Chapter 3: Someone to Lose

Andy got back to the motel and headed to her room. She was just getting her boots off when someone was pounding on her door. She got up and opened it to a very pissed off Sam who barged in past her.

"Please come in Sam. Make yourself comfortable," she said sarcastically.

"Where the hell were you?" he asked his tone clipped.

"I went to check out the lake some more, and I found something -" she was interrupted before she could get the news out.

"What is wrong with you!" Sam shouted at her.

"Pardon?"

"What the hell is wrong with you? You take off without a word, you could have been hurt, and we would have been none the wiser."

"Sam I'm a big girl I can take care of myself," Andy stated. Sam just looked at her with his face serious. "Kid, I may be reckless a lot of the time, but I'm not stupid." Sam continued looking at her. Andy sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. She knew what he was getting at. The decision to go had been an impulsive one and she should have at least left a note or texted Sam where she was going. "Truthfully it's been so long since I worked with someone else consistently that it takes a bit of getting used to. So, for what it's worth, I'm sorry." Sam huffed and sat next to her heavily.

"M'Sorry too. It's just between you and Dean it's like I've got two kamikaze hunters on my hands that I can't deal with," Sam grumbled. "Dean is sick, and he won't let himself rest and you are no help."

"Sammy, listen. I know that your brother can dive you mental and you do the same to him, but you just have to learn to live with it."

"It's Sam," he said nudging her shoulder playfully. Then his look turned serious. "And what about you? Huh?"

"What about me?"

"Andy you're like family, to both of us, what if something happened to you?"

"Sam nothing is going to happen to me. Sure, I can get hurt, I can get sick, but the fact is I'm 800 years old, I've lived several long fruitful lives being cautious. And here I am now, being reckless and hunting demons and monsters, and I am loving it. I think I have earned some opportunity to be a little reckless."

"And that's fine for you when you're hunting by yourself, but Andy you can't do stuff like that around him. You can't let him lose you too."

"What? What did I just say? No one is going to lose me."

"You heard me Andy. You can be as reckless as you like when you hunt alone. But when you're with us you can't be like that. He will just go even farther to keep us both out of danger by putting himself in it."

"Sam why the hell would me being here have any effect on Dean?" Sam stared at her.

"Andy for someone who is pretty good at being observant you can be pretty oblivious sometimes," Sam said with a rueful smile. She looked at Sam confused. " Andy, Dean's in love with you. He has been since Dad first brought you to meet us."

Andy's eyes widened and her breath caught. Sam saw a brief look of hope and wonder cross her face, but it was replaced in a moment with disbelief.

"You're nuts."

"Oh, I'm nuts? Andy have you ever noticed how protective he is of you and how he always has a smile for you. He always calls you when he really needs help. You're the only other person he trusts completely." Sam was tired of these two idiots dancing around each other.

"Why the hell would Dean be in love with me and why would he never tell me?"

"Because he thinks you would laugh in his face." Sam said simply. Andy hesitated, thinking for a second.

"Why would he think that?" Andy retorted.

"Because first off, he's an idiot, and secondly, he thinks you're out of his league," Sam shrugged. Andy just stared at him. Her front of casual disbelief was gone. Sam put a hand on her shoulder. "He loves you Andy. So much, he would put himself at risk to keep you safe in a heartbeat." Andy's next retort died on her lips as understanding dawned. Gods this is just like a bad romance novel. she thought. She had always hidden her feelings by treating Dean as a brother and apparently he hid his by doing the same.

"Holy crap," she said sitting down on the bed and putting her head in her hands. "Looks like Dean isn't the only idiot."

"You've got that right," Sam said and threw an arm around her shoulders. "But it's never too late." Andy looked at him eyes wide. "He's just next-door Andy, and he's been waiting a long time." Andy smiled slowly. She looked up at Sam and nodded. They went out of the motel and back to the boy's room. The minute Sam opened the door he noticed that Dean wasn't on his bed anymore and he didn't hear him in the shower.

"Dean?" he called out. No answer. "Dean!?" he shouted. Andy turned and looked back out the door.

"Sam, the Impala's gone."

"What the hell is he thinking?!"

"Maybe he just went to get some food, or something."

Sam glanced at the takeout boxes he had just brought back before storming over to Andy's and shook his head. "Well, he can't be ahead of us that much we can just go after him."

