gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove

Callie watched with evident amusement as Melody pulled Dean over to the elevator, a not so subtle attempt at giving her and Sam time alone. She let out a quiet laugh and turned to Sam, a small smile on her face. "She's never been one for subtlety, I can tell you that much." She said. "A few years now." She added in response to his question. There was so much catching up that they needed to do, so much to talk about that had happened over the years. She still couldn't believe that he was here right now.

---

Dean raised an eyebrow at the redhead's words. "Smelly? What are you getting at?" He asked as she pulled him over to the elevator. And then she spoke again and he realized what she was up to. She wanted to give Sam and Callie some time alone. "He doesn't talk much about her, but I know that she crosses his mind every once and a while." He said once they were both inside the elevator. Of course, Sam had obviously moved on after Callie, but he knew that he never really forgave their father for not letting him properly say goodbye to the blonde that summer.

"Her eyes are sparkling," Melody stated. "She only ever gets like that when she talks about things that made her happy as a kid like hanging out with her dad and you guys." The redhead pressed the button for the floor her room was on and looked at Melody. "She never meantioned your or him by name but I knew exactly who you two were just from how happy she seemed." It wasn't like Callie was miserable or depressed but to Melody it seemed like the blonde was simply content with her life not happy.

---

Sam couldn't help but grin back at Callie when she smiled. It seemed like hunting with Melody was good for Callie. The blonde seemed to enjoy the redhead's company, at least more than Sam tended to enjoy Dean's. "So what should we catch up on first," Sam asked. He let out a nervous chuckle, knowing he was being extremely awkward around Callie at the moment.

"I'm not sure to be honest." Callie said, punctuating her words with a quiet laugh. "I'm sure there's a lot of catching up that we need to do though." She couldn't believe they were working the same case. What were the odds? She hadn't seen him in years, they'd both been so young that one summer, but she wasn't complaining. She was glad for the chance to catch up with him. She hadn't liked how things had ended for them. She was certain that it wasn't Sam's fault. She knew how his father could get.

---

"How is her father?" Dean asked curiously, not realizing that the man was deceased. He'd seemed like a good guy, and he'd sort of been jealous for a while of the closeness he and Callie clearly shared. John cared for him and Sam, but he treated them both more like soldiers than sons on most occasions. That was never how things between Callie and her father ever seemed.

"How about we go up to your room and talk," Sam suggested. "Or we could go get some coffee. I saw a small place down the street that was still open." He honestly wanted to just sit alone with Callie and talk about everything and nothing like they used to as kids.

---

"Her father died," Melody frowned. "Ever since then it's been just me and Callie." She quickly wiped away the few stray tears that had managed to escape her eyes at the memory of how Callie's father died began replaying in her head. The older man who quickly became a father figure in her life died trying to save her because the redhead had been careless and tried to take on a vampire way before she was prepared to.

Callie smiled. "Coffee sounds great." She said. She'd missed talking to Sam. Sometimes there was a point to their conversations, and other times there wasn't, but they always seemed capable of talking no matter what. She felt like he'd understood her in a way that other people hadn't. Maybe it was because they both grew up in the life, she didn't really know, but what she did know was that summer was one of the best summers she'd ever had, and she'd never forgotten about it.

---

Dean frowned at her words. He could tell that there was more to the story, but he didn't know if he should ask or not. His question had clearly upset her. "I'm sorry." He said. "I didn't know...he was a great man." He could tell that Callie's father had been just as important to the redhead as he had been to the blonde. Most people didn't live long in this kind of a lifestyle though. It was a dangerous one, and Dean knew he'd be one of those people once his year was up.

Sam let out a very subtle sigh of relief, happy that Callie had agreed to come with him. He wanted to catch up with her alone and not have Dean pop up and add his two sense in when it wasn't needed or wanted by Sam at all. He lead Callie to the shop, looking at the menu before he looked at her. "What do you want," he asked. "It's my treat?"

---

"So what about you pretty boy," Melody questioned. "Who have you lost on the job?" The redhead tended to ask questions she knew she shouldn't or were inappropriate so her mind would focus on that rather than her own emotions she was feeling at the moment. She didn't want to feel guilty all over again because of what had happened to Bill. He had been a good man and a good father. Melody knew he had deserved so much more out of life.

Callie was happy to spend some time alone with Sam just so they could really catch up. No offense to Melody or Dean, but she kind of just wanted to do this just the two of them. She was glad that Sam had suggested going to get coffee, and of course she'd happily obliged. "Come on, Sam, you don't have to do that..." She said, her lower lip catching between her teeth, when he offered to pay for her coffee.

---

"Are you sure you want to get into this? We could be here for a while." Dean said, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. Her question was a fairly inappropriate one, and it was a subject that he avoided more often than not. He just didn't like talking about those he'd lost, not in that sense anyway. He was certain that was how it was with most people though. No one wanted to talk about anyone they'd lost in the life.

"I know I don't have to," Sam replied. "I want to though." He pulled out his wallet and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. "Go ahead and order whatever you want and I'll pay." He didn't care if she bought something expensive or just plain black coffee. Sam just wanted to spend time with the girl he trusted and confided in when he was younger.

---

"Not really," Melody admitted. "Just wanted to get my mind of Bill. It still sucks to think about how he died." She looked over at Dean, really looking at him for the first time since he had showed up with his brother. "It's my fault he died," she mumbled. "We were on my first hunt with them and I was reckless, the vamp got him because I wasn't paying attention." The redhead wasn't sure why she even told Dean that but it felt good to talk about it to someone besides Callie for once.

