practically drooling over her was ego boosting. The door opened to the caravan, and it looked like a typical geek's room.

"Oh, look at that. Action figures in their original packaging. What a shocker." Dean cried, looking at them. It was pretty stupid, Alex had to admit.

"Guys, we need to talk." Alex told them.

"We'd love to, but make it quick. We've got a lot of things to investigate." Ed answered. He was obviously trying to impress Alex. Too bad, she still thought they were idiots.

"Okay, well, we'll make it quick. We need you to shut down your website." Ed and Harry looked at each other. Ed laughed at them, as though it was the stupidest idea. And, to some people, it would be.

"Man, you know, these guys get us busted last night, and we spend the night in a holding cell." He told Harry.

"I had to pee in that cell urinal in front of people. And I get stage fright." Alex smirked, but, a quick glance from Sam made her wipe it off. With these morons, it was hard, though.

"Why should we trust you guys?" Ed asked him.

"Look, guys, we all know what we saw last night, what's in the house. But now, thanks to your website, there are thousands of people hearin' about Mordechai." Sam told them.

"That's right, which means people are gonna keep showin' up at the Hell House, runnin' into him in person—somebody could get hurt." Dean added.

"Yeah." Ed asked, his tone adding why do we care?

"Ed, maybe he's got a point." Harry was saner than the other, but he was also a sheep. Had to copy someone, had to have something to follow.

"No, no." Ed answered.

"Nope." Harry's mind changed, proving her point.

"Okay, we have an obligation to our fans, to the truth." Ed seemed to be gearing up for a speech.

"Fight for truth and justice." Alex muttered. Dean caught her chest with his elbow and she took the hint.

"Well, I have an obligation to kick both your little asses right now-"

"Dean, Dean, hey, hey. Forget it, all right? These guys—I could probably bitch-slap them both. I could probably even tell 'em that thing about Mordechai – but they're still not gonna help us. So, let's just go." At the mention of their star, Mordachai, both of the geeks perked up, looking at Alex as she spoke.

"Yeah, you're right." Dean nodded. The trio began walking away, back to the car, with the two dim-wits following them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What did you say about—? Hold on a second here." Ed started.

"Wait, wait. Yeah, what thing about Mordechai, you guys?"

"Don't tell 'em, Alex." Dean demanded.

"But if they agree to shut their website down, Dean-" Sam pressed. This part seemed to have a script, Alex noticed. It was as though they'd written the whole thing.

"They're not gonna do it. Even Alex agrees." Dean growled.

"No, wait, wait. Don't listen to him, okay? We'll do it." Alex stopped to face them, and Dean and Sam followed suit. "We'll do it." Ed repeated.

"It's a secret, Alex." Dean refused.

"Look, it is a pretty big deal, all right? And it wasn't easy to dig up. So, only if we have your word that you'll shut everything down." Alex ignored Dean.

"Totally." Ed agreed.

"All right." Dean took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the boys. "It's a death certificate from the thirties. We got it at the library. Now, according to the coroner, the actual cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound." Alex told them. She was fairly sure that they wouldn't completely understand it, but they had filled it all in just in case.

"That's right, he didn't hang or cut himself." Sam nodded.

"He shot himself?" Harry asked, dumbfounded.

"Yup. With a .45 pistol. To this day, they say he's terrified of 'em." Alex nodded to herself, as though confirming it.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, they say if you shoot him with a .45, loaded with these special wrought-iron rounds, you could kill the son of a bitch." Dean added. The boys smiled, and Harry ran back to the caravan, while Ed walked back, obviously restraining himself.

"That was easy." Alex observed. Dean and Sam looked at her.

"Alright. Let's get something to eat. I'm starved." Dean muttered.

Once again, Dean pulled the string. The wooden carving of the fishermen began to laugh, and, it sounded like it belonged in a cheap horror film, as the villain. Sam pulled the string to make it stop. Alex sat at the other end of the table, away from the wall it was mounted on.

