Two days later…
"Find out anything else?" Mara asked anxiously as Serena and Sam walked back through the front door. They were just returning from the one on one with Serena's latest patient and her mother.
"Nothing," Sam said, with a hint of frustration. "Just like everything else has turned up that we've done. This thing has apparently gone into hiding."
There was a soft click as Serena closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment. She was quiet for a moment as she watched Mara and Sam in the hallway. Ever since the first night the boys had come to the house, a spark had been lit between the two. While she was glad that something was apparently getting Mara's mind off her recent troubles, she was still wary of how fast things seemed to be progressing. Nothing had been said, and as far as she knew nothing had happened, but the very air seemed to ignite around them whenever they were in close proximity. Even now, they were merely smiling at one another, chatting about trivial things, but there was something under the surface that brought out Serena's protective sense.
It was at that moment that Mara finally noticed that Serena's cool gaze was boring into Sam's back. She quickly switched gears and stretched dramatically, yawning. "Well since nothing is happening, I'd at least like to get in some target practice today," she declared, trying to redirect the conversation. "You up for it Laney?"
"Hey, I gotta ask a question," Dean interrupted as he appeared, leaning against the entryway into the kitchen. "Why are you always calling her Laney?"
"My name is Serena Elaine MacKeltar, which can be quite a mouthful when you're two," Serena explained.
"Yeah, according to our mothers, we decided that we liked the name Laney better back then and it just kinda stuck," Mara added. "Now that we know that important bit of childhood trivia, can we please do something?" she pleaded. "I'm going stir crazy."
"Fine by me," Serena agreed. "Just go grab the stuff and we'll head out."
"Whoa, what are you two talking about?" Sam asked, looking from Serena to Mara.
"Target practice darlin'," Mara answered with a devilish smile. "Think you're up to joining in?"
"Just what are you practicing with?" Dean piped in, unable to contain his curiosity.
Serena gave him a knowing smile. "Well, as it so happens, we didn't give you the full tour the other day. There's a bit we left out. Come with me," she said, heading down the hallway towards the library.
Sam and Dean exchanged confused looks until Mara took them each by an arm and urged them forward. "Trust me boys," she hinted with a grin. "You want to see this room."
They allowed her to lead them into the library where Serena was scanning one row of books with a finger and murmuring to herself. "I always miss it…I really should have gotten a brighter color…ah! Here we go," she exclaimed as she removed a tan leather-bound volume from the shelf.
Before either brother could make a comment, one section of books slid back into the wall, revealing a dimly lit staircase.
"Whoa!" Dean yelped in astonishment. "Who are you? Dick Tracy? Seriously…what is this?!"
"Well come on and you'll find out!" Mara urged, heading into the new opening. Serena followed, leaving Sam and Dean alone to contemplate what they should do.
Shrugging, they followed the cousins down the narrow, metal spiral staircase that wound down below the library above them. Dim backup lights cast a yellow hue to everything around them, including the intimidating looking iron doors facing them. Serena pecked in a short code on the keypad to the right of the doors and they creaked open slowly as bright fluorescent lighting began to click on in the room before them.
One by one, the lights sprang to life, illuminating the circular room that was lined with glass cabinets containing a lethal looking arsenal of weapons.
Serena couldn't contain her smile as she watched the Winchester brothers gape in awe at what they were seeing.
"Is this yours?" Sam asked, completely astonished, as he walked around, examining the contents of the cabinets.
"It's Laney's all right but I'm the one who drew up the plans and forced her to put it in a few years back," Mara said proudly as she took in their reactions.
Dean still stood in the doorway, not able to move. When he finally found his voice all he could muster was, "I think I'm in love."
Sam and Mara burst out laughing while Serena ignored Dean's comment. The room was divided into sections for guns, knives, foodstuffs, and other necessities that one might need if they were stuck in here for any length of time. Serena watched as Sam went over to the section she had set up for Mara's knives.
"So is all of this yours?" Sam turned to ask her, while Dean brushed by him heading straight for the assortment of shotguns he had seen from the doorway.
