(AN: So, definitely not going to be able to get this chapter out the 19th. This is the longest chapter yet, so I hope you guys enjoy it whenever it does get out.)

And they snapped open again. She sat bolt upright, breathing hard, as she took in her surroundings.

Then, it all made sense.

A dream. It was all a dream.

"Are you okay, Ali?" Sam asked from the couch, his voice full of concern. He half-rose before she answered.

"I'm fine. Just a bad dream is all."

Sam frowned. "Bad like how?"

"Bad like you and Dean dying." She responded, too tired to sugarcoat it. Sam was too persistent for that, anyway.

His frown deepened as he walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed. It explained why she had said his name...

She resisted the urge to throw herself into his arms just to prove to herself that he was there. It wasn't necessary. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It wasn't real." He assured her. She closed her eyes and nodded/

"I know. I know... It just... caught me off guard, I guess. Wasn't ready for it."

It was the first nightmare she'd had in weeks, but it wasn't unusual. Ever since Sam and Dean had gone to Hell itself, she'd been having them. Never the same one twice, but the boys always died in front of her. And it was always her fault.

Dean didn't know about it. Sam had found out last year, when she had been driven to near hysteria by one.

It was dark and she was crying. She didn't cry. It just didn't happen.

But here she was, tears streaming down her cheeks as she fought to control herself before she woke Sam. Or worse, Dean.

Too late

Alyssa?" Sam's voice cut through the silence like a knife. "Ali, what's wrong?"

"Go back to sleep, Sam." She managed, without sounding too upset.

She heard him get up and start walking towards her.

"Alyssa," He repeated. "Tell me."

He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand.

"Bad dream is all." She shrugged.

"About what?"

"You, Dean, and Zach."

Sam's grip on her hand tightened comfortingly. He knew all about Zach.

He was her younger brother, by three years. They were a traveling team, not unlike Sam and Dean, but he had been killed by a demon with a grudge. He father never forgave her for that.

"Tell me about it?" Sam asked.

"You died. All three of you. And I couldn't do anything about it."

"Ali..." Sam pulled her into his lap and hugged her. "It was just a dream. I'm still here. Dean's still here."

"Zach's not here... And you went to hell." She cut in. "Both of you dies and went to hell, and I was just so damn helpless, and-"

"Hey, hey, hey,' Sam interrupted softly. "That's all over now. We're okay."

"Sam, you lost your soul."

"I got it back."

"But there was that time when you weren't... You, and it was all my fault."

He kissed her forehead, like a big brother would for his little sister.

"It's okay." He murmured quietly. He repeated the words for most of the night, until she fell asleep in his arms and he laid her back to sleep.

It was the most vulnerable he had ever seen her. The most vulnerable she had ever left herself be around anyone.

So this? This was nothing.

"I'm fine, Sam." She said after a moment. "Thanks."

"You sure?" He said with a small smile. "I mean, it's already five A.M.. We could just get up now."

"You need sleep, mister." She said and poked the center of his chest, away from the claw marks. "You're all cut to pieces."

"I'll be fine." He let his hand slip off her shoulder and fall onto the bed. "I've been sleeping all night."

"So sleep some more. It won't hurt you."

"I'll only sleep if you do." He responded with a smirk.

She shook her head and frowned at him. "Sam"

"Ali."

Suddenly, the adjoining door opened, and someone entered. The light flicked on the reveal the librarian from earlier wearing one of Dean's t-shirts, and probably nothing else.

"This isn't the bathroom." She said, though she didn't look embarrassed at all. With that, she closed the door, leaving Ali and Sam, alone and not at all surprised.

"Let's just get up." Sam decided, standing. "Breakfast?"

"What kind? Because I don't want cold burgers and fries for three meals in a row."

"There's a fridge, you know. I'm willing to bet if you open it, it's got eggs in it."

"How about I drive down to the Wal-Mart I saw and buy some real food. Like hash browns and ham steak? Then we can eat."

"I'll come with." Sam agreed, pulling on a shirt.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. We need to stock up on some beer for that stargazing trip, anyway, and we might as well get the good stuff for once."

"Like I'm not old enough to buy beer?"

