Back for chapter three! Get excited! They finally meet! As always I beg you to review! Let me know what you think! Let me know if there actually is anyone in the world reading my supernatural smut!
Enjoy!
She looked everything like he had seen in his visions, yet entirely different. Close up, he saw the details his dreams had skimmed over. The cute quirk of her small button nose, the blue that seeped through the green of her large eyes and her tiny height. She probably wouldn't even reach his shoulders, he mused. Sam saw her watchful eyes take in his approach as she patted the golden retriever's head and he attempted to steady his breathing.
"Can I help you?" She called, standing up and clutching onto the dog's collar. "Do you need directions or something?"
Didn't she know who he was? Sam thought, crestfallen. Had he imagined their interaction at the diner?
"FBI" Dean cut in casually, fishing a badge from his jean pocket and displaying it. "Wondering if we could ask you some questions Lyla..." He trailed off, giving her opportunity to offer her last name. She didn't.
"What about?" she asked coolly, using every fibre of her being to focus on Dean and not the burning brown eyes of the man next to him.
"Can't say much, ongoing investigation and all that..." Dean replied with a friendly smile
"Well then I'm not sure what help I can be then" Lyla responded, her eyes darting for an instant to Sam's face before focusing back on Dean. An action that wasn't missed by the younger brother.
"Could we come inside, show you some photos?" Dean asked "see if anything jogs a memory?"
Her eyes darted to Sam again, with a flash of panic.
"Here's fine" She responded, gesturing to the porch steps. Dean and Sam in response, closed the distance between them in a few casual strides. The golden retriever whose collar identified him as 'Bob' watched them with interest before trotting over and nudging Sam playfully.
"He's beautiful" Sam mumbled, his first attempt at joining the conversation. He patted his silky ears as he had done yesterday and with that overcame his initial hesitation. There was a conversation that had to be had.
...
So much for a guard dog, Lyla thought darkly as she watched Bob happily greet Sam as if they were old friends. Where was his loyalty? Her hands felt awkward and useless without his collar to hold on to. She had no choice but to attempt to casually place them in her lap. She had no reason to be nervous, she reminded herself. Sam would only know so much as she allowed him to, and that was to be nothing.
"There has been a string of murders in the tri-state area over the last few months" Sam began, forcing her to look him in the eyes "Men and women in their early twenties, attacked in their homes at night" He paused for a moment, fixing her with a penetrating stare. "More than a dozen so far"
Lyla paled. Her dreams. She had already seen this.
"Was wondering if you could take a look at a few faces" Dean took over, watching her closely "Try and think if any look familiar. Maybe you've seen them somewhere..." He added with a knowing look.
Lyla took the stack of photos he offered her with shaky hands and stared down at the face of the first victim. He was an attractive, blue eyed mechanic and Lyla recognized him instantly. She had watched him be murdered in cold blood, not two months earlier. The next, a perky dental hygienist from Jersey, who had met her fate after coming home from her engagement party. Page after page of smiling, young faces who had died because she had done nothing to warn them. She swallowed heavily and looked back up at Sam's expectant face.
"Not ringing any bells" She said without emotion, shoving them back into his hands. Lyla noted his look of surprise and felt the smallest amount of smugness. Enough smugness, to overcome the nausea anyway.
"Are you sure about that, Lyla?" Sam pressed, taking a step forward. The first niggling of panic began to spread throughout her body.
"Definitely" She responded quickly and with that stood up and dusted off her shorts. "Well if thats everything..." she began before being interrupted by Sam.
"Lyla" he said gently "if for whatever reason, you did know these people, even if you've never met them, you could tell me" He fixed her with another knowing stare causing Lyla's eyes to widen in panic.
"Can't tell you what I don't know, Sam" She said moving back towards the door. "I really have to get going, so much to do. C'mon Bob!" she called as she opened the porch door for his golden furry body. "Good luck with the investigation. I'm sure you guys will get to the bottom of it all without me" And with one last glance at Sam, shut the door firmly in their faces.
"Well..." Said Dean after a moment of silence, "that was a bust" Stepping off the porch and moving back to the car, he paused to look back at Sam who was yet to move.
"C'mon Sammy, she doesn't know anything" He said impatiently, opening the car door with a creak and drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Sam followed after a moment, joining him inside with an expression of deep thought.
"She called me Sam" he said after a moment of silence.