"Yes and no. All of the guns are mine. But where you're standing right now is Mara's little cache. She's the blade-smith of the family. I'm the gun guru if you will. If you ever see Mara's house, you'll see the exact opposite of this room. It's covered in knives and swords with only a small collection of guns," Serena replied as she pulled her custom made 1911 Colt from the shelves, along with a box of blanks. She took apart the gun, checked it, and put it back together within two minutes. She felt someone come to stand beside her, and she looked up into the respectful gaze of Dean.
Dean gave a soft smile and nodded to Serena. "Gotta love a woman who knows how to handle a weapon."
Mara laughed while Serena tried to glare at Dean. Somehow though, she realized she was getting used to the bawdy swagger that she knew was a defense mechanism. Over the past few days she found herself softening ever so slightly towards the older of the Winchester brothers, and she wasn't sure if she liked that or not. But they were proving to be good houseguests, good partners, and great friends.
"The targets still out back, Laney? Or are we gonna have to go to the range again?" Mara asked as she checked her own custom 1911 handgun, and then turned to check her 9mm Baretta.
"The targets are out back still. We can't go to the range anyways. We can't exactly take the guys in as guests. They're a little too conspicuous," Serena said as she looked over the boys. "Go ahead guys…take your pick. But if you break it you bought it," she finished as she gestured to the shelves with a sweep of her arm. She watched as Dean looked longingly at the shotguns once more before he picked up one of her other 1911's, and Sam picked up a 9mm Baretta. She nodded to them and led them back upstairs to the library and then outside to the backyard. Mara jogged off to the outer fence to make sure that no one had uncovered her hidden targets. Thankfully though, Serena's house wasn't inside the city limits, so they wouldn't get hauled in for unlawful firings. She and Dean both watched Sam as he stared at Mara, bending over dragging the target fence out.
"What the hell is she doing?" Dean asked as he tilted his head to the side, trying to figure it out.
"We set up a target fence of sorts. There are cans in all sizes ranging down a ten foot fence, set up on a wiring system that our fathers helped build for us when we were younger. If you hit the target, it falls backwards but not off the fence, and once all of them are down…they're rigged to pop right back up." Serena said with a smile as she remembered how much trouble their dads had gone through to set this up for her and Mara. It was done to keep them out of trouble around the house, just as much as to teach them how to shoot.
"Hey, Laney! Bring out the wiring kit! The box got damaged in the last storm I think!" Mara yelled from across the huge expanse of the yard.
Serena sighed as both of the brothers turned to give her a confused look. "I keep forgetting to put a cover box over the central system and every time a major storm hits, it gets damaged and Mara has to fix it."
Both of the brothers gave her an "ah" look as she turned and dashed inside for the kit that Mara always kept under the kitchen sink. When she came back out, Sam and Dean had wandered over to where Mara was and were asking her questions about the rigging. She laughed as Mara waved off their offer to help. Handing her the kit, she stood back and leaned against a nearby tree, enjoying the gentle breeze that had picked up. Mara rummaged around until she had pulled out three wires, some cutters, and a few fuse protectors. Within minutes, Mara had the system back up and running.
"Dean…knock over all those cans for me. I wanna make sure this works properly before I trudge all the way back across the yard," Mara said as she replaced her tools and pocketed the burnt out fuses. Dean did as she asked and when the cans immediately popped back up, she gave a whoop of triumph.
"Just call me McGuyver, boys. Yeah!" Mara exclaimed as she got up and started to carry the kit. Sam laughed and ran to catch up with her, taking the box out of her hands to carry it for her.
Serena watched them for a moment then looked at Dean to see him watching her. She raised an eyebrow at him as she pushed off the tree and started walking.
"I take it you're not sure about my brother and your cousin?" Dean asked as he fell into step beside her.
"No, I'm not. But they're both adults and there's nothing I can do to stop it," Serena calmly replied.
"Well…I think it's a good thing. For Sammy anyways…he needs someone normal," Dean said. "Well…relatively normal anyways."
Serena laughed at that and patted his shoulder as they came to the halfway point of the yard. She had measured different intervals of the yard from the fence, and placed sets of chairs and picnic tables up to disguise it. Right now they were at thirty yards away, which wouldn't be much target practice for her or Mara, since they normally stood about seventy yards away from the fence.
