Aaaaaaaaaaannnndddd we're back!
:D
So, this is chapter six, obviously, and just a few things…
Our chapters are almost never the same amount of pages. The numbers always vary depending on what's happening in the chapter, so this one's about 19 pages or somewhere thereabouts.
Almost all of our chapters also have theme songs. From now on, we will most likely be listing the music for each chapter. No guarantees, though. We are pretty lazy.
The content of this one gets a little steamy, but not too hardcore. :) So I would recommend that you enjoy it. Haha. I know we loved writing it.
Think that's about it… soooooooooooooooo…
We now present for your reading pleasure, chapter six of Climbing Up The Walls.
Music: "Climbing Up The Walls" by Radiohead
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Climbing Up The Walls
Chapter Six: A Taste of Sam
By: kripke's keepers
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The flames ate up the old, rotten wood quicker than Tyler would have thought possible, licking over the decrepit old courtyard surrounding the tree at a break-neck pace. She watched from a safe distance, holding the empty gasoline can and leaning against the Mustang. She held her left arm close to her body as Tosh walked up from the back of the building and leaned next to Tyler.
"Well… that was fun." Tosh said airily.
Tyler snorted, turning to look at the brunette girl and laughed. "Yeah, if you like getting beaten like a tough steak and then almost barbequed to boot." Tosh shrugged and got into the car. Tyler put the tank in the back seat and got into the car.
"Mm. But we saved those kids." Tosh said softly.
Tyler leaned her arm across the top of the door, driving quickly over the dirt road as she headed back to the sorority house, wincing at the bouncing of the car. She looked over at Tosh. The brunette had her head laid back against the headrest, eyes half closed, her right eye glued shut with blood.
"Mm." Was her only response to Tosh's comment.
Tyler looked back at the road, choosing to ignore the throbbing of her head and the blood running down her side, oozing through the make-shift bandage that Sam had tied across her ribs and the torn hunting clothes she wore. All she could think about was getting dizzy enough to wreck the Mustang into a tree so she turned the radio on, loud rock music blaring from the speakers. Tosh jumped, clutching the arm rest and looking around.
"Sorry about that." Tyler reached out and turned the music down, glancing over at Tosh. "So how you feeling?"
"Like shit." Tosh groaned as she leaned to the side and felt along her spine.
"Well... at least you feel like you look." Tyler grinned.
"Harlot."
"Whore." Tyler shot back. Both of them laughed, Tyler hunching slightly against the pain in her ribs.
"How are you?" Tosh asked as she pulled baby wipes from the glove compartment, slowly working her eye open against the tangled eyelashes, the baby wipes in her hands slowly turning pink.
"Fine, I guess." Tyler stared through the windshield at the road, focusing on the speed limit sign as it whipped by.
"Mm. Yeah, I'm sure." Tosh turned back to her original position.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You just seem to be a little far away... A lot's happened today." The brunette paused before adding, "Though it could be the blood loss." She smiled slightly. Tyler twitched her shoulders in a shrug.
"Yeah..."
They sat in the semi-silence, the scratchy rock music barely covering the silence in the car. Tyler sighed after a few minutes, completely turning the music off and sitting back in the seat.
"I've just been thinking about the Winchesters. I mean, Sam and Dean..." She glanced at her partner whose face was carefully blank. "There has to be some reason why they came here."
"Well, duh." Tosh rolled her eyes. "They came here because they wanted to hunt down the shifter that they were told about. They never would have been here otherwise."
"Regardless." Tyler flexed her hands around the steering wheel. "Regardless of that - though that is a part of it - why would we have dreamt about them? What the fuck does that even mean anyway? What's happening to us, Tosh?"
"I don't know, Ty, I don't know." She shrugged, turning and staring out the window at the scenery flashing by. "I just know that this is something that we can't let effect us. We are going to continue with our jobs just like before and we are going to ignore the Winchesters and let them walk out of our lives just as easily as they walked in." She turned furiously to stare at her partner. "We don't need their help, Ty!" She bit her lip hard to keep from saying more and turned back to the window, trying to ignore the image in her mind of Dean laughing at her impressions.
Tyler turned half way to glance at the brunette. Tosh's arms were crossed over her chest and she stared moodily out the window, mentally cutting the trees and bushes to shreds in her frustration. The blonde wisely chose not to say anything, turning back to the road and turning the music back on. The rest of the drive continued in silence from both girls, the music filling the empty space in the car that was normally filled by laughing and jokes, even after difficult hunts. The matter of their individual feelings for the Winchesters seemed to be a living, breathing monster between them that they were both defenseless against.
"Damn." Tyler muttered softly, turning the music up louder.
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"You want?" Dean asked, holding what was supposed to be a chicken sandwich out to Sam. He shook his head and continued typing on his laptop. "Fine." Dean muttered, tossing it out the window onto the grass.
"You do know this is a campus, right?" Sam asked without looking up. Dean shrugged and took another bite of his cheeseburger.
"What I don't get," Dean started, "is why that Tosh chick hates me so much." Sam snorted quietly. "I mean, I've been nothing but nice to her." Sam full out laughed and shook his head. Dean raised his eyebrows slightly. "Well, mostly nice." He muttered, turning to look back out at the night.