"If you pull that string one more time, I'm gonna kill you." Sam told him, before letting the string go. Dean quickly got the carving laughing again, and Sam immediately tugged cord, cutting it short. Dean laughed at Sam's murderous expression.

"Come on, man. You need more laughter in your life, you know, you're way too tense." Sam ignored him, saying nothing, watching his laptop. "They post it yet?" Sam spun the computer around, to face Dean. He leaned closer and began to read. "'We have learned from reputable sources that Mordechai Murdoch has a fatal fear of firearms.' All right. How long do we wait?"

"Long enough for the new story to spread and the legend to change. I figure by nightfall, iron rounds will work on the sucker." Sam answered. He held up his bottle, and Alex tapped it.

"Sweet." Dean cried, and taped his own bottle against Sam's before taking a drink. He went to put the bottle back on the table, but he froze half way. He pulled his thumb off the bottle, and it stayed on his hand. Alex and Sam burst out laughing at him. "You didn't." Sam pulled a tube of superglue out from under the table.

"Oh, I did." Dean looked shocked, and stared at the bottle, wondering how the hell he was going to get it off. Sam pulled the string, and the carving began to laugh yet again.

Sneaking into a guarded house is relatively easy. Especially if you have the right tools. Namely, a laughing carving of a fisherman. Alex had tried to help Dean get the bottle off in the way that got the least amount of skin ripped off his hand, but apparently, that wasn't much. They escaped into the forest, and set the laughing piece of wood on one of the trees, pulling the string to get it laughing, and ran off.

Eventually, the police patrolling the area came across the noise, and went to investigate, giving the trio a moment of opportunity. They slipped in like shadows, straight into the house. One again, Dean and Sam trusted Alex enough to give her a gun, and this time, it wasn't loaded with rock salt. Also once again, Sam didn't have a torch, and Alex wondered why.

"I barely have any skin left on my palm." Dean growled at him

"So, you think old Mordechai's home?" Alex asked, trying to get the brothers to stop fighting. It was kinda cute, and funny some of the time, but right now, it just pissed her off. They were going too far with the pranks, and there was no way she could stop them. Not unless she wanted to fall prey to them, anyway. They made their way quickly towards the cellar door, pulling their guns up, ready to shoot the carp outta this thing.

"I don't know." Sam answered.

"Me neither." Ed said behind them. As one, Alex, Dean and Sam span around and pointed their guns at the two boys. They both jumped, and pulled their hands up into a world wide symbol of 'we mean no harm'.

"Whoa, whoa! Hey!" Ed yelled, obviously surprised at the movement at the guns aimed at their chest.

"What are you tryin' to do, get yourself killed?" Sam cried at them, pulling his gun up, so it wouldn't harm anyone. Alex let her gun fall, pointing at the floor, copying Dean, pointing the light at them. They were, like always, carrying a backpack each, both filled to the brim with 'tools'.

"We're just tryin' to get a book and movie deal, okay?" Ed answered.

"Well, you nearly got one on your death." Alex responded. Alex glanced at the cellar door, just as the sound of sharpening knives filtered through it. Sam and Dean whipped around, guns at the ready, locked on the door.

"Oh, crap. Uh, guys, you wanna go open that door for us?" Ed asked, as though he was the one in control of the situation. Alex rolled her eyes at his idiocy.

"Why don't you?" Dean retorted. A second later, Mordechai flung the door open, wielding the bloody axe, as described in the most recent story on him. Alex, Dean and Sam poured everything they had into the tulpa. After a few shots, however, it disappeared into the dark smoke-like form, the way it had done the last time they saw him.

"Oh, he's gone. He's gone." Ed seemed surprised he still had his life, and Alex knew that if she and the brothers hadn't been there, he would have lost it. Dean and Sam glanced at each other, and checked to see if the tulpa was anywhere near them.

"Did you get him?" Harry asked. Alex stayed with the wannabe ghost busters, hoping her presence would keep them there, out of the way.

"Oh, yeah, they got him." Ed replied.