"Ok…soo….what now? Who goes first?" Dean asked.
Mara held out her hands for paper, rock, scissors. "Girls vs. Guys. This time around. You ready?" They went and both came up with scissors. Sam laughed so hard it looked like he was going to bust a gut.
"Serena, you and I better decide it if they're going to do that," Sam said between laughs. Dean and Mara only shrugged.
Sam and Serena went for it, Sam coming up with paper and Serena with rock.
"Okay boys…think this is close enough for you or do you need to move forward a bit?" Serena teased lightly.
"Oh whatever, sweetheart," Dean replied as he turned, took aim, and hit five of the ten targets one after the other. Sam turned and knocked the other five down in succession. Both of the women turned with respect in their eyes as they watched the rigging pop the cans back up. They motioned for the boys to follow as they moved back across the yard towards the house.
"Just so you know, Dean, we're now seventy yards away from the targets," Serena said as Mara took aim, knocking down all ten in quicksilver motions.
"Oh c'mon, Laney. This is too close. I only start to miss at a hundred yards out," Mara complained as she refilled her magazine with blanks.
Serena smiled, keeping her eyes on Dean. He looked at her, his gaze questioning.
"Aren't you going to aim, kiddo?" Dean asked.
Mara busted out laughing as Serena gave him a small smile and fired off ten shots without looking. She heard the rigging pop up and knew that she had hit the marks. She had learned to do this when she was younger because she had gotten bored with constantly having to look at the targets and had asked her dad for a new challenge. Serena joined in with Mara's laughter as both of the boys looked like they would fall over in shock.
"Your turn, Sam," Serena said as she reloaded her mag.
Flabbergasted, Sam turned and tried to focus on the targets. He hit four out of five.
"Damn," Sam said as he hung his head.
"Damn is right, Sammy. I know Dad and I taught you to shoot better than that," Dean said with humor in his eyes as he took aim and knocked the rest of the cans down.
The four took turns back and forth at both seventy yards and then at one hundred yards out for another hour before it started to grow darker. Everyone looked up to see the sky was clouding over, looking like a major storm was about to drop a deluge of rain onto them.
"Laney, go get that damn box I built so that I don't have to fix the fence every time I come over," Mara said with a grimace. Serena rushed back in and came out, throwing the box at her cousin right as it started to rain.
"We have to get the fence back under cover, Mara," Serena yelled after her as she started to rush out. Dean pulled her to a stop and pointed, showing her that Sam was already out there helping her pull the fence back. They watched as it started to lightning ominously and rain began to pour down.
The rain was so thick Mara could barely see the fuse box. She only hoped she got it covered in time before the water damaged it. Then she felt someone come up behind her, she whipped out one of the curved daggers she kept at her back then visibly slumped in relief when she realized it was Sam.
"Damnit, Sam! Stop doing that! One day I'm going to take a full swing and you're going to get hurt!" Mara yelled at him.
"Sorry, Mara," Sam said sheepishly while he helped her move the fence back under the cover of the trees.
They started to run back across the yard when Mara felt a fissure of pressure go up her spine. She stopped and turned, searching for the source. She could hardly see through the rain, but she knew without a doubt something was watching her.
Sam turned halfway through the backyard when he realized Mara wasn't beside him. He looked back and saw her standing about thirty yards from the edge of the woods, staring into the woods like she was looking at something. He called out to her, but the thunder and rain were so loud he knew she wouldn't hear him. As he started to go back for her, he saw her knocked thirty yards straight back across the yard, letting out a pain filled scream as she flew through the air. She skidded in the mud for another ten yards and didn't move. Panicked, he ran for her.
Serena had been watching them run across the yard, laughing at them slipping. Her laughter died instantly when she saw Mara stop and slowly turn around, taking a fighting stance. She leaned forward, calling to Dean who was still inside the house. He came to the doorway just in time to see Mara get tossed back and skid across the yard. Serena screamed for her cousin and started to rush out, but was stopped by Dean.
"Stay here!" Dean yelled at her.
