After the Amazon cult-ish situation, everyone needed a break. Since there was still nothing to be done about Dick Roman, they figured they could take a weekend trip down to Florida. Sam and Dean had never been, while Melody and Blair would come down here at least once a month in the entire time they'd been friends.

"Once a month?" Sam gaped. "And just...sit? On the beach?"

Melody laughed at his surprised expression. "Well, yeah," she nodded. "How else do you blow of steam?"

"Kill things?" Dean shrugged from the driver's seat. Blair was up front with him. Occasionally, she would switch with Sam, who was in the back seat, or Sam would drive and Dean would be in the passenger seat. Melody hadn't been in the right mood with Dean since he basically told her that he'd intentionally avoided her after that kiss.

It was childish, maybe, to react the way she did. It was sixteen years ago for crying out loud. But there was something in the way that he said the words. The venom in his tone, or maybe just the fact that it didn't seem to bother him at all. It wasn't like she came into this hunting group in hopes of any kind of romantic reunion with Dean. She couldn't have cared less. Maybe, along the way, she'd considered it a possibility. The way they'd steal each other's food and flirt aimlessly, maybe it started to mean something to her.

Melody was painting her toes in the backseat, praising God for giving her steady hands. "Hey, don't get none of that crap on my seat." To which, of course, she ignored. It frustrated the hell out of Dean that she wouldn't talk to him, but it wasn't the time to address it. Not with the other two in the car.

They splurged—only slightly—on a three and a half star hotel for their stay. The unfortunate part came when the man behind the counter spoke. "We only have rooms with a single double bed, left, I hope that's okay. Fourth of July weekend is usually fully booked."

His grin was enough to tell Melody he didn't actually care if it was okay. It made her want to jump over the counter and rip his hair out.

"It'll be perfect," Blair nodded, sensing her friend's hostility. "Two of those, please."

As they started for the elevator, Melody pulled Dean back to her pace. "We're not ruining this trip for them," she grumbled, not looking up at him. "B has been itching to get her toes in the sand, and probably do unmentionables with Sam." They both shuddered at the thought. "We'll swap nights in the bed, or something."

"Mel, can we talk about this?"

Sam and Blair were walking close enough that their hands were constantly brushing. How'd they do it so easily? "Hey, B, where's mine and Dean's room key?" Melody called forward. The two in front of them stopped in their track. They'd very obviously been anticipating swapping sleeping arrangements.

Blair handed Dean their room key. Both rooms were on the same floor, connected by either a locked or unlocked door between them. "Mel, I don't mind switching," Blair told her, while the guys wandered around the room. Dean immediately went for the stocked mini fridge, commenting on how cute the little whiskeys were. "I can share a bed with Dean and you with Sam." The guys can't sleep in the same bed, as they've discovered. Despite their complaints the very first night they'd traveled, the girls were determined to shove them in a bed together. Nobody slept well, because Sam and Dean fought over pillows and blankets, and elbows hit eyes...it was truly a fiasco.

Melody shook her head, waving her friend off. "Dean and I will be fine," she said. She raised her voice when she spoke again. "Besides, the thought of sharing a bed with Sam makes me want to puke."

"Ha," Sam said dryly. Melody gave him an amused grin and winked.

"You know I love you," she shrugged cheekily.

He slid through the door that led to his and Blair's room, looking around. "You know what I wanna do first?" Melody asked as she was grinning from ear to ear. "Sleep without being woken up."

The other hunters completely understood where she was coming from. Life on the road usually meant four hours max of sleep before they had to be back at it. It was tough, so it was only natural to take advantage of it while they could.

"A weekend away and you want to sleep?" Sam laughed. Melody nodded her head, stretching out across the bed. She was quick to fall asleep, too. The bed was slightly softer than the normal springs that hit her back in the wrong way every time.

Blair laughed at her friend, joining Sam on the other side of the wall. Dean was close behind her, careful not to disturb Melody. "I'm about to go check out this jacuzzi tub," Blair cheesed, grabbing a change of clothes from her bag. She left the boys in the room, Sam with a stupid smile on his face as he watched after her.

Dean grunted in disdain—or maybe jealousy—as he raided their fridge. Dean brought his own beer, of course, but there was nothing wrong with wanting something a little stronger. At least that was what he'd been telling himself as of late. "How can you do that?" He shook his head, drinking down the small bottle.

"Do what?" Sam responded. "Be happy?"

