Before we get started, I would like to take the opportunity to respond to a couple reviews. This chapter is dedicated to Becca and banaanainpj6.
Becca: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like my writing. Sorry I couldn't send you a preview for this chapter like I usually do for those that review. I just didn't have a way to reach you. Sam and Alex have a long road ahead of them. I hope you continue to enjoy the journey.
Banaanainpj6: Here is the more you asked for. You're not the only one angry at Sam. Trust me. It's about to hit the fan. ;)
I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters found there in. Alex and the Mayfair mythology are my own.
Chapter 6
Tensions between Sam and Alex weren't getting much better. They were nice enough to one another with a few genuine moments of real affection, but there was still no denying that things weren't quite right. It had been two weeks since Kevin vanished. Alex was content to let him do as he pleased while Sam kept trying to find him. They would chase down leads, find nothing, and take care of any random happenings in the area.
The lack of action made the tension between the three hunters even more apparent. Dean wasn't entirely happy with Sam. Sure he was pissed about him dropping out for a year while he and Alex fought for their lives in Purgatory, but the one thing that was eating at him the most was the fact that Sam still hadn't said a word to her about the woman he left behind.
Dean wasn't sure if Sam's confession would help ease the tension between the two people he cared about most in this world or drive a permanent wedge between them. All he knew was that he couldn't take it much longer. So, when Alex had found a new case for them in Missouri he sent Sam to check them out while he and Alex packed everything up.
"Alright," he said. "You've got to end this?"
Alex paused in packing up the last of her close to look at Dean, confusion clearly written on her face. "What are you talking about?"
"The Mexican standoff Sam doesn't know you're having." Alex rolled her eyes and turned away. "I mean it Alex. He has no idea that you know what went on the past year, but you keep holding it over his head. Watching the two of you's driving me nuts over here."
"What do you want me to say Dean?" asked Alex as she zipped up her bag with a little more force than was necessary. Her voice was slightly higher as she began miming. "Hey, Sam. Guess what? I overheard you and Dean talking when I first got back. I know all about your little girlfriend, and it's okay. You only left me to rot in Purgatory for a few hundred years, but no hard feelings right?" She dropped the act and glared at Dean.
He sighed. "No, not that. It's just… I know Sam feels guilty. My brother may not exactly be clear on what his feelings for you are anymore, but I know for damn sure that he doesn't want to hurt you anymore than he already has." Alex's expression softened. "Just let him off the hook. That's all I'm asking."
Alex stood there for a moment, thinking about what Dean said. She knew he was right. Even so, there was still something holding her back from saying something. They were supposed to be soul mates. Soul mates don't leave each other behind. She was afraid that is she confronted him it would end things for good, and her heart could not take that. She still held out hope that he would forget about this mystery woman and love her the way he did before. It may just be a dream, but it was all she had left.
"I'll think about it. Okay, Dean?" she said softly.
"Okay." A moment of silence passed between them. Dean could see the turmoil in her face as she looked back down at the floor while emotions threatened to overtake her. It was finally a little more than he could stand. "Let's get out of here," he said by way of defusing the "chick flick moment" they had just shared. Alex nodded before grabbing her things and following him out the door.
Alex began filling the boys in on the details from the news article as they pulled up to the house, each of them dressed their fake FBI best. The more Alex explained the less Sam seemed to understand about why they were there. A woman blacks out after killing her husband, no big deal. To him it sounded more like insanity than monsters.
"So, how does that make this our kind of thing?" Sam asked.
"I just have a feeling." Sam raised his eyebrows. "What? You've always trusted me before. Why not now?"
He didn't have a good answer, so he looked to Dean for help. Dean shrugged. In truth he wasn't sure if it was for them or not. He just didn't want to sit around anymore waiting for something to happen. There was no sign of Kevin. Even Sam and Alex's combined hacking skills couldn't find a record of him. Sitting around and watching his companions avoid each other was not something he wanted to do anymore, so when Alex said she found a case he jumped on it.
They exited the care and walked to the police line. A deputy quickly approached them and came up short when they flashed their fake badges. "FBI?" he asked.
"Yeah," replied Sam., "happened to be in the neighborhood."
"First a Texas Ranger, now you guys?"
Alex stopped doing a visual scan of the area and stared at the deputy. "Texas Ranger?"
"Yes, ma'am. Right over there."
When the boys saw who he was pointing to, they both developed looks of annoyance on their faces
"Oh, you got to be kidding me," Dean said before stepping under the yellow tape.
"You know this guy?" asked Alex as she followed close behind.
"We've met," Sam offered.
They stopped directly behind him. His back was still turned as he finished fanning himself with his cowboy hat and placed it back on his head.
"Hey, Chuck Norris," called Dean.
The man turned around and looked astonished to see the boys standing before him.
"Sam? Dean!"
He pulled Sam into a tight hug, trapping his arms. Alex's eyebrows shot up her forehead as she watched the scene unfold.
"Forgot he was a hugger," offered Sam.
Alex smiled. "Apparently."
"Come here, " the man said as he turned to Dean. Knowing he would not be able to get out of it, Dean relented and gave into the hug. Once that was over, the man turned his attention to Alex. "And who's this lovely young lady?"