"She's just immune to your charms." Sam said, looking over at his brother. Dean scoffed.
"It's not that." Sam looked over at him with raised eyebrows.
"What is it then?"
"Oh. I don't know. I just know it can't be that she's immune to my charms." Dean said with a winning smile. Sam rolled his eyes and turned back to his computer.
"I think if you treat her more like an equal, she'll be nicer to you." Sam said absently. "As of right now, you've been treating her like she's only worth talking to because we need her and her partner."
"Uh, news flash, Sammy," Dean said sarcastically. "That is why we've been talking to them." Sam shook his head.
"I know that, but you should at least try to be friendly. We're hunters, Dean. Most of the time, the only people that hunters have to rely on is other hunters." He turned and stared out the window. "Which sucks sometimes." He mumbled. Dean snorted.
"You're just saying that because you have the hots for Tyler." Dean said with a smirk. Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat and frowned slightly.
"That has nothing to do with this." Sam muttered, his eyes roaming over the text on his screen.
"Mhm." Dean said, turning around and looking back out the window. "I guess the fact that we're going to be sleeping at their place tonight doesn't have anything to do with anything either." He turned a sideways glance at his brother who sat in silence, his forehead creased in a frown as he stared too intently at his computer. "You've been looking at the same screen for twenty minutes." Dean commented quietly.
Sam sighed and shut his laptop hard. He turned and stared at Dean with raised eyebrows.
"Anything else you want to say now that you've completely distracted me?" He asked.
"Yeah. Why is it that Tyler seems to hate me too?" Dean asked. Sam rolled his eyes and opened his computer again.
"I don't know. Both of them dislike you, but Tosh actually seems to like you more than Tyler even though Tosh is the one who is always yelling at you and starting things. Tyler barely acknowledges your existence." Sam sighed. "Why don't you go take a walk?" Sam asked. "You're driving me crazy." Dean nodded solemnly.
"That's an awesome idea." He said, getting out of the car and shutting the door happily.
"Wait!" Sam called, leaning over to look at him. "Why are you so happy?" Dean leaned over and smiled, holding out his hands.
"Take a walk at night around sorority town? Ha! No problem." Dean leaned up and shoved his hands into his pockets, strolling down the street as Sam shook his head.
"Figures." The younger Winchester muttered as he picked up reading where he had left off.
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"You know they're going to be waiting for us outside, right?" Tyler tossed to Tosh as they pulled onto the campus. She glanced around before pulling into the parking spot behind the building. Tosh remained silent, frowning as she threw the door open and slammed it harder than necessary. "Hey!" Tyler called. "You don't have to be mean to my baby!" She leaned down and rubbed the side of the Mustang with her hand. "Don't worry, sweetheart. The mean lady won't hurt you anymore."
"Oh hah hah." Tosh rummaged through the trunk and placed all the gear back except for her gun and a few knives. "Really, Ty, you love this car a little too much." Tyler shrugged slightly, pulling the shotgun from the front of the car and placing it in the back and sliding her sword into the compartment behind the seat.
"You're trying to change the subject." Tyler leaned against the door of the Mustang and stared at the brunette girl in front of her.
"Well, what if I don't want to think about the subject?"
"It doesn't change the fact that the Impala is over there and I can see the boys getting out and heading over here." Tosh turned and glared over her shoulder. It went unseen in the dim light and Tyler laughed slightly. "Also, I don't think that it changes the fact that they are going to be staying with us in the house tonight so that we can plan what we're going to do." Tyler held up her hand against Tosh's protest and pulled her friend closer. "We should talk to them and see what's what. It's not fair to judge them by a tiny mistake, Tosh, and you know it." She paused. "Ash is gone, Tosh. Hunters have only hunters. That's how it is." She stared at her friend meaningfully and the brunette sighed.
Taking the sigh for agreement, Tyler raised a hand to Sam and Dean as they headed over to meet them. Dean jerked his head in response while Sam rewarded them with a small wave.
"Hey Ty." Sam smiled and Tyler returned the smile, letting Sam take her bag from her hands and laughed slightly at Sam's widened eyes. "You're still bleeding from your side?"
"Yeah. I don't know why, but I guess the sucker got me deep." She smiled up at him. "I'm glad you got me patched up in time or I might have ended up a lot worse than being in a little pain still." Sam smiled, looking down and away.
"It wasn't a big deal."
Tyler laughed and held her left arm against her body as she and Sam walked towards the house. "Don't know about that."
Tosh watched them walk toward the house, glaring and not noticing that Dean fell into step with her. She stalked her way up to the front stairs before she caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye. She whipped around and glared at him, standing on the step above him.
"You're really close right now."
"Well, you are standing in front of the door."
"But you don't have to be right on top of me." Dean smirked and stepped up onto the same step as Tosh and grinned down at her. There was less than an inch of space between them.
"Trust me, baby, if I was on top of you, I'm sure you wouldn't be complaining." He laughed slightly, leaning even closer. The brunette froze as Dean moved closer. She suddenly jumped to the next higher step.
"Listen, you overbearing arrogant jerk. You think that just because you've been raised to hunt and you've got serious skills and you're all hot and dark and sexy doesn't mean you don't have issues the size of Mt. Fuji and it also doesn't mean that you're going to be able to get anywhere near me." Dean raised his eyebrows at the furious girl in front of him.