"Feelings," Dean countered, almost sounding disgusted. "Especially when you know our line of work. How can you not be distracted? When it comes down to the good of the group, or the benefit of her...how could you possibly separate that? And if she died...?" He didn't want to think about the possibility of Melody dying. After all, he was inquiring more about her than Sam and Blair's 'friendship'.

Sam shrugged. "I think it's safe to say that any of us would die to save the other," he said simply. "It's no different that when you sold your soul to bring me back. Just because you won't admit it to yourselves, or each other, doesn't mean either of you wouldn't take the front seat on the bus to hell just to save the other one."

"I hate it when you sound like Dr. Phil," Dean grunted again. Only because he was right, though. He would've stopped at nothing to hunt those bitches down if they'd taken Melody as bait for him. Made every one of them suffer.

They sat in silence for a bit longer until Blair came out of the bathroom wearing only a robe. She was equally as surprised to see Dean and Dean was to see her. "Alrighty, well that looks like my cue," he dismissed himself. "...unless...?"

"Bye Dean," they chorused, waving him out of the room. They locked the door that separated the rooms behind him. Dean shuddered as he did earlier, sure of what was about to happen.

His eyes went to Melody who was still splayed across the bed, snoozing peacefully. She looked a lot less...angry.

"Why are you staring at me," she grumbled, eyes still closed.

He chuckled to himself. "I'm not," he lied.

She opened one eye to see him staring before closing it back, a faint grin appearing on her lips. "Liar."

He was a liar—about more things than just looking at her.

Melody could feel him slide into the bed next to her. She opened her eyes to see his grinning face. His features were a lot softer than usual. More friendly, even. "What?" She asked, propping herself on her elbows, holding her face in her hands. "Since I'm not allowed to nap, apparently."

"Nothin'," he sight, matching her stature. "I just got kicked out of the other room."

"Gross."

"Right?"

It was silent for a minute, before Dean spoke again. "Mel, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, the other night." Her face fell instantly, and Dean feared he backpedaled into a flaming room. "I was a dick, and quite frankly I lied," he continued, unsure of where to go next. "But you can still get out, you know? Have a family, a couple kids. It isn't too late for you. Bobby would've wanted that for you."

"What about what I want," she asked, sitting up to position her back against the headboard. "I won't just sit around knowing what's out there. I know you tried. Bobby told me everything—from Sam's soul being stuck in Lucifer's cage, to your attempt to have a life with Lisa and Ben."

Dean was a bit taken aback by her knowledge of his time away from the life. Of course Bobby told her, though. Sam probably went silent on her, so she started asking questions.

Melody sighed, getting to her feet. "Nobody can sleep when you're groveling like that," she said. There was a hint of a smirk on her lips. "I'm going to the beach, while there's still sun out. Wanna come?" She grabbed a red two piece bikini out of her bag, turning to look at him.

Dean raised an eyebrow as he looked at his bag. "I don't really own shorts," he laughed, turning back to her.

"Huh, if only someone had thought about that when they went to the store the other day...oh, wait," she said, sarcastically. She dug through her bag and tossed a pair of navy blue swim trunks his way. "I got Sam a pair too, but..." she trailed off, letting the sound of something hitting the floor in the room next to them, speak for themselves.

Dean chuckled, nodding his head. "That's my boy."

Melody changed in the bathroom, and pulled a black swimsuit cover on over her. No need for wandering eyes to gape like she was sure they would. She wasn't conceited, by any means, but she also knew that she was definitely in shape. What hunter wasn't?

She stepped back into the main room to see Dean awkwardly standing, wearing only the swim shorts. He was fit, but that was a well known fact to anyone that saw the man. Melody didn't allow herself to get too distracted

"I thought you were wearing that swimsuit," he inquired, almost pouting. She lifted the bottom of it ever so slightly, to show that she was in fact wearing 'that swimsuit'. "Oh."

She grabbed a couple of towels amongst other beach necessities, and started down towards the parking lot of the hotel. There sat the Impala, instantly earning all of Dean's attention.

It wasn't a very long drive to the beach at all, which was rather convenient. Dean parked away from all the cars, careful to avoid anyone hitting the Baby with their doors. Of course, this made for a longer walk against the overheated asphalt, while barefoot.

After running through the lot while Melody repeatedly cursed Dean, they were finally on the beach itself. "How is it possible that you don't come here on a regular basis," Melody asked him, walking across the wide stretch of white sand to find a spot a little closer to the beautifully clear water.