"This," said Sam, "is Alex. Alex, this is Garth."
"Alex?" Garth asked.
"Yeah," she replied. "Last time I checked that was still my name."
He looked back and forth between Sam and Alex for a moment, then over to Dean, then back to Sam and Alex.
"Bobby's Alex?" She nodded. He lunged forward and wrapped her in a hug. She instantly froze and looked to the boys for help. Sam just shrugged while Dean gave her a knowing smile. "Bobby told me a lot about you."
"Great. Mind letting me go now?"
He stepped back for a moment and just smiled at the trio.
"A Texas Ranger, Garth?" Dean asked. "Seriously? We're in Missouri."
"What? Come on. I look like a funeral director in one of those. Wow. I heard some chatter you two were back in the batter's box, but I didn't believe it 'til now." He pointed to Alex. "Didn't even know you were back in the picture."
He excused himself when his phone began to ring. Opening his jacket, he revealed not one but several phones. It took him a moment to realize which one was playing the horribly annoying song before answering.
They all stood there and listened as he told someone they presumed was another hunter how to take down a revenant. His knowledge of the subject was top notch. No doubt about that. Alex was actually impressed. She'd only ever seen her dad do that kind of report on the fly. Realizing that made her suddenly miss him the old hunter even more.
"What are you doing?" Dean asked once Garth had ended the call.
"My job, hombre."
"Your job?"
"Yeah."
"And since when is giving advice your job?"
A thought suddenly crossed Sam's mind. "Hold up," he said. "Are you the new Bobby?"
That got Alex's attention. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't been paying any real attention until that point. When Garth answered in the affirmative, she became very upset.
"No! There is nobody like my dad. There is never going to be a new Bobby."
Garth felt a little bad for the woman. Bobby had told him about his adopted daughter and how she had vanished into thin air after they defeated Lucifer. Sam had somehow made his way back, but there had been no trace of Alex.
Alex moved past him to the man he had been talking to before.
"So, how are you tied up in all of this?"
"Uh…," he said. "I'm Scott. Scott Lew. These… that's my dad."
Alex nodded her understanding while Dean offered less than heartfelt condolences. Sam asked a few probing questions about the Lew's and what Mrs. Lew's physical and mental health had been like recently. There was nothing unusual to report. The two had been high school sweethearts that were married for 30 years. None of what had happened made any sense to him.
There was still a puddle of drying blood in on the garage floor as the hunters searched the room for any clues that might tell them what happened.
"No EMF," said Sam from his crouched position.
"There's no sulfur either," said Alex.
"So now what?" Dean asked.
"Hold on there you guys," said Garth. "There's a lot of things to factor in here. Uh, it happened last night, so the readings could be cold by now."
"Good point."
"And, uh, even if there was sulfur, Barney Fife and his crew probably contaminated the whole crime scene and any evidence that was with it."
As much as it pained Alex to admit it, she agreed with Garth. The fact that he was trying to take Bobby's place did not sit well with her. As far as she was concerned it was a hole that would never be filled. Sam and Dean's obvious unease with the situation did little to help. He really seemed to know his stuff. She'd give him that. She just wasn't ready to accept the fact that somebody else was now doing what Bobby had done for so many.
"Well," Alex said, "since there's nothing to see here, I'm going to head over to the hospital and talk to the mom. See what she can tell us."
The boys started to follow her until Garth called out to them saying that he had found something. The scraggily hunter had started to follow them, but had stopped when his boot came into contact with some sort of green goo.
"Is that gum, or is that ectoplasm?" Dean asked.
"Green ectoplasm?" Alex replied. "I've only ever heard of it being black."
Garth knelt down and placed his finger in the goo. He sniffed it for a moment before tasting it. Alex's stomach gave a violent heave at the sight.
"Oh that's gross."
"Definitely ectoplasm," Garth said. "So, what are we thinking – uh, some kind of ghost, right?" Nobody had a chance to answer him as his phone started ringing. They watched quietly as he spoke with someone on. Garth pulled a marker out of his pocket and started writing something on his hand before thanking the person on the other end of the line and ending the call and turning back to them. "Asked the coroner to drop me a line in case the autopsy turned up anything unusual. And guess what, our dead guy had the word Alcott carved into his chest." He extended his hand and showed them the word Alcott written on his palm.
"With what?" Sam asked.
"Coroner's best guess? His wife Mary's fingernails."
"So to the hospital it is," Alex chirped.
There was a police officer stationed outside the door when they arrived to questions Mrs. Lew. She was handcuffed to the bed and still very confused. She took one look at the boys and got nervous, not that Alex could blame here.
If I killed my husband without knowing it and these two giants suddenly walked into the room, I'd be a little scared too.
Garth tried to soften things by giving her a little smile and tipping his hat. "Ma'am."
Alex just took a seat next to the bed and tried to sound as kind as possible. She started by asking the woman how she was feeling before telling her she was with the FBI and would like to ask her some questions if that was alright. When she nodded, Alex continued.
"Mrs. Lew, can you tell us what happened?