"Did you just say that I was sexy?" He grinned and she threw her arms up in frustration with an exasperated sound as she went inside.
"I can't win." She cried. Dean laughed and shook his head.
"No you can't, baby." He pulled the door closed and locked it behind him.
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Tosh reached over, grabbed the scissors, and snipped the bandage ties around Tyler's ribs. She pulled her sleeves back and surveyed the wrap. Looking at all of Tyler's other bandages, she gently took her left arm into her lap. Tyler winced and closed her eyes against the pain.
"Well, the good news is that you didn't break it. It's just a sprain, thank goodness." Tosh said, slowly winding the arm in an ace bandage before putting the brace on it.
"Yay. Sprain." Sam gave a soft smile down at the table as he cleaned the knives and Dean cleaned the guns.
"Yay indeed." Tosh fastened the last Velcro strap and tweaked Tyler's nose. Swatting her friend's hand away absently, Tyler stood and stretched, reaching as high as she could without wincing in pain.
"Well, I feel like shit warmed over so I'm going to bed." Tyler walked over to the table and hugged Sam's shoulders in a light squeeze. "Thanks again for your help, Sam."
"No problem." He grinned. "Good night. Let me know if you need anything." Tyler nodded and turned away from them.
"Well," Tosh said as she followed Tyler into her room, "I don't think she'll need to go across the living room for anything she'll need. Night!" She shut the door to Tyler's room and locked it.
"What was that all about? Do I really need to say it again?" Tyler asked wearily as she sat heavily on the bed.
"What was what? Say what again?" Tosh busied herself with picking out Tyler's pajamas and pulling off her shoes. Tyler put her right hand on Tosh's shoulder.
"You know that they can't replace you, right?"
"Oh god, Ty, don't get so freaky sentimental on me, okay? I understand you're woozy from blood loss and getting slammed into a wall a few times, but that's really no excuse for such crazy gaga talk." Tyler leaned back against her pillow and laughed slightly.
"You did not just say that I was talking crazy 'gaga', did you?"
"What if I did?"
Tyler turned and stared at the brunette. "I'd have to kill you." The blonde said dryly. Both of them burst out laughing.
"I really do think you need rest." Tosh stood up and stretched. "If you need anything, you know where I am." Tyler nodded and smiled at her partner as she went through the bathroom door to her own room where the she lay down on her bed without changing clothes. Tosh was asleep within seconds.
"Lucky." Tyler muttered and tried to get comfortable. "It's gonna be a long night."
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Tyler shifted and turned over, leaning on her left side. Her eyes opened for a second and she groaned. She didn't know why she had moved until she heard the quiet knocking at her door. She laid there and stared at the door.
"Mm. Tosh? What do you want?" She heard her friend roll over in her bed and Tyler looked through the bathroom to see Tosh still sleeping. "Shit." Tyler slowly rolled out of her bed, standing up slowly. She bent down and came back up with a gun in her right hand before walking over to the door.
"Who is it?" No voice answered, just another light knock. She pulled the chain lock off of her door and slowly opened it with her left hand, keeping the gun up behind the door. Sam's face, colored strangely by shadows and various lights from the apartment, met her eyes and she let out a little sigh of relief.
"Sam? What is it?" She rubbed her face with the back of her hand.
"I'm sorry I woke you up. I couldn't sleep and I thought I'd come and see if you were okay." He grinned. "I thought maybe I could be the one to walk across the living room and offer to get you something." Tyler laughed slightly and shook her head, pushing the door open and turning to walk back to her bed. Sam closed the door behind her and followed her. Tyler lay back down on her bed and Sam gently closed the bathroom door before sitting on the edge of her bed, turning to look at her.
"So how are you feeling?" Sam's eyes ran over her body quickly.
"Hm. Fine, I guess. I'm going to be sore for a while, but I'll manage." Tyler rolled onto her right side and ended up curled around Sam. "I'm just really tired."
"Can I ask you something?" Tyler nodded. "When something like that happens to you, don't you get scared? Don't you wonder if you're ever going to be okay again or if maybe this isn't the job for you?" Tyler propped her head on her arm and stared at him for a moment before looking away and answering.
"Well yeah... there are times when I don't know if I'll ever open my eyes again and I can't breathe sometimes because I'm so scared... but I know... I know that what I do, what I risk myself for, is to save innocent people, something I haven't been in a while." She laughed slightly and looked at him again. "This being right for me… well, no, I don't really like this job and I hate it sometimes, but it seems like this is what I was meant to do. I have to help people... and I have to take care of Tosh." She smiled slightly, the smile tinged with bitterness. She looked at Sam and was surprised at the sadness in his eyes. She reached up and cupped his face, trying to figure out what he was thinking.
"If you're always taking care of other people and Tosh..." Tyler rubbed her thumb over Sam's cheek when he paused, urging him to go on. "Who takes care of you?"
She laughed slightly before sighing and going to pull her hand away. Sam caught it with his own and held it there. She looked at him, her eyes searching for some meaning in what was going on. He leaned a little closer.
"Well?" He asked.
"I... I don't know." She looked away and sighed. "I don't need anyone to take care of me anymore." Sam slipped his other hand under her cheek and turned her head back to look at him.
