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LOGICDean was driving his impala as fast as he could. He wanted out of the area. The demon had been there, planning on burning them to death and he wouldn't let them take his brother. Not a chance.
Sam was in the back seat with Layla as he treated her burns. They were nasty and they would hurt like hell but it was better than being dead. He had offered to clean Dean's arms but he had waved him away. Layla was obviously worse off than him and he needed to drive.
"I'm a bit sluggish," Layla confessed when Sam asked how she was holding up.
Sam narrowed his eyes. He moved his finger across and instructed her to follow it with her eyes. She could barely do it.
"Christ, what did they medicate you with at that place?" he demanded.
Layla shrugged. "Nothing that made me happy. Or high!" She giggled.
"Hmmm maybe she's wrong," Dean spoke up.
"Nope. I think it's a combination of drugs and adrenalin that made me giggle. That and I am alive. Thanks good god!"
"She's a nutcase," Dean muttered.
Sam gave him a cold look.
Dean shrugged. "Well she is. Look at her giggling like that."
She stopped giggling abruptly as Sam patted some cream on to her burns. Layla winced and Sam grinned apologetically.
"It stings a bit but it will stop infection."
"Thanks," Layla murmured grateful. She had feeling returning to her limbs slowly. The drugs were leaving her system she hoped.
"No problem," Sam replied earnestly. Dean rolled his eyes. He was stuck with the girl now. She was emersed in their world. The demon had used her for bait knowing that they would come to save her and if they left her at a hospital now it might try the same thing again. It knew they would come.
Dean had to admit she didn't come across as crazy when she was just talking normally but then she'd ruin it by mentioning a TV show that didn't exist, featuring them no less and offering home phone numbers that didn't connect. She certainly wasn't right in the head but he grudgingly agreed with Sam that she wasn't dangerous. In fact he had never met any one less dangerous in his life.
She could have at least had the decency to be wicked hot.
Sam could almost read his brothers thoughts. He knew him well enough to know what line of thinking he would go along and unfortunately with Dean it usually ended up on the aesthetic. Dean was terribly shallow when it came to women sometimes.
"So why did you come to save me?" Layla asked. "Did you decide I wasn't crazy?"
Dean snorted.
"Well if it wasn't that and it certainly wasn't my usefulness as a demon hunter, what was it?"
"Notre Damus here, had a dream about you burning on the roof," Dean said.
Layla shifted her eyes to Sam. "And you guys think I'm the crazy one."
"I know how it sounds but it's true. Sometimes I see things and they come true." Sam shrugged. He couldn't rationalise it further.
Layla had always been good with logic. She had preferred humanities subjects to science but even in a mythology class she didn't actually think they had really happened. She studied them because of what they told her about the past people, their beliefs and values. However she had been sucked into a TV show her sister Melanie had idolised. She could definitely adapt to the concept of prophecy.
"Ok so you're some kind of prophet?"
"We don't know," Sam confessed and exchanged looks with Dean.
"What do you mean?" Layla automatically assumed that because they hunted supernatural creatures that mythical powers were expected and easily explained.
"Well Sabrina's powers are new," Dean said. "It's unexpected and kinda weird!"
"Thanks Dean." Sam was being sarcastic.
"Ok well that explains a few things. About my situation."
"What?" Sam asked, baffled.
"Well I've only seen bits of the show you were on," Layla began. Dean sighed at the mention of the TV show and twirled his fingers around his temple.
"And I thought maybe I was in an alternative universe where humans have powers and demons are the norm. But it's not the norm. It's an anomaly. So I know essentially how the world works. What a relief."
"That's a relief?" Dean demanded.
"Well yeah. It'd be terrible if it was some huge war and you guys were warriors… or if you spoke a different language or everything was upside down."
Sam saw his brother's shoulder stiffen and fought the urge not to laugh. Dean didn't cope well with crazy people or theories.
"That and I had a dream I was back home and this was all a dream."
"Maybe it is," Dean encouraged. "Maybe you should go to sleep and wake up back there."
"You know my sister said you had emotional problems and now I know what she means," Layla snapped curtly. Dean was being unnecessarily rude. Even if he did think she was crazy and a burden.