"I was at the store getting groceries, and the next thing I know, my son Scott finds me in the driveway. And Chester was…"
A break was clearly coming. This woman wasn't sure which way was up anymore, and it was getting to her. Alex took her hand in an attempt to be comforting.
"Do you remember anything at all about what happened? About Chester dying?"
"Not really. Bits and pieces, I guess." She described the brief flashes of memory as if she was watching them on the television or outside of her own body at the time. Alex would have sworn it was a demon if it hadn't been for the unusual ectoplasm they found at the scene.
"Uh, ma'am," Garth spoke up, "does the word 'Alcott' mean anything to you?"
Mrs. Lew suddenly jerked her hand away from Alex as her muscles tense.
"What does she have to do with anything?" she asked, clearly agitated.
"It's a she?" Sam questioned.
She nodded. "My husband, Chester, and I were going steady in high school for a few years already when we had a big fight."
Dean was the next to ask a question. "What about?"
"Something stupid, I'm sure. It was around prom, and so he took Sara Alcott as his date instead of me.
As they began to dig deeper into this, Mrs. Lew seemed to get more annoyed. She didn't seem to be angry per say, just upset that the memory had even been brought up. Alex thanked her kindly for all of her help and told her she hoped that she would feel better soon before leading the boys out of the hospital.
"Let me get this straight," said Dean as he walked towards the Impala. "This poor guy goes to prom with some girl over 30 years ago and now he's a pancake?"
"I don't know," said Alex. "If it wasn't for the ectoplasm, I'd say we have a demon on our hands. I've never seen a ghost that can make people do something like that and not know it."
They all stood there for a second contemplating the new information.
"Look," said Sam. "This Sara Alcott is still alive. Maybe we should go talk to her."
Dean clapped him on the shoulder. "Good idea, Sammy. First let's get some food. I'm starving."
Alex's eyes roamed the bar as they waited for their food. Being overly paranoid about her surroundings still hadn't faded, and she wanted to make sure she had an exit strategy if anything were to go wrong. Her focus snapped back to her companions when the waitress brought their food. They all thanked her and began to eat.
"So," Garth said with his mouth full, "give me the skinny. Where have y'all been?" He gestured to Alex and Dean. "Where were you this past year, Dean?" Dean just took another bite of his burger and gave Garth a look that clearly said he had no intention of answering him. "Aw, come on."
"All right." Dean sat down his burger. "I was in Purgatory. Alex was too."
Garth looked back and forth between them. "Like the Purgatory Purgatory?"
"No, the one in Miami," Dean quipped.
Garth seemed to think about this new information for a moment before asking another question. "What was it like?"
Alex sighed, upset that he would not drop the subject. "Let's just say it didn't make my top five vacation spots and leave it at that shall we?"
He flinched slightly at her words. It was obviously a sore subject for the woman. He would be lying if he said he didn't have more questions, but the desire to not have his head separated from his shoulders by someone who Bobby described as 'one of the best damn hunters I've ever seen' won the mental war.
Somehow the conversation managed to shift to the Civil War. Garth's knowledge of the subject was nearly as impressive as the occult knowledge he had displayed in the last 12 hours. It was clear that there was more to the little guy than met the eye. What he lacked in physical prowess, he definitely seemed to be making up for in metal capacity. He had just finished telling them about the divided households when Alex's phone rang.
Checking the caller ID, she saw that it was the local sheriff's office calling.
"Agent Clapton," she answered. There was a pause while she listened to the person on the other end of the line. The boys instantly started preparing to leave when she shot her eyes to them. "Alright thanks. We'll be there in five." She hung up the phone.
"What is it?" Sam asked.
"Looks like crazy-ass murder sprees run in the family. Scott Law just offed someone at the convenience store on the other side of town."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Dean asked as he stood to leave.
As they were leaving, Alex took note of the young man arriving on what appeared to be a 2011 Ducati Diavel. What is a bike like that doing around here? Alex asked herself as she climbed into the back seat of the Impala, suddenly missing her old bike.
The sheer violence of the crime was impressive, even for her. Seeing monsters cause that kind of carnage was one thing seeing one human do it to another was something else entirely. People were capable of intense violence. She knew that. She'd just never seen what it looked like when someone went to town on a person's head with a shovel before. Once upon a time it probably would have made her sick to her stomach, but not anymore. Purgatory cured that.
"So," Alex moved closer to the body as she spoke, "first the mom and now the son. Think this has something to do with the family?"
Sam shrugged.
"You mean like a ghost with an Oedipus complex?" Dean asked. Alex gave him a funny look. "What?"
"I'm just surprised you even know what that means." Dean pulled a bitch face until he saw the teasing smirk on her hers. She was clearly messing with him.
It was then that Sam noticed Garth had finish talking to the local cops and walking towards them. "Hey, what'd the cops say?"
Garth came to a stop as he stepped in more ectoplasm. "Aw, come on. Not much. Uh, Scott insisted he wasn't in control of himself. Says all he remembers is a red-hot rage."
The possession angle once again rose in Alex's mind, but she knew it wasn't a demon. Her internal monologue stopped instantly when she notice what Garth was wearing.