"Ummm, well that is your name Sammy boy..." Dean offered helpfully.
"Yeah" Sam agreed with the beginning of a look of satisfaction. "But I didn't introduce myself"
...
It took more than four hours for Lyla to calm herself after her visit from the Winchester brothers. Bob had watched her with mild interest as she had paced from room to room, wringing her hands and mumbling to herself darkly, throwing out expletives here and there in exasperation. He couldn't suspect her, she reassured herself for the hundredth time as she prepared herself for bed. How could he? She had offered no information that could possibly suggest her involvement. None at all, she decided as she flicked off her lamp and snuggled under the covers, reaching out to pat Bob goodnight.
The vision came quickly and much more intensely. As she screamed for Sam and the fire consumed her, her sleeping body convulsed in pain. Waking from the trauma, she fell with a painful thud to the floor and cried out at the pain. She lay there for a few moments in a ball, until she got her breath back before crawling to the lamp on her bedside and illuminating the room in its warm yellow glow. Pushing a frantic Bob away, she got shakily to her feet and approached her bedroom mirror.
Her breath hitched as she took in the angry red welts that coloured her left arm. The arm, she realised with a start, which she had used to shield herself in the vision. It wasn't the first time, her dreams had manifested physical symptoms, but never had they been this extreme. A bump on the head, a bruise here or there...nothing life threatening. This was different, she thought grimly. This was a sign that her dream was not to be ignored. Sinking to the floor in despair, she allowed for Bob to finally approach and whine in sympathy.
"Its alright" she comforted, rubbing his ears. "I'm okay" Resting her head against his, to soothe them both, she set her teeth as the realization of what she was about to do, hit home. Goodbye vision free life, she thought as she got to her feet and pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt. Snatching her coat from its hook behind the door, she walked briskly out the front door, pausing only to hold the door for Bob who tailed her closely.
...
"Alright, take a deep breath Sammy" Dean said soothingly, handing his still shaken brother a glass of water. He had dreamt of the fire again, just as clearly as he had the first time. As soon as Sam had closed his eyes, it had come for him, bringing with it equal measures of agitation and confusion. Why wouldn't Lyla admit she knew him? What was she hiding?
"I'm okay" Sam said, shaking away Dean's attempts to help him stand. He stretched out his tense muscles as he drained the remains of the glass and shuddered. It felt so real.
"Same dream?" Dean questioned gravely, leaning against the tiny table of their motel room. It would be a long time before he forgot the strangled screams of his little brother that had woken him.
"Yep" Sam said in response, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Their conversation was interrupted by a muffled yet distinct knock at the door. Looking at each other in alert, each brother armed themselves quickly and moved towards the source of the sound. Dean peered through and keyhole and let out a murmur of surprise before wrenching it open to reveal a dripping wet Lyla and Bob. Needing no invitation, Bob bounded into the room, shook himself dramatically and sat himself comfortably on Dean's bed, placing his head on his paws and watching the humans with interest.
"umm... hi" Lyla said with more hesitation. She hadn't really planned much past this point. Going to the Winchesters and explaining was good in theory, little more difficult in execution.
"Come in!" Sam said, after getting over his shock. "You must be freezing!" He moved forward and gestured her inside before closing the door with a snap. Springing to action, he raced to the bathroom and came back with a towel which he wrapped securely around her, rubbing her shoulders for warmth. She peered up at him with a grateful smile and mumbled a thankyou. She was tiny, he thought as he looked down at her.
"Alright Sammy, give the girl some air" Dean said after taking in the scene with amusement. Sam's hands immediately left her shoulders, burning. He had forgotten Dean's presence completely.
"Its raining outside" Lyla offered lamely.
"Yeah, we got that" Dean said with a smile. A smile that left his face when he realised whose bed, Bob had taken up residence on. "HEY!" he yelled, making shooing gestures wildy. "Off the bed! Bad dog!" Bob fixed him with a cool stare that clearly said "Really?" before settling more comfortably on the pillow.
"We never really got to the whole "Listening" stage of puppy school" Lyla said with timid smile. "We were more the dig up the petunias, chew the shoes types" Sam chuckled at Dean's expression before taking in the blisters on Lyla's arm.
"What happened?" He demanded, taking her thin wrist into his warm hand and examining it carefully.