"What if it's not about needing, but wanting?" Tyler stared at him, unsure of what to say. He continued, "What if you want someone and you don't realize that you also need them? What if... what if, for tonight, that person could be me?" He raked his eyes over her face. Tyler kept it carefully blank.
"Sam... Sam, I-" He cut off her voice with his mouth on hers. Tyler's eyes flew open in surprise. She pushed his chest slightly and they parted. "Sam, I don't want to hurt you, really, but I don't know if this is right." He stared at her, waiting for her to go on, and ran his hand up and down her uninjured side, stopping and squeezing her hip. She closed her eyes and shivered slightly. "S-Sam... please, I..." She opened her eyes and he hovered there, waiting for her answer. He ran his tongue slowly over his lips and that was all it took.
Tyler reached up and pulled Sam closer by the collar of his shirt, locking onto his mouth with her own. She pulled him closer and he threw his leg over hers, sliding his knee between her thighs. Tyler moaned slightly, tearing her mouth away from Sam's and biting and kissing her way down his jaw and neck. Sam slid his hand along her left side, barely grazing the wound on Tyler's ribs. She sucked her breath in sharply and squeezed Sam's upper arm, relishing in the firm muscle under her hand. Sam locked his mouth on her neck, biting slightly and sucking, kneading her skin between his teeth.
She pulled hard on his arm until more of his body rested against hers, relishing the way that he still held himself tense above her. She slid her hand along his side to his lower back, her hand playing over the muscles as she brought her hand up to the base of his neck. He slid his hand to the base of her neck and pressed his lips to hers. She bit on his bottom lip and sucked, hard, causing him to deepen and harden the kiss. Sam ground his hips against Tyler's, causing her to tear her mouth away from his and moan. Her hand slipped from the back of his neck to his arm, her fingers digging into his muscles. A small moan passed his lips and Tyler's hand slipped from his arm to the mattress, clutching at the sheets as he slid one hand up to cup her breast.
His other hand slid slowly toward her left arm. He locked his fingers around the brace and began to squeeze, growling in pleasure at her small whimper of pain. Tyler's eyes flew open and her eyes flew to her bracelet. It glowed, the little piece of metal trying to dance its way off the hook. She bit down hard enough to draw blood from Sam's neck. He roared in pain and squeezed her arm even harder, calling a scream of pain from her too. Sam laughed as she tried to wriggle away from him. He held her tight with his legs, holding her underneath himself by putting all his weight on her.
"Sam, what are you doing?" She asked, looking at him hard, her eyes sweeping over him and finally resting at his eyes.
"What's wrong, Ty?" He asked mockingly. "Don't you like this? I just want to take care of you." His mouth opened in an evil grin. Tyler panted with pain and the effort not to pull her arm away from his grasp.
"You're not Sam." She spat at the thing. He laughed.
"How'd you guess?"
"You're on your left knee, Sam." She nodded down to their entangled legs. "You could barely walk without limping earlier. There's no way you'd be leaning on it so much." She shook her head. "And besides, Sam isn't so cruel."
"Hm. Don't know about that." He mocked. "There's a lot you don't know about little Sammy." He laughed. "Come on, you know you want me to be him. I can feel how much you want him. How much you need him." She turned her head away from him.
She could hear Tosh banging on the bathroom door, demanding to be let in. She stopped beating on the door and Tyler could hear her running across to where the guys were sleeping. She suddenly felt a sharp pain on her side as the thing on top of her dug his fingers into her wound.
"Why aren't you paying attention to me, Ty?"
"God! What do you want from me?!" Tyler screamed into his face. He smirked and leaned close, kissing her neck and biting slightly on her earlobe.
"You. Dead." He whispered, biting on her neck again. She tried to remain calm and breathe evenly. "But before I do that, I want to have a little fun first." He squeezed her hand until one of her fingers popped and she screamed.
"What the fuck are you?!" Tyler screamed. She looked into his face and gasped at the light reflected in his eyes. "Shape shifter. Where the hell did you come from?"
"Doesn't matter. You're not going to live long enough to care." He jerked his head forward and bashed it into Tyler's. She groaned, her head slamming against her headboard and her vision going spotty for a few seconds. She could hear pounding and thought it was in her head until she heard her name being called.
"Tyler!" Tosh was beating on the bathroom door again. "TY!" Tyler heard her run around to the other door that was already shaking with kicks that Dean was aiming at it.
"Tyler!" She heard the real Sam's voice and glanced over at the shifter crouched on her legs.
He smiled and went to jump. She slid her hand from the sheets up and under his chest as he jumped on top of her. She smiled sweetly into his face as he gasped, trying to breathe. He slowly slid off of the bed and onto the floor, Tyler's silver knife sticking out of his chest. She sighed, slowly pulling herself from the bed, trying not to fall as she walked to the bedroom door.
She reached over and unlocked the door, standing to the side so the kick that Dean landed wouldn't send the door crashing into her. The door slammed back into the wall and the three of them rushed in, looking around and holding their guns, brandishing them in their pajamas. Tyler laughed slightly.
"Oh my god, Tyler!" Tosh rushed over to where her friend was leaning against her wall. "Are you okay? What happened? Are you- wait, why are you laughing?"
