Hope your 2010 is better than your 2009. And to start it off, something you Drifters have been waiting for...
AvalonRose- You know I try to sneak in a little Xmas whenever I can!
Maiqu- I'll say it again. I love Kyle. Glad you liked it!
Behrstars- I'm glad! Thanks for reading!
garcia88- Aww thanks.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“And what about you, Ms. Martin? Would you like French toast or pancakes this morning?” A flight attendant leaned over Liz’s chair and smiled.
“French toast would be fantastic.” Liz answered. “He’ll probably have the same when he wakes up.” She nodded toward a conked out Dean and the flight attendant smiled.
“Sure, no problem.”
Liz gently shook Dean awake by the arm.
“Hmm?” Dean said, his head jerking upright.
“Breakfast time, I got you French toast, that okay?”
“Yeah thas good.” He mumbled groggily, wiping the sleep from his eyes. “How much longer?”
“Only two more hours. You slept for quite some time. We’ll be in Cairo around 9pm, the Professor wants to leave around 6am their time.” Liz explained.
“Jet lag is gonna be a bitch.” Dean complained.
“Yeah probably, but do we really have a choice?”
“Nope. When’s that French toast getting here?
Liz shrugged. “I just ordered it.”
Dean nodded. “So, how’d you come up with the money for this trip anyways?”
“Credit Card.”
“Credit Card?”
“Mmhmm.” She nodded picking at her sweater.
Dean furrowed his brow. “When did you find the time to get someone’s credit information?”
Liz smiled, knowingly. “Being…special gives you certain advantages. Having friends in right places gives you better advantages. I can use my powers to bypass anything in a computer system. I can hack into and change anything.”
“What?”
“I don’t know how. I just…one day I’m looking at this database trying to crack a password. I know that if you change certain things as far as the page goes you can bypass it all together. I held up my hand and just did it. It all kind of comes from a knowledge of Code and writing and all that computer stuff. I’d never been so glad that I listened to Alex drabble on and on…” Liz’s face fell from an excited smile to a wistful stare. Dean glanced away from her to give her a moment.
“Look, you know…” He began “People say stupid things when they’re grieving….”
“I just, um…You know I can’t regret making the deal…and going back I would have done the same…but I just, uh…wish things could be different.” She said quietly.
“I know.” Dean nodded. “Alex will come around.”
“You don’t know that.” She smiled sadly. He went to say something else but she interrupted. “But thanks for saying it anyways.”
Dean only nodded, offering her a small smile.
“I think the lady is coming with our food,” Liz sat up taller in her chair.
“I'm not so good at this whole…”
“You don’t have to be.” She interrupted once again, lowering her voice to only a whisper. “you’re helping more than you know, Dean.”
*****************************************************************
“You know, I’ve never been to Seattle.” Ava chucked her bag onto the bed of the most recent motel they had checked them selves into. “Thought about it for a minute right after Roswell the first time I met Liz, but then figured that’d be the first place Rath and Lonnie would look.” She looked at Sam who smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead.
“We should go do the tourist thing maybe. Go to the market, the Space Needle. I hear they’ve got Hendrix buried around here somewhere.” Ava shrugged.
“Yeah—.”
“Wont have time.” Ruby interrupted. Ava rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Sam gave Ava an apologetic smile.
“Oookay. Well should we get some din—.”
“Sammy,” Ruby interrupted. “We need to juice you up before we go. Our friend works at the children’s hospital as a volunteer.” She looked over at Ava who was narrowing her eyes at the brunette. “So, don’t you have somewhere to be?” Ruby spoke in a bored tone.
“Ruby.” Sam scolded.
“Its whatever.” Ava interrupted quickly. “I’ll just go get my own dinner and wander for a while.”
When Ava showed back up at the hotel it was dark out. She’d been gone for a little longer than necessary but used the time to clear her head. With a bag of white take out in her hand she trudged toward the door, Ruby’s car parked in the lot in front of their room. Using her key, the door swung open with a creak. Three pairs of eyes shot to her, all nervous.
“Please, help me…”
There was a boy handcuffed to the bed, Sam and Ruby standing over him. Ruby twirling her knife in between her fingers.
Ava shut the door immediately wondering what she had just seen…they had come for a demon, but that couldn’t have been him. She gently eased the door open again.
“You can make rooms sound proof, can’t you?” Ruby asked.
“What the fuck is going on?” Ava asked.
“Make the room soundproof, hurry up.” She demanded.