"Well, that's kinda why I'm here" Lyla said, trying not to focus on how nice Sam's touch felt. "We should talk"
"Thought that was what we tried to do this afternoon" Dean said coolly, taking a seat begrudgingly on Sam's bed.
Lyla's face went pink as she shakily took a seat across from Sam at the small table.
"I might have been a little less than honest" she admitted, glancing up timidly at Sam's concerned face.
"I kinda figured" He responded, offering her an encouraging smile.
"Do you know me like I know you?" Lyla blurt out unceremoniously, clutching her hands tightly together under the table and looking up at Sam in desperation.
"Yes" He breathed in relief. "How long?" he asked her.
"About a year now... you?" she said
"The same" he replied, nodding.
There was an awkward pause as everyone swallowed that information.
"Have you seen the fire?" She whispered, looking into his eyes with fear. This perked up Dean's ears.
"You've seen it too?" He demanded, moving closer to the two at the table in concern. "The fire in the log cabin?"
She nodded mutely, wishing she had Bob's collar to clutch onto. As if sensing her discomfort, Bob hopped off the bed and padded his way over, laying his head in her lap.
"But that doesn't explain this..." Sam said rubbing his thumb gently over her blistered forearm.
"Doesn't that happen to you sometimes?" Lyla questioned in confusion.
"Doesn't 'what' happen?" Sam asked in equal confusion. "I've never brought a souvenir from my dreams" He watched her face flicker surprise before she set her mouth in a firm line and sat up straighter.
"Well either way, we must be having this dream for a reason. You're in danger" She said decidedly.
"He wasn't the only one tied to a post if I remember correctly, sweetheart" Dean said, glancing at his brother for confirmation.
"I was probably collateral damage in someone's hunt for you" Lyla said confidently before Sam could get a word in. "I mean, in the scheme of things, small town waitress on one hand, renowned demon butt kicker on the other. Its not really a head scratcher."
"Wouldn't be the first time someone wanted one of us dead" Dean mused, tapping his finger thoughtfully on his chin. "We aren't very popular amongst the undead crowds for some reason..."
"But we can't just discount the fact that you're in the dream as well" Sam protested loudly, fixing Lyla with a look of disbelief.
"Of course we can" Lyla said dismissively, rubbing Bob's head for comfort.
"How old are you?" Dean asked Lyla out of the blue with an unreadable expression.
"twenty-two" she responded in confusion looking between the two brothers who were sharing a look of understanding
"You're on the demon hit list" Dean informed her tactfully.
"Dean, we don't know that" Sam chided his older brother, turning back to Lyla's mystified expression.
"I'm on the what?" She asked.
"The photos we showed you this afternoon..." Sam began delicately
"The people who died?"
"Yeah," Sam confirmed "They were all about our age and as far as we can tell, they all had powers of some sort"
"Powers?" Lyla questioned, her brow knitting.
"You know, like us" Sam explained "Some had visions; others could move things with their minds... or control people's actions."
"Freak squad stuff" Dean added before being silenced by a cold stare from his younger brother.
"How is that possible?" Lyla asked in disbelief.
"I don't know, how is it we have visions?" Sam asked in response, lifting his hands in surrender. There was another awkward moment of silence as the two brothers watched Lyla take in this information through deep breaths.
"Okay," she began "what you're saying is that I am part of a select group of individuals who for whatever reason have these abnormal "powers" and I use that word lightly, a group of individuals that is being slowly picked off one by one by some undisclosed evil thing, an evil thing who plans to burn me alive in some type of camping trip gone awry... does that about cover it?"
"That about sums it up" Sam agreed.
"Well then" Lyla said getting to her feet and pushing her chair in.
"Where are you going?" Sam asked in surprise.
"Anywhere but here" she replied before marching over to the door and disappearing into the raining night.
"Wait!" yelled Sam, scrambling to his feet and following her out into the car-park.
Bob and Dean stayed seated in the warm motel room, eyeing each other and the door.
"I will if you will" Dean offered.
Bob, taking another long look at the door, lay back down on the floor and yawned.
"Good call" Dean said in agreement, settling himself more comfortably in his chair, happy to wait until they returned.
Just another oh so annoying reminder to please review! Now that the ball is well and truly and rolling and I'm kindly updating every few days, you are obligated to tell me where my story falls on the
crap-o-meter. Please review! Ch4 will come sooner if there are more reviews!