"Yea but even so if he gets there he is a sitting duck,"

"Sammy have a bit more faith in your brother."

"Andy he's sick. He's running a fever; you know how he gets." Andy's face fell.

"Well, that changes things,"

They found the Impala in about the same place Dean had parked it the day before. They called out for him but there was nothing. Andy was standing by the water's edge when she saw something. It was one of Dean's shirts.

"Sam!" Andy called out to him and held up the shirt. "There are drag marks here too," she said pointing out the overturned soil. "Ok I'm going to go divining, see if you can find a land entrance to that cave." She grabbed her gun and a few other supplies from her bike and went back to the shore. Sam was pacing.

"Andy this is not a good idea,"

"Sam we don't have a choice; I can get to the cave easily. You just find a land entrance and back me up. Don't forget the bridle." Sam nodded.

"Be careful," he said gripping her shoulder tight. She nodded and plunged into the lake. She swam hard and fast and reached the cave entrance soon. She broke the surface of the pool slowly. She looked around. The Kelpie was nowhere in sight. She climbed out of the pool and walked carefully along the passage. She hadn't gone far when she heard something. A wet sliding footstep. She held her breath and listened. It seemed to pass by on her left. She shuffled along the passage for a while longer. There was light coming from somewhere other than her flashlight. Suddenly she heard footsteps again. She grabbed her knife ready to try and fend off the Kelpie. The footsteps were just around the next bend. A figured appeared. She lunged and came face to face with Sam.

"Shit Sam! Sorry, I wasn't expecting you so fast."

"Yea I can tell. There was an entrance. There were other drag marks that lead to it."

"Come on. Let's find your brother and get out of here."

They continued along the passage. At some point they came upon a smaller passage that broke off to the left. They looked at each other. Sam shrugged. Suddenly they both heard the dragging step that Andy had heard before. They dove into the smaller passage and didn't stop until they couldn't hear the steps. They decided to keep going. It wasn't long before the passage opened onto a small cavern There was a torch lighting it on one wall. Tied to the same wall, shirtless, wet, and on his knees was Dean.

"Dean!" Sam called out quietly and ran to him, Andy close on his heels.

"S' about time you guys showed up," Dean said thickly. They both knelt in front of him. He was bruised and scraped but didn't look too hurt. They made quick work cutting through the ropes that bound him to the wall. The sudden release of his bonds made Dean fall forward.

"Whoa easy there. I've got you. You're all right." Andy caught him with an arm across his chest.. She could feel the unhealthy heat that was radiating off his body. Andy looked up at Sam, her eyes tight with concern. His expression mirrored hers.

"Thanks for finding me guys," Dean breathed out with a weak smile.

"You're welcome sweetheart. Now come on, let's get you out of here," Andy said looking around checking that they were still alone.

"Yea, ok let's do it."

Together Sam and Andy got Dean on his feet and with an arm around each of their shoulders they made their way back to the main passage. They had to stop at one point because Dean doubled over with the force of his cough. When he managed to get his breath back, they made it to the mouth of the main passage. Where the Kelpie was waiting in the shadows for them. First it took a swing at Sam who had to let go of Dean to block. Suddenly finding herself supporting 170lbs of fever weakened Dean sent them both crashing into the wall. Sam was still fighting the Kelpie and it wasn't giving up easily. Dean tried to push himself up to go help Sam, but by the time he got to his feet he was so dizzy he could barely see. Sam landed and good blow with his knife and the Kelpie backed off and fled. Sam took off after it.

"Andy get Dean out of here! I'll meet you at the car!" He shouted over his shoulder. Dean tried to go after him, but he stumbled and fell to one knee. Andy hurried to him and got him on his feet.

"Dean come on. Sam can handle this. Let's get back to the car," She supported him through the passages and managed to find the land entrance fairly easily. Sam was right, it was surprisingly close to the main parking lot. Dean was struggling. He was shaking so hard he could barely walk, and wracking coughs were tearing their way out of him regularly. They stopped for a moment because Dean was panting hard.