"She said what?" Dean asked spinning in his seat to look at her.
"Um the road, Dean," Sam advised.
"Ok I so hate this show if they are making me all unstable," Dean mumbled.
"What happened in your dream?" Sam delicately changed the topic to prevent a fight.
"I was back home and my sister Melanie was waking me up, saying I was late for school. I explained about the dream and she said she was jealous… I think she finds you guys hot… mentioned something about my ex boyfriend. Then her eyes turned red and I flew up to the ceiling and there was fire."
"I saw that happen!" Sam interjected. His eyes were wide.
"You're sharing dreams?" Dean asked sceptically. The last thing he wanted was Sam sharing dreams with a crazy girl. It might taint him in someway or worse, prove that she wasn't insane.
"Not the whole dream but I saw the red eyes, you go to the ceiling and then the flames," Sam explained to Layla.
The both shuddered at the memory and Dean felt a little left out. But of course he hadn't experienced the terror of the demon in the dream.
"Well we need a hotel," Sam said and looked out the window as dawn approached.
"And clothes for lunatic lady," Dean gestured at Layla's hospital gown. Thankfully it wasn't one that showed off a patient's bottom.
"Dean!" Sam snapped. He was being rude but Layla had given up on caring. Dean wasn't a malicious person and if she got offended at everything he said she'd spend her life affronted. They were the only people she knew and until she got home she would just accept their faults.
"He's right," Layla agreed.
"I am?" Dean perked up.
"Not about the lunatic part but about the clothes! And the hotel… I could sleep for a week."
"Well sounds like we have a plan that we can agree on," Sam said.
"There's a town not too far away. It has one of those all nighter hotels. It'll be sleazy but I for one don't really care!" Dean said.
Layla smiled, "Good. Wake me when we get there."
They didn't wake her; instead they got out of the car and headed for the office.
"Yeah?" The man asked rudely as if expecting people that came in at six were bound to be robbers.
"A room?" Dean replied just as curtly.
"Double bed?" The man gave Dean and Sam a significant look.
It didn't faze the pair. They were used to booking in at all hours of the night and people automatically assumed that they were illicit homosexual lovers having an affair. At first they quickly told them that they were brothers but now they let them think what they wanted. It guaranteed privacy.
"You have a room with three beds?" Sam asked.
"Nope just two doubles."
Dean looked out at his car and sighed. One of them would be sharing. "We'll take that." He handed over a fake credit card.
The man handed it back with a key. Dean took both and strode out not thanking him. He had been impolite so Dean was returning the favour.
Sam however offered a quick thanks and followed.
"Get crazy girl," Dean commanded as he went to the trunk and pulled out a couple of bags.
"You mean Layla?"
"Whatever. You're sharing with her." He tossed Sam the key before picking the bags up.
Layla was a bit disorientated but happy to see the prospect of a bed. She practically bounded towards the room.
Sam opened the door and let the other two in.
"Oh my god a shower!" Layla cried gratefully.
"We all stink of smoke," Dean acknowledge, wrinkling his nose.
"I'm first." Layla looked prepared to fight for the right. Dean shrugged. Her threat wasn't exactly scary, he knew he could handle a gun and she couldn't. However, her clothes were dirtier. Besides the water was going to smart her burns no end. Dean needed to work himself up to the pain.
Layla was in and out in record time. Dean had smirked at her yelps of pain. He had actually laughed when she had called out that she didn't have anything to wear.
The brothers looked at each other.
"I'm too tall," Sam said simply.
Dean groaned but went to his bag. They didn't have many clothes but they kept what they did have clean. He grabbed a pair of boxers and an oversized shirt. He knocked on the door. It opened a crack and Layla's eyes appeared.
He held up the clothes, deliberately adverting his eyes. She snatched the clothes and disappeared from sight.
Layla held up the boxers and raised an eyebrow. He had given her undies? Granted they were like shorts on her. Short shorts. Layla tentatively sniffed them. They smelled clean. She slipped them on.
They came half way up her thighs and Layla groaned. This was something Melanie would wear and could but it just wasn't attractive. The shirt was better. It also went half way down her thighs. She surveyed her reflection in the dirty mirror. She looked like she had just had a one-night stand with Dean and needed clothes to borrow. She giggled helplessly at that though.
