"Ten, nine, eig" She didn't get any further before he pulled her face to his and kissed her like the world might end if he didn't.

Chapter 47

If their timetable to Greenwood, Mississippi had been delayed by Sam's other-worldly trip into the amulet; the next 16 hours they spent holed up in the motel in Memphis destroyed it completely.

They had most of their clothes off before either had needed to break the kiss to breathe. Despite almost no foreplay, unless you counted the last week of sexual tension; they were both climaxing within minutes. The rest of the night, they took their time; exploring each other's bodies and going places neither had been before.

At some point during the night Sam took time to memorize every inch of Amelia's tattoo; tracing his fingers, and then his lips, over the lines and curls. The image was like his, a simple design that invoked feelings of safety and commitment. But hers also represented connection and community, a primal sharing, that his did not. He supposed he should have been surprised when the skin over the tattoo tasted different. They both had been sweating for hours and their bodies were covered in salty sheens. But, over her tattoo, the skin also had that familiar wildflower essence; leaving a taste like honey in his mouth.

It wasn't until mid-morning, when the maid knocked on the door, waking them; that the passage of time seemed real. Sam quickly threw on some clothes, ran to the office and paid for another day. When he returned, Amelia was already in the shower. He wondered if the magic they had created last night was over; when he noticed she had left the bathroom door open. Amelia had never done that before and Sam hoped she meant it as an invitation. She hadn't, but she let her appreciation of shower sex be known, twice.

By Two PM they had been able to keep their hands off each other long enough to get dressed and go out for something to eat. They were both famished and dehydrated; and the rest of the after-lunch crowd watched the tall, long-haired man and the small girl with bright red hair eat like they hadn't seen food in a week. Neither had wanted to risk ruining what was happening to them by talking about, well, anything outside the little bubble they had created the moment Sam had kissed Amelia.

"So." Amelia said as she swallowed a mouthful macaroni and cheese. "You going to tell me what Apsu said?"

Sam had known it was time to return to reality, too; but Amelia had beaten him to it. "Yeah, but not here." He replied as he looked around the diner. "And, I think we should get on the road. We can still get to Greenwood before it gets dark."

They both stopped eating; knowing, sad smiles on their faces, and sighed. Last night would never happen again; even if Amelia was Mother Nature, that kind of lightning only strikes once. Besides, they had a lot to do and only six days left. But, as Sam finished his food; something occurred to him; and since Amelia couldn't read his mind anymore, he leaned over and whispered in her ear. "You were right, last night was so much better than masturbation."

Amelia started choking on her food, still not used to his thoughts taking her by surprise.

X

"He didn't really tell me much of anything except what I said last night. He did this Vulcan mind-meld thing, and .." Sam trailed off when he saw the perplexed look on Amelia's face. "Sorry, I guess I got so used to you reading my mind.. it was a TV show, never mind."

They had packed the car and checked out of the motel just in time to hit another evening rush. Sam had given Amelia the same choice as last night, as they were creeping out of Memphis going south on the I-55; questions or repeat everything. This time, with no hurry, she opted to let Sam tell her about the encounter in his own time.

But he stammered trying to think how to explain everything he had been shown. "Maybe, you should ask questions, I have no idea where or how to start."

"Huh. You having second thoughts about blocking my mind-reading, are you?" She teased him.

"I didn't hear you complaining when I snuck into the shower this morning." He replied, grin on his face.

"No. No, I didn't." Amelia smiled back at him. "Well, let's start with last night. What changed your mind about having sexual intercourse before we have to collect your donation?"

Sam stared out the windshield for a long time before answering. "This is a lot harder than I expected. I mean, I can see and remember everything, but it's hard to put into words." He turned to look at her. "Maybe you were right; you think I could get Apsu to reverse the mind-reading thing?" As he asked the question, the amulet started vibrating violently and got very warm. "What the hell?" Sam yelled as he pulled the necklace off over his head, and handed it to Amelia.

Amelia held the amulet in front of her face and did the head tilting and nodding thing that told Sam she was communicating with the trapped god. Several minutes went by; Sam decided to take the first exit he saw, afraid it might not be a good idea to drive with an agitated god in heavy traffic. After he came to a stop on the shoulder of the ramp, he noticed Amelia had closed her eyes; and that the amulet had stopped vibrating.

"Well? What got his panties in a bunch?" Sam asked, but then realized she probably wouldn't understand the question.

She turned and looked at him, then reached across the car and hung the necklace back around his neck. "He said we're driving him crazy." Then she smiled at him and added. "And he doesn't wear underwear, so they can't ride up his ass."

It took Sam a second to realize what she had said. "Just like that? He removed the block, just like that?"

"Well, he ranted at me for quite a while. And, he said he'll be glad when Dean gets back; because, even if he doesn't get to be freed; we've given him more trouble in two weeks than Dean did in over 10 years."

X

Sam looked up Evan's number and called him while they were stopped on the exit ramp. He remembered Sam and Dean, and agreed to meet Sam as soon as he got into town. They got back on the interstate headed for central Mississippi.

Amelia had volunteered she would try to avoid reading Sam's mind except when they were 'working'; and even though she could now see his thoughts and feelings, they wanted to talk about everything he had seen shown by Apsu, but not while driving. It could wait until after they talked to Evan Hudson and collected his donation.

The problem with that plan, it didn't leave them much to talk about. They both knew last night was off the table. If they thought about that too much, they'd need to pull over somewhere and introduce Amelia to sex in a car. Even if Sam had any pleasant teenage memories of making out in a backseat; the thought of doing it in broad daylight, in Mississippi, with two people wanted by the police was a horrible idea.

Sam decided they could review the logistics and time table of the next six days until the ritual took place. As Sam started reciting the remaining preparations, he remembered something Amelia had said on their way to Lawrence. "Do we still need to try and contact Dean? You had wanted to have Missouri help you tell him the plan."

"I don't think it's absolutely necessary, the ritual should pull him out no matter where he is. But, yes, we need to send him a message." Amelia glanced down at the, now quiet, amulet. "According to Apsu, we need to make sure Castiel is with him, touching him. The spell will pull Dean from anywhere, and bring out anyone attached to him; but since the angel will not be part of the ritual, he can only get out if he's with Dean."

The remainder of the drive went smoothly, and Sam was sure they had covered all the bases. When Amelia asked what baseball had to do with their preparations, Sam knew she wasn't having much luck avoiding reading his mind; and he found it surprisingly comforting. The silent, almost unconscious connection felt like a caress, like an act of love.

Amelia leaned across the seat and whispered in Sam's ear. "If you think that is nice, wait until tonight; I'll show you a connection."

"Damn it Amelia." Sam didn't know if it was the surprise or that her voice exuded sex, but he had to grip the steering wheel to stay in control of the car. After he got his breathing back under control, he still needed to get his thoughts under control. "Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium…" She joined him in his recitation, and they both laughed like children as they went through the elements. They had made it to Number 80, Mercury, by the time the exit west to Greenwood was just ahead of them.

As Sam drove them southwest down the two-lane highway, Amelia regaled Sam with a story of one of her encounters with Mercury. It turns out the Roman messenger god occasionally would over-indulge and trip over his winged sandals. As she told the story, Sam remembered the time Dean tripped over his half-untied boots while drunk.

"You know, now that you mention it." Amelia said after seeing the image in Sam's mind. "Old Merc looked a lot like Dean. And, the way he likes to fly around in the Impala; maybe he's Mercury's reincarnation."

The image of Dean wearing winged boots popped into Sam's head. "We so DO NOT share that one with Dean when he gets back."