CHAPTER FOUR

"You're in a good mood." Sam says, talking to his brother, who's speeding down the highway in the Impala.

"That makes one of us." Nyx mutters as she punches her brother.

"Ow!"

"Why shouldn't I be?" Dean asks.

"No reason." Sam says.

"I got my girl, I got my car, we got a case. Things are looking​ up." The oldest says with a smile.

"Wow." His brother laughs. "You hear of a couple severed heads and a pile of dead cows, and you're Mr. Sunshine."

"How far to Red Lodge?" Nyx asks, annoyed. "Jeremy, so help me God — kick me again, and I'm gonna beat the crap out of you."

"Uh, about another three hundred miles." Sam tells her.

"Good." Dean says, happy to be in the car that long.

"Sam, trade seats with me." Nyx says, and he turns to look at her with a furrowed brow.

"How am I supposed to do that? Dean's not gonna pull over." He says.

"Oh, I can make him pull over. Turn down the music." She tells him before leaning over the seat so she can whisper in Dean's ear.

They pull off to the side of the road, and Dean gets out of the driver's seat as well before opening her door for her. Sam makes Jeremy scoot over, not wanting him even sitting on the same side of the car as his sister after how much he's been getting on her nerves.

Dean shuts both of their doors before rounding the car with Nycole, and he stops her before she can climb into the passenger seat. She takes a deep breath as she looks up at him, trying her best not to take any of her frustration out on him.

"I may be happy to have the Impala running and a case to work, but you didn't have to threaten me to get me to stop the car." He tells her. "Nothing is more important to me than you and them." He says, resting his hand on her stomach.

She offers him a small smile as her mood lightens. "Sorry. I'm not sleeping well, and one of the little Gremlins likes dancing on my bladder." She says, and he nods as he feels one of them kick.

"I know. And I'll do whatever I can to make things easier on you."

"Thank you." She says, and he smiles as he leans down to kiss her.

"Of course. Now, let's get off the side of the road please." He closes her door for her, and then quickly heads back to his own seat.

—

"That was a bust." Dean says as he and Sam walk back out to the car.

"I'm not staying with him anymore." Nyx immediately tells them. "The next time you leave me alone with Jeremy, I'm gonna hurt him."

"What did he do now?" The oldest asks as he looks between the two of them.

"It's not funny." She says as her brother busts up laughing.

"Alright, Sam will sit the next one out with Jeremy." Dean says, and she sticks her tongue out at her younger brother.

"How old are you?" Sam asks.

"I'm going crazy." She tells him, and her boyfriend pulls her away from them.

"Come on." He says, and they go to continue working the case.

Dean and Nyx walk into the morgue at the county hospital later that day. The two are wearing doctor coats, and he looks at the man sitting behind the desk. His name tag says J. Manners.

"John." Dean says.

"Jeff." He corrects.

"Jeff, I know that." He says as he walks over to him. "Dr. Dorkin needs to see you in his office right away."

"But Dr. Dorkin's on vacation."

"Well, he's back. And he's pissed, and he's screaming for you. So, if I were you, I would—"

"Okay." He leaves in a panic, and Dean looks at his girlfriend.

"Hey, those Satanists in Florida — they marked their victims, didn't​ they?" He asks.

"Oh, I actually know this one. It was a reverse pentacle on the forehead." She says, and he hands her rubber gloves.

"So much fucked up shit happens in Florida." He mumbles as they walk over to where they keep the bodies.

"That's a definite."

"Alright, open it up." He says after they pull the table out. He's talking about the box that the severed head's in.

"No." She shakes her head, and he looks at her.

"It's a good thing you're cute." He says, and she smiles at him as he picks up the box. "Well, no pentagram."

"That is disgusting​." Nyx mumbles as she walks over to​ him. "Poor girl."

"Maybe we should, uh, look in her mouth." He says. "See if this wacko stuffed anything down her throat. You know, kind of like the moth in Silence of the Lambs."