"Like I want to go to the store with you." He responded, scribbling a note for Dean.

"You'll have to wait a bit, then." She said. "Because I am covered in blood, sweat, and hellhound... Whatever, and I'm taking a shower."

"That's fine."

He tried his best not to watch as she grabbed clothes and a towel, instead focusing on the TV, which was still playing Indiana Jones.

She got out a few minutes later and looked so much better- there was no longer blood streaking her hair, and her clothes were clean, She tossed a towel at him.

"You're turn."

He didn't argue, instead he just grabbed some different jeans and complied.

He got out and they left, looking more or less like normal people, but each with a near identical bandage of their right arms.

"So what, exactly are we getting?" Sam asked after they were on their way.

"Well, I checked out the fridge and there were no eggs, so those, hashbrowns, some sort of meat product, be it bacon, sausage of ham steaks, and stuff for pancakes or waffles."

He grinned. "We might as well just go to a restaurant."

"At five-thirty in the morning? Good luck with that. Besides, I haven't cooked in ages and no one makes pancakes like I do."

"What's so special about your pancakes?" He asked.

"You'll find out when you eat them." She chuckled as they pulled into the parking lot."

"Promise?"

"Naturally."

They entered the store and Sam grabbed a cart. He followed Ali as she counted off what they would need as she looked up at the ceiling out of habit.

Sam caught himself staring and smiled at his own silliness. What was he thinking?On any other girl, it would have been cute, but Ali was off the table. She had always been off the table, and he didn't expect that to change anytime soon.

Ali noticed him smiling and poked him,

"What are your grinning about?" She asked.

"Nothing." He responded as quickly as possible. She gave him a suspicious look, but didn't push it.

They got most of the things they needed before reaching the dairy section. Suddenly, Ali stopped dead, and Sam almost ran into her.

"What?" Sam asked, sounding slightly concerned.

She didn't answer for a moment, but when she did, her voice was soft, but urgent.

"Sam, we are getting some yogurt. There is nothing you can do to stop me."

Sam chuckled. "We can get yogurt." He said with a smile. She was already standing in front of the Tillamook section, picking out all kinds of the stuff.

"So, what's so special about yogurt?" Sam asked as they moved along.

"It's my one guilty pleasure. Fire some girls It's chocolate. Others, sex. For me? Yogurt."

"Wait, so you're saying you'd take yogurt over sex?" Sam chuckled. "Don't ever let Dean figure that out- he'd give you hell."

"He won't know what we don't tell him." She responded with a smirk.

"Fair enough."

They walked on, until Ali rounded a corner and came right back, stopping Sam with a start.

"What is it now? Another guilty pleasure?" He teased.

"Close your eyes."

"What why?"

Her shoulders dropped the tiniest bit, and he knew she was about to turn her little half-smile on him. The one he couldn't say no to. It was almost the same one he used on her.

"Sammy, don't you trust me?"

He was startled. It wasn't often that she called him 'Sammy'.

"Of course I do, I just-"

"then close your eyes."

And there it was- that infernal little grin of hers. He'd do anything short of murder for that grin, and she knew it.

He closed his eyes. A moment later, he felt Ali's hand under his chin, pulling it down a few inches. His heart sped up a little. She wouldn't...

"Now open your mouth."

"Ali, what-"

"Sam, just do it."

He did, and she placed something on his tongue. Soon after, the sweet, juicy flavor of strawberries spread through his mouth and he snapped his jaw shut.

"Mmm... Those are good strawberries."

"I knew you'd like them."

"We should get some... Can we get some?"

"Sure, I'll put them in the pancakes."

They rounded the corner together and Sam saw the little stand being set up for the strawberry samples.

Two boxes later, they were on their way to the frozen foods section. Halfway there, an old woman stopped them.

"You two are a very cute couple." She said with a soft smile.

The two hunters glanced at each other.

"Oh, we're not-" Ali started.

"Oh nonsense. I haven't seen something as sweet as that since my daughter's wedding. If you two aren't dating, why are you-" She gestured to Ali." Feeding him strawberries in the middle of a store?"