"You all look ridiculous." Tears started running down Tyler's face as she laughed harder and harder.
The three of them looked at each other. Tosh was wearing a pair of boxers and a tank top. Dean was down to his boxers and Sam wore a T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. Each one of them had a gun and a knife of some sort as well as tousled "sleep" hair.
"Are you okay?" Tosh asked, taking Tyler's face in her hands. "You're acting loopy."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, Tosh." Tyler smiled and gestured to the shifter's body on the floor. "He's not though." She lifted her eyes to Sam's for a moment before looking down at the ground and wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand.
"Holy shit! What is that?!" Tosh jumped up and pointed her gun at Sam. "What happened?"
Dean jumped up and aimed his gun at Tosh. Sam stood there, not moving, looking from Tosh to Dean to Tyler. He looked at Tyler pleadingly and for a split second, she didn't know what to do, what to believe, because of her fear. She finally sighed and shuffled in front of Sam, pushing Tosh's gun down.
"Stop it. This Sam is real. That Sam over there is a shape shifter." Tosh put the gun down by her leg and turned with Dean to look at the shape shifter.
Tyler leaned against the wall, her knees buckling. Sam reached out and grabbed her upper arms as she fell. Tyler jumped back with a cry, falling out into the living room. Sam went to help her but she held up a hand.
"No offense, Sammy, but I don't want your help right now." She hoped using the sweet nickname would help get rid of the harshness. She glanced up, registering the hurt in his eyes, and back at the floor as she pulled herself up with the door frame. She caught his arm as he turned. "But I appreciate it." She gave a small smile and shuffled past him into her room.
"Well, it's a shape shifter alright. Damn, Sammy, this is the first time I've ever seen one turn into you." Dean smiled a little. "It's actually kind of refreshing." Tosh rolled her eyes.
"Oh shut up, would you? We have to figure out something to do with it." She glanced at Tyler. "And what it's even doing here."
"Well I think it's obvious as to what it's doing here." Sam looked at Tyler. "It was after Tyler, but why is what I'm wondering."
"Who knows?" Dean put in, leaning against the desk. "What I do know is that Tyler totally wasted it. Kudos." He smiled at Tyler and she shook her head.
"Barely in time." Her voice was quiet.
"But why was it after you?" Tosh demanded. "What did it say?" Tyler turned and looked at her.
"I don't want to talk about it. I just want to take a shower." She looked down at herself and the blood that covered her tank top and shorts.
"Okay. Go get cleaned up. We'll take care of this." Tyler nodded and unlocked the bathroom door, disappearing behind it. The sound of the shower turning on signaled the three of them left in the room to move to the living room.
"We have to get this out of my house." Tosh said as she leaned on the kitchen counter, pressing the on button on the coffee maker. She took a container from the cabinet and poured the contents into the coffee maker with the water.
"What are we supposed to do with it?" Sam asked, sitting at the kitchen table.
"I don't know! We just have to get it out of the house. The girls are already going to be awake, wondering what the screaming and banging was all about. And," she glanced back towards the bathroom, "I don't want Tyler to get out of the shower and this thing to still be here." The two guys nodded and Dean stood up, turning to Tosh.
"I'm going to need you to come with me." Dean jerked his head at the brunette girl. She opened her mouth to protest, but Sam beat her to it.
"You can't leave her alone here." He paused to make sure the shower was still going. "I mean, she's completely freaked out."
"I know. That's why you're going to stay with her." Dean smiled.
"What? Dean, she's terrified of me, of my face. I don't know what happened in there, but you heard her screaming." Sam shook his head. "I'm not staying here and scaring her worse."
"Well I can't walk down the stairs by myself with a body over my shoulder and not expect the girls downstairs to freak out. I need a house mother to escort me and since one of them can barely walk here, much less down the stairs, there's only one choice. I also need a hunter to help me get rid of this thing. Tosh is the best thing right now. It's almost six now. We don't have a lot of time." Tosh gritted her teeth and nodded.
"As much as I hate to say this, Dean is right. Sam, you have to stay here, look out for her. Maybe she'll relax enough to tell you what happened." Sam shook his head in doubt but sat back down at the table. Tosh turned to Dean. "Let me change and we'll go." He nodded and went to the guest room to get his clothes.
Sam sat forlornly at the table, sighing and looking around. Dean came out of the room with a small bag over his shoulder and looked at Sam. He seemed unsure as to what to say to his younger brother. He opened his mouth to try and Tosh walked back into the room.
"Ready?" She asked, walking towards Tyler's room to get the shape shifter. Dean nodded and lightly punched Sam's shoulder. The younger Winchester shook his head and rolled his eyes.
The two hunters lugged the shifter into the living room before pulling the knife from its chest. Tosh tossed the bloody knife onto the counter and got a blanket from the couch. She and Dean wrapped the body in the blanket and Dean picked it up like a sick person.
"Okay, we'll be back soon." Tosh said, very much the worried house mother all of a sudden. "Call us if you need us." She turned to go and Dean looked at his brother, rolling his eyes as he walked out of the room, making his way to the stairs. The shape shifter's head slammed into the doorframe and Dean almost fell from laughter before righting himself.
"Bye Sam." Tosh called before shutting the door. Sam heard the lock snicking into place just as the shower turned off.