"Screw you! That's my cousin, asshole!" Serena yelled back at him, trying to get past him.
Dean gave her a light shake and got right in her face, obscuring her vision. "We don't know what's out there. Please stay here, Serena. Please. Sam's got Mara and I'm going after it. We'll figure it out. Just get ready to take care of Mara when Sam brings her in." Dean shook her again lightly. "Okay?"
Serena leveled a glare on him that would've made Lucifer cringe. "Alright."
Dean dashed out to the woods in the direction he had seen Mara looking, searching for any clues for what it was, before the rain washed them away.
Sam skidded in the mud as he rushed to Mara's side. What the hell had just happened? He hadn't seen anyone in the woods and he hadn't sensed anything. As he ran his hands lightly over Mara's body, he realized she was unconscious, but her pulse was still going strong. He sent up a silent prayer of thanks and another prayer for her to be alright. He checked her body and didn't find any broken bones, but he was extremely careful with her when he picked her up and carried her back towards the house. Serena was pacing back and forth at the doorway and as he got close enough he heard her yelling and asking if she was alright. He yelled back that she was unconscious and saw Serena dash out of the doorway and back with some towels. As he sidled through the doorway, Serena was half frantic telling him to pull her upstairs into the bathroom.
"We have to get her warm, in case her body starts to go into shock," Serena said as she rushed around gathering towels and turning on the water for a bath. "Hold her up, I've got to get her undressed and into the tub," she ordered him. Sam's worry was momentarily replaced with fascination as he watched Serena pull five knives out from under Mara's clothing.
"I know she's got more on her…she feels naked with less than seven on her…" Serena muttered to herself as she did a frantic search of the rest of Mara's body.
"Just how many knives does she carry on her at a time?" Sam asked in fascination.
"Ten or more, depending on the situation," Serena said absently. "Well…I guess she felt safe enough to only carry five, since we were here and with you guys." She finished and started tugging Mara's boots off as carefully as she could. She turned to cut off the water, and then proceeded to get Mara down to her tank top and panties, knowing she wouldn't be embarrassed, although it was obvious by Sam's shifting stance that he was beginning to feel awkward. She looked up to catch him staring at her cousin's face, silently willing her to wake up. She got Sam to place her in the tub and then turned to him.
"Where's Dean?" Sam asked before Serena could speak.
"He rushed out into the woods. What in the hell is going on here, Sam?" Serena asked, placing her hands on her hips in a defiant stance.
"I don't know. But I'm going to go help, Dean. Lock all the doors," Sam said. He looked longingly at Mara before he turned on his heel and rushed out. Serena followed after him.
"Here, take a key to the house so that you can get back in. Please be careful," Serena said as she handed him a key. He nodded and rushed out back into the storm to go find Dean. Serena went through and locked all the doors and windows in the house, then went into her cache and got two more guns, a few knives, and enough ammo to sink a ship. She rushed back upstairs to see Mara shifting in the tub, starting to wake up. She dropped everything in her arms and rushed over to her cousin, pushing her back into a sitting position.
"What in the….?" Mara started, "Why am I in the tub? Why am I wearing clothes in the tub?" she finished, looking about the bathroom. She took in all the weapons her cousin had brought up and she looked up into Laney's worried face. "What happened, Laney?"
"Oh Mar-Mar…I was so worried!" Serena exclaimed as she threw her arms around her taller cousin, despite the fact that she was in a tub.
Mara put her hands on Laney's shoulders and pushed her back to look at her. "The last thing I remember is staring into the woods. What happened?"
Serena pulled herself back together, "You were staring at something in the trees and then you got thrown about halfway across the backyard, skidding in the mud and not moving. You were knocked out. Sam carried you in and we got you into the tub so your body wouldn't go into shock in case something really was wrong with you. What did you see? Are you alright? Do you feel dizzy or disoriented?"
Mara shook her head lightly and started to get up, growling at her cousin as she tried to stop her. "I'm fine, Laney. Just a little shook up and bruised. Nothing broken. Have a headache but it'll pass. Where are the boys?"
Serena nodded to her. "They went looking for whatever it was that attacked you. They haven't come back yet but they've only been gone about fifteen minutes."