Satisfied that she had proved her point, she moved on, leaving them both a but confused and in thought.

"Why did you feed me the strawberry like that?" Sam asked after a minute. Ali busied herself getting the hash browns so he wouldn't see her blush.

"I wanted to give you a pleasant surprise." She shrugged, still avoiding eye contact." I know you don't get many of those."

He broke into a grin. It was adorable the way she ducked her head like that sometimes, as if he didn't know what she was doing. ':it's nice to know I can count on you to make sure my day is just that much better." He teased. She shook her head, grinning too, and poked him. (It would have been a punch, but he was injured, and so was her throwing arm.)

Just before they reached the checkout, Ali realized that they had forgotten the beer and dashed off to get it. When she got back, she found a very uncomfortable-looking Sam talking to a very flirtatious cashier.

In fact, he looked so uncomfortable, that she took pity on him.

"I got your beer, hun." She said, coming up and shamelessly interrupting the cashier as she set the cases down.

Sam instantly realized what she was doing and was eternally grateful.

"What would I do without you, Ali?" He asked playfully and he pulled her into a one armed hug.

"I think you'd lose your head, but lucky for you, you'll never have to find out." She responded as she leaned into him before turning to the cashier. "We got engaged last month." She said with a slight giggle as she held out her hand to display the beautiful silver ring that glittered on her ring finger.

She had hoped that would deter the cashier, but the girl, who was a hopeless romantic, kerely leaned forward.

"Really? Tell me about it."

"Oh, it was wonderful." Ali said breathlessly as she made up her story. "He took me stargazing after the most romantic candlelight dinner."

With every word, Sam's cheeks flushed a shade darker, so Ali kept going.

"We were there for hours- so long that I fell asleep in his arms, like something out of a Catherine Coulter novel."

The cashier, a girl named Macy, let out a little 'oh'.

"I know! Anyway, he accidentally woke me up when he moved to pull the box out of his pocket."

"I thought she was still asleep." Sam pitched in quietly, and all of a sudden, the story was that much more believable. "I was trying to gather the courage to actually ask her."

By this point, another cashier had joined them and was listening as well.

"But I opened my eyes and saw the ring. Sammy panicked and tried to shove the ring back into his pocket- you should have seen how he blushed!"

He was well on his way to what she was describing now, actually, with how quickly his cheeks were reddening. He directed his grin to the floor in hopes of keeping them from noticing.

"Well I kissed him and he pulled me into his lap and he said-"

"Alyssa Rosemary Fenton," Sam interrupted. "Will you marry me it that much better to Macy, who was practically to the point of squealing.

Ali stared up at him, and he stared right back.

"I said yes, of course." She said after she ended the stare to look back at the cashiers. "And later, when I asked why he hadn't just asked me he told me he was too nervous."

"Isn't that just the most romantic thing you ever heard?" Macy asked contentedly. The other, Janice (or so it said on her nametag) nodded.

"Indeed it is. You two are the perfect couple."

They both smiled warm smiles (they were good at those- lots of practice). Sam bent down to kiss Ali on the cheek- what kind of couple would they be if there wasn't some sort of kiss? (They both got way into their roles sometimes.) But, Ali turned her head at the last second, having not seen him coming, and their lips met.

It was a quick, chaste meeting of the lips, hardly even qualified as a kiss, but that didn't dull the fact that Sam tasted like strawberries, and that Ali's lips were so soft and that they had just kissed.

This time, they both turned bright red.

"We, uh, we haven't really told anyone yet." Ali covered. "We live in the next town over... I guess we're not used to kissing in public so close to home."

Or Dean. Or kissing in general.

Macy grinned wider (they were just so cute) and rang them up. They left, and the instant they were in the car, Sam turned to Ali.

"I didn't mean to-" He began, but she cut him off.

"I know, San, it's fine. Just, let's not tell Dean, okay?"

"He won't know what we don't tell him." He said with a nod as he parroted her words from earlier. Normally, she'd smile, but her heart was pounding and she had just kissed her best friend and he tasted like strawberries. Strawberries! It was so cliché it seemed it could only be real.

They rode the rest of the way back to the motel in silence, but Sam was sure that Ali could hear his heart practically beating out of his chest the whole time.