He still had on his ridiculous ranger's jacket, but the cowboy hat had been replaced with a beat up old ball cap. A very familiar ball cap.
"Is that Bobby's hat?"
He gave her a goofy grin. "Oh, yeah. Sure is. We worked a rugaru case together a few years back. He left it in my car so I kept it…" Alex snatched it from his head, "as a memento."
"You're not my dad," she said in a pointed tone. "And you sure as hell don't get to just wear his hat."
Sam started trying to apologize for her as she walked away. The fact that she hadn't been there when Bobby had died was surely weighing on her. At least that's what he told himself.
Once they reviewed the surveillance footage, they decided to split up. Sam would go talk to Alcott while the others tried find out what the word Scot left behind meant.
Sara Alcott was actually Sara Brown. She was very welcoming. They sat on the front porch drinking sweet tea while Sam asked her questions about her relationship with Chester Lew. She had been his overly friendly prom date when he and his wife were on a break. As far as she could tell, Mary had never really gotten over it.
Sam had thanked her for her time and left. As he drove, he couldn't help but think about Amelia and Alex. Would they be like Mary and Sara? One always feeling that he had betrayed them with the other? Amelia didn't know where he was. He had only ever casually mentioned Alex to her, describing her as just someone from his past.
Was that true? Was that really all she had been? He had willingly drank gallons of demon blood because he thought it would save her. He could remember the felling of total devastation when she had bled out in his arms and the utter relief when they freed her from Lucifer's spell. She and Dean had been his whole world. At one time he had even wanted to marry her. Now he wasn't sure what she was.
In truth, he didn't know what he felt for her anymore. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved Amelia, he just didn't know if it was the same type of love he could remember having for Alex. Sam wasn't sure that he didn't still love Alex. It just wasn't the same feeling that he remembered.
Two hours of research and still they were no closer to figuring out what was going on. Dean had gotten frustrated and decided to go get them some beers. Alex and Garth continued to work on the problem at hand. Every few minutes she could feel a set of eyes on her, but Garth would quickly look away any time she looked up.
"Okay," Alex had finally had enough, "what's up?" Garth gave her a confused look. "You keep staring at me. Why?"
Garth felt a little embarrassed at being caught. What he was about to say was probably not going to help endear him to the female hunter in front of him, but he was going to do it anyway.
"Uh I… I know this is none of my business, but… everything okay with you and Sam?"
He'd noticed the tension between them earlier. He would have had to of been blind and stupid not to.
Alex instantly bristled as Garth watched her shut down.
"You're right. It's none of your business."
"Okay. It just seems that you guys are a little tense around each other. Everything I ever heard about you was like something out of a faerie tale. It was like the stuff of legend. I don't get it."
"Legends are just stories." She looked back down at her computer and continued to work.
"We fight legends every day."
She shut her eyes tight and clinched her jaw as she fought to swallow the lump forming in her throat. This was not something she was ready to talk about. Especially not with Garth.
"Don't… just don't worry about it okay." There was an undeniable break in her voice. "If I say everything's okay it is. Okay? Let's just focus on the case so we can solve it before anybody else winds up dead."
"Okay."
He gave her a sorrowful look. It was obvious that things where not okay, but he wasn't going to push her. Bobby had told him enough about her to know that if you pushed her to talk about something she didn't want to things could get ugly fast. So it was probably best to just leave her be for now.
Scrolling through the search results, Alex's eyes landed on a news article. "I found it." A smile formed on her face. "Sussex isn't a who. It's a what. Apparently Scott and Jeff had a tire company together that when bankrupt about a year ago. Even money says Scott blamed Jeff for the whole thing."
"Find anything?" Dean walked into the room and set the brown paper bag on the table with a clink before opening a take-out container of pecan pie from the dinner down the street. Alex turned the computer to face him. He was reading through the article when his phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he saw Sam's name. "Hey, you're on speaker," he answered before setting the phone down and tearing into the pie.
"Sara Alcott's clean," Sam said on the other end of the line, "if you look past the fact that she and Chester knocked boots on prom night back in the day."
"I'd say that's a pretty good reason for a woman to hold a grudge," said Alex. "I know I would." Sam flinched a little at the memories her words evoked. "We know Scott had issues with Jeff. How does a family with grudges add up to a ghost?"
"Guys!" Garth looked up from the warn book in front of him. "Bobby has it right here. Green goo equals a specter."
Alex's head snapped to the side at the mention of Bobby's name. "That's Bobby's journal?"
"Yeah."
She looked at the journal as if it was the most precious thing in the word. To someone that wasn't there for a loved one at the end, it very well may have been.
"I thought it was lost when the Leviathan destroyed his house."
Dean, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable with all of the sentimentality in the room, changed the focus of the conversation. "Specter equals ghost, right?"
"Sort of," Alex said as she snapped back to reality. "It's uh, more like an avenging spirit. It explains everything actually. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it before. They posses someone and force them to act on any feelings of betrayal they have."
"Bobby say anything in there about how we hunt these things?" Sam asked through the phone.