Dean was certainly not her type and she wasn't hers. It made her laugh harder and she tried to stop it before walking out. She took one look at their bemused faces, they had heard her laughing, and sniggered again. Dean shook his head and pushed past into the shower.
Sam reapplied the cream to her burns. "Guess you're bunking with me tonight."
Layla's eyes widened as she took in the double beds. "Guess so."
"Don't worry. Only Dean snores."
Sam had noticed her expression. "It's just um I've never slept with a… shared a bed with a guy." Her face flushed red.
Sam patted her on the back. "Don't worry. I promise not to hog the covers."
Layla realised she had no choice and concluded she was too tired to care. She had had a hell of a time and that left no room to be embarrassed about sleeping allocation. It could have been worse. It could have been Dean.
She slipped under the covers and fell asleep before Dean even came out of the shower.
When she woke up it was about four. Dean was up watching TV quietly. Sam was still asleep so she got up carefully and went to Dean.
He offered her a rare smile. "We're gonna go get you some clothes and food."
"Sam?"
"He doesn't sleep well so when he actually does sleep I let him." Dean held up a pair of jeans.
"These are a bit small for me. They should fit you… sorta." He grinned again. Layla found it odd but she took the jeans into the bathroom and changed. They were slightly big but he had given her a belt.
Dean watched her go and sighed. He had seen her confused expression when he been nice to her. It didn't really surprise him. He had been a bastard to her but he figured he might as well make the best of a bad situation. Didn't mean he had to be overly nice but civility and politeness he could manage.
Besides even if she was hallucinating and insane she must be scared out of her mind so it was the least he could do.
Layla returned to the room. "Let's go!"
The drove into the town, which was small and found the first clothes shop. It wasn't exactly a fashionable place but Layla wasn't fashionable in general.
Dean flashed a credit card when they entered. "It's on me."
Layla caught sight of the name on the card and smiled. "Bogus name?"
"Yep!"
"Mr… Richardson is it? Mr Richardson is very generous!" Layla couldn't help but laugh.
"Ok what do you need?"
"Um shirts, pants, underwear…"
"Let's start there!" Dean flashed a grin
"Pervert!" Layla joked.
Dean sighed, "It's all so true."
They walked over to the bra department. "I love this place in any store." Dean said. He pulled a lacy black bra of the shelf and handed it to Layla.
She eyed it. It looked uncomfortable. She pushed it back at him.
"Buying something for your girlfriend?" A sale assistant asked from behind him.
"He's not my boyfriend," Layla hastily answered.
Dean was little affronted. "Now Layla that joke is funny occasionally but not always." He turned with a joking smile to the assistant. She was beautiful.
"She's not my girlfriend," Dean said quickly.
Layla rolled her eyes. "He's just a friend. Also a pervert!"
Dean went to glare at her but she had pulled underwear off and was going to the change room.
Alone with the assistant Dean found it easy to be charming.
Layla came back after a few minutes, "It mostly fits. Clothes now."
She pulled Dean away from the pretty assistant. "But… but I want to play with her!"
"Shut up!"
Layla found some necessary items and tried them on too. Dean lurked in sight of the lingerie girl. It was an effort to drag him over to pay but she managed.
"Food now!"
Dean forgot the assistant at the mention of food.
"Ok we need necessities like toothpaste as well, you do that and meet me back here in fifteen," Dean instructed.
Layla did as was asked and they were lining up at the register in no time. She looked at the canned food and raised an eyebrow.
"Eat healthy?"
"Hey we need cheap and we need long lasting," Dean answered. He began putting the things on the register. He almost jumped a foot when he found a packet of tampons.
"I said necessities!"
"These ARE necessities!"
"No they're not!"
"Wow. You obviously haven't been in a long term relationship with any girl," Layla mused.
"Yes I have!" Dean retorted but he left it at that and turned back to the employee who was gazing at them like they had extra heads.
"How's your day been?" Dean tried to cover with a winning smile. God help him Layla was just as annoying normally as when she was crazy.
AN: I got nothing to add. Please review. Constructive criticism is welcome as always.
MD666