"Crap." He muttered, staring at the bedroom door.
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Dean and Tosh walked down the many flights of stairs, Dean carrying the shape shifter over his shoulder as Tosh, walking in front of him, watched out for any girls going to an early class.
"Why did we have to take the stairs?" Dean grunted, sweat slowly dripping down his face.
"The odds of a girl taking the stairs as opposed to the elevator at this time of the morning are very slim," Tosh replied, constantly looking around them.
Just as those words exited Tosh's mouth, Dean saw a dark figure coming toward them. The lights were off in the stairwell, so he couldn't quite make out what was there. Dean grabbed and slightly squeezed Tosh's arm, pulling her to him, her back to his front. Dean leaned down, his lip next to her ear.
"I think you spoke too soon," Dean whispered, and then let her go and gently pushed her forward toward the shadow. Tosh could now make out that it was Heather.
"HEATHER! HEY BABE!" Tosh exclaimed with manufactured excitement, careful to slur her words to appear drunk.
"Hey!" Heather said, out of breath. She was carrying an insane amount of books for her small frame, her dark brown hair falling behind her and her glasses sitting, barely crooked, on her still sleep-glazed hazel eyes. "What in the world is going on here? Who is that, and what is he carrying?"
"Oh! Him? That?" Tosh said in mock surprise, slightly swaying her body "This is my date from the fundraiser, silly." Heather smiled and nodded at Dean who nodded back. "I have a project in Forensic Science and I kept a dum…..dum….." Tosh hiccupped for emphasis. "A dummy overnight. I forgot to take it back yesterday and Dean is helping me take it back. Isn't that right sweetie pie?"
Without warning Tosh turned away from Heather and lunged her body toward Dean, and pressed her lips against his. When she pulled away, she could see that his eyes were a mixture of surprise and sheer terror. Tosh lightly giggled.
"Right?" Tosh urged.
"Right." Dean replied immediately.
Tosh turned back to Heather. "Isn't he the greatest?" Tosh said dreamingly.
"Oh yes! You've got yourself a keeper. Guess it was good that I did that, huh?" She laughed sleepily. "Be sure to sleep it off soon, okay? Well, I've got to get to class. Tell Theresa hey for me. See you around." Heather said, walking past them, squeezing beside Dean.
"Okay! See you around!" Tosh said.
Dean and Tosh were outside mere seconds later marching toward the Impala. Tosh opened the back door and Dean lugged the shape shifter in and shut the door. Most of the drive was silent between Dean and Tosh, Metallica's instrumental Orion swelling throughout the car, both passengers deep in thought, Tosh staring out the window and Dean concentrating on the road. After many minutes, Dean reached over and turned the radio down.
"Where are we going to go to take care of this thing?" Dean turned to Tosh.
Tosh answered without tearing her eyes from the window. "I know a place. Turn left after the next stop sign, then turn right and keep going.
Tosh had led them to many acres of woods, far away from civilization. Dean gave Tosh an inquisitive look.
"What?" Tosh said, "I come here sometimes."
"Right…" Dean said, the wheels in his head obviously turning.
"Just forget about it." Tosh said with a sigh.
"Forget what?" Dean said.
"That kiss." Tosh walked around to the back to open the door for Dean, never meeting his eyes.
"Which one?" Tosh glared at him. "Whatever, man. It just surprised me, that's all." Dean said with a shrug.
"I had to make it look real, didn't I? As real as the look on your face afterwards." Tosh replied curtly.
Dean was hoping that she didn't see that. He reminded Tosh of a little boy getting caught doing something wrong when he said, he voice low. "Tosh, I..."
"Save it. Just drop it, okay? I'm used to this sort of thing, alright? I'm not a looker, okay? I get it. Especially growing up how I did… Never mind. Let's just nip this thing in the bud. Make yourself useful and grab some shovels. You have shovels, right?" Tosh dragged the thing out of the back and waited for Dean, not looking at him once.
Dean shrugged in resignation. Even though he had a way with women, with lots of women, he knew when he had been beaten, when there was simply nothing more to say.
After what seemed like days, Dean and Tosh where finished digging the massive hole in which to burn and bury the shape shifter.
"Jeez, this hole is big enough to hide the whole Terra Cotta army!" Dean said with a slight chuckle as the flames rose high, disintegrating the corpse.
"Yeah. Listen, thanks for helping me out, man." Tosh said, trying to alleviate the pressure between them.
"Sure. Whatever," Dean replied.
Sweaty and grimy, they made their way back to Tosh and Tyler's house. Tosh fell asleep early on. Dean glanced over at her. Hell, he wished he could sleep too. Just to get away from everything that had happened in the past few days.
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Sam stood up then sat back down, unsure of what to do with himself. He stood again and went into the kitchen and pulled two coffee mugs from the cabinet. He was deciding whether or not to pour the coffee into the mugs when Tyler walked out of her room in another pair of pajama pants and a baggy Harvard hoodie.
