Vala was furious, filled with rage spilling over the edges. She wasn't entirely angry at Dean, but she needed someone to take it out on. The dream was setting her on edge frustrating her with its mixed messages. The setting was serene and it broke her heart to be wakened from it. She didn't know what had happened in her sleep, but she figured she'd fallen from the chair. Vala could feel a headache starting, but it could have been from over thinking everything as much as it could have been from a tumble.

Her wrist hurt badly, and it was affecting her driving. She rested it on her lap, trying hard not to move it. She was failing her objective. Vala's pinkie finger continued to twitch.

She watched the road, never taking her eyes from it. The pain from her wrist mixed with the pain in her heart helped fuel the tears she'd been holding back. Unable to clear them from her face without either drawing her companion's attention, swerving off the road or inflicting more pain on herself only made the situation worse.

Though it was far too late to worry about whether or not Dean was watching her because he couldn't stop.

He sat silently, not wanting to upset her any more. The doctors had given him the all clear while Vala slept motionless in the chair against his bed. He'd gotten up to go to the bathroom and get changed, hearing a thud just has he'd pulled his shirt over his head.

Dean rushed out of the bathroom, fearing exactly what had happened, and scooped the limp woman off the floor, gently shaking her. He was angry at himself for leaving her alone in the room, then scared that she was really hurt when she didn't respond to his voice calling her. Once he was relieved that she had woken, he was angry at himself for breaking her wrist and then angry at her for not being civil over the whole situation.

He tried to even his temper as they drove in complete awkward silence, but it wasn't working. He watched as she cried, trying desperately to hide it from him, and her finger twitched. It broke him to see her in so much pain, much more than he knew about. It was obvious there was more to the entire situation than a broken wrist and having her personal space violated. He would have to talk to her about it.

Dean had decided he would wait until they arrived at Bobby's, a place they were both familiar with might help the sticky situation, but when Vala's finger went off yet again and she closed her eyes from the pain he'd caused her, he'd had enough.

"Pull over." He ordered.

"Like fuck I'm –"

"PULL OVER."

In no mood for games or more arguments, Vala swung the wheel and peeled onto the gravel shoulder of the side street they were on, across the street from a park not ten blocks from Bobby's house.

Dean reached into the cup holders between the seats for the bandage wraps they'd stolen fifteen minutes ago and spoke in a kinder tone.

"Would you give me your arm please?"

"I'd rather not." She stated blankly.

Dean huffed. The robotic kindness was worse than the outright arguing.

"If you don't give it to me, I'm going to take it."

Vala wanted nothing more than to slap him across the face, but she figured she'd have to wait until her arm healed before it would be worth it. She very slowly handed her arm over to the man on her right and waited for the pain of him manhandling it to wash over.

She was pleasantly surprised at how gentle and soft his hands were as he did his best to set the break, wrapping the stolen bandages over and under her wrist in turn. He took his time, making sure everything was as it should be, the way Aislin had with Sam's leg. The fluidity of how he worked made it obvious that he'd done this more times than he had cared to.

"Sorry." Vala frowned, trying to make nice.

Dean chuckled.

"For what?"

"Being a bitch. I was just frustrated. NOT an excuse, but there it is."

Dean smiled as he finished attaching the wraps to her hand, caressing it as he gave it back to her.

"I get it, it's alright. I'm sorry I broke your arm."

Vala noticed his face as he spoke. His eyes were red, distant and glossy, as if he were trying not to cry.

"I've had worse."

Vala laughed, trying to break the tension. He looked to her and asked what was on his mind.

"What were you dreaming about?"

Vala's eyes popped and she retracted them as quickly as she could. She didn't want to say, but she didn't want to lie to him either.

"I was dreaming?"

"After the doctors had left, you were just laying there. It was quiet, but you were smiling. I think you might have even giggled."

Vala laughed deeply.

"Dean, I don't giggle."

"I distinctly heard a giggle."

"Sorry, I've no idea what you're talking about."

He knew she knew what he was talking about, but he didn't want to push her. Vala was talking to him again and he didn't want to do anything to change that.

"Okay then."

"You know you had a fit during surgery?"

Vala figured since all the sharing was happening now, it might be time to ask her nagging questions. She knew there was a reason for it. Sam knew what the deal was; he was just unwilling to tell her. Now, while she was alone with Dean and had him cornered, she might get some answers.

When Dean looked up to question her she was staring him in the eye, waiting for a response. When she didn't get one, she elaborated.

"You flung the doctor across the room. All but one of the nurses left. I had to rush in and try to help them keep you calm. I've never seen anyone do something like that who wasn't possessed."

Dean smiled again.

"You rushed into the operating room to calm me down."

Vala was quick.

"You're paraphrasing. And what was I supposed to do? You were unintentionally hurting people who were trying to help you. I should let a room full of nurses die?"

He realized she was backpedalling and left it alone. He trusted her, that much he was sure of, so he decided to share.

"Hell." He exhaled.

"What?"
All of Vala's attention was focused on him now. She reached for the keys and turned the engine off. They sat in silence for a moment. Dean was unsure if she'd questioned him because she didn't hear, or she didn't believe. He repeated himself.