"Dean you need to breathe slower. Try to take a deep breath." Andy could tell he was trying. She rubbed his back and slowly Dean got his breath back. "That's better. Come on we're almost at the car. We get there then you can take a break." They were only a few feet away when Dean's knees gave way. With the sudden dead weight, he and Andy slowly sank to the ground."Whoa! Dean!" she cried in alarm. "Dean?!" Andy managed to drag him over to the Impala and propped him against one wheel. Andy crouched next to him and cupped his face and gently ran a hand over his forehead trying to wake him up. Shit he is really burning up, she thought, a wave of panic rising in her. A moment later Dean's eyes fluttered open.

"Andy?" he said fuzzily. "What the hell happened?"

"You blacked out," Dean blinked at her with glassy green eyes "you're running a pretty high fever sweetheart." Dean shivered and curled into himself coughing into a fist.

"Great," He leaned forward and put his head between his knees and took a shaky breath.

"Come on, let's get you in the car. You can sleep for a while." Andy grabbed Dean's arm and hauled him up.

"Where's Sam?" he asked in a rough voice as he managed to stagger to his feet. Andy put an arm around his waist.

"He was right behind us give him a second." They waited. And waited. Andy could feel Dean trembling in the cool air. He looked around his brow furrowed with concern.

"Andy?" he said fear entering his voice.

"Just another minute." They waited.

"Andy…?"

Suddenly there was a loud splash, and something broke the surface of the water. A horse and rider rose out of the water and walked to shore straight towards the car. Andy and Dean stood up, panicking slightly. Dean swayed a bit, but Andy balanced him. The horse stopped 10ft from them and the rider dismounted. It was Sam, drenched and shivering but alive and unharmed. Dean broke into a relieved smile. Sam looked a bit sheepish.

"Sorry I took so long," Sam said stepping forward. Dean embraced him hard. Sam hugged him back, concerned about the heat of Dean's body and the small shudders he could feel running through his brother.

"Don't do that again," Dean said quietly looking hard at Sam, then he sneezed violently.

"Bless you, and I won't. Trust me." Said Sam

"All right boys we need to get you back to the warmth and dy. Dean get in the car and put a shirt on. Sammy come over here and I'll dry you off." Once she had dried Sam off he looked over at the horse.

"What are we going to do about that?" he asked. Andy went over to her bike and opened one of her saddle bags and pulled out a long silver knife. She went over to the kelpie, patted its nose to keep it calm then drove the knife into its heart. It screamed and collapsed to the ground, melting into a greenish brown puddle of water. Andy wiped the knife off and went back over to Sam.

"Taken care of," she said. Sam nodded. Andy managed to convince Dean to let his brother drive. It wasn't much of a fight. She pulled the blanket that the boys kept in the trunk out. She threw it over Dean once he was in the passenger seat. She smiled at him lightly and he gave her a slightly bewildered look.

"Drive safe kid," she said and swung the door shut. She watched the Impala pull away and sighed explosively. Shivering herself from the cool breeze and the adrenaline that was starting to leave her body, Andy got on her Triumph and road after her boys.

In the car Sam watched Dean shivering under his blanket.

"What happened Dean?" Dean just looked at his brother with fever glassy eyes, then sneezed again. "Dean?"

"Look I thought it was Andy ok. Went looking for you and I saw her bike was missing. I panicked. Figured she had gone back to the lake. When I got there I thought I heard her call for help so I went to the edge of the water and I thought I saw her face in the water. It was stupid but that's what happened." Sam couldn't help but crack a smile. Dean coughed harshly "What's funny?" Sam wiped the smile off his face.

"I'm sorry Dean. It's really not funny."

"Ok now I'm just confused…"

"You really should just tell her how you feel."

"What are you talking about?"

"Dean I'm your brother and I know you. You're in love with Andy. Just tell her and get it over with."

"I am not,"

"Yes you are Dean, and she cares about you. Probably more than she even knows." Dean was quiet for a moment.

"There's no way," he mumbled.

"Dean you've been avoiding each other for years. It's really not that hard to see." Dean sat there shivering thinking about what his brother said. He coughed a bit to clear his throat, but it backfired, and he ended up falling into a fit. A deep racking fit that when it finally finished left him panting.

"Shit Dean you sound like hell."

"I feel like hell," he said hoarsely leaning his head back into the seat.

"We're almost back at the motel."

