Chapter 37

Sam stood in front of the hotel room door and debated on whether or not to go inside. If what he was thinking was true, there was no telling what he could walk in on and seeing his brother in a position like that, was not all that appealing. He glanced around as if looking for something to attract his attention elsewhere but the only other thing in the vicinity was the burnt picnic table Nadia had run to earlier. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair and then lifted his hand to knock. No one answered from inside so he knocked again. He waited but still nothing came through the door. Cautiously, he unlocked the door and opened it little by little. "Hello? Dean? Nadia? Are you here? Please cover up or say something if you two have made up…"

The light from the open door fell upon Dean sitting at the small table in the corner, scanning through the newspaper. He looked up and turned the front page to face Sam, "Look, Sammy, we made the front page… Well, sort of."

Sam read the large print on the paper, Attempted Murderer Caught: Possible Serial Killer. He glanced at Dean with a glare, "You could have said something so that I didn't worry about walking in on you in any…compromising positions."

Dean grinned up at his little brother and Sam couldn't help but notice how much lighter he looked. Dean looked healthy and young again. Sam lifted a brow, "You look better."

Dean winked and got up to toss something into his duffle bag. "The fountain of youth, Sammy." He pointed his thumb over his shoulder, toward the bathroom door, "That girl is the fountain of youth."

Sam cringed and busied himself with his own bag. "TMI, dude."

Dean shot him a confused look and the bathroom door opened. Nadia stepped out in a black pencil skirt and simple white button-up. A slow, sly smile appeared on Dean's face as he looked her up and down. He whistled, "Damn, girl." Nadia flushed and quickly looked away from Sam. He glanced from Sam to Nadia and back again, "Don't you have somewhere to be Sammy?"

"Dean!" Nadia swatted his arm and glanced apologetically at Sam.

"Actually," Sam sighed and lifted his bag from his bed, "I was just going to tell you I'm getting a different room. Preferably far away from this one."

"Oh come on, Sammy, she isn't that loud…" Nadia's jaw dropped open and then her eyes narrowed. Dean started to laugh until his arm flew up and hit him smack in the face. He froze, stunned and Nadia smiled brightly, even if slightly vindictively. Sam's eyes were huge and he and Dean both turned to look at Nadia at the exact same moment. Nadia and Sam burst out laughing; Dean didn't find it so funny.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of my head?" Dean glared angrily at Nadia.

Nadia checked herself in the mirror, took on the image of Hayley Graham, and fluffed her hair. "All agreements drop when you act like an ass." She glanced at his reflection and she smiled warmly. His face softened as he watched her go about such simple tasks; there was something soothing about them.

Sam cleared his throat, "As I was saying, I'm going to go get another room and then I'll meet you guys at the Impala." He looked Nadia over critically, "You sure you're up for this? It's only been a few hours since you passed out from exhaustion." Dean looked at her, seeming to second his brother's question.

"I feel fine, really. Loads better, I swear," she told them both. They glanced at each other and Sam seemed to be telling Dean that he didn't believe her. Her mouth twisted in chagrin; yes she had hardly been able to move a few hours ago, but since she'd woken she felt stronger than she had in a long time… Since she took off on her own, actually. She looked curiously at Dean and pondered the connection he seemed to have to her own strength. Probably just a state of mind thing, she shrugged it off and grabbed her purse which now resembled a briefcase. "I'm fine you guys."

Dean opened his mouth to argue so she decided she'd have to show him if her didn't buy her words; after all, actions speak louder than words. She sighed in frustration and to ground her and call up the warm tingle that was her powers—for lack of a better word. The 70's style hotel room faded away and the three of them were suddenly standing in the living room of her house back in Michigan. Sam and Dean glanced around themselves in shock and awe. As much as Dean denied it, she knew she always left him speechless when she did illusions like this one. His face reminded her of how excited he'd been when she'd first discovered her abilities. He had been utterly fascinated when she'd brought fire to her finger tips and controlled a small kiddie pool of water. Right then she promised herself that she would bring back that child-like fascination to him again. She'd show him that, yes she was a freak, but it had its perks.

The corner of Sam's mouth pulled up and he chuckled, "Alright, we get it. Now can you change it back so I know where the door is?" Nadia dropped the illusion so quickly it left Dean and Sam a little dizzy. Sam said a quick thanks before walking out the door.

Dean walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his lips at her ear. "You should have moved the door, played with him a bit. It would have been great," he smiled.

