CHAPTER SIX

It's the middle of the night, and the three hunters have gotten very little sleep the past few nights. They're sharing one motel room because the boys want to be cautious in case the thing that killed Jessica is still in town. Nyx isn't exactly happy with having to share a bed, but it makes the boys feel better to know that they're all in one room if anything happens.

So, Nyx has been stuck sharing a bed with Dean, and it's not exactly ideal to share a queen-size mattress with someone of his stature. It doesn't leave much room for her, and he's not shy about the amount of space that he takes up either.

The brunette tries to roll over, but finds that difficult considering the arm that's slung across her stomach. "Get off of me." She pushes​ Dean's arm and then gets​ up off of the bed, leaving him there laying alone. He grumbles something about being cold as he rolls onto his stomach and shoves his arms under his pillow, being cautious of the knife that he keeps there.

Nyx then walks​ over to where Sam's sitting at the table, and she sits​ in the chair next to him. "Is it wrong that I'm considering shooting your brother?" She asks​ him, hoping to get him to laugh.

"That's illegal." He tells her.

"So is credit-card fraud, grave desecration, and about ninety percent of the rest of the skill-set that he taught me in order to do this job." She argues,​ and he nods.

"You got me there."

Nyx looks at him for a second. "Still not getting any sleep?" She asks.

"I sleep." He says, not meeting​ her gaze.

"When? You're awake every time I wake up at night." The teenager says​, and he doesn't reply. "I have nightmares sometimes too...about the accident that killed my parents. I'm not trying to compare the two situations, I know that I have no idea what you're going through. But, if you ever want to talk, I'm here." She tells​ him. "You don't know me very well yet, but I've been told that I'm a good listener."

He finally cracks a small smile as he looks at her. "I think I'm okay for now, but thanks."

"Any time."

"If you're tired, you can take my bed."

"Are you sure?" The brunette asks,​ and he nods.

"If I get tired, I'll come lay down. And I promise I won't try to suffocate you." He says, and she chuckles.

"It wouldn't be so bad if he wouldn't flop his huge trunk arms​ down on me." She says, trying to joke with the younger of the two boys.

"I don't have trunk arms, you're just too tiny for your own good." Dean says, his voice slightly muffled by his pillow.

"I am not tiny, you're just overgrown." She argues​ as she then walks​ over to Sam's unslept in bed.

"Nobody's ever complained before." He has a lazy smile on his face now, and she hits​ him with a pillow. "Ow!" He pushes himself up onto his elbows and looks at her. "Stop abusing me."

"Go back to sleep, you tree." The brunette throws​ the pillow at him and then curls up in the bed a few feet away from his.

The same pillow hits her back a few seconds later, and Nyx pulls it to her to cuddle with. Having the bed to herself for a while will probably be a good thing anyway. She gets restless some nights when she's having those nightmares that she was telling Sam about. What she didn't tell him is that her nightmares aren't always about her parents. Sometimes she dreams about the last time she saw her ex, and that isn't a memory that she likes to relive.

—

"Still nothing?" Nyx asks​ as she sits​ down next to Dean at the table a couple days later.

He shakes his head as he looks at the brunette. "I can't find anything that even sounds like it might have started that fire." He tells her, and she sighs​.

They've stayed in Palo Alto for the past few days, trying​ to find the thing that killed Jess. Whatever the hell it might be — they have no idea. They've never had any leads on this monster.

Sam's in the shower at the moment, and his brother has research scattered all over the table in their room. Sam's current absence is kinda why she chose now to talk to Dean, she doesn't like to bring it up when he's around.

"And you still haven't heard anything from John?" The teenager asks,​ and Dean simply shakes his head again. "He never had any idea about what happened before? To your mom?"

He sighs as he glances at​ her again, away from the pages in front of him. "If he did, he never told me." He says, and she nods​.

"I wish I could be more helpful to you guys, but a lot of this is still really new to me." She says,​ and he nods as his green eyes scan over the pages again.

"Yeah, I know."

"There's nothing that you can think of that kills people like that?" She asks​. "Or even with fire, at least?"

He shakes his head. "No, nothing like that." He tells her and then sighs again as he leans back in his chair, running his hand down his face.

"This is hard for you too, isn't it?"

"I'm fine."

"I know this has to be difficult." She says as she looks at the papers on the table. "I mean, it's not just the thing that killed your little brother's girlfriend. You've been hunting it for—"

"I said I'm fine." He snaps, making her jump as her eyes return to him, and they widen in the process. He then stands up from the table.

"I'm sorry." Her voice is barely audible as she shrinks away from him, sinking into her chair. An uncomfortable silence passes between them, and then she gets to her feet. "I-I'm gonna go grab a soda from the vending machine outside. You want one?"

Dean doesn't say anything to acknowledge that he so much as heard what she said, and his back is to her as she moves throughout the room. She walks over to her backpack to grab a couple of dollars for the vending machine around the corner from their room. She then starts toward the door, and he reaches out to grab her hand before she can pass where he's standing.