"Hell. While I was out, in my mind ... I was back...there. That's partly the reason why I didn't want you to leave."

"Dean..."

Vala sing song voice vibrated in his chest, taking his breath away momentarily. He gulped the emotions back down into his stomach and continued.

"There was more to that hunt than just vampires for us Vala. The vampires were working for a demon, one high up on the food chain. Those low level douches were there to guard the vampires from hunters and take me and Sammy down if we showed up."

Dean found he couldn't control the emotions and a tear ran down his cheek, catching on where the stubble had started to show. He ran his hand over his face, washing away the waterworks for a second.

It was clear that this was something big, maybe too big. Dean's emotions were scattered. Fear, sadness, pain. Vala reached out and rested her good hand on his knee, hoping to just get him to gaze upwards at her. He desperately reached for it, clasping her fingers in his paw, running his thumb rhythmically back and forth across the back of her hand. He exhaled again, gulping.

"You don't ha-"

"I need to."

She left well enough alone and let him speak when he was ready.

"When I was downstairs, this demon had me. Alastair. He was... he was a mean sonofabitch. Tore me to shreds daily. Literally. He'd offer to take me off the rack if I'd take over his role. I resisted for as long as I could..."

More tears, more pain. His face read like an open book. Vala let a few trickles escape her eyes as she listened to the man across from her pour his story out.

"... then I was rescued from the pit. A whole 'nother story. But he found me. I thought we'd finished him last time, but we got word he was back and looking for me. We tracked his lackey's down at that dump and he showed. He knocked Sam out before we knew he was in the room, tied me down before tying Sam up. He was going to take me back... permanently."

Tears tracked his rough, tired face like mighty rivers as he squeezed Vala's hand a little tighter. Dean had a difficult time getting the words out, but he managed with some careful determination.

"He heard you guys come in and split up. Said to me that he'd get me when I was alone and..."

Vala had heard enough. Dean was a quaking disaster, unable to do anything beyond sitting and shaking. She was crying almost as much as he was, having caught a small glimpse of her own fire-y future. The pain he felt there was just as real now, overpowering a man twice as strong as she was.

Vala moved until she was sitting on the armrest and tucked her legs to her chin to move her feet to Dean's side of the car, tangling them haphazardly with his. Dean continued to sob uncontrollably as Vala pulled him to her, wrapping her free broken arm around him. She lulled him with soft coos and whispers in the hopes that he would calm down, kissing the top of his head as she ran the tips of her fingers through his hair.

"We'll just have to make sure you're never alone then. Problem solved." Vala whispered.

Dean squeezed a laugh in between the tears, but didn't stop crying. Vala waited a moment before she let loose her secret terror.

"I have this ... recurring nightmare about my dead fiancée."

Silence.

"I wake up in bed and the room overlooks the beach. Everything is bright and beautiful. And these two little girls come rushing in to wish me happy birthday. They are just... oh, they are perfect. And the one, the younger of the two, she looks just like him."

Dean sat up. He's stopped crying, able to take the focus off of him, but he was still reeling from the after affects. He held Vala's hand to his.

"They tell me he's bringing up breakfast in bed and then the footsteps begin up the stairs. They play like this ever-growing bass drum. The girls run out of the room and the clouds come in, the wind blows the door open and this evil, just pure evil man enters the room. It's his face, his body, but it's not him. It's the thing that took him."

Vala was now in the same condition Dean was in just minutes ago. Her cheeks were wet as the tears dripped off them and down onto her throat. She coughed a moment before she could continue.

"He pulls me out of bed by my wrists and whispers in his real voice about how I wasn't there to save him. It's usually about then that I either wake up screaming or Linney shakes me out of it."

Dean looked at Vala. That's why she reacted as she did in the hospital.

"I'm really sorry Vala. I shouldn't have –"

Vala waved him off. He was more than forgiven for whatever he thought he needed forgiving for.

"It's over now." She stated quite simply. "Past is past."

Vala shifted back to her seat and Dean made a noise, something between a laugh and a sigh. She turned to look at him with a suspicious smile.

"Speaking of the past. I'm sorry for all the crap Sam and I caused you and your sister."

Vala smiled.

"Ditto, especially Reno."

Dean had been smiling, thinking back on some of the pranks he'd pulled on Vala over the years and some of the ones she'd pulled on him. He didn't remember Reno though.

"You mean Carson City, the WANTED photos?"

Vala smiled and turned the ignition key before turning her head to him.

"No, I mean Reno, the stripper that gave you the clap."

Dean's face went cold as stone as he turned and thought about it for a second.

"FUCKER."

Vala laughed yet again, one deep from the gut.

"I knew you would. If it's any consolation, Jamie said you were fantastic."

"Awesome." Dean said with the heaviest sarcasm possible. "That's a new low."

"And one you'll never be able to top. Hey, you hungry?" she changed the subject, feeling her stomach double over itself.

"I haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday." He answered as if it were obvious.

"I know this great diner near Bobby's. My treat, you know, like an apology for having a stripper give you an STD."

Dean sat in silence as Vala laughed some more at her little revealed joke, pulling into the street and taking off towards the diner in question.