She smiled and turned her head toward him slightly and he kissed her cheek. "I came this close to moving the door knob or making him think the door was open already. I didn't think he'd appreciate walking into a door though, so… Besides," she turned in his arms and put her arms around his shoulders, "I'm the good one in this pairing." She smiled slyly and just barely pressed her lips to his. "And I owe him."

"For what?" Dean asked distractedly while he slid one of his hands from around her waist to her neck. His fingers brushed so softly down her neck; she trembled and pressed herself against him.

Her hand played with the hair on the back of his head and fought to keep her eyes off his lips. "Not giving up on me."

His face softened and the sadness in his eyes made her stomach fill with guilt. He leaned forward slowly and kissed her sweet and slow. She'd expected him to kiss her possessively, as if trying to prove to her that he hadn't given up on her either, so the gentleness of his lips made her head swim. When they came apart he kept their foreheads together and his eyes closed. Nadia hooked her fingers through his belt loops and enjoyed the nearness of him.

"You're keeping something from me." Dean's words were soft and only slightly accusing and made her mouth go dry.

She opened her eyes but kept them pointed down so that he couldn't look at her directly. "What?"

Dean sighed and stepped back, "Nadia, I'm not an idiot; I know there is something you're keeping from me."

She smoothed her skirt, "No there isn't."

"You can't even look at me." He paused to make his point and she couldn't make herself meet his eyes. "Do you know what this thing is? What's after you?" She could hear the accusation he was trying to keep out of his voice.

She forced her eyes to look up at him but couldn't hold his gaze for more than moment. "No, of course not," she swallowed and knew there was nothing about how she was acting that didn't scream I'm lying! Lying had always been easy for her but she always felt guilty when she did it. Lying to Dean made her feel like the worst person on the planet.

"Nadia," he stepped forward, reaching for her, when Sam knocked on the door.

She jumped at the chance to run away from this conversation. "We have to go." She hurried to the door and out to the Impala. Sam shot Dean and questioning look and he glared at the back of Nadia's head with a sigh.

Inside the car, Dean shot Nadia a look in the rearview mirror that said, this discussion is far from over. Nadia groaned internally; she'd thought she'd been doing so well at acting normal and free from the pressure of the entire army of heaven wanting her dead. Turns out this was going to be harder than she thought. She stared out the window trying to push everything from her mind but the approaching interview with Rebecca.

Dean parked the car down the road from the police station. With Nadia's confidence that she could handle herself again, Dean thought it best if she didn't go in alone. "They already think you're here with someone. Another agent. Sam answered your phone when you were…out. If you're as 100% as you claim, then you should have no problem disguising me as well." He looked at her with a smug eyebrow raised and his arms crossed. Nadia wasn't particularly happy about her sudden babysitter; but she disguised him anyway. She had thought it was almost too easy to convince Sam and Dean that she was fine; as it turned out, she had been right.

Sam waited in the car—disguised as a telephone company van—down the road. As Nadia and Dean walked into the precinct, Dean caught his reflection in the window. He grabbed her arm and gestured to himself, "Really?"

Nadia looked over the short, stocky, balding man with a horrible comb-over that stood in front of her. She was the picture of innocence, "What?" He narrowed his eyes at her and stomped into the station. Nadia glanced around her and grinned before following him inside.

The stationed looked exactly like she remembered it except there was more disorder as people bustled around with files and searched through papers while on the phone. A serial killer hits the town and all hell breaks loose, Nadia mused as she glanced around the bull pen. When no responding smart ass comment popped into her head, she worried for the first time if something had happened to Aidan since she'd awoke from the dream. She poked around in her head until Aidan snapped back at her like a sleeping bear. Sorry she thought and left Aidan alone and turned her attention back to what was going on around her. "Agent Graham," a voice sneered from her right.

It didn't take seeing him to know it was Carter. She looked across Dean and smiled condescendingly, "Officer Carter, nice to see you again."

He forced a spiteful smile and glared at her. "You here to work your magic?"

Dean looked at her from the corner of his eye. She sighed sadly, "Still only near flawless, I take it?" The muscles in Carter's jaw bulged and he looked like he was fighting for control over his temper. She turned away from him and walked directly to the Chief's office.

Bitch! The word shot at her with such venom she almost stumbled. Instead, she glanced back at Carter with a smile.

