(AN: Hey guys, like I said, this is already pre-written, so the updates will happen pretty often. At least once of not twice a day... Unless I get the job that I so desperately need, so please, while I'm sitting here, going out of my mind with boredom, read, review, like, and favorite. Maybe that'll help me from going completely stir crazy.)
Chapter 2
Back in the library Sam rifled through the files trying to find a reason why the hell hound would be avoiding Alyssa. He knew how they could see it, but seeing the beast would be hard if the couldn't find it.
He heard the door open and close just before Dean sat in front of him.
"Find anything?"
He shook his head. "Nothing that we didn't already know about hellhounds, and nothing that would explain why it would avoid Alyssa."
Dean shook his head."Well, she's locked in our room sleeping. You're gonna have to go over there in four hours to wake her up. Bring food with you."
Sam frowned. "Why can't you do it?"
Dean rubbed his jaw, making Sam notice the red marks on each side.
"She's slightly pissed at me right now." He muttered and picked up a file. "What's this?"
Sam shrugged. "I haven't gotten there yet."
Dean read through the first page and shook his head. "It says here that the only thing a hell hound will avoid is a supernatural being that is stronger than it... Unless that being is a demon, in that case it will act like a normal dog... an attack dog, and obey that demon."
Sam furrowed his eyebrows. "So, she's stronger than a hellhound, but she's not a demon? What does that make her? An angel?"
"If she was an angel she wouldn't need food or sleep."
"She doesn't think she needs food or sleep." Sam muttered as he shook his head. "Then what is she? Why would it avoid her if she was human?"
"I don't know, Sam. If I knew, I wouldn't look so confused."
Over the next few hours, the argument continued and little progress was made.
Sam sighed and glanced at his watch. "We've got an hour before I've got wake her up."
"Go get some food. I'll stay here."
Sam nodded and got up. "Call me if you find a better explanation for what's going on."
"Dude, just go. You don't want to keep something more powerful than a hellhound waiting."
Sam rolled his eyes. "Just give me the keys to the impala so I can leave."
Dean pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to his brother, who caught them with ease before walking away/
Sam knew it wouldn't take and hour to get food, but he went and picked up a few different burgers and drinks along with a few orders of fries. Enough for him and Dean too, once Alyssa was awake.
He was back at the motel with forty-five minutes left before he was supposed to wake Alyssa up, so he slung his computer bag over his shoulder and grabbed the food. He opened the door carefully and set the fast food bag on the table once he was inside.
He sat on the couch and opened his computer on his lap. It wasn't long before he was lost in his research, trying to find a valid reason the hell hound was avoiding Alyssa.
Two hours past in the blink of an eye before he was snapped out of research mode by Alyssa, who kicked his feet off of the coffee table.
"Why the hell didn't you wake me up?"
Sam blinked a few times and rubbed the back of his neck as he set his laptop aside.
"Sorry." He yawned. "I got back here when you still had forty-five minutes left. I must have lost track of time."
She rolled her eyes. "At least you brought food."
"That I did. I'm not completely useless." He said. She grinned.
"Not completely." She agreed, opening two of the bags and grabbing some food. "Find anything?"
"Not yet. Well, nothing important. What did you find?"
"Everything is important. What did you find?"
"Only the usual hell hound lore, you know. That they listen to demons. Stuff like that."
Alyssa narrowed her eyes. "And?"
"And what?"
"Six hours and that's all you found? There's something you're not telling me."
"It's not important."
"If it isn't important then you would tell me when I asked." She crossed her arms. "Tell me."
He sighed. "Fine. We found that the only reason a hell hound avoids something is because it knows that the thing It's avoiding is stronger that it can handle."
She frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means you're not who- or what- we think you are. Got anything you'd like to share?"
She shook her head. "I'm human... I think I'm human... I mean, holy water, silver, salt, and all the usual stuff doesn't affect me."
"What about holy fire?"
"I don't know! How am I supposed to answer that?"
He sighed. "Sorry, we just need to know why this thing is running from you. Any power you have could be dangerous if we don't know about it."
"You're one to talk about dangerous powers, Sam." She said, the slightest bit annoyed. She could never stay mad at Sam long, and that in itself annoyed her. (Dean was a whole different story.)
He looked down at his hands. "Sorry, Ali, we just need to figure this out. I know that having powers can be dangerous and the power can be addictive." His voice was heavy with guilt as he spoke.
"Well, so far, I don't have any powers. And don't call me 'Ali'."
"I always call you 'Ali'."
She frowned. "Well, don't call me 'Ali' around, Dean."
Sam smirked. "Sure thing, Ali. Whatever you say.
Just as he finished speaking, Dean walked in.
"Ali?"
"I'm still mad at you." She said in hope of distracting him. It worked.
"You're mad at me for looking out for you, but when Sam lets you oversleep, you don't do more than push his feet off the coffee table?"
"Sam didn't use my lack of sleep as an excuse to grope me!"
Dean frowned. "I didn't grope you. I made you get some sleep. That's it."
"Oh that's why you put your hands where you did. I asked that you move, and you said, 'I have every right'! And Sam would never pin me to the bed like that!"
Silence.
Sam looked between the two and burst out laughing.
"Shut up, Sam!" They yelled together, only making Sam laugh harder.
Alyssa shook her head and playfully punched his shoulder. She didn't see the look Dean gave her as he noticed this, or even that he noticed.
"Why don't you punch me like that?" He asked setting aside what he had just witnessed for future reference.
"When I punch you, it's because I'm pissed at you." She responded. "When I punch Sam, I'm only slightly irritated."
"Nice to know I'm loved." Dean quipped. Sam had recovered by then and shook his head at the two of them.