"Just never on the agenda, I guess," he shrugged. He stifled a smile as he watched how happy she was to be there. He had a feeling that this wouldn't be their last trip down here, and he was okay with that.

Melody laid out a couple of beach towels for her and Dean to sit on. The warm sun was a nice switch up from the Midwest chill that never seemed to fade. "Bobby brought me out here when I was six years old," she murmured, slipping a pair of sunglasses on. She was sifting through the bag, looking for the suntan oil. "He hated this damn place. Said it was too hot and sandy. Wouldn't even put his feet in the water with me."

"Can't say I blame the man," Dean grumbled, brushing the sand off of his arms. He wasn't even sure how it'd managed to get all over him already. Melody smirked at his brief annoyance, and she slipped her swimsuit cover off. His eyebrows raised suggestively as she did so, freely allowing his eyes to scan over her exposed skin. "I can get used to it, though."

Melody rolled her eyes, growing more and more accustomed to his sly comments. She reached for the suntan lotion she'd brought, pulling out her her camera as well. She snapped a picture of Dean, scouring at the fact. She was sure to take pictures of every town they visited. It was something she'd done ever since Bobby bought her first camera. The end of every month, she'd print the photos off and put them in an album. Her favorite part of going home to Bobby's was showing him all the things she'd seen with Blair.

She tossed a tube of sunscreen to Dean. "You're gonna need that," she warned him. Poor guy didn't have a chance in this sun. Not with the way it hits the beach. He scoffed in response, tossing the protectant back into her bag. "Suit yourself."

Melody passed the dark bottle of tanning oil to Dean. "Can you put this on my back?" A suggestive smirk appeared on his lips. "Before you even think about attempting to act out a scene from whatever porno is happening in your head, don't."

Dean looked to be offended, but he was honestly just surprised she was able to read him that well. Then again, it was textbook Dean. He did as he was told, massaging the goop into her skin. "Now what?" He rubbed his hands on his shirt, removing any of the excess.

"Now, we swim," she beamed.

"In that," he gestured towards the ocean.

Melody placed her hands on her hips. "What else would we swim in?"

"The pool. At our hotel."

She rolled her eyes. "Take your shirt off, Winchester," she ordered, to which, of course, his lip curved upwards suggestively.

"If you wanted to get me undressed you could've done it already," he grinned, pulling the shirt over his head.

"Then you'll understand why I haven't," she retorted. Dean complained the entire walk, asking why they had to go into something where creatures were still getting discovered. "You're afraid of the ocean? I'm guessing you're still afraid of flying, too?"

"At least I'm not afraid of thunder," he retorted. "Assuming you never grew out of that?"

Dean knew all too well about the fear she'd had. Nights at Bobby's, she'd be awake all hours of the night during thunderstorms. Repeating The Lord's Prayer, no less.

He remembered one night, in particular. It'd stuck in his brain, and will probably always be stuck in his brain.

It had started raining just as they all started to lay down. Melody would so graciously share her rooms with the Winchesters each and every time their dad dropped them off. The irony wasn't lost on him that this was the same day that she had so bravely kicked his ass before kissing him. He could remember the entire day so clearly, from start to finish.

"Mel, you alright?" Dean had called over to her. He was on a pallet on the floor with Sam, who'd already long been asleep. He'd already known the answer, but her head shake confirmed it. Slowly, he slid out from underneath his blanket, and crawled onto her bed. "What's there to be scared of?"

She stayed silent for a moment, considering his question. "You can't ever really know what's around when a storm hits," she murmured, finally. "Is a poltergeist taunting us with the taps and crashes, or is it a branch falling and hitting the roof? Is the wind causing a draft in the house, or is there an angry spirit coming back for vengeance," she sighed, shaking her head. "I guess it's not so much the storm, as what the storm could be covering up."

Dean felt for her. He really did. She was on the fast track to being just like him. Paranoid at every turn, wondering where the next monster was coming from. He'd wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. "I'm going to get you out of this life, if it's the last thing I do," he mumbled.

"Do any of us really grow out of our phobias," Melody laughed, shaking her head. Her voice brought Dean out of her memories. "Besides, it's more about what's in the storm, and not the storm itself." She extended her hand to him, grabbing his in her own. "Look, we'll just sit right on the edge, okay?" He didn't want to agree, but it seemed to be important to her, so he followed.

