Chapter 32

It turned out driving with a tarp instead of a glass sunroof was not very practical. They were both soaked within minutes. Sam gave up and found an abandoned gas station to get under cover and wait out the storm. With Sam acting as lookout, Amelia was able to blow dry the interior of the car. She offered to do the same for him, but he opted to just change his clothes. Amelia wasn't insulted he had declined her offer. Now that she had decided to follow her heart, she was going to enjoy any opportunity to see his beautiful body.

Sam made good use of the time by finding the nearest Chevy dealer, which was in Canton; and arranged to get a new sunroof installed as soon as they got into town. While he had been on hold, as the dealership checked their inventory, it occurred to him; 'couldn't Mother Nature control the weather? Did she start the storm to keep him from asking more questions? No, she wouldn't do that; she knows we can't risk her power being detected right now.' He glanced over to where she was sitting and watching the rain with a sly smile on her face. If he didn't know better, he'd swear she had just heard what he was thinking.

X

The storm stopped, almost as quickly as it had started. Sam still wondered about Amelia having any part in it; but sudden storms weren't that unusual for mid-west summers. He was also still a little confused by yet another personality change. At least she was back to 'herself', with a touch of mischievousness thrown in. He knew there was more she hadn't told him; but he trusted this Amelia. He could wait until she was ready to tell him whatever it was she was holding back.

They made Canton by late afternoon and drove straight to the dealer. They had the window waiting and ready to install. They took the cooler out and Amelia stayed with that. Sam insisted he had to keep the car in eye-sight at all times; claiming he was very obsessive about his new car. He didn't mind them thinking he was a prick, but he couldn't have anybody snooping through the collection of weapons in the back. They were in and out in just under two hours.

They found the main Canton Post Office, just as they were locking the doors. Sam had wanted to check for a message from Jody; in case she was a day early, like they were. Sam found a motel near the post office they could afford. The new sunroof had seriously depleted their cash. It was early evening but neither was hungry, so he just grabbed some food to eat later, and they settled into the room.

Sam decided to call Cassie. After Amelia had confirmed it was her, he let her know what they had learned from Apsu. Not that he told her how and where he had gotten the information; he said it had been from Amelia. When he told her she would give a few drops of blood, because in her heart she still loved Dean, she was quiet but didn't disagree. He was telling her he'd come back down to get the blood after he got back from Wisconsin when she interrupted him.

"That won't be necessary, I'll come to you." She sounded amazingly like Amelia did when she made it clear there would be no further discussion on a matter. "Just tell me when and where." Sam smiled, not quite sure why, something about the kind of women that enter his and Dean's lives.

After Sam gave her the date and location; Cassie told him she had new information since his visit. She must have spent hours researching because she had learned a lot in the last two days. She e-mailed it to him while they were talking. After they had exchanged information, Cassie asked about the reports of Amelia being seen in Columbus. He said they were being more careful now. He asked if she had any contacts in the police department and if she knew anything that that wasn't being released to the public. He let out an audible sigh when she told him that according to the local police chief 'the feds were chasing their tails'.

They said their good-byes with the promise to stay in touch. He read over the information Cassie had sent him. She had found phone numbers for both Mike and Lucas in Wisconsin. He wanted to call one or both of them, but Amelia was in the shower and he needed her to verify they who he was talking to. He noticed Cassie had found a quite a bit on Evan Hudson, the guy Dean had gotten out of a crossroads deal. Evan had made good use of the time he had been given; he and his wife had become major benefactors in several causes in Greenwood, Mississippi. As he reviewed everything she had sent, it occurred to him, she had found everybody on his original list. He made note of those in the mid-west; they might as well at least start with those close-by. He'd drive to Timbuktu or the North Pole, if he had to; but he wanted to stay as close to Lawrence as possible.

He looked up from his screen and noticed Amelia had been in the bathroom a long time. He didn't hear water running, so she wasn't still in the shower. Actually, he didn't hear anything and started to worry; he hadn't salted the bathroom window before she went to clean up.

"Amelia?" He said as he knocked on the door. "Are you okay in there?" When she didn't reply right away, he took a step back getting ready to kick the door in; when she opened the door.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked, flushed and obviously peeved. "Can't a woman have a few minutes of privacy?" Amelia saw the look of concern in his face and immediately changed her tone. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to worry you."

Sam just stared at her, the way she said the word privacy left no doubt in his mind as to what she had been doing. She stepped out of the bathroom. She had either put on her dress without drying off or her hair was still dripping, because it was making the light-weight fabric damp and cling to her upper body. As she walked past him, he noticed she had that wonderful, wild flowers smell and he could almost feel the warmth radiating from her smooth skin.