Mara nodded and helped gathered up her knives, stopping to grab her bag on the way out. They headed back downstairs to the back door to see Sam and Dean trudging back across the lawn.
"You might want to get some more towels, kiddo. They're really muddy," Mara suggested offhandedly.
Serena rushed to get towels as Mara rummaged through her messenger bag to pull out a vial of holy water. No sense in taking chances since she had no clue what had happened. She opened the door right before the boys got to it and doused them with it, earning her a righteous glare from Dean, and a long-suffering sigh from Sam.
"Sorry, guys. I didn't want to take a chance," Mara said sheepishly as Serena rushed back with towels.
"Strip down and dry off before you come back in. There's enough mess from when Sam carried Mara through," Serena instructed as she tossed them some towels and went back upstairs to start cleaning before the mud stained her floors.
Mara shook her head, watching her cousin rush off. She knew that Serena didn't care that much about her floors, she just didn't want to expose herself to Dean getting undressed. Serena really needed to let loose a bit, but that wasn't anything Mara had control over. She looked up to see the boys stripping down to their boxers and realized that Sam was giving her a rather intense stare.
"What?" Mara asked skeptically.
"Are you alright?" Sam asked, trying not to stare at the body that was all but bare to his gaze. She was only wearing a black tank top and matching skimpy panties. It was hard not to notice. But he tried.
"I'm fine. I'm not sure what happened…but I'm alright." She moved closer, leaned in and whispered, "Thanks for saving me, Sam." And she gave him a light, tender kiss on the cheek. Then she turned and walked off after her cousin.
"Dude…I'll never understand you," Dean said with a chuckle.
"What?" Sam asked.
"Dude…come on! You had a half naked hot chick right in front of you and you didn't make a move!" Dean shook his head. When Sam started to growl at him he held up a hand. "She's hot but she's not my type. Don't worry man. She's all yours. I'm after the hot doctor," he finished with a wink.
Sam shook his head and gathered his clothes as he and Dean went upstairs to their rooms to change. He didn't know what was going on but they hadn't been able to find any trace of what attacked Mara out in the rain. As he changed he realized just how scared he had been for her safety, and how close he was getting to her though he hadn't even realized it. He changed into dry clothes and walked back out to see Mara coming out of her room. She had changed into jeans and an oversized flannel shirt, but for once she wasn't wearing any shoes. She was finishing up pinning her hair when she noticed him and smiled. Then, she walked over and did the strangest thing-she hugged him. He was stunned into immobility for a full minute before he awkwardly returned the embrace. When she pulled back he couldn't help himself; he took her face gently into his hands and searched her eyes. He watched tenderly as she turned her head and placed a soft kiss onto his palm, before taking his hand into hers. He let her lead him back down into the living room and onto the couch, where she snuggled up to him.
So much for keeping away from her, he thought to himself as he placed an arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer. He was tired of fighting this connection they seemed to have.
Serena was waiting outside of Dean's door when he walked out. She held up a hand to stop him before he could make a smartass comment.
"I wanted to thank you for earlier, Dean. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. Our family is rather small and Mara's the only thing resembling a sibling that I have," Serena said as she tried to keep from falling apart. This world that Mara lived in was dangerous. Serena hadn't considered just how dangerous until today. She was frightened for herself and her cousin, even though she knew they were as prepared for this world as they were going to get. She wasn't used to feeling out of control and she didn't like it one bit.
"Serena…your cousin is fine. And it's no problem. We're partners remember? We've always got your backs," Dean assured her. As he looked at Serena trying to fight for calm, a foreign part of him urged him to comfort her. He didn't know what to do, he wasn't used to comforting people. That job usually fell to Sam. This was new territory for him and he was lost. So he went with instinct and softly pulled Serena into his arms to hug her and hold her before she completely lost it.
Serena was shocked when Dean pulled her towards him; she thought he was going to try and kiss her. But all he did was hold her. It'd been ages since she'd been comforted by anyone but family, and she liked this too much. She pulled away after a few moments, before she completely lost herself to hysterics.