It really wasn't as bad as he figured it was going to be. Had it been dark and murky water, there was no way he would have been on board, but here, the water was clear and quite inviting, really.

Melody took a seat next to where he was standing, looking out to the ocean. This truly was her happy place. "So," she sighed out, after a moment of silence. "What happened with Lisa?"

The question sent chills down his spine, and caused him to clench his jaw. However, Melody genuinely had no idea what happened. Once Sam had gotten his soul back, Melody and his regular conversations resumed, but when asked about Dean, Sam kept quiet. Like he couldn't talk about the subject itself in front of Dean. Or maybe he just didn't want Dean infiltrating Melody's life. Either was strongly possible.

Dean sat down next to her, not making eye contact. Melody could tell that the topic was a difficult one for Dean, solely based on the mist that had gathered in his eyes. Just as she was about to apologize for getting in his business, he spoke. "Lisa was possessed," he started, staring off as if he were reliving the instance. "She'd grabbed Ben—held a knife up to his throat. She was saying all of these horrible things trying to get into my head. I-I started to exorcise her, but..." he trailed off, misty eyed. "The demon stabbed her. I thought she was dead. Cas healed her, and I asked him to erase any memory she had of me. It was just too dangerous for her to know who I was. It was easier that way."

It was baffling to Melody that he was able to uphold himself as well as he was. It had to have only been a year that had passed since he said goodbye to Lisa for good.

Dean himself was surprised, really. He thought the death of Bobby was going to be the ultimate death of him. With Melody back in the picture, though, he was determined to uphold his promise to Bobby. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Granted, it didn't take much convincing on Bobby's part, and the dying man knew that. He was never oblivious to the way the pair looked at each other, just as John wasn't. The only difference was, John resented Dean for it.

Dean channeled all the grief he'd felt at one point that felt like a ton of bricks, and put it into anything else. It helped, too, that Melody was back. Even still in her grief for Bobby, she was a radiant light. Dean failed to see how she managed to see the best in every situation and every person. Especially in him.

"What're you staring at, dork," Melody mused. He could just barely see her eyebrow quirk up, accompanying her crooked grin. Truth be told he wasn't even aware that he was looking her way, until she spoke.

Dean shook his head, looking back forward. "Nothin'," he grinned. "Just glad you're back around."

Melody slid her glasses just barely down the bridge of her nose, as she looked over at him. Her bright blue eyes pinged with curiosity, but she decided not to dig into where his mind had really wandered to. "Look who's being all sentimental," she teased, pushing the glasses back to her eyes. She followed his gaze back to the horizon, where the sun was already threatening to wane. "Really, though, I'm glad you were there with my dad through all of it." She sniffled a little bit, battling off any tears that may have tried to escape. "And for being there every night that first week. If you hadn't, I probably would've ended up dead in a blind rage trying to kill Dick on my own."

Dean looked over at her again. Her expression was unreadable. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into a side hug. "We're gonna get him," he promised her.

"Why didn't you guys tell us you were coming down here?" Blair's voice caused Melody to jump and scoot just out of Dean's grasp.

Dean followed her lead, looking back to where her and Sam were approaching. "Couldn't bear the thought of tearing you two away from your extracurricular activities," Dean snorted, looking at his brother. "Look at you, you're glowing." Melody shoved Dean, just like she always would for picking on Sam.

"You're just mad because your brother has better game than you," the brunette scoffed, getting to her feet. She brushed the sand off of her legs, walking back towards the beach towels.

She could hear a faint ring of a cellphone coming from her bag. Intrigued, she dug around until she found the source.

"Who's calling you?" Dean queried, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Probably Claaaark," Blair chirped, trying to look over her shoulder.

Melody rolled her eyes at her friend's assumption, though she was right. She answered the phone as she trotted a few paces away from the group. "Hey, you," she said with a grin.

Dean wasn't impressed with her ability to maintain whatever kind of flirtationship she had with Clark. He wasn't even that good looking. "She still talks to that tool?" There was no denying that she appeared to be happy. Dean knew it was only a matter of time before the guy got tired of the traveling she would continue to do. However, when that day came, he would have to see the happiness fade. Selfishly, he wanted that day to come soon, only so she wasn't so attached.

"Jealousy isn't a good look for you, Dean," Blair said as she looked up at him.

"Jealousy has nothing to do with it," he retorted.

Of course, that was only half the truth.