"I take it that's Carter?" Dean mumbled as they walked. Nadia ignored him but he got the message, "No wonder he hates you…" Her head snapped in his direction and he fought a smile. "You just put his jewels in a vice and crushed them."

She scoffed but smiled slyly while she lifted her hand and knock on the Chief's door. "Come in!" the Chief called and she didn't hesitate as she strode inside. He looked up, "Ah, Agent Graham," he smiled and she smiled professionally back.

"Chief. Is she ready to go?"

He looked surprised that she was already raring to go but he stood, "Of course. Follow me."

As he came to the door and led them out, Nadia introduced Dean and the Chief. "This is my partner, Agent Wesson." She saw Dean roll his eyes at her behind the Chief's back.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Agent." The Chief and Dean exchanged nods and continued on. "Here we are." They'd stopped in front of a gray metal door with a gold name plate that read, Observation room. He pointed to the next door down, "And that's the Interview room. I'll go have an officer bring her in for you. You're welcome to use anything you may need there in Observation." She and Dean thanked him and watched him walk away.

As soon as he was out of sight, Dean and Nadia stepped into the Observation room and closed the door behind them. "Alright," Nadia sighed, "you ready?" He shot her a look, as if reminding her that he'd been doing this a lot longer than she had. She rolled her eyes and looked through the one-way mirror to the empty Interview room. It was just like you see it on tv; small, dark, and depressing. The walls were cinderblocks painted dark gray, the table looked cheap and abused, and the chairs looked uncomfortable. On the floor, that the base of the chair facing the mirror, there was a metal loop sticking up from the cement. Nadia got nervous as she thought of the types of people who'd have to be chained to that; and then she realized she was about to walk into there with one. Rebecca was dangerous, not to her of course, but to others. She was a killer. I am a killer, Nadia felt sick to her stomach suddenly.

She closed her eyes as the smells and screams of San Quentin and Florida rolled over her like a crushing wave. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, trying to stop the floor from tottering beneath her. Her legs felt like overcooked noodles and she gripped the sill of the mirror.

Dean had been looking over the monitors and files on the desk in the corner. He opened his mouth to say something but the line of Nadia's shoulders and the set of her mouth told him there was something very wrong. Ice water flushed through his veins and his heart stuttered for a couple of beats. "Nadia?" his voice was tight. When she didn't answer, he stood and rushed over to her. "Nadia! Nadia?" He grabbed her arm and shook her gently.

When she still didn't answer, he forced her to turn to face him and placed both hands on the sides of her face. "Nadia, open your eyes. Look at me!" In the window a faded reflection of the balding man that Dean had become, looked back at him. That at least, comforted him.

Nadia inhaled deeply and the scent of Dean filled her nose and pulled her out of the darkness in her head. She blinked her eyes open and looked back into his pale green irises; all of her muscles relaxed immediately. He practically dropped with relief when she smiled at him. "Sorry, I went away for a little while there." Before he could ask, she hurriedly told him, "It wasn't the…thing that's after me, I swear. I just got lost thinking about some things I'd rather not think about."

His brows pulled together but before he could say anything, the door to the Interview room opened and they jumped apart. Through the glass, they watched Rebecca being brought in in handcuffs around her wrists and ankles and a chain connecting them to each other. She wasn't going anywhere any time soon. One officer kept a hand on her shoulder while the other squatted down and hooked her through the metal arch in the floor. Nadia could almost picture herself in Rebecca's position… She shook the thoughts away so that she wouldn't slip back into that darkness again.

She turned to face the door as the Chief, Carter, and several other curious officers filed into the tiny room. Carter was glaring at her the entire time and she was actually grateful, because it brought the take-no-crap Hayley Graham back to the surface and pushed Nadia Bella far away.

The Chief glanced into the other room and back at Nadia/Hayley. "She's all yours. Good luck," the way he said those words made Nadia bristle. She couldn't wait to show the Chief and that asshole, Carter, that she was a force to be reckoned with. She nodded to the Chief and weaved her way through the crowd and out into the hallway with Dean hot on her heels.

She paused in front of the Interview room door to take a deep breath. Dean put a reassuring and protective hand on the small of her back. She looked over at him and let herself see through the illusion. He smiled that trademark smirk of his and moved just a tiny bit closer. Conscious of anyone who might see them, Nadia smiled back and briefly touched her palm to his chest. She turned and twisted the knob, her head held high and her stance confident.