"Go ahead."

"No, you go ahead."

"No."

"How have you made it this far in this job?" Dean asks.

"I'm pregnant, and therefore certain smells make me nauseous. I have a feeling this will be one of them."

"And what are you gonna do after the twins are born, and you can't use them as an excuse anymore?" He questions.

"I have this really handsome hunting partner — a big, strong, manly man. And I think he likes me. So, I'll just flirt with him." She says with a smile as she pushes the box toward him.

"Cute and clever." Dean says, and she chuckles. He then starts looking for anything in the dead girl's mouth.

"That's disgusting." She repeats as she turns away from him.

"Wait, I think I see something." He says, and she looks back at him. "Is that a hole?" He's bent down, looking in her mouth.

"What?" Nyx looks as he pushes on part of her gums and then something comes out. "Is that a fang?" She asks, and he nods.

"Retractable​ set of vampire fangs." He says. "You got to be kidding me."

The pair goes back outside, and Sam and Jeremy look at them. "So, what'd you find?" Sam asks.

"The dead girl — she's a vampire." Dean tells them, and the boys exchange a confused look.

Sam and Dean then go into a bar to get some information while Nyx stays outside with her brother. He finally seems to have remembered how to act like an adult. The two older boys make their way back out and go around the building. A guy follows them, and Nyx sends Dean a text.

Plan worked. One man.

The Gilberts wait for them to come back. When they do, they have the man with him.

"He's human." Dean tells them, and Nyx and Jeremy follow them to this guy's car.

"Sam and Dean Winchester." The man says as he pulls a hidden compartment of weapons out from behind his backseat. "I can't believe it. You know, I met your old man once. Hell of a guy, great hunter. I heard he passed. I'm sorry. It's big shoes, but from what I hear, you guys fill them. Great trackers, good in a tight spot. Even you, kid." He says as he looks at Nyx, who's in her usual spot at Dean's side with his arm around her, and she quirks an eyebrow. "Quick study, as close to a perfect shot as is possible, and a hell of an attitude."

"You seem​ to know a lot about our family." Dean says as Jeremy shifts uncomfortably.

"Word travels fast. You know how hunters talk." He says.

"No, we don't."

"I guess there's a lot your dad never told you, huh?"

"So, um..." Sam starts. "So, those two vampires — they were yours, huh?"

"Yep. Been here two weeks." He says.

"Did you check out that Barker farm?" Nyx asks; Dean told her a little bit about it.

"It's a bust." He tells them. "A bunch of hippie freaks. Though they could kill with that Patchouli smell alone."

"Where's the nest then?" Dean asks.

"I got this one covered." The hunter says as he puts his weapons away and closes the door to his car. "Look, don't get me wrong. It's a pleasure meeting you three and your tagalong, but I've been on this thing for over a year. I killed a fang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way up here. I'll finish it."

"We could help."

"Thanks, but, uh, I'm kind of a go-it-alone type of guy." He says.

"I've been itching for a hunt." Dean says.

"Sorry. But, hey, I hear there's a chupacabra two states over. Go ahead and knock yourselves out." He says and then gets into his car. "It was real good meeting you though. I'll buy you a drink on the flip side."

"That was weird, right?" Nyx asks the two boys, and Sam nods. "Whatever, I'm gonna get something to eat and call Elena." She tells them.

"Alright, we'll be back." Dean kisses her forehead, and she smiles at him before going into the bar. Jeremy goes with his sister, apparently not too keen on the idea of leaving her alone when there are vampires in this town.

The boys get back to the bar when she's about halfway done with her burger, and Dean sits down next to her. He pulls her chair closer to his, and Sam and the other hunter sit at the table as well.

"Can't say I was expecting to see you again." Nyx says to the hunter.

"Yeah, well, your friends here saved my life. I figured I owed them that drink now." He says, and she nods.

