CHAPTER FIVE

"Elena, are you hearing me? Zachariah said that you and I can stop Lilith." Nyx says, and her sister nods.

"I heard you, I just don't see how it's possible." Elena tells her. "The guys can't even stop her, and they've been hunting their whole lives. We didn't even know that monsters existed until almost four years ago. What can we possibly do?"

"Look, I know we weren't raised the same as them, but we have these abilities now. And there has to be some way​ to use them against this bitch." She tries to reason, but she can see a lot written in her sister's expression. "Elena, I know that you're scared. I am too, but... Look, destiny or not, we have to at least try. This is bigger than us, and we can't run from it."

"That's what scares me, Nyx. This isn't vampires, werewolves, witches, and our usual problems in Mystic Falls. This is angels and demons — heaven and hell. I mean, we're talking about stopping a powerful demon from opening a cage that's kept Lucifer imprisoned for... How long?"

"I don't know exactly." Nyx sighs. "You asked me once what happened to us. We used to be so close and then we split so far apart. I think... I think we were supposed to. We had to grow apart so that we could become more individualized. In the time that we spent apart, we both became stronger and more self-reliant. We grew up, and now... I just have this feeling like us coming back together... We'll be stronger, better. Do you trust me, Elena?"

"Of course I trust you." She says. "I know I've said some pretty horrible things in the past, but... I've seen the things that you're capable of, and all of the people that you've saved. And believe me, Jeremy's stories alone were enough to convince me, but seeing you for myself. There's no one that I trust more than I trust you."

"So, trust me when I say, I think we have a real chance at stopping Lilith. If we just stop running and hiding, if we work together and fight..." She smiles. "We can do this, Elena."

"Well, if you believe it..." Elena smiles, and her sister chuckles. "But if we're keeping the boys from doing the dirty work, we're gonna need help from elsewhere."

"One step ahead of you. I already called Ric, he's waist deep in Revelations research." Nyx tells her, and she nods. "As well as Bobby."

"Alright. But, to pull this off, I think we're gonna need a little more muscle. And I don't mean Sam and Dean."

"Agreed. Which is why, when the time comes, I have Vic making a trip to get someone a little stronger. We're good on that front." She says, and Elena nods.

"Okay. So, if Ric and Bobby are on research duty, and Vicki's bringing back up... What are you and I doing in the meantime?" She asks, and Nyx sighs.

"We've got probably the hardest job — getting a handle on these damn abilities."

"Right." Elena nods.

"And I have to be careful that whatever I do to my body, doesn't hurt baby S. Using our power raises our body temperature, so..." Nyx says, and she nods.

"Well, our minds are linked, right?" Elena asks. "Maybe I can draw power from you so that I can do most of the... Whatever the hell we would technically be considered. I'll try to be the brunt of the magical help. Pregnant or not, we all know you can still kick some major ass." She says, and her sister smiles.

"Why, thank you."

"We'll make this work." She tells her as she chuckles. "I think I owe it to Dean. I've put a lot on him that he didn't deserve, and from the looks of it, he does the same thing."

"Yeah." She nods. "He does."

"We'll do this. We'll stop her." Elena says, and her sister nods.

—

Elena screams when the glass of water on the counter explodes. The two girls look at each other, and Nyx starts laughing.

"Well, that's new." She says, and Elena laughs along with her.

"Okay, but who did it?"

"Uh..." Nyx shrugs, and they both start laughing again. "We need more practice."

"Oh, yeah." Elena nods. "But now that we know we can do that..."

"You wanna try again?" She asks, and her sister shrugs. "Wait... If we can make a glass explode, then maybe we can move things too. You know, like when the demons or angels throw someone across the room."

"Please don't throw me." She says, and Nyx chuckles.

"Why don't we start with objects, huh?" She suggests, and Elena nods.

After a few failed attempts — and quite a bit more broken glass — they finally manage to throw a book across the room without ever actually touching it. The twins smile as they look at each other.

"Is it just me, or is that a confidence boost right there?" Nyx asks, and her sister chuckles as she looks at her.

"You wanna go for something a little bigger?"

"Like?"

Elena points at one of the chairs by the table. "What do you think?"

They both try moving the chair, but nothing happens. Nyx pauses, and looks at Elena. "Stronger together than alone." She repeats. "What if she meant literally?" She asks.

Elena holds her hand out to her, and Nyx takes it in hers. The twins look at the chair, and it slides across the motel room floor.

"That gave us better control too." Elena says, and she nods as they look at each other.

The door opens then, and Dean walks in with the twins. "Hey, Vic!" He calls, and she walks over to him. "Can you take the twins to your room? Something tells me yours doesn't look like a warzone."

"What the hell happened in here?" Vicki asks as she picks up Everly.

"Progress." Nyx smiles, and Elena laughs as she hugs her sister.

"It's been a long time since I've seen either of you this happy." Dean says.

"Small victories, my love." Her smile widens, and he chuckles as he looks at the excitement between the two of them.