"No, on camera, did you get him on camera?" Harry asked, surprising Alex by taking control. She guessed even sheep had to take the lead some time or another.

"Uh, I…" Ed looked at the camera, before Harry snatched it out of his hands. Before he could see anything, however, Mordechai returned, and implanted his axe in the machine. Harry fell to the floor with surprise, and the force of the blow, while Mordechi disappeared before Alex could get a shot off at him. Dean and Sam returned, guns at the ready.

"Hey. Didn't you guys post that bullshit story we gave you?" Alex demanded of Harry and Ed.

"Of course we did." Ed replied.

"Yeah, but then our server crashed." Harry answered right after him. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Yeah."

"So, it didn't take?" Dean asked. He hoped they said it did…

"Uh…"

"So, these guns don't work?" Dean demanded.

"Yeah."

"Great. Sam, Alex, any ideas?" Sam shrugged, having no idea what the hell they were going to do now.

"We are getting out of here." Harry shoved past Dean, Ed hot on his heels. Alex listened to them leave, looking back and forth from brother to brother, looking for an answer. Neither of them had one, but they didn't have long to think. They soon heard the geeks screaming. Alex raced off to see what the hell had happened.

"Mary and Joseph!" She heard Harry exclaim. Following their voices, she tracked them from the main room, where they seemed to have left, for some reason.

"The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you!" Ed yelled. Alex had a good idea of what had happened. She rounded a corner, and came up just short of colliding with Mordechai.

"Hey!" She yelled at him. As the thought form moved to her, she continued to yell, hoping to keep its attention on her. "Come and get it, you ugly son of a bitch." As Mordechai swung at her, she kicked his chest, sending him back a step. Unfortunately, this just made him angry. Instead of an over head chop, he swung at her from side on, and Alex managed to duck under it, but on the next one she wasn't so lucky. The wood caught her throat, and he pinned her to the wall. She remembered how, while in a blind rage, she'd accidentally telekinetically choked her sister to death. Now, she was the one to get it.

"Run!" Ed cried, and they charged past the monster they'd helped create.

"Yeah, we're outta here." Harry cried, reverting back to his original role of the follower. Alex watched them go, struggling to get the thing off her and break the choke hold.

Sam looked up from where he and Dean were throwing lighter fluid aver the floor as desperation and absolute fear filled him. Dean noticed his behaviour, not understanding why he'd stoped throwing the stuff.

"Alex." Sam whispered, before racing off. Dean, after grabbing an aerosol can, ran after him, calling his brother's name, hoping he'd somehow receive some kind of sense.

They found her, no problem, but Sam realised that he had no way of getting the tulpa's attention without endangering himself. Dean grabbed his lighter, flicked it and then called the thing's attention.

"Hey!" as it turned to look at Dean, he pressed the lid of the can, creating a home made flame thrower. Mordechai pulled his axe off Alex to deal with the new threat, and she fell to the floor. Sam darted over to her, and picked her up, taking her back behind Dean.

"Go, go, go! Come on." Dean cried. Alex quickly regained her feet, and threw Sam's arm of her, knowing it was slowing them both down. They raced to the front door, and Dean stopped, turning to Alex and Sam, knowing Sam had only done what he said, because he said it, with out knowing exactly why. Some kind of plan was better then none.

"Look, if Mordechai can't leave the house, and we can't kill him, we improvise." Dean told them. He flicked his lighter, and threw it to the ground, immediately cathing the fluid on the floor. The old, dry wood took the flames quickly, and they raced out, not wanting to be killed by either the flames or the tulpa.

"That's the solution?"Alex asked when they were safely in the bush.

"Burn the whole damn place to the ground?" Sam questioned as well.

"Well, no one will go in anymore. I mean, look, Mordechai can't haunt a house if there's no house to haunt. It's fast and dirty, but it works." Dean answered them both. Alex nodded, understanding his point.

"But, what if the legend changes again, and Mordechai is allowed to leave the house?" Sam asked, knowing how it'd changed before.

