Sam had tossed around an upper-level demon like a piece of used tissue, so he knew could guard himself- his thoughts, his feelings- for the duration of the car ride. He figured would be fine at least until he got to take a break from the other two. Then, he would let it out, let it go, and get over it- at least until the point where he didn't have to think about it anymore.

Truth be told, Lory hadn't caught on as much as Sam initially thought she had. She would never go as far as to read him, but his flustered frustration was almost bombarding, but still, its source was a mystery.

Dean knew that everything wasn't peachy keen with his younger brother, as he could always tell. But he wasn't in the position to care. His eyes silently watched the darkening road, but they were glazed over in thought.

I'm going to get her some roses…No- chocolate! No! Roses AND chocolate. Put on a little Heart, set the mood… And then the panties will be droppin'… Oh yeah.

He glanced over at his brother.

All I gotta do is get rid of Andre the Giant over here for an hour or two…

Sam met his glance curiously. Dean flashed Sam his warmest, fakest smile.

He's got that smug look on his face, one eyebrow raised- probably thinking about having sex with Lory. Like I'm going to let that happen.

Dean's warmest, fakest smile was no match for Sam's. It'd almost be convincing to the untrained eye.

God, you're a dick.

A café-rock-loving-

Freckle-faced-

over-sized-

over-sexed-

nerdy-

overcompensating-

big, fat

veiny

Dick.

"Mint?" Dean offered coolly- dangerously cool- handing his brother the economy-sized tin, freshly removed from his jacket pocket.

"Please," Sam accepted, shaking two or three into his large palm, popping two into his mouth and handing the tin back with an icy, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Dean squinted.

"I-I'd like a mint, Dean…" Lory interjected tentatively, not knowing what was really going on, but still, not particularly liking it.

"Anything you want, baby."

Sam rolled his eyes, adding another mint to his mouth, but Lory's leaning forward between the seats shielded his disdainful look. Dean's hand beat hers to the tin. Using his thumb to flip the top like the cap of a Zippo lighter, he brought it to her mouth and began shaking.

"Here you go, baby," he said in a way reminiscent of the way someone might actually address a baby.

Before she really had time to question it, the candies were already falling into her mouth. Sam, who had been looking out the window until this very point, emitted a thunderous, forceful, gagging cough.

"Oh, my God, Sam, are you choking?!" Lory panicked through her own mouth full of mints.

Red-faced (a feature to which his slight air deprivation was actually not a contributor) Sam nodded.

"I got you!" declared Dean.

And an overtly forceful fist slammed into the center of his broad back, sending the mucous-encased mint flying into the windshield, where it took its time sliding down.

"Dude! Gross!"

"I'll try to have better aim next time I'm dying of asphyxiation!"

"TELEPHONE POLE!" Lory shouted, pointing to the steadily nearing obstruction.

All three- driver included- closed their eyes and let out terrified screams as the tires screeched and the car spun around and around before coming to a dead stop- across the street, sloppily double parked in the other lane, in front of the driveway of a parking lot. The three opened their eyes and looked up at the post the missed by just a few feet. It ended at a sign that read "The Mulholland Inn".

Through shaking breath, Dean eased, "I think we should call it a night."

The other two nodded in unison.

"Yeah."

00000000000000000000

Dean and Lory lay head-to-feet in one bed while Sam sat cross-legged in the other, on his laptop. Everyone was engrossed in something. Sam scowled at the monitor in deep concentration, Lory popped potato chips into her mouth like an automaton while giving the television her undivided attention. And Dean- he was taking advantage of her absence in thought, his hand steadily moving from its place on her calf toward her bottom.

"It looks like ghouls. We'll know for sure when we get there."

Sam didn't know what kind of response he expected, but silence just wouldn't do.

"Dean!"

"What?" he said, slightly jarred, bringing his hand to rest just below its destination.

"Did you hear a word I just said?"

"Uhm, yeah. Ghouls. Trevose. See it when we get it there."

He brought his dark eyes up to give his brother a chiding scowl, but upon seeing that it wasn't even the TV that was causing Dean to block him out, but a game of clandestine grab-ass, he knew he had to remove himself.

Sam's huffing and the slamming shut of his laptop was enough to get Dean to look up.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"Okay…"

With the slam of the door, he was gone.

"Maybe you should go after him," Lory suggested sympathetically.

She rolled onto her back and pulled herself up to face him.

"What is this? A Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie? If he wants to act like a little bitch, let him act like a little bitch. I didn't do anything to the little fa-"

Her first two fingers flew to his lips.

"Dean…"

Puckering against them lightly, he let out an unconvincing "Sorry."