"Yeah, sounds like them." She says as Dean starts eating her fries. She pushes the whole plate over to him, and he finishes her food.

They order beers, and the waitress brings Nyx more water, and Jeremy another soda. They sit and Dean talks to the hunter while Nyx checks her phone. Nyx, Sam, Jeremy aren't​ exactly fans of this new hunter the way that Dean seems to be.

The waitress walks over, and Dean tries to pay, but the new guy doesn't let him. "I insist." The hunter says and pays her. "Thank you, sweetie."

She walks away from their table, and Nyx looks at her boyfriend. "I wanna get out of here. When are we leaving?" She quietly asks him.

"Come on, babe. How often do we run into someone in our line of work?" He asks, his voice just as low as hers.

"You're gonna have to forgive me if I'm not all that interested right now." She says, and he just looks at her.

"And another one bites the dust." The hunter says, not having heard their hushed conversation.

"That's right." Dean says, and they both take another shot.

"Dean." The hunter laughs. "You gave that big-ass fang one hell of a haircut, my friend. That was beautiful, absolutely beautiful."

"Yep." He agrees as he takes another drink of his beer. "You alright, Sammy?"

"Yeah, fine." Sam tells his brother.

"Lighten up a little, Sammy." The hunter says.

"They're the only ones who get to call me that." He says, and Nyx doesn't even try to hide her smile as she looks at him. It's really more Dean's nickname for his brother, but she's used it once or twice.

"Okay. No offense meant." He says. "Just having a little job well done."

"Right." Sam nods. "Well, um, decapitations aren't my idea of a good time, I guess."

"Oh, come on, man, it's not like it was human." He says, and Nyx looks down. "You got to have more fun."

"See, that's what I've been trying to tell him." Dean says, and his girlfriend looks back at him, annoyed. It's a fact that doesn't go unnoticed by Sam or Jeremy, but Dean's completely​ oblivious. "You could learn a thing or two from this guy."

"Yeah, I bet I could. Look, I'm not gonna bring you guys down. I'm just gonna go back to the motel." Sam says as he gets to his feet. "Nycole? Jeremy?"

"Yeah, we're coming too." She says as she and her brother stand as well. Jeremy's​ been wanting to leave since this other hunter showed up and started drinking with Dean.

"You guys sure?" Dean asks.

"Yeah." Sam and Nycole say in unison.

"Sammy, Nyx." Dean calls, and they turn back to him. "Remind me to beat the buzzkill out of you later, alright?" He tells his younger brother before looking at Nyx. "I wanna talk to you when I get back." He says and then tosses Sam the keys.

The three of them get back to the motel, and Sam calls Ellen while Nyx is in the bathroom combing out her tangled hair. He doesn't seem to like his conversation with Ellen, but he doesn't tell Nyx what she said. He goes out to the vending machine to get something to drink and when he comes back, he's acting strange.

"Sam?"

He looks at her. "It's nothing. Are you guys ready to go?" He asks, and she nods. He's gonna take her and Jeremy to the airport. They both wanna get back and see Elena.

The door opens and people quickly enter the room — vampires. They attack the hunters, and one of them pins Nycole to the wall. The boys fight the others, and she gets knocked out.

—

When Nycole finally comes to, she's alone in the motel and her phone's dead. When the three boys get back later, they explain what happened.

Vampires — the dead man's blood kind — kidnapped Sam and Jeremy, but they didn't hurt them. They just wanted to show them that they weren't like other vampires, and that they didn't kill people or feed on them to survive. They left Nyx behind because they didn't think that kidnapping a pregnant girl would work in their favor.

They let the boys go, but Gordon — the other hunter that they met — wanted to kill them anyway. The vampires proved to Jeremy and the Winchester's that they were as close to good as is possible and that they don't hurt humans. So, the three boys tied Gordon up in an abandoned house, and let all of the vampires leave town. Now, they're leaving town as well and, thankfully, they're leaving Gordon behind too.