Ava raised an arm to the wall and concentrated, energy flowing from her palm throughout the room. “Now tell me what the hell is going on.”
“Please help me….please?” The young boy pleaded, his eyes red.
“He’s a demon, Aves. He knows where Lilith is.” Sam responded.
Ava shook her head. “He’s just a kid…”
“A kid, my ass. This fucker has done some evil shit in his lifetime, haven’t you.” Ruby spat, throwing a bit of holy water on him.
It sizzled as it went down his arm, causing the innocent blue eyes to turn black and full of hate. “You know I aim to please.” He spat out. “Alright, you got me. But if you think I’m helping you out in the least you got another thing coming sister.”
Sam raised his hand toward the boy and began clenching his fist, the body rising off the bed and screeches of agony escaping from his mouth.
“Shit!” The demon exclaimed, half panting, half laughing. “Ruby’s really made you into her little demon bitch, hasn’t she.”
Another scream, this one more painful, like nails on chalkboard.
“Look, if I tell you she’ll kill me.” He panted out.
Ruby answered him. “Oh honey, you’re going to die either way. The how is up to you.”
“Sam,” Ava asked softly, “There’s still a kid in there,”
“That’s right,” the demon spoke. “Jacob Learner. 10th grade. He plays basketball and lacrosse. He really does volunteer at this hospital, too. Even got himself a little girlfriend.”
“He’s just a kid, Sam.” Ava pleaded. “We cant hurt him.”
“Hey, Sam, you want to get your little girl friend situation under control so we can get some work done?” Ruby asked, annoyed.
“I’m not going to kill him, Ava, just…” Sam pleaded, trying to push her back away from the bed. “Hold on, okay?”
“Now,” Ruby said, “Tell us where Lilith is.”
“No.” The demon arched his back and let out a loud scream, twisting around for a moment, before screaming out. “Okay, okay! I’ll tell you just kill me, please!”
“Where is she?” Sam barked.
“Maryland, okay! At a convent waiting for the last seal.”
“Good boy.” Ruby patted him on the face. “Let’s pack up and get on the road.”
“Are you going to let him go now?” Ava asked, seated on the couch, her arms crossed.
“No. We need him. Sam needs him to feed before he faces Lilith.” Ruby answered.
“You promised you’d kill me!” The boy shouted.
“Yeah, and we will. Just not yet, Chachi.”
“Sam, this is a whole new level of fucked. We can’t just….he’s got his whole life in…”
“Yeah, well no ones making you stay, sister.” Ruby spat out, throwing belongings into a duffel.
“Ruby!” Sam scolded.
“Would you shut the fuck up?” Ava shouted. “I’m tired of your stupid trap yappin all goddamned day!”
“Yeah? Weird. Me too.” She responded. “Look if you’re not with us then maybe you should leave. Wouldn’t want to dirty up that conscience of yours.”
“Ruby, Knock it off, now!” Sam shouted, “Ava, lets just talk about t his outside, come on.” He said, pulling the blonde by her hand.
“I’m sick of this shit, Sam.” Ava said once out the door, jerking her arm away from Sam.
“I know, and I’m sorry about Ruby, but it’s…just for a little while longer.”
“Yeah, you keep saying that, and yet here we are. And what about when we find Lilith? You’re just gonna drink that kids blood and then…”
“I don’t have a choice, Aves!” Sam said firmly.
“You DID have a choice Sam, You’ve had a choice this entire time. We could have stayed with Liz and Dean and done this a different way.”
“Dean doesn’t understand…he can’t do what needs to be done!”
“How do you know that?” Ava crossed her arms.
“I just….I just know, okay? I have to be the one to do this.” Sam answered.
Ava shook her head. “She’s been messing with your head, Sam. Whatever she’s been doing…she’s been brainwashing you, okay? This isn’t you.”
“How the HELL would you know!” He shouted.
Ava sucked in a quick breath of air.
Sam’s eyes fell. “I-I’m sorry, Aves I didn’t mean that…I know this is so fucked and I’m sorry…but I have to do this.”
Ava looked at the ground and then back at Sam’s pleading brown eyes. Her face flushed and she felt a knot forming in her throat.
“Then I have to leave.” She said quietly.
“Wha…” Sam’s face scrunched. “Don’t do that.”
“Look, if you have to do it then okay…but I can’t stand here and watch this happen to you and do nothing. I’m sorry.”
“Ava…we’ll figure something out, but…don’t go…I need you here.” Sam replied.
