"Y'all realize Bloody Mary isn't real, right," Zane asks, voice little more than static over the speakerphone. "I mean, she's not actually murdering people who say her name."
"Could've fooled me," Dean retorts, sparing the phone in Elizabeth's hand a glance as he drives through the town. "Kid said her name three times in a dark bathroom and then her dad got his eyes scratched out. Sure, it's a little wonky, but it still fits one of the legends." Zane heaves a dramatic sigh and Elizabeth can hear even more shuffling papers on his end.
"What about a Tulpa?"
"I guess it might be, but I want to check the vengeful spirit route first." Dean parks the car in front of the public library, cutting the ignition and pocketing the keys before turning to look at the blonde in the backseat. "If you could do a little more research on the myth, that would be great."
"No problem, Winchester." Zane hangs up and Elizabeth follows suit, stuffing the cell phone in her jacket pocket and grabbing her purse before all of them get out of the Impala.
"Are you sure we can trust that guy, Elizabeth?"
"I wouldn't have crashed at his place for a week if I couldn't trust him," she assures the boys, taking up her spot between the two as they walk. "He and I met when I went to New York on a Vetala case; saved my ass and we've been close ever since." Nothing like the fear of death to really bring people together. "What exactly do you want us to be looking for here?"
"The way I figure it is that the newspapers would report strange deaths in the area, so maybe we got a stiff that bit it near a mirror or something."
"Are you kidding," Sam asks incredulously. "Do you know how many variations of the legend there are? I've heard she was a witch, and mutilated bride, and the freaking Queen of Scotland. Sure, some of the stories say she'll scratch your eyes out, but others have stated that she eats your soul or forces you to take her place in the mirror."
"Then what do you suggest we start with, Sammy?"
"Well, there are always connections between the legends."
"Yeah," Elizabeth nods along, the three of them moving past the bookshelves and towards the computers. "The name doesn't change, so we have that goin' for us."
"And mirrors, she's always near a mirror or something reflective before she dies. It shouldn't be too hard to go through the records since we can use the... Computers." Sam sighs and Elizabeth hangs her head when they see the paper taped over the computer screens proclaiming them to be out of order. "Aw man."
"I'll go and buy us some coffees because it looks like we're gonna need it."
"I'll go with you," Dean says, patting his brother on the shoulder. "Don't be afraid to get started without us." Sam makes a face at that, but moves over to the neatly stacked newspapers all the same, grabbing a handful of them and moving to a table. Smiling at Sam's pouting, Dean and Elizabeth quickly walk back outside to the car.
"I think there's a coffee place just up the street."
"Oh, you were serious."
"Is there a second meaning for going on a coffee run?"
"I just thought you wanted to ditch the work and go hang out somewhere else where Sammy wouldn't catch us." He shrugs, starting the car and grinning at her. "Either one is cool with me." Laughing, she slaps his shoulder playfully.
"Coffee first, Romeo."
"What the hell," Sam demands when he walks into the motel room twenty minutes later, bringing up his stack of books to cover his face. "Guys, at least put a sock on the freakin' door!" Elizabeth pushes Dean off of her and grabs her sweater, pulling it on quickly before sliding off the bed and going to help Sam with his books.
"Sorry," she says and grins when she notices the way he's blushing. It's not the first time he's walked in on her with someone, but it's always funny that he turns tomato red whenever it happens.
"Learn how to knock," Dean says. He gets up off the floor with a scowl, heading for the bathroom. "I'm gonna go take a cold shower." He pauses, sending Elizabeth a suggestive wink. "Unless Liza feels like joining me."
"And risk breaking my neck? I think I'll stick with the books that smell like mold." He shrugs, closing the door behind him and leaving her to sit at the small table with a book opened in her lap.
"What happened to a quick coffee run before you guys met me back at the library," Sam asks with a raised brow, taking up a spot on his bed with one of the books.
"We got distracted."
"Did you at least pick me up something?"
"I think we have a half-eaten blueberry muffin in the car." He makes a face, and flips his book open as she does the same. It's from the genealogy section, containing history on the founding families and a few of the families that have been in Toledo for at least six generations. The book is at least as thick as her wrist and there are spots of mold scattered throughout it that means it was stored somewhere dark and damp. "Where'd you dig this thing up?"
"Basement with the other crap no one usually bothers to read."
"Did you find anything cool down there? Treasure maps, One-eyed Willy?"
"They had all the Twilight books down there."
"Those books weren't awful." Sam arches his brow again and she's pretty sure that brow will have a six-pack if he keeps doing that. "What? I liked them." And there goes his other brow, joining its twin near his hairline. "Bella totally should've gotten with Jessica, though."
"I bet her ending up with Edward broke your poor little gay heart."
"It totally bisected it," she confirms with a grin. Sam shakes his head with a fond smile and Elizabeth settles more comfortably in her seat. It's nice to be out of the closet, that pressure is off her chest and she can joke about it now. Back in high school, when she was trying to figure everything out, Sam had been right next to her ready for whatever answer she came up with. He's straight as a ruler, but he's supportive and she loves him for it.
Elizabeth turns her gaze back to her book, scanning the names in the glossary until she finds a woman named Mary, then turning to that page and beginning to read.
"This is gonna take forever."
"You lost sympathy from me when you ditched me to sleep with my brother, blondie."