"Hey." She muttered, walking toward him but keeping the island between them. She hesitated before walking up next to him and reaching for the bigger mug next to his hand. She smiled slightly as he laughed and she poured her coffee. She turned and leaned her back against the counter, motioning for creamer. Sam opened the door to the fridge and looked inside. He turned back with a lost expression on his face. The whole bottom shelf of the refrigerator was filled with different types of cream. Tyler laughed at the look on Sam's face. The tension suddenly flowed out of the atmosphere, the two of them far more relaxed and smiling slightly at each other as Tyler leaned over and grabbed the regular creamer.
She downed half the cup after she stirred the creamer in and refilled the cup, taking the creamer and the coffee pot with her to the living room. She sat on the couch and placed the coffee pot on the table before she motioned for Sam to sit in the chair.
"You don't have to be so awkward, Sam." She said, smiling. "It's nothing you did." Sam hesitated, and then finally sat in the chair across from the TV and a little ways away from Tyler's perch on the couch. He kept glancing at her, watching her reactions to the cartoons they were watching and noting how much coffee she could drink in one sitting.
"So…" Sam started after they had been sitting and watching TV for a half an hour or so. She rolled her head along the back of the couch and looked at him. "Tosh said that I should interrogate you about what happened." Tyler laughed softly.
"Oh did she now?" Sam shrugged.
"Yeah." He said, pushing the hair from his eyes. "But if you don't want to, I understand."
Tyler's playful smile faded and was replaced by a thoughtful frown. She stayed silent and looked out the window for a few moments before saying anything.
"I don't really know what to tell you." She replied, still staring out the window. "I guess I just didn't think about the fact that..." She glanced over at him before looking away again. "Well, needless to say, I should have found it weird that you were even in my room that late in the first place, much less that you kissed me." She cleared her throat slightly, the tops of her cheeks turning vaguely pink.
"I- it- kissed you?" Sam turned slightly to face her, resting his arms on the high arm of his chair. She nodded, pulling her sleeves halfway up her arms.
"Yeah. Yeah he did... among other things." She turned and mimicked him. "It was weird. I should have guessed that something wasn't right when he started saying exactly what I was thinking. Er, well, exactly what I wanted him to say..." She said more to herself than to the guy in front of her. She laughed. "I think you put something in this coffee."
"Well, Tosh made it, not me." Tyler sighed and shook her head.
"Figures. Brandy probably. Always loosens my tongue and I'm so used to it I can barely taste it." She held her cup out for Sam to smell. As he put his nose to the mug, he caught the tang of alcohol. "Alas, I may not be a light-weight, but I befriended the taste so well I don't even think twice sometimes." Sam's eyebrows rose.
"Really? And how did that come about?" Tyler laughed, tossing her damp hair over to one side. She ran her fingers through it slowly, drawing Sam's eyes to her golden locks.
"Well, you know we were friends with Ash from MIT?" Sam nodded. She continued softly, "He was living with Ellen at the Roadhouse and we decided to go and hang out with him for the summer." She smiled slightly at him. "You guys know all about our family life, so that shouldn't surprise you. Anyways, we were hanging out and learning some cool knife tricks, typical hunter things to do when a 'pretty young thang' shows up, when Ellen suddenly tosses me an apron. 'You mind lending me a hand?' she asked, like I had a choice once the apron was on." Tyler laughed. "I bartended for the whole summer. Drank the whole summer. Realized that Jose is not my friend... all summer." Tyler leaned against the arm of the couch and smiled. "I did learn a lot though." One or two tears rolled down her cheeks and she wiped them away impatiently.
"Huh. Well that wasn't what I was expecting." Sam muttered, pulling a laugh from Tyler.
"What did you expect? Some story about how I was an alcoholic or one of those overly indulged young debs?" She smiled, shaking her head. "I gave everything up when I came to America. Almost all of my family abandoned me. My grandmother still talks to me because she wants to brainwash me into coming back, but my dad..." She paused, looking up and realizing what she was saying. She cleared her throat before continuing. "My brothers want me home, but they're my brothers. I don't expect anything different from them." She looked at him and smiled. "So, you have any other siblings?" She asked with a crooked grin. Sam smiled.
"You do know that I can tell you're changing the subject, right?"
"Yeah. I was hoping that the two cups of coffee you had would be enough to make you forget but no such luck." She smiled and leaned her head on her hand. "Alright, Sammy, do your worst."
"If you don't mind me asking, what did he say to you?" Sam's face was thoughtful, his body language somewhere between eager for the truth and expecting the worst news he had ever received. Tyler hesitated to answer. She curled up and faced Sam, running her eyes along the lines of his face and the form of his body underneath his pajamas before letting them land on his eyes.
"He said..." she said lowly, causing Sam to lean closer, "that he wanted to be the one that I needed. Someone to finally take care of me instead of the other way around, for once." She turned haunted eyes to Sam's face. "It was scary how much he knew. He told me that I needed to be taken care of, but in a way that I wouldn't fight." She shuddered. "It's amazingly terrifying how well they can adapt to get what they want."
"Did he tell you?" She turned and looked at him in askance. He waved his hand. "You know, what he wanted." She nodded.
"Yeah." She inhaled slowly before answering in a whoosh, "Me. Dead." Sam's face became thoughtful.
"But why? What is it about you that-" He paused glancing over at her. Tyler laughed.
"You mean what is it about me that makes me so damn special?" She laughed, shaking her head and catching her hair in her hands. "The truth is that I don't know. I really wish I did. I really shouldn't have screamed. He probably would have told me more." Sam shook his head.