"I'm sorry." He says, his voice low, and she looks​ up at him. He noticed the way that she flinched when he moved toward her, and it's not the first time something like that has happened. "I didn't mean to snap like that. I just don't do the whole chick-flick, baring of the soul, emotional stuff."

"You don't have to apologize." Nyx tells him as her fingers curl around his. "I shouldn't have pushed it. If you don't want to talk about it, that's your right."

"Thanks, Nyx. Really." He says, and she nods as she squeezes his hand.

"So, did you want a soda?" She asks,​ and he shakes his head.

Nyx goes​ outside and walks over to the vending machine, but she stops when she reaches it. Her dark eyes shut, and she takes a deep breath as she thinks about what just happened — the way that she reacted to Dean losing his temper for a second. She knows that he'd never hurt her, that he'd kill anyone who ever did, and she trusts him more than she trusts most anyone...but she can't help it. There's always that small part of herself that just can't let go of that one singular event. It has nothing to do with Dean, but it's always in the back of her mind and it bleeds into the rest of her relationships; no matter who the person is, even if they're nothing more than friends. And she hates it.

The teenager shakes her head and then gets​ a soda for herself and one for Sam in case he wants one. Her phone starts ringing then, and she pulls​ it out of her pocket. It's Elena, so she hits​ decline before going back into the motel room.

Sam's sitting at the table when she makes it​ back inside. She sets​ his soda down in front of him, and he says a quick thank you as she walks over to the bed.

Her phone rings again, and she looks at the caller ID as she lays​ on her back — Jenna. The brunette takes​ a deep breath and answers​ the incoming call from her aunt. She's not really in the mood to talk to anyone, but the deal was that she could leave as long as she checks in.

"Hey, Jenna." She has a small smile on her face.

"Hey. It's been a while since we've talked." Jenna says. "I just wanted to see how you're doing out there."

"I'm good. How's Mystic Falls?"

"Not as much fun without you here." She says, and her niece chuckles.

"It's nice to know that I'm missed."

"Always. So, what have you been up to?"

"Not much — just sight-seeing, stopping whenever we come across anything interesting. We were in New Orleans for a bit, and that was really cool." She tells​ her. "I like the nightlife in the city. And Dean's been teaching me how to play pool correctly." She says mockingly.

"He doesn't like your way?" Jenna asks, and she can hear the smile in her voice.

"He says I cheat."

"You do cheat." Dean says as he walks out of the bathroom, earning a chuckle from the girl on the phone.

"I knew you didn't play right." Jenna says accusingly.

"Who needs to play right when Matt let me win and Jeremy sucked?" Nyx questions.

"And are you getting any better?"

"So says I."

"Not says Dean?"

"No, but Dean's mean."

"I am not!" He argues.

"Then why are you drinking my soda?" She asks as she hits​ him in the side. "You said you didn't want one when I went to the machine."

"Why are you so violent?" He sets the soda can back on the bed-side table and flops down next to her.

"Where are you guys now?" Jenna asks​ as Dean gets comfortable on the mattress.

"California. We drove out this way to visit his younger brother." Nyx tells her as she scoots over, giving him some more room.

"Oh, yeah? And how's that?"

"Sunny. Warmer than Virginia."

"Warm in November? Can I come visit his brother too?" She asks, and the teenager chuckles.

"I mean, I definitely wouldn't complain." The brunette says. "You know I'm always happy to see you."

"Oh, I wish." She sighs. "Did you know that taking care of two teenagers is a full time job?"

"And by two teenagers, you mean Jeremy?"

"I did, but he's actually getting better."

"Yeah, he told me that he wanted to do better. He seemed like he really meant it too." She tells​ her, and then Dean's arm finds its way across her stomach again. "Ow!" The younger girl grunts.

"Are you okay?" Jenna asks, her eyebrows furrowed.

"A tree branch just fell on me." Nyx says, and Dean starts laughing.

"What?" She asks, confused.

"I have to kill Dean now. Can I call you back later?" She asks her aunt.

"As long as it's not from jail."

"No promises." She muses,​ and Jenna laughs.

"Bye, Nycole."

"Bye, Jenna." She hangs​ up and tosses her phone away from her.

Nyx then punches Dean's shoulder, and he moves his head so that he's looking at her. "That isn't​ very nice." He says, entirely unfazed.

"Remove your overweight arm from my torso." She says​ as she glares at him.

"It's all muscle." He tells her as he flexes his bicep.

"It still weighs a ton." The brunette argues as she slides out from under his arm and leaves​ him there, laying on his stomach.

Dean watches as she walks over to talk to his younger brother, and he marvels at how she seems to get him to forget everything for a few minutes. The two of them talk, and Sam's so into their conversation that he actually smiles a couple of times and lets out half laughs.

One thing that Dean is absolutely positive about: Nyx is a one of a kind girl. Even with a twin sister who looks exactly like her.