"Mmm" Dean murmured. Sam snuck a glance at his brother. Sam was really getting worried. Dean was so pale, and he could hear a distinct wheeze when his brother took a breath. He pulled into the motel and hoped that Andy was close behind. He shook Dean's shoulder to wake him up. Dean looked at him with fever bright eyes.

"Come on bro. Let's get you in to bed," Sam said. Dean smiled slowly.

"Sorry Sammy you're not my type," he said and chucked. Which turned into a cough, which turned into a fit of deep barking again. The sound made Sam cringe. He got out of the car and went quickly round to the passenger side to help Dean out. For once Dean accepted the help quietly. He was really out of it, and he was still shivering. Sam heard the growl of Andy's Triumph just as he was getting Dean in the door of their room. She came in right behind them. Sam helped Dean to his bed. He just sat there staring into space. Andy knelt in front of him.

"How're you doing?" she asked taking one of his hands.

"Peachy," he answered gruffly and lay back on the bed. He coughed once. Andy started taking off his boots. Dean didn't do anything to stop her, which was worrying. Dean would normally never let anyone do something like that for him. She glanced over to Sam.

"How's he doing?"

"Not too good. His fever is high, and his cough is really bad."

"I'm fine Andy."

Andy got up and went over to Dean and tried to lay a hand on his head. He flinched and pushed Andy's hand away.

"I know I'm sick you don't have to baby me," Dean grumbled. Andy made a sound in her throat that could only be called a growl. "Threats won't help." he said and closed his eyes. She looked at him brow furrowed in frustration. A small smile spread on her face. She gave Sam a look. He looked at her puzzled. She bent and kissed Dean's forehead. The touch startled him. His eyes flew open, and he stared at her.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath. She started opening his jacket and flannel.

"Wait…what…what the hell are you doing?" Dean said trying to sit up. Andy pushed him back down.

"Behave and let me check you out," she said and laid and ear to his chest "Deep breath for me," he complied. She could hear a distinctive crackles rattling through his lungs as he breathed. The deep breath triggered a small coughing fit. He was forced to sit up and cough hard into his fist. Once Andy had heard that she knew. "Damnit Dean," she said under her breath, looking at him worried.

"What?" he said roughly with the last bit of his cough.

"I think you have pneumonia," Andy said.

"What? No, I don't. It's just a cold…" he broke off coughing again. Andy looked at Sam who had a mix of concern and fear on his face.

"Sweetheart that is no cold I have ever heard. You need to do some serious resting."

"She's right Dean. You really need to give yourself a break."

"All right all right you two I give. I'll take it easy for a bit, but I'm going to have a shower first." Dean stood up unsteadily and made his way to the bathroom. Sam looked at Andy.

"He's in rough shape, isn't he?" Sam said. Andy looked at the closed bathroom door.

"Yea, he is, but he's tough he'll be fine." She was trying to convince herself as much as Sam. He nodded then smiled slowly. He looked up at Andy. "What?"

"You sure gave him a shock when you kissed him," he said. Andy chuckled.

"I know. I didn't really mean to. I just wanted to catch him off guard." She smiled and shrugged. "It worked," Sam laughed.

"Sure did."

Sam picked up his computer and started surfing around. Andy lay back on Dean's bed and closed her eyes. She was wiped and worried. Dean could be a real pain. A few minutes later they heard the shower turn off and heard a new round of deep racking coughs. Eventually they stopped and the bathroom door opened. Dean was dressed in sweats and an oversized hoodie that Andy was pretty sure was actually Sam's. He was nearly grey except for fever blush high on both cheeks. He leaned heavily on the door frame and ran a hand through his damp hair. Moving stiffly, he made it back to his bed and collapsed onto it. He groaned as he stretched.

"Better?" Andy asked softly.

"I feel clean at least," Dean replied, his voice was completely wrecked.

"Would you be willing to take some meds?" Sam asked from where he had grabbed their med kit from his duffle. Dean nodded as he sneezed into the crook of his arm. Sam dolled out a dose of Tylenol, cough syrup and a decongestant. Dean almost refused to take anything but the Tylenol but looks from both Sam and Andy shut him up. It didn't take much convincing to get him to lie down and close his eyes for a while.