"Or something like that." He responded teasingly.
Almost for the first time, Alyssa noticed what time it was.
"Guys?" She asked, interrupting their bitch/jerk brotherly banter. "What about the hell hound? Has it attacked anyone? Do you know where it is?"
After a hesitation so small it didn't register, Dean shook his head. " I looked at the list of victims and couldn't find any connection other than that they live in town."
Alyssa frowned. "Did you talk to the families of the victims?"
"Only three out of the four. The last one is out of town for the funeral service."
"You should've looked harder." She said, starting towards the door. "How much of the time did you spend flirting with the young librarian while you were over there?"
"Alyssa, I know there are lives on the line. I wouldn't- "
"Bullshit. I'm going to find the damn hellhound before it kills someone else."
With that, she was gone, leaving Dean fuming and Sam wishing that Ali and his brother weren't so difficult with each other.
"Well, don't just stand there, go after her!" Dean practically shouted at him.
"Guess I'm going, too." He muttered, turning on his heel and following Ali, though he knew she wouldn't appreciate that Dean had sent him.
She was already unlocking the door to her car, a 1970 Challenger, by the time he reached the door.
"I'm coming with you." He told her, doing his best to leave no room for argument.
She caught the finality on his tone- one he didn't use with her that often and nodded, getting in the car. He sat in the passenger seat, letting her fume her way to calm in silence and marveling at the fact that she was so quick to agree with him going along.
After a moment, the silence became deafening.
"He didn't do it on purpose." Sam said finally.
"Are you sure about that? Because I honestly don't think so."
"I'm sure, he just wants you to be safe."
"I don't need protection!"
"I know, and he knows, too, but that's not going to keep us from trying."
Alyssa sighed. "It should."
"Why? You'd take a hit for either of us in a heartbeat. Why aren't we allowed to look out for you too?"
"Because I'm supposed to be the strong one. Sam!" She practically shouted, slamming one hand against the steering wheel. "I'm supposed to look out for everyone else, no matter what!"
"Ali, that's ridiculous! What do you mean you have to be the strong one? No one gave you that job."
"Shut up."
"Ali-"
"Sam, you don't know what you're talking about. Shut up."
"You're damn right I don't understand. What the hell is going on? Why do you have to be the strong one, exactly? You say I don't understand, Ali, so explain it to me."
"I made a promise okay? I promised that I would keep you, dean, and everyone else safe."
"Who did you promise?" Sam asked, watching her too intently to realize that they had veered into oncoming traffic.
"It doesn't matter."
"Ali, was it a deal? Is that why you're acting like this?"
"Acting like what, exactly? Is it really so bad for me to want you to be safe?"
"Is it bad for us to want you to be safe?" He shot back.
Suddenly, a car horn blared and they realized what was going on outside the car. In the nick of time, Ali yanked the car over to the right lane, ignoring the obscenities the driver threw at her.
"Ali, pull over." Sam said, and she listened. After all, she didn't want him to het hurt. When the car came to a complete stop, he got out, walked around the front of the car, and opened her door. When he reached over her to undo her seatbelt, she didn't protest. She didn't know what he was doing, but she didn't like fighting like this. Especially not with Sam.
He pulled her out of the car and held her in place, his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her as if she would disappear forever if he so much as blinked.
"Alyssa." He said, and in that moment, she realized exactly how much she loved it when he used his nickname for her. So much so, in fact, that it almost physically hurt that he didn't use it now, but that might have been his tone. "What happened? What did you do?"
Those four words sounded accusatory, and she didn't like it at all. 'what did you do?'. What had she done? Had she done anything wrong?
She couldn't find the problem in making a promise to her father and theirs that she'd keep them safe no matter what.
A flare of anger reared and caught hold in her mind three little words.
How dare he?
"I made a promise." She repeated, trying to control her anger.
How dare he think she would make a deal.
"With who?"
How dare he accuse her of this.
Sam could see that Alyssa was getting angry. He hated to do this, but he had to be sure whatever she had done wasn't connected to the hellhound.
"Ali?" He said, and her anger softened with his tone. "I don't mean to piss you off here, but if it has something to do with why the hell hound won't go near you then you need to know."
She searched his eyes for a moment, but one glance told all.
How dare he be so damn sincere.
The last of her anger dipped under the surface (she really couldn't stay mad at him long) and she sighed.
"It was my father's dying wish and the last thing your father ever said to me. Both of them made me promise on my life that I would keep you safe. You and your brother meant more to my father than his only daughter. You know what the last thing he ever said was?"
Sam didn't ask, fearing that it would be what he suspected.
"He said, 'don't mess it up this time', why do you think I try so damn hard?"
"Oh, Ali." Sam murmured. He pulled her into a hug, finally understanding.
She hated the fact that she was so comfortable in his arms. She was supposed to be protecting him; he wasn't supposed to be comforting her.
She pulled away from him, her face directed toward the ground so that he couldn't see the flush on her cheeks.
"We should probably get back soon. We'll need Dean's help and It'll be dark soon..."
Sam nodded, thinking she was still upset. And she was, but not at him.
"But I'll drive." He said, earning himself a small smile.
She nodded, keeping her head down. "That would probably be best."
They got back in the car and turned around, starting back toward the motel.
They pulled up to the motel and they heard an agitated growl.
Sam cursed and started rifling through his jacket. Seconds later, he pulled two pairs of lens free frames from his pocket. He held one pair out to her.
"Put these on."
She didn't argue, instead putting the glasses on without hesitation.
She saw the blurred form of a dog circling around her and Sam. She noticed it's gaze was fixed on Sam. He was going to be the fifth victim if she didn't do something.
So she did.