Chapter 35

Sam may not drink as much or as often as his big brother, but he wasn't exactly a light-weight, either. He woke up as soon as the sun started peeking through the curtains. He looked over and saw Amelia looking disheveled and mouth hanging open. He sat and watched her. 'If Dean was here, he'd take a picture to embarrass her later'. He decided against the idea, but chuckled a little anyway.

"Must you make so much noise?" Amelia whined as she turned away from the light shining into the room.

"What? Don't tell me you've never had a hang-over before?" Sam inquired, slightly louder than was necessary.

Amelia sat straight up in bed. "I am not hung-over! Goddesses do not get drunk or have hang-overs, Samuel." Just as she finished making her proclamation, she jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. She didn't take time to close the door, so Sam could hear the goddess up-chucking quite clearly.

"Well, goddesses may get hang-overs, but I'd have to say their vessels do." He yelled at the bathroom door. His comment was met with the door being slammed shut. He was still chuckling as he got out of bed and went over to the table. He saw the amulet lying where Death had left it. He picked it up and stared into the little face. "Hey, Apsu; was she this much fun when you knew her?" He asked with more than a trace of sarcasm. The talisman started vibrating and humming, and Sam could swear he heard it say 'YES' as he slipped the string around his neck.

X

Half an hour later, Amelia emerged from the bathroom; showered and only slightly green around the gills. She also had 'the look' on her face that made it quite clear to Sam that he had better be done teasing her about this morning's activities. He had cleaned up the debris from their dinner last night and made her a cup of tea. He ducked into the bathroom to shave and clean-up. When he came out she was dressed, sitting at the table sipping her tea and looking like herself.

"The Post Office doesn't open for another hour; I could go grab us something to eat?" Sam was actually starving but had been reluctant to mention food while she was indisposed.

"Could I go with you? A walk and some fresh air would be really nice." Amelia asked.

He went over to the table and sat down facing her. "Amelia. I know you hate being cooped up in here; but I watched some of the morning news while you were in the shower. You're still a pretty hot topic."

She looked up at him with sad but accepting eyes. "Okay."

Sam stood up and headed for the door. "Anything sound good to you?" He asked as slipped on his jacket.

Amelia just shrugged her shoulders without looking at him. 'Great. Yet another personality to get used to.' Sam thought to himself as he opened the door and headed to the diner a block away.

X

Sam had picked up a local newspaper while he was getting breakfast. The recent Amelia sightings and the freak lightning storm she had created were no longer front page news. But the third page was almost entirely devoted to recapping every sighting, witness report and police statement since she arrived just over a month ago. Amelia alternately fumed and laughed at the erroneous accounts of things she had supposedly done. "They're just making this stuff up." "I would never do that in a million years." "You've got to be kidding me; this guy is saying I made his rooster into a hen and it started laying eggs! Even if I could do that, I wouldn't."

Sam had sat silently. He had wanted to laugh at her reactions, but she seemed to take it all very seriously. "Amelia. They're just trying to sell papers; take it all with 'a grain of salt'." Between eating breakfast and reading the paper, an hour had passed and the Post Office would be open. Amelia didn't even ask if she could go with him this time.

As he waited in line to see if there was any mail in the General Delivery box for an Eliot Ness; Sam saw Jody walk into the building. At least he hoped it was Jody. When she saw him, she nodded almost imperceptibly and turned around and left. Sam waited a couple of minutes, then got out of line and followed her outside. He spotted her across the street on a bench. As he approached the bench, she got up and walked away, but Sam noticed the envelope she had left on the bench. He sat down and picked up the envelope addressed to Eliot Ness, General Delivery, Canton, Ohio.

Sam was glad Jody was being so careful. He wondered how much trouble she had getting here; he would have expected her to be here for at least a day, and to have mailed the letter as planned. All that was inside was a phone number. Even in a life-time of skirting the law, this was more cloak-and-dagger than he was used to. He found a pay phone, not wanting to expose his new cell number just in case Jody wasn't Jody or the FBI had coerced her into helping them, and called the number.

It rang once before she answered. "Sam?"

"Yeah. Are you okay?" He had heard the concern in her voice.

"Yes. I was just so relieved to see you. Where's Amelia?"

He didn't want to talk over the phone. He was sure, well pretty sure, it was Jody; but they needed to meet in person before he said anything that could be used against any of them if the call was being traced. "Everybody's good." He stalled, trying to figure out a safe way to meet. "You remember where we stayed?"

"I think so."

"Meet me there in an hour." And he hung up. If Jody's phone was being tapped, and she hadn't told them everything; which he was positive she never would have done, the authorities would have no idea where their meet would be. That still left demons and Leviathans, they would have her memories and know where to go. A demon he could exorcise. He really didn't want to chop off the head of a Levi that looked like Jody. He headed back to the motel, making sure he wasn't followed, to get prepared for anything.

It dawned on him, as he was ducking down another alley, on his way back to the motel; he could just call Jody back, with Amelia listening and he would know for sure if it was Jody. That thought made him feel much better; for about two seconds. He remembered how dejected she had looked when he told her it wasn't safe for her to go outside. He looked at his watch as he was unlocking the door; it had been well over two hours since he left the motel.

He heard the shower shut off as he closed the door behind him. 'For someone who wanted us to conserve the planet's natural resources, she sure takes a lot of showers' he thought to himself. "Amelia? You okay?"

The door opened a crack and her towel covered head peeked through the crack. "Yes. And I heard that!" She replied testily. "I'll be right out." She said as she closed the door again.

'Crap'. She was reading his mind again. He noticed Dean's clothing bag was open. He had never been able to leave Dean's stuff behind; it would be like admitting he was gone. He sat down and pulled out his laptop, looking for a street map to help him find the best route to the house they had squatted in while they worked to get Dean back from the 1940s.

The door opened and Sam was reaching for his gun out of instinct, when a young man with red hair stepped out of the bathroom. He stopped, with his hand still resting on the handle of his weapon, when he looked closer at the face, and saw it was Amelia. He just stared dumbfounded, as she walked into the room, turned around once and then asked, "Well? Can I go outside now?"