“No, you don’t. You’ve got all the help you need it looks like. Look, I’ll grab a bus to Ohio, get Liz’s car. I’ll be fine.” She said, walking back into the room, only to see her duffel already packed and Ruby’s smiling face.
“Thanks I guess.” Ava muttered.
“Anytime.” Came Ruby’s snarky reply.
“Baby…just think about it, okay? Please….just…give it till tomorrow okay…It’ll…it’ll be better tomorrow. I just…I need you here, Aves.”
Ava smiled sadly and reached her hand up to stroke Sam’s cheek. “Bye, Sammy. I’m gonna miss you.” Her voice wavered as she turned out the door and began her descent down the hall.
“Ava!” Sam shouted after her. “I love you.”
She froze in her tracks, unsure of what to do. Her duffel dropped to the ground and when she turned Sam could see the tear tracks down her face. Walking back slowly she looked at him strangely.
“I’m in love with you.”
Reaching up on her tip toes she grabbed his face and crushed it to hers. His arms came around to pick her off the ground and hold her tight to him. After a moment he put her down and they separated.
“I’m in love with you too.” She responded and he smiled widely. She hugged him once more before backing away and picking her duffel off the ground. She stared at him from 15 feet away, his eyes light, expecting her to walk back toward him.
Her face crumpled, unable to hold the tears in any longer.
“Goodbye, Sam”
She whispered before turning her back and running down the hall. She ran until she couldn’t feel her feet anymore, crying the entire way. When she got to the bus station she went directly for the bathroom. Splashing cold water on her face, she dried herself off and pulled out her phone. Pressing one on her speed dial she listen to it ring. Liz’s voice answered.
“I’m not here, leave a message.”
“Shit.” Ava cried, hanging up. She bit her lower lip before reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a piece of paper.
“Hey, it’s Ava.” She greeted. “How would you feel about taking a road trip to Ohio?”
***********************************************************************
“You’ve got to admit, this view…kind of worth it, right?” She stood from the balcony, the only thing illuminating her was the soft glow from the lamps in the room. The sky twinkled with endless stars and the city lights of Cairo stretched over miles as far as they could see.
By the time they had flown in it was dusk, the sunset red and orange. They had braved a Taxi to the hotel the Professor had paid for them to stay at and were to meet him at the next morning at 6 am.
“Yeah this room’s not too shabby either. This Professor guy must be loaded.” Dean added.
Liz nodded. “Or just really desperate for this find. What are you wearing tomorrow?”
Dean cocked an eyebrow at her.
She rolled her eyes. “No, I mean, did you pack shorts. It’s the desert. It’s hot.”
Dean shook his head. “I uh, don’t own a pair of shorts.”
It was Liz’s turn to raise her eyebrow. “You don’t own a pair of shorts?”
“No. Men don’t wear shorts.” Dean replied.
The brunette nodded. “Right. That would explain why your legs are so pasty.”
Dean looked offended. “Pasty? My legs are not pasty.”
She scoffed. “Soooo pasty.” She waltzed over to where he was resting on the bed, his legs extended out in front of him. Setting herself in the same position beside him she pulled his pant leg up to expose his calf. Doing the same to her leg she compared their limbs.
“See.” She explained. “Your leg, ghostly white, pale, unhuman. My leg, tan, seen the sun this decade, normal human.”
“I’ll give you normal human.” He erupted, grabbing her at the sides and tickling mercilessly. Liz squealed out from shock and laughed, trying her best to push him away. Dean attacked with fervor, enjoying the sound of her shrieking, until he found Liz pinned under him, her brown eyes gazing into his green. Her face flushed and hair mussed, he was not moving his fingers anymore. Staring into her eyes, something clicked for Dean. Like it all made sense. It’d been there all along but he had just put the last piece to the puzzle in place.
His eyes searched over her face, down to her collar bone and back up again, his lips parted, trying to form a word.
“I…”
*Thwap*
Something came hard and hit him in the side of the face, throwing him off balance he rolled off her and tried to regain his senses. When he finally shook off his stupor, he saw the offending object, a pillow, in Liz’s right hand.
Dean narrowed his eyes, and Liz’s face changed from mirth to fear in a mere second.
“Okay, okay, okay…” She laughed, throwing the pillow down and putting her hands up in surrender. “Truce?”
“Mmhmm.” Dean said warily. “How bout we go over our plan for tomorrow.”