"Well, then, we'll just have to come back." Dean answered. They all looked at each other, thinking the same thing.

"Kind of makes you wonder—of all the things we've hunted, how many existed just 'cause people believed in 'em?" Sam voiced. The trio thought about that as they made sure the whole house was destroyed.

They went back to the motel to pack, deciding to leave the next day. Alex decided that, if she was going too go hunting with these guys, she shouldn't hid things from them. So, she tried to practice telekineses. She didn't get far, and the head ache afterwards was a bitch, but she was improving. Well, it didn't take half an hour to use it, anyway. Dean and Sam each disappeared at one point or another. She wasn't sure what for or why, but she didn't press either of them.

They decided to go see Harry and Ed before they left, for old time's sake. They found their caravan, packed and ready to go, and traced the boys to the shops. They waited there, until both idiots came out, and began to walk with them.

"Gentlemen." Ed said to them as they passed. He then seemed to remember Alex. "And lady."

"Hey, guys." Alec and Sam cried. They started to walk with them, back to their caravan, and the Impala.

"Should we tell 'em?" Harry asked, well and truly back into sheep mode.

"Oh, you might as well, you know they're just gonna read about it in the trades." Ed answered. His superior tone made Alex feel like reminding him of how he'd screamed like a girl when he was cornered by the tulpa, and she had had to go rescue him.

"So, this morning, we got a phone call from a very important Hollywood producer." Harry began.

"Oh, yeah? Wrong number?" Dean asked.

"No, smartass. He read all about the Hell House on our website and wants to option the motion picture rights—maybe even have us write it." Ed answered, reaching their car.

"And create the RPG." Harry added, as though he knew what he was talking about. Well, he might in this, Alex thought.

"The what?" Dean asked, confused again.

"Role-playing game." Harry told them, trying to sound condescending.

"Right."

"It's a little lingo for ya. Any who, uh, excuse us, we're off to La-La Land." Ed said, getting into the car. Alex rolled her eyes, remembering La-La Land as being lost in thoughts.

"Well, congratulations, guys, that sounds really great." Sam said, nodded to them.

"Yeah, that's awesome. Best of luck to ya."

"Oh, yeah, luck—it's got nothin' to do with it. It's about talent, you know? Sheer, unabashed, talent." Ed gave them a piece sign.

"Right." Alex shook her head at him.

"Later." Ed nodded, and they drove off, caravan in tow, hooked to their car.

"Wow." Dean muttered, walking back to the Impala. They all traded glances.

"Well, I, for one, will be glad if I never see them again." Alex cried. Dean and Sam nodded, agreeing.

"I have a confession to make." Sam said as they walked off.

"What's that?" Dean asked, actually curious. Alex was interested as well, and they both looked at Sam waiting.

"I was the one who called them and told 'em I was a producer." Sam actually looked mock guilty. Alex and Dean laughed, joined by Sam. Dean and Alex looked in the direction the boys had just taken off in.

"Well, I'm the one who put the dead fish in their backseat." Dean said and they laughed again.

"Truce?" Sam asked, and Alex hoped they would go back to the way they had before, instead of the way they'd just been acting, trying to show down each other.

"Yeah, truce. At least for the next hundred miles." Dean grinned at Sam and Alex as they got into the car. They started to drive off, not sure where they were going next. "So, Sam, wanna let me in on the secret of how the hell you always seem to know when Alex is in danger?" Dean asked.

Sam and Alex shared a look. They didn't really know how to tell him. Sam sent encouragement to Alex through their link and Alex threw back resentment. He shrugged at her. Dean followed the exchange with his eyes, darting from Sam to Alex and then the road.

Sam sighed. "Alex and I can kind of read each other's emotions." He answered.

"Yeah, so can I. it's called 'reading body language' genius." Dean replied.

"In our minds. We can send each other an emotion." Alex told him. Dean went silent.

"And we have no idea why." Sam added after a second.

"Then I guess we're just gonna hafta figure this out." Dean nodded. Alex understood now. She'd been accepted - she was now a hunter.