He hadn't mean to actually kiss her... And it was so wrong, but it definitely didn't feel that way and he wanted to kiss her again, just to see if it was a fluke that was doing this to him, making his movements stiff and clumsy and the only thing he could think of were Ali's lips and, and oh, my God, but she tasted like vanilla and her lips were so damn soft and he was rambling, wasn't he?

He found himself sneaking glances at her in the rearview mirror, always looking away in time to never catch her glancing back at him.

The car ride seemed to take twice as long and when they got back and got everything inside, Sam sat at the TV while Ali moved around the kitchen, neother saying a word, both utterly confused and embarrassed.

"Sam, will you come watch the hashbrowns?" Ali asked finally. "I have to do the pancakes."

"Sure."

"Don't burn them." She warned, handing him a spatula. (Unlike some, this motel had it's own dishes for use.)

"I won't" He responded, grinning at her over protectiveness. She saw his grin and frowned.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing."

"You said that last time. This time, I want an answer. A real answer."

"Just... You." He said after a moment.

"Me? What about me?"

It took Sam a moment to settle on what to tell her.

"Everything, I guess. Just you in general."

"Me in general?" She repeated.

He nodded. "You just... Amuse me."

"I gathered that, but how? Can I have a specific example."

"Just now, you being all over protective of the hash browns."

"I want breakfast to be perfect. It's the first time I've cooked in ages."

"I know, and It's making me smile. You're making me smile."

"Is that something I do often?"

"When you're around, yeah, I guess." Sam watched as Ali flipped two of the pancakes with a little flourish that added to his grin.

He could feel the tension between them dissolving, and thank God for that.

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal dean, who stepping in looking very self-satisfied.

"You two have fun while I was away?" He asked. They exchanged glances.

"If shopping and sleeping count as fun, then yeah." Ali said.

"That's all that happened?" Dean asked skeptically as he raised an eyebrow.

"Pretty much." Sam shrugged.

:Then what happens if I do this?" Dean asked. On 'this', he pushed Sam into Alyssa; his hand skidded on the counter until it came into contact with a knife. He felt the knife slice into his skin, but he didn't feel the pain as he fell. Alyssa tried to catch him, but he was too heavy. He landed hard with Alyssa on top of him, but she jumped back up immediately.

"What the hell, Dean?"

Dean was staring at Sam, who was sitting up to examine his hand. "Dude, you have got to work on your balance."

"Yeah, that's the issue here." Sam quipped. There was a linear cut running across his left palm, and the damn thing hurt.

Ali glared at Dean. "What the hell?"

"Just proving my point." He shrugged.

Sam held his hand close to his chest. "Proving it by slicing my hand open?"

Ali's eyes widened. "Are you okay?"

He clenched his jaw but nodded. "Get Dean to watch the hash browns , and make sure the pancakes are okay."

"Screw breakfast." She said, rolling her eyes. "Let me look at your hand."

Sam shook his head. "No, I can deal with it. Besides." He shrugged. "I still want to try those pancakes."

She sighed and shook her head. "Fine, but you're letting me take a look at it after breakfast." She turned to glower at Dean. "You get to watch the hash browns now."

Dean shrugged and watched the two of them. They were pretty casual... but they were hiding something. They stood just a little too close, there was just a little too much concern in Ali's tone, and there was a whole lot more than just overprotective worry in Ali's expression. Her eyes were just too focused on Sam. They might deny it, but he could see it clear as day.

Sam looked at his brother before he went to the living room and started working on his hand as Ali turned her attention back to the pancakes.

She glanced at Dean from the corner of her eye. "Those hash browns are done." She muttered.

He nodded and took the pan off the burner. He clicked the burner off and turned towards her.

"What now?"

"Cut the strawberries."

He sighed. "Ali, I-"

She cut him off. "My name is Alyssa."

"Alyssa, what is going on?" He whispered so that Sam couldn't hear.

"I'm making breakfast." She shrugged.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. You obviously have a thing for Sam, and he obviously has a thing for you. Why the hell aren't you two acting on it?"