Sadly looking down, Lory confessed, "I can't help feeling like I'm getting in between you two…"

"No. No no no. Listen-" grabbing her hands to emphasize his words, Dean continued, "Sam has always been moody. Since we were kids. And ever since I've been back from hell, it's been even worse. Don't blame yourself, Lory. You're fine. You're perfect."

She allowed him to guide her weight into him and embrace her, sighing against his strong chest.

"Anyway, at least we're alone…Finally…" he whispered softly, his breath dancing on her ear with each syllable.

"Mmhmm," she sighed half-heartedly.

For the longest., she could barely bring herself to think of anything but the day when he would hold her tightly like this and whisper lovingly in her ear, on top of a big, soft bed, alone….But when they arrived there, it just felt… empty.

"There are so many things I've been dying to do to you, baby," he continued, taking an earlobe between his teeth and tugging lightly. He chuckled a bit, "I hope you don't scare too easy."

"Dean… Do you love me?"

"Of course I do… If you'd just let me show you, I guarantee you'll never have to ask again."

"Seriously," she urged, bringing her head up from his shoulder and looking directly into his wide, green eyes, which showed slight concern and bewilderment.

"I am being completely serious. Déjà vu much? How many times are we going to have this conversation?"

"Why?" she asked flatly, her eyes drilling deep into his, not allowing him to look away.

"Why what?!"

"Why do you love me?"

"I don't know, Lory! What kind of a question is that? Why do YOU love ME?"

"You're avoiding the question."

"How the hell am I supposed to answer that?"

"Honestly?"

"What do you want to hear, Lory?"

Dean threw up his hands, finally breaking away from the stare.

"I want to hear the truth, Dean," she whispered with a soft smile, "Don't protect me. Don't spare me. Don't feel sorry for me. "

"Why are you asking these things? Where is this coming from? Is Sam-"

"No! It's not Sam, Dean. It's you. It's us. This- It just feels fake. You tried- WE tried but it just feels fake."

Dean sat silently, looking over her face. For a long moment, he appeared confused, but then his expression morphed into hurt and then anger,

"My feelings for you feel fake, Lory?"

The change in his demeanor silenced her.

"The life I've been living- deeply caring about someone is the stupidest thing you could ever do." He swallowed a lump in his throat, which caused the muscles in his face to tense. "Do you know why? Because when you're a hunter, people drop around you like flies. I've lost my brother- more than once, and thank God he's back now, but I can't say the same about my mother or my father or countless friends that I've made along the way. They're dead and gone, Lory. You don't know what that's like. Allowing myself to love someone is the hardest thing I've ever done, because there's always the threat that they'll be taken away as fast as they came. So tell me- why would I put myself through that for someone I didn't really love?"

She looked down at her pants, feeling slightly ashamed.

"I don't know-"

'I wouldn't. And you want to talk about fake- what about the way you've been teasing me?"

"Teasing you?" she questioned with earnest innocence, "Dean, I haven't been teasing you!"

"Cut the crap, Lory. You've supposedly loved and wanted me all this time but you won't let me touch you?"

"Is sex all you can think about? Is that all you want? Is it that important to you? Fine."

Lory whipped her t-shirt up and over her head and flung it to the floor in one swift motion.

"Lory, what are you doing?" Dean scoffed, rolling his eyes, but bringing them back to rest on her heaving bra.

"Might want to hit the lights," she said, standing up to remove her jeans, "you don't want the rest of me to distract you from the vagina."

"Put your clothes back on," he shrugged, folding his arms.

Straddling his outstretched legs, she leaned over, looking into his eyes with a deeply hurt expression.

"Go ahead and treat me like one of the sluts you picked up every time you made a stop."

All she saw was his jaw tense before she was flipped on her back, all of his weight crushing her as his powerful arms held her wrists to the mattress at either side of her head. There was something in his eyes she had never seen before- this savage longing… For the first time in her life, she was afraid of him. But she'd be damned if she'd ever show it.

"So, what, are you going to choke me, now?" she whispered up to him, her eyes wide but unwavering.

He brought a strong hand to her throat, forced her jaw up and back and she gasped. His grip, however, was not rough. It was not painful, but it was firm. It slipped up and down the length of her neck, slowly turning her head to the side.

"I would never hurt you, Lory, physically or otherwise. And you know that."

"Do I?"

He took the curve of her jawbone between his lips for a soft, tender moment.

"You should."

He released her, sitting up over her slightly crossed legs for a moment before pulling her up into an embrace. He brought his lips to her ear.

"I never thought I would say this, but come on and put on some clothes."

.