Andy had drifted off as well, sprawled on Sam's bed. She was startled awake by a sound coming from the opposite bed. She sat up and looked around. Sam wasn't there but Andy saw a note on the bedside table that he had gone out for food. Andy was just starting to wonder what the hell it that was had woken her when a sharp, pitiful sound came from the other bed. In a second Andy was off the bed and kneeling next to Dean's.

"Dean, baby, what's going on?" She gently ran a hand through Dean's hair. It was damp with sweat, and she thought that he might be even warmer than he had been. His eyes fluttered open. He focused on Andy and took a shuddering breath.

"Andy…" he rasped, "I…I don't feel good."

"Oh darling, I know you don't. What can I do for you?"

Before Dean could answer the door to their room opened and Sam came in with a collection of bags. He saw Andy kneeling next to Dean and hurried to put the bags down.

"What's happening? Everything ok?" he asked coming over to crouch next to Andy.

"I guess…I'm not as…fine as…I thought…" Dean said haltingly between breaths and closed his eyes again. Andy looked up at Sam, his face was echoing her feelings.

"I think his fever's spiking,"

"What? How can you tell?"

"I'm not positive. Do you have a thermometer?" Sam thought for a moment, then nodded. She looked back at Dean. He was so pale. Dark circles under his eyes. She took his hand. He opened his eyes.

"Andy?" he breathed. There was fear in his voice.

"Hey Dean, I'm right here."

"Are you ok?" His eyes were glassy, and he was looking at her concerned.

"What? Yea sweetheart I'm fine,"

"You were, you were hurt. You called for help. But you're ok?" Andy was confused but she played along.

"Yea Dean I'm fine, you saved me, but now you need help. So let me help you baby." she said caressing his flushed face. He nodded slowly and closed his eyes. Sam came back with a thermometer and a prescription bottle. Andy took the thermometer and stuck it in Dean's mouth. It beeped a minute later.

"104.2, damn it. Sam, he needs a hospital. His fever is way too high. He's delirious."

Dean's eyes flashed open.

"No. No hospitals!" Dean said fervently. Andy looked down at him.

"Seriously Dean - " she started to say but was cut off. Dean grabbed her arm, eyes wild.

"Andy," he choked out "No h-hospitals!" Andy closed her eyes. She had forgotten how stubborn and afraid of hospitals Dean could be. Sam had started pacing muttering to himself about whether to risk taking Dean to a hospital.

"Andy, what do we do?" Sam asked her with tears in his voice.

"First Sam, you need to calm down. What's in the bottle?" Sam nodded and handed her the prescription bottle. It was a full course of Amox. Not her first choice for treating bacterial pneumonia but it was better than nothing. She looked back up at Sam. "We can give him these. He's going to be ok, he's not in danger right now unless something changes. All we can do right now is ride it out. Maybe get him to sit in steam for a while, and hope his fever breaks soon." she said looking down at her sweet, green eyed boy. A thought flashed across her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. It's not time for that. If he gets worse, then it might be.

It was a rough night for all of them. Dean would wake up panicked about something or other and try to go racing off to kill something or rescue someone. It was all Sam and Andy could do to keep him in bed. When he slept, he slept restlessly. He moaned and cried out. Sam sent Andy to her own room around midnight. She was so exhausted that she didn't argue. Around 4am she went back. Sam was sitting in a chair next to Dean's bed. He looked up at Andy when she came in.

"How is he?" she asked.

"Not much better, but not worse as far as I can tell." Andy looked at Dean. His hair was limp from sweat, he was still death white, and he was trembling. She looked at Sam. He had his head in one hand and was fighting a losing battle to keep his eyes open.

"Sammy, why don't you go and get some sleep in my room. I can sit with him." Sam shook himself and sat up.

"It's ok. I'm good." He rubbed his eyes and blinked rapidly.

"Kid, you look wrecked. Almost look as bad as your brother. You need some sleep. One sick Winchester I can deal with, but both of you would be too much of a handful for this girl." Sam looked up at Andy and gave her a weak smile. He got up stiffly and stretched. He turned away to leave but hesitated for a moment. Then he turned back and engulfed Andy in a tight hug. Andy squeezed him hard. They stayed that way for a moment. Drawing strength from each other.

"Watch out for him," Sam whispered into her hair.