"No. I don't think that would have been a good idea in the long run." Tyler shrugged and leaned back against the couch.
"Whatever you say, Sammy." She smiled and closed her eyes. "It's not like I'm anything special that needs to be saved." She muttered her words slowly, drifting off to sleep.
"Tyler?" Sam asked. The blonde girl didn't answer. He rose and sat next to her on the couch, leaning close to her. "Tyler, I have one more question." Tyler blinked and opened her eyes, looking at Sam and smiling slightly.
"What is it, Sammy?" She reached her hand up and ran her fingers down the side of his face. He smiled slightly and grasped her hand tightly.
"When Tosh was aiming her gun at me..." He trailed off, waiting to see if there was any recognition in Tyler's eyes. She nodded. "She was going to shoot me but you stopped her. Why? How did you know I wasn't another shape shifter as me?" Tyler didn't answer for a few moments and Sam worried she had already fallen asleep. When she spoke, her voice made him jump.
"I didn't."
"Then why did you say that?" She shrugged, leaning closer and tucking her head between his neck and shoulder.
"I guess my problem is that I trust too much." She laughed bitterly. "And that I always want things that I can't have, for my own good or theirs." She sighed as she said it and Sam was struck with the sadness in the sigh.
It took him a few moments for the implication of the statement to settle in. He realized what she had meant and went to say something to Tyler only to discover that she was asleep, nestled in his arms. He had wrapped his arms around her without realizing what he had done. As soon as he realized what had happened, he also realized that he didn't care. It felt so good just to shut his eyes and pretend that everything was okay.
Tyler shifted slightly in her sleep and put her arm over his waist. He squeezed her slightly in a hug, relishing in the feeling of being able to hold someone without fear of them turning into something awful or doing something evil. He drifted slowly off to sleep, listening to the fuzzy sound of early morning cartoons, the humming of the heater, and the slow inhale and exhale of Tyler's breathing.
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Dean pulled his beloved Impala into the parallel parking space in the back of the dorm. Tosh was still asleep and slightly snoring. Dean hated to wake her up, but didn't want to carry her and make things even more awkward.
"Hey, Tosh," Dean whispered, gently rubbing her shoulder to awaken her.
Tosh's eye's slowly opened. "Are we here?"
"Nope. I just woke you up to be a tremendous jackass." Dean said, his lip curling up in amusement.
"Za zing! Nice one. Ha ha ha." Tosh answered sarcastically, alarmingly alert for someone who had just been asleep.
Dean and Tosh walked up the stairwell together. Finally making it to their floor, Tosh got out her keys, unlocked the door, and walked in.
The first thing she saw was Sam and Tyler curled up together on the couch. Dean walked up behind her and saw the scene as well.
"I guess Sam really does like her." Tosh said in a monotone.
Dean looked over at her and was surprised at the look in her eyes. Her eyes that were usually filled with calculation and slight judgment were now filled with something else, something different. Longing, maybe? Dean didn't have time to decide as Tosh abruptly turned to him with her usual expression.
"Go take a shower and I'll make you a pallet by the window." Tosh said.
"That's fine with me." Dean said, exiting toward the bathroom.
Tosh waited until she could hear the water running and then she started laying down different comforters on an air mattress she found in the closet. She spent a lot of time making sure it was perfect, which surprised her. She was also careful not to wake Sam and Tyler up, the two of them looking so peaceful on the tiny couch.
She heard Dean come out of the shower. Dressed in a clean white shirt and flannel plaid boxers, Dean came into the living room and looked from Tosh, to the pallet, and then to Tosh again.
"Here you go," Tosh said, handing Dean a fresh pillow. She left to head to the bathroom, wanting to start her own shower when she heard Dean.
"Yo, Tosh!" Dean whispered.
"Yeah?" Tosh replied.
"Thanks. For everything," Dean said, a small smile on his face.
"Sure. Whatever," Tosh said going to the bathroom, echoing what Dean had said earlier to her.
Tosh took a long shower, the hot water washing away all the grime of the day and easing her tense and aching muscles. When she finally got out after what seemed like hours, she checked on everybody, making sure everyone was okay. She never knew when exactly she started doing this, but it was sort of a tic of hers. She couldn't sleep until she knew that everyone under her roof was okay and that the doors and windows were locked. Even though Tyler never knew it, Tosh always checked on her.
Tosh covered Sam and Tyler with an extra blanket. She even checked on Dean and saw that, somehow, he had kicked off his covers and the cold air from the slightly cracked window was making him shiver in his sleep. Tosh walked over and did her best to close the dilapidated window and then kneeled beside him.
"Goodnight," Tosh whispered in Dean's ear, covering him up with the discarded cover.
Looking around the loft, double-checking herself once more, Tosh breathed a weary sigh and shuffled into her room.
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A/N: YAY! Haha. This was definitely a fun one to write, we'll tell you. It's a little complicated, we'll admit. A lot of stuff has happened to the hunters within the past two days. Haha. We are so cruel to our characters. :) If you have any questions, or are confused, please let us know.
Anyways, some definite thanks are in order. (We should have replied to you by personal message if you have an account on .)
We appreciate the reviews and the feedback from maron771121, moira4eku
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