Garth quickly scanned the pages. "Uh, the last specter he encountered rose shortly after someone desecrated a nearby grave." He grabbed the laptop from Alex and quickly searched for clues. "Which…" The computer showed him a sheriff's report from just a few days earlier. "Uh, there was a grave desecrated locally three days ago. It says here… oh. This could get awkward."
Awkward was not even close to describing what the hunters felt when they arrived at the scene of the desecration. A uniformed guard stood outside of the tomb that had a plaque proclaiming it to be "The Tomb of the Unknown Confederate Soldier." Alex couldn't stop herself from rubbing her eyes in frustration as Dean spoke.
"The unknown soldier? You're kidding me, right?"
"Mary Lew steamrolled her husband that day after this place was vandalized," said Garth. "Do the math."
Sam seemed a bit confused. "But I thought the Unknown Soldier was buried in Arlington."
"This is just for the Confederate soldier, Sam." She pointed to the sign. It was hard to read it from that distance, but he could get the jest of it.
"Okay, uh, what about the guard?"
"Uh, he's ceremonial," said Garth. "Gone by dusk."
"So then we do this tonight?" asked Dean.
Alex nodded. It was their best bet at pulling off the salt and burn. "Sooner the better." This whole case was making her uneasy.
"Burn a Confederate soldier's bones in a town full of rednecks? Sure."
Sam's quip caused her to smile slightly, but he had a point. They were going to be in a world of hurt if this thing went south, no pun intended. So they all departed until they could come back under the cover of night.
Whatever the vandals had done to the tomb must have been minor. There were a few patches of fresh paint that no doubt covered graffiti. If she hadn't known what to look for, Alex wouldn't even have noticed. Nothing seemed to be out of place.
Sam found a piece of string on the ground and examined it.
"What's that?" Alex asked.
"A piece of string."
"Think it's important?"
"Not sure."
"Well, best burn it with the rest." Dean gestured to the concrete lid of the casket. "You two mind giving me a hand here?"
The four hunters move to one side and gave a simultaneous push. The lid scrapped along the sides for a moment before falling to the floor. The soldier inside was still fully dressed in his uniform. His sword and gun still intact.
"Whoa," Garth said. "Check out this hardware. Do you guys know how much this is worth?"
Alex examined the belt buckle. "Doesn't matter. It's all got to go. Sam…"
The younger Winchester dropped the thread he had found on the floor into the casket and began pouring salt on the remains, followed closely by lighter fluid. Dean pulled out a pack of matches, ready to set it all ablaze until Garth stopped him.
"Uh, I kind of feel like we should say something, all right? Don't you? Just… a little…"
Alex began whistling "Dixie." The look of disapproval Garth gave her for what was no doubt intended to be pure irony and sarcasm instead of an actual tribute only caused her to smile. Dean lit a match, said "we won," and dropped it in with the rest. Now they could all go home.
Dean had just put the last of the bags in the Impala when he got the call from Garth. Apparently they had missed something the night before. There had been another murder earlier that morning. That meant the specter was still out there.
The sheriff's body was rolled past them on a stretcher. The shotgun blast had sent blood and brain matter far enough to cover the wall behind the now bloody desk the hunters were investigating.
"Ten bones says Deputy Dog had an axe to grind with his boss," Dean said.
"How can you be so sure?" asked Garth.
Dean pointed out the green goo coating the tape dispenser on the sheriff's desk. The thought that they torched the wrong corpse was Dean's first thought, but they quickly dismissed it. The specter had attached himself to something.
"So," said Alex, "whoever has the object gets possessed right?"
Garth nodded. "Yeah, but who's got it."
"I don't know who has it, but I think I know someone that does. Stay here."
The boys watched her walk down the hall and into the interrogation room with the poor deputy that did the deed. Sam was concerned about her going in there by herself. They didn't know how long the specter's influence actually lasted. Deputy Wallace had seemed docile enough, but he couldn't be sure. He had just decided to move go in after her when she came back out. Smacking Dean on the shoulder with the back on his hand, Sam got Dean's attention and pointed him towards Alex.
"So what'd you find out?"
"Karl tackled him. When he realized what was going on, Karl'd already grabbed his gun and headed out. He said something about the hospital. Best guess is that's where he's headed."
Dean stood a bit straighter. "Than what are we waiting around here for? Let's go." The all started walking to the parking lot. "Sam, you and Garth see if you can't find out what this guy's attached himself to. Alex, you're going to the hospital with me."
The best place Sam could think of to find out about local history was from the local library. There was a librarian there that was more than willing to help them out. It was on the drive over there that Garth decided to take his chances.
"Hey, uh, Sam?" He grunted in response. "If you ever need to talk, I just want to let you know that I'm here." He chanced a look at the younger Winchester and saw the perplexed look on his face. "About anything. Your know, life, uh, Alex, you."
Sam saw where he was going with this. It was the same place that Dean seemed so insistent on visiting, except Garth didn't know all the details.
"I'm okay. Thanks."
"I mean, it just seems like there's something hanging over your heads. If you'd just…"
"Garth, not now. Let's just focus on the case alright."
He reluctantly nodded as they pulled into the parking lot.