"Come on. Mommy and Aunt Elena have gone crazy." Vicki says as she takes Alex's hand and leads him away from the mess, she still has Ever on her hip.

"Hey, you think we can use our abilities to clean this up?" Elena asks, and her sister shakes her head as she looks around.

"Tell you what, you watch the twins with Vic and I'll handle clean up duty." Nyx tells her, and she nods.

"Deal." She agrees, then heads to hers and Vicki's room.

"Small victories?" Dean asks as he closes the door behind Elena.

"It's not much, but it's progress." Nyx says as she looks at him. "And I really feel like we made a lot. Maybe not physically, but as a team — which is more important. 'Cause if we're able to work well together again, and be a team... Well, let's just say we used to be pretty good together before I left town. And finding that connection again, it could move things along a little faster."

"Just don't overwork yourselves."

"See, that's another thing. When it was just me, it took a lot out of me. I felt weak and drained, and I... I hated it because I had these powers, but I didn't feel powerful. It just felt like a nuisance that was weighing me down, but with Elena... We're stronger than I was. Anna was right, we are stronger together. I really think that we can do this, Dean." She tells him, and he smiles.

"I haven't seen you like this in... God, too long." He says, and her eyebrows furrow.

"Seen me like what?"

"Confident and positive. So sure of yourself and in things going right." He says, and her smile widens. "And I've missed that smile."

"It's been a long time since I've felt like this." She tells him. "I feel good."

"Yeah, I can— I can see it." He says, and she walks forward and kisses him.

The action takes him by surprise, but he kisses her back immediately. He rests his hands on either side of her face, and she smiles into the kiss as her hands end up on his sides.

"What was that for?" He asks, his voice low as he rests his forehead against hers.

"Because it's been a good day. And I wanted to make it a little better." She tells him, and he smiles as he pulls her into his arms.

Nyx takes a deep breath as she wraps her arms around his torso, on the inside of his jacket, and rests her head on his chest. She smiles as she closes her eyes and turns her face toward him a little. She's perfectly content to just stay like this.

He looks down at her and kisses her head, tightening his hold on her. He's happy to have her in his arms, especially given how happy she seems today. He really feels like things are turning around, getting better.

"So, I've been thinking...about us." Nyx says as she pulls back and looks up at him. "We broke up for a reason, and it's not because you're an idiot. Mm. Well, no, that Oktoberfest thing was pretty idiotic."

He nods. "Yeah, that one was definitely my fault." He sighs. "I didn't, you know? Sleep with that girl. We made sure that she was alright, then Sam and I took her home, and we went back to our room." He tells her, and she nods.

"I know. Sam told me." She says, and he nods.

"Yeah, he seems to be better at that than I am." He says, and she chuckles.

"Which brings me to my next thought. We can't pick up where we left off, 'cause that was a disaster." She says, and he nods. "So, let's start over, take things slower. I know it seems dumb, especially considering that we have the twins, but... I think it's what's best for right now. While we work on our communication skills." She smirks, and he nods, chuckling.

"Slow is better than nothing at all."

"My thoughts exactly."

"People in the beginning of their relationships kiss, right?" He asks, and she chuckles as he leans down to press his lips against hers again.

"So, you wanna help me clean this mess up?" She asks, and he shakes his head.

"Not really, no. But I'll do it anyway." He says, and she smiles.

"Thank you." She pecks his lips and then pulls away from him.

They get all of the glass cleaned up and the room straightened out. Nyx then checks her phone and sees a text message from Elena, she laughs as she sits down on the couch next to Dean. He has a beer in his hand.

"The twins are asleep." She shows him the picture that Elena sent, and he laughs when he sees them curled up with Vicki, who's also passed out on her bed.

"Yeah, that seems about right." He nods.

"Elena said that Alex's been having a hard time falling asleep lately." She says as she looks at him.

"Yeah, I can't find his teddy bear. He used to sleep with it, but we must've lost it or something." He tells her. "Which sucks. It's the one that you won at the carnival a few years ago." He says, and she nods.

"Maybe it happened while our minds were being screwed with by the angels. Do you remember the last time you saw it?" She asks as she turns her body to face him. Her leg is against his as she looks up at him.

"We were in Mystic Falls, I think." He says, and she nods.

"That's the last time I remember having it too. Which could be a good thing. Maybe we just forgot to pack it and it's not actually lost somewhere." She says, and he nods.

"I hope so." He sighs as he leans forward and sets his beer on the coffee table.

Nyx leans forward and rests her head on his shoulder. She then lifts his hand from her leg and intertwines their fingers. He watches as she draws patterns on the back of his hand with her free one.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." She says as she looks up at him again.

"There's something that Zachariah said, I can't stop thinking about it." He tells her, still looking at their hands, and she waits for him to continue. "He said that you want to marry me." He says, and her body goes rigid.

"Um... Well, yeah, the thought's definitely crossed my mind before." She nods. "Have you never thought that maybe..."

He smirks, amused by the panic she seems to be experiencing. "Yeah, I've thought about it." He pulls his hand from hers and leans past her to his leather jacket that's on the couch behind her.