"Because this 'thing' that you see is just a figment of your imagination. Wishful thinking."

"Bullshit."

:No, Dean. It's not."

"Yes it is. I know both of you too well for either of you to try and lie to me." He said, his voice still low.

She glare at him."He's my best friend... One of my only friends. I don't want to screw that up with sex."

"Sex makes everything better!" Dean said.

"No, it doesn't!" Alyssa hissed. "I am not talking to you about this."

He shook his head. "Look, I know that you and Sam aren't like me. You two get emotional. You get was too attached too quickly, but you deserve to be happy... At least for a little while."

"Sex isn't necessarily happiness, Dean."

"Sex isn't the only thing that I'm talking about."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked from across the room.

Dean looked over at him. "The librarian." He shrugged.

Sam gave him a look. "Why exactly?"

"She was curious."

Ali punched him. "I'm not the one who brought up the topic, Dean, that was all you."

"You-"

"I don't want to talk about this!" Ali said loudly. "Breakfast is done."

Ali had cooked up quite a feast- eggs, bacon, hash browns, and of course, strawberry pancakes. All of which were gone within minutes. Unfortunately, Ali was unable to enjoy the meal, do to every strawberry-filled bite reminding her of Sam.

Sam...

He looked across the table at her and smiled. "These pancakes are really good."

His words snapped her back to reality.

She shook her head to clear it. "Thanks. My mom used to make them whenever we had a couple of days in between cases."

"Were they always strawberry?"

She shook her head. "Hardly ever... Never, actually... My mom was allergic to strawberries."

Sam nodded. He had met Ali's mom once. Back before he had been allowed to go on hunts, his dad and Dean had dropped him off with her. She was nice, and she had made him feel at home. But he hadn't gotten to meet Ali. She had been allowed to go on hunts. He remembered how much that had pissed him off.

He looked back at her. "I liked your mom. She was an amazing woman."

Ali nodded. "She was." She said as she got up and took their dishes away.

"Dean, you get to clean the dishes, since you decided that you would be an ass and slice your brother's hand open."

Dean shook his head. "Whatever."

Ali grabbed the kit and pulled a chair up next to Sam. "Hand, please."

He placed his hand, palm up, in her lap. "Just be gently." He said teasingly. "I'm fragile."

She rolled her eyes and focused on unwrapping the loose bandage that Sam had put on it so that she didn't have to look at that amazing little half-smile that she enjoyed so much.

She felt Sam's light breath on her cheek as he watched her work.

"So... You mom... Wisty right?"

She nodded, but didn't look up. "Wisteria... Her parents were major hippies... Before they were killed by werewolves... That's how she became a hunter actually... Hunting down the pack that killed them is how she met my father... And... A few years after my brother was born... How she was killed."

Sam went to hug her, but he remembered the kiss and he stopped himself. He looked down at his wounded hand and sighed. He put his other hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Ali. I didn't know any of that."

"Of course you didn't, Sam. Hardly anybody does..."

"Well, Ali, you're not alone, you know that right? I... Dean and I will always be there for you."

She didn't say anything. She just nodded and finished rebandaging Sam's hand. Then, she got up. "If you need me I'll be in my room." She turned towards the door, but Sam stepped to the side so that he was in front of her.

"Sam, I'm tired."

"Well, we're leaving soon. If you still refuse to ride in the Impala with us, then I'll drive your car while you sleep in the back."

His tone was quiet and soft but final. There was no arguing with him, so she nodded.

"Okay, but I still need to go pack."

He nodded and stepped aside to let her get to her room.

Sam packed as Dean finished cleaning the dishes. By the time they got outside, Ali was already in the backseat of her car, asleep.

Sam loaded their bags and grabbed Ali's keys from inside her room before he started following Dean.

(AN: Super long chapter. I know it wasn't in one day, but I'm okay with that. I just hope you enjoy this chapter in all it's fluffy goodness. Especially after that cliffhanger last chapter. So, read, review, follow/favorite. Anything to let me TheTrickster'sFavoriteIllusion, and my fabulous co-author, Amelia-Williams-Pond, that you love us... Or that you just love this story, or even if you just like us. Let us know.)