“Sure,” Liz laughed, pulling out the book and a large map. “Okay, here’s where the site is. According to the book, I’d expect it to be somewhere in the temple. The holy men saw the kind of power it had over evil spirits. It was even used to kill a vampire or two in its day, which is where the myth of using wood steaks to kill vamps comes from.”
“I always thought people got that from Buffy.” Dean joked.
Liz ignored him and rolled her eyes. “So look, Professor Dunham says the groups going to be about 10 people, him, 6 of his best students, us and one guide. I’m thinking we wait until he discovers something of value, they’ll be so distracted by that that we’ll be free to run off and do our own thing. We’ll need headlamps, water, probably need to get a map of these tunnels and a couple other small tools. Who knows what we’ll need to bust into.”
“Okay.” Dean nodded. “What if we can’t find this thing. Even so, how do we find this thing. There’s got to be miles and miles of this shit.”
“Well, once we find the temple, it’s a lot smaller, it should be easy. And I’ve been brushing up on my Egyptian. I’m still pretty awful at it but I can kind of read a little.” She shrugged.
“You can read Egyptian?” Dean asked.
“Well…My grandma….never mind. It’ll happen Dean, have faith.”
“Right.” He scoffed. “Listen, we don’t go in without guns. I don’t trust anything right about now.”
“Okay, but they have to be small, easy to hide. I don’t want these people suspecting us in any way shape or form. As far as they know, we’re here for the learning.” Liz said firmly.
“Right, right, the learning.”
She smiled fondly at Dean.
“We should get some sleep.” Dean pointed at the king sized bed in the middle of the room. It would have been a problem earlier in their relationship, but with everything that had happened it was something neither of them thought about.
“In a while, I’m gonna go back out on the balcony.” Liz told him.
He nodded his head but stared after her as she walked out, the room separated by a thin gauzy sheet hanging from the doorway. For a reason unknown to him, Dean could not tear his eyes away from the girl standing on the other side of that thin sheet. Nothing had changed but their location, and their location was always changing. She was still the same girl that had woken him up this morning, the same girl he had met a short time ago; however worse for wear. Dean shifted his feet, left to right back to left again. His brow furrowed he made his decision and with a sense of determination he walked toward the balcony. His mind still asked the question his mouth had not yet formed but Liz turned around noting his presence instead of speaking he simply grabbed her arms.
Liz looked down confused. Dean’s grip wasn’t harsh. It wasn’t painful but it was firm, the way he always did things. He held her by the forearms and stared right into her eyes, so far that she felt he could probably see straight through to her brain.
“Wha—.” Came the failed attempt to understand what was going on, because as soon as Liz had opened her mouth, she had found it shut again with Dean’s mouth crashing down upon hers.
He held her against him, not releasing any of the tension on Liz’s arms. Neither pushing forward or pulling away. Liz made the first move by grabbing his own forearms and pushing back on them, his lips leaving hers with a popping noise.
“Uh…What was that?” She asked confused but he wasn’t in a rush to answer. His face was a paradox, confused yet strangely…enlightened. His eyes rose, he released her arms only to cup her cheek and grab her by the waist. This time, more softly, he went in again, pressing his lips to hers and kissing the girl thoroughly. Liz couldn’t help but kiss back, it was no secret to anyone, including Dean, that she liked Dean. She had thought of this on many occasions, and never really imagined that it would actually happen. But still, her mind fought against her heart, needing to understand. As much as she wanted to give herself freely she had been hurt in the past and therefore did not trust as well as her younger self did. So she mustered up all the strength she had and pushed him away.
“Dean…wait.”
He wasn’t interested in waiting. It was like Dean had made a new discovery and wasn’t going to let anyone intrude on the new high he had found. He silenced her again, smirking when she sighed against his lips. Dean knew he should talk to her. Liz Parker was always thinking so he knew her motor was running at full power trying to figure out what the fuck was going on, but the caveman inside him decided that right now, on this balcony in Egypt, kissing her felt too good to stop and ask questions.
He almost growled when she pushed him away again.
“Wait…I can’t think…And you can’t just shut me up like that, this is not something that…I mean…I’m trying to talk to you and—.” She sighed exasperatedly.
“Liz.” He fought the urge to roll his eyes. “You think too fucking much.”
Her mouth couldn’t help but quirk their corners up into a small smile. She nodded her head before grabbing his collar and pushing him inside, her lips following his, closing in by the minute.
Whatever this was, whatever was happening, Liz decided she could wait till morning to figure it out.
I do love making people burst out in laughter in completely inappropriate places. Thanks!