Dean

My arms are wrapped around Ella's bony body, and I'm not exactly sure what to do. My eyes can see the outline of a town, but I'm not exactly sure if I could make it. The darkness is already sweeping over us, along with the cold, but I need to do something. I'm not sure if she's passed out from lack of food, water, heat, or all the combinations, and it worries me. We're so close, so close, and I won't give up.

I try to pick her up, my muscles just aching from the traveling this far, but I manage to hold onto her, while the backpack bumps on my back. My throat is beginning to turn dry, and my body is screaming at me to stop. My breath is shaky, and I have not realized until now, how bad off I really am. I was constantly making sure that Ella had enough food or water, that I didn't pay enough attention to myself.

Setting her as softly as I can on the road, I put the pack under her head and just sit there, hoping she'll wake up and hoping that we'll make it, despite how much my faith has dwindled in the past half hour.

**********

I fell asleep, only I didn't realize I was sleeping until I heard a gasp next to me. Sitting up as quickly as I can, I wince at the pain in my head, but it evaporates when I see that Ella has just woken up. "Are you okay?" I ask, not knowing if she'll even remember me. I've read before that when people pass out, they can forget things when they wake up. I almost wish she doesn't remember me, then everything will be behind us and we can start new. No arguments, no strong feelings, just a clean slate. Not even so much just to get along with her, but to make the trip a lot easier and not so hectic on the both of us.

"What happened?" She asks as her hands reach up and cradle her head.

"What's the last thing you remember?" I ask, trying hard not to pay attention to the roughness of her voice.

"Um, I remember you saying something about a town?" Her eyes widen at the mention of finding something. "Dean, if you found a town--" she begins to stand up, but I stop her.

"We can reach it in the morning."

"But why not now? We need food and water and--"

"I know, Ella, trust me, I know. But I'm exhausted and so are you. Just rest, the days already over with." The darkness is thick around us, but I think our eyes are beginning to adjust, for it doesn't seem as dark tonight as it normally does. One thing that hasn't changed is the cold. "How are you feeling?" I ask, and she scoffs.

"You're seriously asking me how I'm feeling?" She croaks, and I roll my eyes.

"Put the freaking past behind us for two seconds, yes, I'm asking you how you're feeling. You literally passed out in the heat when we've been traveling for almost a week in nothing but the desert, why wouldn't I ask how you're feeling?"

"I don't know. It's just weird."

"Answer the question."

"I'm okay, just really thirsty. I don't think that's what made me pass out though, I think it was from the heat." I hope she's right, if it is just from the heat then she'll be able to travel better tomorrow. "Why didn't you just leave me?" I let out a sigh, and I don't understand why she can't just see that this trip involves both of us. She is a part of this, I am not leaving her.

"You're a part of this trip, stop thinking that you aren't. I wasn't going to leave you here. I tried to carry you, but I couldn't make it. I didn't realize how tired and hungry and thirsty I was."

"See, you shouldn't have taken that day off of drinking, it probably didn't help you."

"Yeah," I snapped, "but it helped you. It gave you that extra drink you needed." I don't know why I'm feeling on edge, but I am. You would think with the knowledge of a town nearby that it would make me feel better, but it doesn't. I'm not sure about any of this anymore, especially not the girl sitting next to me that can't see I actually care about her health. I told her I couldn't carry her the whole way if she passed out, and yet she passed out and is now grilling me on why I didn't drink the water. I'm still awake, am I not?

"Just stop," she breathes. "I don't have energy to do circles around you."

"I just want you to see, Ella, that you matter, okay? I don't like you, we're never going to be best friends or cuddle buddies, but you are a part of this and you matter. I told you earlier I don't like the humans but I wouldn't kill them, and that also means I wouldn't wish any of them dead." I run a frustrated hand over my face, and wince at the stinging pain that comes with touching the blisters and cuts along my cheeks and temples.

She doesn't say anything, and I'm glad. I don't want to talk to her if she's going to be nothing but a pain. I just wish I could smack sense into her brain and let her look through my point of view.

Bringing my knees to my chest, I huddle my body, attempting to find some warmth. But not long after I do this, my teeth begin to chatter, letting me know my attempts are in vain. I can hear her teeth rattling too, and her breath heavy and short. I almost want to tell her to push her pride aside and get over here so we could be warm, but I don't. I never shy away from telling her anything, except bringing up the idea we huddle together. Ever since she acted shocked and appalled the first time I asked, I don't think I'll ever ask again.

"Dean," she mutters, just the sound of her voice makes my throat hurt. "Can I ask you something?"

"Ask away," I murmur, not wanting at all to talk. I can only imagine the question she wants to ask. I'm in no mood to play around.

"What's that thing on the back of your head?" I laugh before thinking, and I realize that's probably not the best thing to do, but how should I react? That's the last thing I thought she would ask.

"It's--ugh--it's an eye, actually."

"An eye!?" She gasps, sounding purely disgusted.

"Did I stutter? Yes, an eyes. Why the sudden shock? I didn't think anything we did shocked you."

"Shut up, it's just not normal to have an eye in the back of your head. It's kind of gross, actually." Her teeth chatter some more, and the sound is getting to be annoying.

"Well, I am alien, and aren't aliens gross and different from you?" I have no idea why I'm so worked up, but I am. Between the cold, her disgust with how I'm made, and the fact that she passed out when we could have reached the town, is too much for me.

"I thought you wanted to put the freaking past behind us?" She barks.

"I said for two seconds, and clearly two seconds have passed, okay? And I don't know, it just bothers me that you find it gross, along with everything else we have or do."

"Stop, just stop. I don't think everything else you have or do is gross. Green blood is kinda cool, and elf ears? That's a nerds dream."

"Are you complimenting my species now?" I try not to smile, but I can't help it. It's not like she can see me anyway. I'm so up and down, I feel like I should change my last name to Henderson.

"No, I'm just stating a fact." I can almost hear the smile in her voice, but I don't say anything. I wish she would just act like this, because getting along is better then arguing. But then I also think of why she hates me, and try to put myself in her shoes. I wouldn't like me either, in fact, I wouldn't even look at me or talk to me if I were her. But I'm not her and we are totally different in that area, despite how much we have in common even though she refuses to see it.

"We should get some rest, I want to make it to that town tomorrow and with our energy totally spent, that mile might take a while." I hug my arms closer to me, as I begin to lay down on the cold pavement.

"Alright." I can hear a shuffle, letting me know she's lying down as well, before I close my eyes and hope that a good rest will come over me, God knows we need it.

Only a couple minutes later, when my body feels like a block of ice, I hear another shuffle and wonder if she's going through the backpack, trying to find the peanut butter. But that thought vanishes away, when I can feel her body heat coming off of her. She's close, but not too close, for nothing on her is touching me, yet I can feel the heat almost immediately. I want to laugh, she's being so careful, making sure we aren't touching. I can't even believe she pushed her pride down and is going to sleep next to me, but I can't say I'm not glad. Maybe tonight I'll sleep the best I have this whole trip.

"Dean?" She whispers after a few moments, her voice sounding even worse than earlier.

"Yeah?"

"If you throw this in my face, I'm going to kill you." I smile, and my faith kind of returns.