"What are you..." She watches him, confused, but then her eyes widen when she sees the small velvet box that he pulls out of the inside pocket of his jacket. "You have..."

He sits back in his original position and opens the box so she can see inside. Her expression softens as a small smile spreads across her face.

"It's my mom's wedding ring." She says, and he nods.

"That first day that we were together after we came back... I didn't want you to leave my sight, I didn't want you more than an arm's length from me." He says as he looks at her, away from the ring. "When you went to talk to Sam, I called Elena. She got it from your guys' safe deposit box, and brought it the next time she saw me. We had already broken up by then, but she said she knew that we'd end up together again some day, so I should hang onto it."

"You've had this since..." She pauses to think back. "The twins' birthday party?" She asks, and he nods as she looks at him.

"You're it for me, Nyx. I'm never gonna love anyone the way that I love you." He tells her, and she smiles. "But I think you're right. We should start over, take things slower. Work on being better than we were before."

"Yeah." She nods as she looks back at the ring.

He chuckles. "Hey." He closes the little box, and she looks up at him. "I promise, I will ask. And it won't take me another four years." He says, and she smiles.

Dean leans down and presses his lips to hers, and she rests her hand on the side of his face. She deepens the kiss, and he puts the box on his jacket so that his hands are free. Nyx pushes herself up, not breaking the kiss, and she straddles him. He grabs her hips as her fingers tangle in his hair.

His lips move down to her neck, and she tilts her head back. "We should stop." She says, slightest breathless.

"Hey, you're the one who climbed into my lap." He says against her skin.

"Shut up." She puts her finger under his chin and makes him look back up at her; she presses her lips to his again.

He starts to push her shirt up, and she pulls it over her head. She then leans down and presses her lips to his neck, moving up his jaw and back to his mouth. He unclasps her bra as he bites her lower lip, causing her to suck in a sharp breath.

"This is not taking things slow." She whispers against his lips, and he smiles.

"I can go slow." His voice is gruff as his lips travel down to her bare chest.

"That's not helping."

"I wasn't trying to." He tells her, and she can't help the smile that spreads across her face. "You want me to stop, all you have to do is say so." He says as his lips move to her neck again.

She reconnects their lips as she pushes his flannel over his shoulders. He shrugs out of it and then his hands move to her thighs as he stands up. She wraps her legs around his waist, and he carries her over to the bed.

He lays her down on the comforter and helps her out of her jeans before climbing over her. She moans as he sucks on the sensitive skin on her neck, and her fingers work at undoing the button of his jeans. He gets them off, and she flips them over.

Her lips move to his neck and then to his chest. She continues down his torso, and he moans when she trails her tongue along his skin near the top of the waistband of his boxers. She moves to reconnect their lips, and his fingers tangle in her long brown hair.

—

Nyx sighs as she looks at Dean. His eyes are still closed, but she knows that he's awake too.

"You're too serious." He says. "It's gonna give you frown lines."

"We shouldn't have slept together." She says, and he looks at her.

"Yes, we definitely should've." He argues.

"How are we supposed to take things slow if we keep ending up in each other's beds?"

"What kind of messed up logic is it that I'm not supposed to sleep with the mother of my children? My future wife." He asks, and she smiles.

"Stop." She pulls the blanket over her face, and he laughs. "I'm serious, Dean. I really want this to work this time."

"And it is working." He argues. "We're talking, and we're working together with this whole Lilith thing. I don't have any secrets. Do you?"

"No."

"Alright, see? What here isn't working?" He reasons, and she takes a deep breath as she pulls the blanket away from her eyes so that she can see him.

"I'm scared." She admits, and he brushes her hair away from her eyes. "What if we screw up again somehow, and next time we can't fix it? That's about the worst thing that I can imagine."

"That's not gonna happen. I won't let it." He tells her. "You used to say all the time that you wouldn't be with me if you didn't trust me. Do you still trust me?"

"More than anyone."

"Then you got nothing to worry about."

She smiles as she looks at him. "I love you."

"Hey, now. That's not taking it slow." He says, and she laughs as she rolls over so that she can get up. "Get back here." He wraps his arm around her and pulls her back down.

"I have to take a shower." She says as she tries to get away from him.

"Mm. Can I come?"

"No." She laughs. "Go back to your room."

"But your bed is more comfortable." He says as he closes his eyes, still holding her.

"They're the same crappy beds in the same crappy motel." She argues.

"Yeah, but you're in this one." He says, and she smiles as she looks at him. "I love you."

"Get off of me."

He smirks as he moves his arm, and she gets up. She grabs her black cardigan and pulls it on before starting for the bathroom. Dean cuts her off, and she looks up at him, trying to keep her expression serious.

"Are you sure I can't come?" He asks.

"The twins are gonna be up soon, if they're not up already. We need to get ready so that we can take them for breakfast." She tells him and then glances down. "Put some pants on, Dean." She walks past him, and he turns to watch her walk away, amused.