The librarian that Sam had spoken to over the phone greeted them with a smile before asking them to follow her. He had told her what they were looking for. There was no way to know for sure, but one local legend stuck out.
"Corporal Collins of the Union shot and killed his brother, Vance, who fought for the Confederacy. Local boys." The book she held showed a picture of the young man in question. As Sam studied it, he noticed something unusual in the photograph.
"What's that?" he gestured to the necklace around the soldier wore.
"Most of the soldiers were poor farmers, so…" she showed him a close up of the photo. "… the families would give them a penny on a string. It was for good luck, and in case they ever got lost, they always had a penny for food or drink."
"A penny."
The string on the floor, he thought. We need to find that penny. He quickly thanked her for her help and signaled to Garth that it was time to leave. His phone was in his hand frantically dialing Dean the instant he was out the door.
"Dean, I know what the object is."
"Alright," Alex checked the clip in her gun to make sure it was fully loaded before slamming it back into place. "What's the plan?"
Dean looked straight ahead. "When we get there we split up. Whoever finds Deputy Karl takes him out and calls the other for back up."
"Sounds good."
The hunters climbed out of the Impala. Their paths split as soon as they entered the hospital. Alex wanted desperately to draw her gun and have it at the ready. She'd seen what the other's had done under the specter's influence, and she didn't want to take any changes. But having a loaded gun drawn in a crowded medical building was not the wisest choice one could make.
A loud commotion could be heard from down the hall as people started to move towards her. She could hear two distinctly male voices talking as she fought the tide of people flowing in the opposite direction.
Rounding the corner, Alex's heart stopped for a moment when she saw Deputy Karl aiming a rifle at a helpless man on the ground. She pushed her hesitation aside and slowly made her way towards him. Relief flooded her body when he pulled the trigger and nothing happened.
"Oops. Looks like somebody left something at home."
He lowered the rifle as he turned to her. Taking the chance, Alex reared back and hit him as hard as she could. His head snapped to the side, but he was otherwise unfazed.
"Hey, that tickled."
Alex's eyes grew wide. Even Sam and Dean had been laid out by one of her punches before. This is not good. Karl returned her punch in kind, sending her to linoleum laden floor. Alex shook her head to clear her vision just in time to see her assailant reaching for her.
Her feet dangled just off of the ground as he lifted her by the lapels. The only option left was to try and reason with him. "Karl, listen, I know this isn't you. It's the specter. Just tell me what the object is, and I'll make sure he leaves you alone."
"I don't think so." He leaned forward and sniffed along her neck. Turning her face away in disgust, Alex said a little prayer to whoever was listening that Dean would make his way over here soon. "Oh, the specter likes you."
The deputy hurled her away from him. A desk snapped under the force of her body slamming against it. Before she could get her bearings, Karl was on top of her holding the penny aloft in his hand.
"Here. Have a taste."
The cool metal disk was pressed into her palm. Her vision darkened as rage began to fill her body. A single mindedness filled her. Only one thing mattered. Finding Sam Winchester.
Ring… ring… ring… This is Alex. Leave a message.
Sam threw the phone down in frustration.
"Damn it!"
He'd called Dean the moment he realized what the object the specter was using was. His brother had instantly gone in search of Alex, but only found the deputy coming back to his senses. When Dean raced to the parking lot, he found no sign of her. The Impala was still there. His best guess told him she'd jacked a car and headed off somewhere.
Dean had checked back with Sam a few moments ago. Alex wasn't answering his calls either. Fear began to grow in Sam's mind. A thousand and one things could have happened to her. No matter what happened between them, he still cared for her. He decided to call Dean again.
"Any luck?" he asked.
"No. I can't find any sign of her."
Where are you Alex? "Where do you think she is?"
"I don't know."
They decided to meet back at the motel. Sam found himself hoping that her things were gone. If she'd packed a bag and headed off on her own, it meant she was okay. But if he found her things still in their place… he didn't want to think about what that could mean.
The cars came to screeching halts at nearly the same time. Sam led the charge. Dean and Garth followed close behind. Throwing the door open, he breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Alex sitting on one of the beds.
"Alex? Thank God! Where the hell have you been? Why won't you answer the phone? We've been.."
Moving closer, he saw the goo slowly trickling out of her right ear. Alex's head slowly turned. She found his eyes. What he saw there chilled him to the bone. The blue of her eyes had become cold as ice. Those terrifying eyes never left his as she rose to her feet and slowly aimed her pistol at him.
"You should have looked for me in Purgatory."
Dean came to a halt behind his brother when he saw what was happening causing Garth to run into his back.
"Alex what the hell?"
"Shut up, Dean. This is between me and Sam."
"Come on, Alex." Sam raised his hands in surrender. "I know it's not you in there pulling the strings."
"No! I want answers. Why didn't you look for me, Sam? I waited for you. I spent 300 years waiting for you only to make it back and find that you were too busy playing house with some whore in Texas to bother with me."
Of all the words he imagined coming out of her mouth, those were not it. Her confession so amazed him that he couldn't even think about rebutting her claim about Amelia. "300 years?" He looked to Dean for answers.