"You know I will," Andy replied. She let Sam go and got herself comfortable in the chair. She watched Dean sleep, which under different circumstances he probably would have found creepy. She was buzzing with concern. He was coughing frequently and hard. He would moan slightly after a fit, which told her that he was in some pain. She reached out and took his hand. She wished she had the courage to tell him. The boy she had loved for almost as long as she had been in this world. He was sick, and vulnerable, and she couldn't help but wonder what could go wrong. He was shifting restlessly. It seemed like he was waking up slightly.

"Dean?" Andy inquired. He shifted and opened his eyes which were glassy and unfocused.

"Andy? What's going on?"

"I just wanted to ply you with more drugs. Sit up for me?" Dean struggled his face creased with pain to sit up. Andy helped him to get as comfortable as possible. She got up and grabbed a glass of water and another round of painkillers and cough syrup. Clearly something had shifted in his lungs when he moved because Dean had started to cough. He was bent double, fist pressed to his mouth. Andy put the water down and began to rub his back soothingly. It took a long time for him to come down, by the time he had he was gasping for breath.

"Breathe Dean, breathe."

"Doin'…my best…Andy."

"Here," she handed him the cup of cough syrup. He grimaced but knocked it back like a shot and handed it back to Andy. Then she handed him the glass of water and pills. He took them both gratefully.

"Thanks," he breathed. Andy smiled at him. She took a cool cloth and passed it over his face and neck. Dean moaned. "That feels stupidly good," he said slightly slurred.

"Glad to help," she wiped the sticky sweat off Dean's upper body. When she was done Andy helped him settle back.

"I think you should try sleeping propped up a bit. It'll help keep your lungs clearer," Andy said adjusting the pillows behind Dean. He just nodded, barely keeping his eyes open. It seemed like he fell back to sleep in moments. Andy sighed. She hated seeing the man she loved so sick and weak. She got up to make herself some tea. Suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed her arm. She looked down and saw Dean looking at her wide eyed.

"Don't leave. Please," he said almost fearfully.

"I'm not going anywhere Dean." she said and sat back down on the bed. Dean let go of her arm and pushed himself up in bed. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly. Andy looked at his pale face concerned. "Dean, what's wrong?" He swallowed and looked away from her.

"I…I don't…" He couldn't seem to get the words out. Andy touched his face turning it so that he would look at her again.

"Dean, you can say anything to me." He gazed at her for a long moment with his fever bright eyes.

"Andy…I…I want you to know, how I feel. In case…" Andy's eyes popped.

"Dean, there is no in case. You are going to be fine."

"Andy, please. Just let me get this out." She was quiet. "I want you to know, how much I care about you. I think I fell for you the day we met, and I have never felt that way about anyone since." Andy swallowed back the tears that had risen in her throat. "I figured it was time that I stopped worrying about what you might think and just get it out there." Andy was quiet. She thought that if she tried to speak she would lose the battle against her tears. Dean watched her, his face going from hopeful to crestfallen to embarrassed. "Please say something so I don't feel like a complete idiot." Andy couldn't help but laugh, her voice cracking through the tightness in her throat.

"Dean, you are always an idiot." she said smiling at him. He grinned sadly back at her. Throwing away all of the hesitation she had held on to over the years, Andy leaned into Dean and pressed her lips to his. It was a soft and gentle thing. Hesitant, and hopeful. Dean seemed to freeze for a moment, and then leaned into the kiss, drinking it in. Andy finally pulled back and pressed her forehead to Dean's. "But you are an idiot that I fell for years ago and was afraid to tell you." Dean's face lit up. Andy hadn't seen a smile that bright on Dean's face for a very long time and Andy laughed again at the drastic change. One tear had managed to escape. Dean brushed it away with his thumb and caressed Andy's face. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Dean's neck.

"We are both supreme idiots for not letting this out earlier," she said.

"Too true," Dean replied chuckling. His chuckles turned into coughs, which turned into deep wracking barks. Andy pulled away from Dean and placed a hand on his back. Her joyful mood swung to gut wrenching concern as she watched Dean desperately try to catch his breath. When the coughs finally stopped Andy kissed Dean's forehead.

"Time for you to go back to sleep. Need you to heal up."

"You bet," Dean said rasping. He settled down on the bed and was soon dead to the world. She sat just watching over him that night, floating on clouds of ecstasy.