After she had put her dirty clothes down, she turned back to him. His expression had changed; and she didn't need to read his mind to know what he was thinking. She knew all she had to do was take a step towards him and Sam would lose all his inhibitions. He'd take in his arms, kiss her and they'd make love all night long. Instead, she said, "Sam, I need to tell you something." In her mind, she added 'first', and hoped he'd still want her after she was done.

He knew from the tone in her voice, that she was ready to tell him what she had been keeping from him. He thought her timing kind of sucked, but it brought his mind out of the spell her body had cast on him. It wasn't quite enough to stop the reaction the rest of his body was having, however. She smiled slightly after glancing down and seeing why he hadn't replied. Her smile only made it worse. As badly as he wanted to hear what she was going to say, he wouldn't be able to concentrate like this. "Give me a few minutes." He said as headed to the bathroom. She nodded her head and gave him another knowing smile as he closed the door.

X

While he was in the shower, Amelia washed and cut up the fruit Sam had picked up earlier. He'd also grabbed a nice, crusty loaf of bread and some cheese. By the time he came out of the bathroom, she had arranged the items on the table and dug one the exorcism candles out of a bag. It was a simple, but lovely, repast she had arranged. Sam figured that meant either, it was really bad and she was trying to soften the blow. Or, it was really good news and they were going to celebrate. Being a Winchester, he put his money on the first.

"How bad is it?" He asked.

She smiled, in that sly and terribly sensual way, of hers. "Actually, I'm hoping you'll like it." She said as she handed him a glass. He smelled the amber liquid, smiled back at her and downed the whiskey. "I hope you don't mind me digging it out of one of the bags?"

"It's so bad you have to ply me with alcohol first?" He asked in a teasing tone. He noticed the bottle was on the table with the food, and went over and refilled his glass. Amelia sat down at the table, and Sam joined her.

"Sam, I need to answer the question you asked Apsu this morning."

"Which one?" He said and then sipped from his refilled glass. He was sure he knew which question; and he was also pretty sure he already knew the answer. What he didn't know was why she had tried to keep it from him. He had seen Apsu's surprised look and Amelia shake her head when he asked which fluid he would be donating.

Amelia saw the images passing through his mind; she should have known he had seen everything this morning. She could see he had already guessed what she was going to tell him. "You're going to make me say it; even though I know that you know?"

"Yup." He said leaning back in his chair. He could be as mischievous as her.

Amelia stared at him for a second and then stood up. Taking a formal-looking stance and in a serious voice, she intoned what she wanted to say. "Samuel Winchester, as the first of the seven, and closet to Dean; and because of your shared parentage, you will be asked to share semen with the talisman."

Even knowing what she was going to say, actually hearing the words was kind of weird. It wasn't quite as uncomfortable as their discussion on relieving sexual tension, but it was close. "You've known all along, haven't you?" He asked, wondering why she had kept this from him.

Amelia could hear the trace of distrust in his voice. "Yes." She had relaxed her pose but hadn't sat back down. "I've known since Apsu first told me about the incantation." This was not going as well as she had hoped.

"And you didn't tell me sooner because?"

She turned and sat down on the foot of the bed, avoiding eye contact with Sam.

"I'm going to insist on an answer here, Amelia." He said with a trace of hardness creeping into his voice.

She sat there with her head down, this was so not how she wanted this to go. 'Could nothing ever be easy between them.' She suddenly stood up and walked over to him. "You know, for a college-educated and seasoned Hunter you really are rather stupid." She said in frustration. "I didn't tell you because you can't just masturbate to make your donation. It has to be produced during an act of love. And it has to be with me, you..you.. ass. And I'm in love with you!" She paused to take a breath, her voice quieter and hitching as she continued. "And I hoped you could love me back by the time we made love to obtain your donation." She stood there in front of him, face flushed and tears forming in her eyes.

Not knowing how to reply, Sam slowly stood up, reached out and wiped away a tear from her cheek. "I'm sorry." Was all he could think to say; even though he didn't know what he was apologizing for. He reached out to wrap his arms around her but she slapped at his hands. He grabbed both of her hands in one of his and wrapped the other around her and just held her while she tried to stop crying. After a few minutes, he felt her take a few deep breaths and sniffle. He leaned back to see her face; and started chuckling at the sight. "Now, that's an attractive look." He said in a teasing voice.

She tried to push him away, but not very hard. "You really are an asshole, you know." She said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Maybe. But I'm the asshole who's pretty sure he loves you, too." He replied. He let go of her, bringing his hands up to frame her face. He leaned down, getting ready to kiss her…

"Hello, Moose. Who's your girlfriend?"