"Don't look at him! Look at me!" He turned back around. "Why didn't you look for me?"
"Alex, I… What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? I am. There was no way I could have known what was happening to you." She just shook her head and looked away. "I've made mistakes." Her eyes flashed back to his.
"Mistakes?" She laughed maniacally. "Let's relive some of Sammy's greatest hits shall we?" Alex stared to take small steps towards him as she spoke. "Let's start with the little werewolf bitch that you slept with. Madison was it? How about sneaking off with Ruby, or lying to me about drinking demon blood?"
"I did that to try and save y-"
"I don't care!"
Sam took advantage of her close proximity and lunged. Grabbing the wrist of the hand holding the gun, he jerked it to the side before punching the possessed woman in the jaw. It stopped her only for a moment before she lunged at him.
The screams from her delicate throat were more like that of a wild animal than a woman scorned. Her strength was bolstered by the specter. Sam soon found himself pinned underneath her, a gun pointed at his face.
He closed his eyes and prepared for the shot, but it never came. Opening his eyes, he found Dean pulling her away as Garth tried to relieve her of her weapon. She kicked him aside. Dean managed to get her into a strong enough grip to throw her across the room, landing on the bed. He took advantage of her stunned state and kicked the gun from her hand, the penny falling with it.
They all watched her for a moment as she slowly blinked and came back to herself. Sitting up, Alex looked around the room as if it was the first time she had seen it in days. Her eyes met Sam's as he wiped the blood from his nose and pulled himself to his feet. Confused she asked, "What happened?"
It had taken Garth nearly two hours to melt down the penny, but it was finally gone.
"Thanks again for your help," said Alex. "I hate to say it, but we probably couldn't have done it without you." Reaching into her bag, she pulled out Bobby's old hat and handed it to him.
Garth looked back and forth between her and the offered hat for a moment. "Alex, are you sure?"
She smiled and placed the hat on his head. "Yeah. You earned it."
"Thanks, Alex. Here." He handed her Bobby's journal. "I think Bobby'd want you to have this."
Tears came to her eyes as she stared down at the warn leather volume in front of her. There were no words to truly express how much Garth giving her that journal meant to her, so instead she just pulled him into a hug. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." As they pulled away, Garth lowered his voice so the brother's on the other side of the room couldn't hear him. "Don't give up on Sam okay? You should have seen him when we couldn't find you. There's still love in there."
Alex turned from the lanky hunter in front of her and looked to Sam. His eyes met hers in a pained expression. He and Dean had obviously been discussing something in much the same way she and Garth had. Most of what happened while the specter was in control was a blur to her, but she knew what she had told him. The cat was out of the bag now. It was time for them to have a talk.
Dean patted his little brother on the shoulder before turning to you. "Come on, Garth. I'll walk you to your car." He gave her a look that clearly said he was going to take his time coming back. It was now or never.
The moment the door shut, everything Alex wanted to say to Sam left her mind. They just stood there watching each other, each one waiting for the other to start.
Alex walked towards the bed and took a seat. "So, I guess we both have some questions."
"I don't know where to start."
"Okay," Alex nodded. "Why didn't you look for me?"
Sam gave a loud exhale as he ran his fingers through is hair in an attempt to organize his thoughts. "I did for a while."
"The why did you stop?"
When Sam looked over at her, he could see just how much she had been torturing herself with different scenarios in the weeks since her return. He was going to have to be very careful how he proceeded.
"When I got my soul back things were just… different. I don't know how to explain it. I knew I wanted to find you, but I didn't know how. Cas said you weren't in Heaven. So my next thought was that you were in Hell. The thought of you being there because of me, it tore me up inside. We tried to find a way to get you out but…"
"But I wasn't there," she finished for him.
Sam nodded. "There was no sign of you anywhere. We didn't know what happened to you so I guess I just… gave up. Then when Dean disappeared I… I just walked away."
The next words out of Alex's mouth left a bitter taste behind. It was not a topic she was looking forward to discussing. "And that's when you met Amelia." Sam's face fell. "I heard you and Dean talking about her." The air grew thick with tension. Sam looked down between his feet as he rested his arms on his knees while he tried to process everything.
Alex had known all along and said nothing. Suddenly all of the little comments she'd been making made sense to him. "Wait… do you think she is why I stopped looking for you?" It was Alex's turn to look away as she shrugged. "Alex, I wanted to find you. I just didn't know how. Not looking for you had nothing to do with her. If there had been even a rumor about you I would have followed it, but there was nothing. You were just… gone."
"And now I'm back." She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Where does that leave us now?"
Sam took a slow uneasy breath before answering.
"I don't know." The look on Alex's face begged him to go on. "Part of me wants to just pick up where we left off, but..."
"But?"
"But I love Amelia." Sam rose to his feet and began pacing the room. "This is so messed up." He turned and looked at the woman before him. "I look at you, and I remember everything that happened, what we meant to each other, and I want that back."
Hope shone in Alex's eyes. "So do I."
"But it's not that simple." The hope quickly vanished. "I… I love Amelia. I look at you and I want you, but every time I let myself think that we could go back to that I remember her and I feel guilty."