"Thanks, Dean," Serena said with a dignified sniff.
"Anytime," he said as he softly tapped her chin.
They walked down the stairs and turned into the living room to see Mara and Sam cuddled up on the couch. Since this didn't surprise either of them, they didn't comment. They each took a chair on either side of the couch and sat silently for a minute before Mara spoke up.
"I guess it's safe to say this thing has come out of hiding."
"You think?!" Serena said with a chiding glare.
Mara sat up a little bit. "Don't give me that look, Serena Elaine. I didn't know what was going on. And making jokes is my defense mechanism. You know that."
"Sorry, Mara. Lashing out is my defense mechanism," Serena replied as she sat back with a grimace.
"So how do you know what it was?" Dean asked.
"Just a feeling. I couldn't actually see anything through the rain. But I felt something watching me…or us… but it felt like mainly me. I felt shivers go up and down my spine and started looking for it, but I couldn't find it. Then next thing I know I'm half naked in a bathtub," Mara recounted with an absent look as she tried to remember what happened.
Sam pulled her closer. "I think it's safe to say that it's either something new or whatever we've been looking for coming out of hiding. Either way our restful days are over."
"You got that right," Dean agreed. "I say if this thing wants to play, hell, let's go!" His gaze drifted across to Serena's. Her blue eyes were practically aflame with murderous intent and he knew why. "So Shortie, wanna help me raid your toy box downstairs so we can head after this thing? We've gotta get on it while there's a chance it's still in the area."
"Shortie?" Serena questioned with a raised eyebrow. She decided to let it go for the moment though and slowly stood up. "Sounds like a plan though. I'd rather go after this thing than sit around and wait for it to pop back up." She looked to Mara and quickly got the impression that it would just be her and Dean getting stuff together. She gave Mara a last warning glance before turning sharply and heading for the library.
Dean raised an eyebrow at Sam and Mara himself before pushing out of the chair and silently following in Serena's wake. If his brother and the redhead kept this up, he'd be spending a lot of time with Serena and he'd rather not have her pissed that whole time. He was going to have to find a way to get her mind off of it.
Mara watched Dean leave and as soon as she heard the click of the library's double doors behind him, she turned expectantly to Sam.
"So tell me just what exactly is going on here Sam," she said, staring at him directly in the eyes. "This is just starting to get interesting and I can't afford to have my mind clouded over, wondering just why in the hell I have the irresistible urge to jump you every frigging time I see you." A predatory smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she watched his eyes widen.
"Jump me, huh?" he laughed. "Well Mara to tell you the truth, I don't really know what it is either, but I just feel something between us. You're certainly not like anyone I've ever met before….well, other than Dean," he corrected, seeing her knowing look. He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head. "Actually no, I do have an idea to what started this," he admitted, taking a deep breath.
She could only listen as he briefly went over the vision, or well visions he had when they first arrived in Savannah and how he knew it was her when they collided in the hallway.
"I know it sounds crazy," he said, standing up and pacing the room. "I just…I can't help myself! Ever since I realized it was you that had invaded my thoughts, there are all these feelings and emotions….I just feel drawn to you. And I know you feel it too," he paused as he stopped to look at her. When she didn't reply, he continued pacing. "You think I'm crazy….maybe I am crazy…"
"Sam," Mara said quietly, standing up and moving in front of him. She gently took his hands in her own and looked up into his face. "First off, we're all crazy," she said, causing him to smile. "Second, I don't care where this is all coming from or why. I just think we should take things as they come. There's something there between us and I'm sure as hell not going to fight it when there are better things to put that energy towards," she said suggestively, winking at him.
"It's really not a good idea for me to get involved with someone," Sam insisted, trying to keep himself from falling over the dark edge that loomed in front of him.
"All I'm saying is that you only live once. Why not take advantage of every opportunity you get?" Mara whispered as she drew closer to him.
AN: The story is only just getting started! The next little bit is setting up for the REAL climax so it's nowhere near over right now! Thanks as always for reading and please take the few moments to leave a review or send a message letting us know what you think!! A HUGE thank you to Aria DeLoncray and AliceMCullen for their reviews!!!