"So…" Alex paused to compose herself, "you want to be with her."
"I guess. I… I don't know."
Alex suddenly rose to her feet in anger.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"Alex, it's not that simple."
"Of course it is Sam. Either you want to be with her or you want to be with me. It's a choice. And to be perfectly honest I'm surprised there is even one to make."
"Why?"
"Because we're soulmates, Sam. Does the time we spent together in Heaven mean nothing?"
All of the muscles in his face went slack. "We… we were in Heaven?"
"You mean, you… you don't remember?" Sam shook his head. Everything started to snap into place. Her legs suddenly felt weak beneath her and she sat back down. Dean had told her that he never mentioned it, but she had always assumed that it was just too painful. "That explains everything."
"What does?"
The tears that she had kept at bay for so long finally broke free to cascade down her cheeks.
"We shared a Heaven, Sam. It was perfect. We were happy. There was no reason we shouldn't be."
As Alex went on to describe the paradise they had shared, Sam struggled to remember even the slightest detail. There was nothing. When he looked back, all he could remember was the pain of the demons ripping into him.
"I don't remember any of that."
Alex chuckled bitterly. "Do you remember us giving it up to save your brother? We willingly went to Hell together because we thought it would let Dean have his happily ever after with Lisa. We were willing to go through endless torture forever as long as we were together. When that angel tried to take you without me, you wouldn't let go. That's when…" a realization of what that moment had been finally dawned on her. "Oh God…"
"What? Alex, what is it?"
"Your soul." She looked at him in wide eyed terror. "I'm the reason you didn't have a soul." She told him about their final moments in Hell, how his soul had stayed to protect her when his body was ripped through to the other side. By the time she was done, the hysteria had reached critical mass.
Unable to control himself, Sam pulled her into his strong arms and began to rock her as the sobs racked her body. He whispered soothing words and ran his fingers along her scalp in the way he remembered had always calmed her.
Peace began to seep into her soul as she let herself be overtaken by his warmth, his scent. She had craved his touch for so long. It was the balm her savaged soul needed. She pulled away from him and gazed into the hazel eyes she had missed so much. Her eyes flicked from his eyes to his lips for a moment before she joined her lips to his.
For a moment, it seemed as if everything was going to be perfect. Then Sam pulled away.
"I'm sorry, Alex. I…"
"You still want to be with her." She didn't wait for him to respond before turning and walking towards the door. "I'm gunna go get some air."
Dean wasn't sure how long he should wait for them to get done talking. For a moment he debated just heading down the street to the bar and finding some chick to follow home for the night until he saw Alex walking out of the room with watery eyes.
"Hey." He jogged towards her, taking a hold of her arm when he finally reached her. "Hey what happened?"
"It doesn't matter Dean. I'm gunna go have a drink. Don't wait up."
He watched her walk away before turning to go find his brother.
A thousand and one thoughts raced through her brain as she moved towards the bar. All of them revolved around Sam. So much for being soulmates, she thought. The more she thought about everything, the farther away she wanted to get.
Her eyes came to rest on the sexy little Ducati she'd seen a few days before. Looking through the barroom window, she saw the owner playing pool. A plan quickly formed in her mind. Alex squared her shoulders and walked into the bar.
Sam told his brother everything about the conversation with Alex. Dean had flat out asked him who he wanted, and Sam couldn't answer. There was too much unresolved with Amelia for him to be able to move forward with Alex, no matter how much he might want to.
When it became clear that she wasn't going to be coming back anytime soon, they'd left to grab a bite to eat from the dinner down the street. They now had three containers of food, one for Alex when she returned, with them as the pulled back up to the door.
Dean noticed the bike parked next to the Impala. He gave it an appraising once over before opening the door for Sam. Sam walked in with the food and stopped dead in his tracks.
Alex moved around the room in silence gathering her things and putting them into her bag.
"Alex?" She paused for a moment and looked up at him before returning to what she was doing.
Dean stepped into the room. "Why are you packing?"
"I think it's best if I take off for a while."
"What? Why?" Sam asked.
"I think we both know that things aren't going to get better between us anytime soon, Sam."
"We'll figure it out."
"I already figured out what I want, Sam. Have you?"
She didn't have to say Amelia's name. Sam already knew what she was referring to. She took his silence as his answer. Soon all of her things where in the bag.
"Where are you headed? Dean asked.
"I think I'm gunna head up north for a while. Say good-bye to Bobby."
Dean took hold of her bag and carried it outside for her. He chuckled when she walked over to the bike he had been appreciating earlier.
"How'd you end up with that?"
"Won it off of some idiot down at the bar."
He secured her bag to the back of the bike. "Come here." He gave her a quick hug. "Take care of yourself."
"I will."
Alex promised to keep in touch. Just before she kicked off on the bike, she looked up at the motel room window and saw Sam watching her. Her gut twisted for a moment. This is the right thing to do. I know it is. With one final watery glance, the bike roared to life as she set off for Sioux Falls.
What do you think of Sam and Alex's talk? How long do you think Alex will be gone? Reviewers will get a special preview of the next chapter.