Callie smiled. "Alright, if you insist." She said. She realized that there was no real point in arguing with him. She didn't want to take away from their catching up anyway. She really just wanted to sit and talk with Sam for a while like they used to. She ordered a simple black coffee, she was never one for all of those sweet syrups and creamers, before turning back to Sam. "Alright, I ordered, happy?" Her tone was teasing, and she punctuating her words with a raised eyebrow.

---

Dean frowned slightly at her words. Not in a judging sort of way though, of course he'd never judge someone for anything like that. Her words shocked him, but he wasn't going to pass any judgements on someone he'd only just met. The redhead had to be pretty cool if Callie had been hunting with her for a while. "I'm sure Bill wouldn't want you blaming yourself for what happened." He told her. "And I doubt that Callie would like hearing that you're still blaming yourself too."

Sam grinned. "Very," he chuckled. Sam ordered himself a black coffee with a little but if creamer, not able to stand the bitterness of the coffee by itself like he used to. The tall Winchester lead Callie to a table, sitting down in a chair and looked at her. "So how's your dad," he asked.

---

"She and I both know it's true," Melody stated. "She's just too nice to admit the truth." The redhead moved some of her curly locks behind her ears and sighed softly. "If I had listened to him Bill would still be alive." She looked away from Dean, the elevator opening to its designated door, saving Melody from anymore awkwardness. "So are we swapping info about the ghost or is that more your brother's thing?"

Callie followed him over to a table, taking a seat across from him. His question brought a slight frown to her face. "He uh he died a few years ago." She said quietly, lower lip catching between her teeth as she glanced down at the table. It was something she didn't like to talk about much. She knew where Melody stood with it, and that she likely still blamed herself for what happened, but Callie refused to believe the redhead was right. "Blindsided by a vamp."

---

Dean frowned. "I might have only spent a summer with her a long time ago, but I know that she'd never blame you for what happened." He said. He knew that she likely knew Callie better than he did, but that didn't mean he didn't know the blonde's nature. He knew that she wouldn't hold a grudge against her friend. "It's normally Sam's thing, but I have the information since I have his bag."

Sam reached over the the table, moving to touch Callie's hand with hers. "I'm so sorry Callie," he frowned. "If I had known I wouldn't have said anything." He honestly felt bad about asking since he knew death was always a sore and a bit of a taboo topic amongst most hunters if it involved one of them, otherwise talking about killing something evil and supernatural was an everyday and sometimes hourly occurrence.

---

"Callie may have been able to forgive me but I don't think I'll ever forgive myself," the redhead stated. She gestured in the direction of her hotel room, pulling her hotel key card out after she did. "Let's see what Sam managed to pull together about the ghost."

Callie looked up when Sam reached across the table to touch her hand. "It's alright, you didn't know." She said quietly. She knew that he meant what he said and that he wouldn't have brought it up if he'd known already. "Let's just um talk about something else..." She figured a change of subject was probably for the best. She honestly avoided talking about her father at all costs and she'd rather not start now.

---

Dean frowned. "She wouldn't want you to hate yourself for what happened, Melody, and I'm certain that Bill wouldn't either." He said as he followed her down the hallway towards her hotel room. He nodded and followed her inside. "He probably has a decent amount of information. The kid's normally pretty thorough."

Sam nodded, a small smile crewing into his lips before he took a quick sip of his coffee. "Did you ever end up getting that college degree you wanted," he asked. That summer when they had been together he had told her of his dreams of being a lawyer and she shared her plans of getting her college degree as wel. Sam had always wondered if Callie had managed to follow through on her dreams and hoped she had better success with it than he had.

---

Melody pulled her bag into the table in front of Dean and pulled out the large thick stack of papers filled with information she had accumulated. "I have dates and names involved with the hotel itself since it was built as well as background on the girl who was murdered," she stated. "Couldn't find much on the guy though, only a name and the date of his death."

Callie nodded. "Not before changing my major like five times." She said, letting out a quiet laugh. "I got my undergrad degree in British lit finally, never ended up going back for grad school though." She didn't know why she hadn't gone back. Well, that was actually a lie. She did know. Her dad died the summer after her senior year. She never went back after that. "What about you? Did you end up going to Stanford?" She knew he mustn't have become a lawyer, because he was still hunting, but she wondered if he'd gotten out of the life for at least a little while.

---

Dean's eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw the large stack of papers she pulled out of her bag. He let out a low whistle. "I think Sam might have some competition." He said, punctuating his words with a low chuckle. He set both his and his brother's bags down, knowing Sam had information somewhere in his. "I think he might have gotten some info on the guy,"

"Yeah I was there," Sam nodded. "I had a fiancé and everything before the life I had been running from found me and pulled me back in." He hadn't talked about Jess or his old life in a while and it felt good to be able to talk about without feeling guilty.

---

Melody blushed as Dean whistled. She knew she went over the top sometimes. The redhead pulled a paper out that had a portrait printed on it of the girl and her husband. "Just from the portrait alone my guess is the ghost's m.o. is killing men that look like the husband."

"What happened to her?" Callie asked without even really thinking about what she was asking. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to. It's just that you said had and I figured that meant she was out of the picture now, and now I'm rambling..." Her lower lip caught between her teeth, both that and the rambling a nervous habit of hers. She didn't know why she was nervous. It was Sam. Of course, he kind of used to make her nervous when they were younger too, so it shouldn't have been much of a surprise at all.

---

Dean looked at the paper she had pulled out, taking in the portrait printed on it. He went into the folder Sam had and pulled out one of the pictures of the more recent victims, placing it next to the one with the portrait on it. "Seems like it to me." He agreed. Both men were very similar, not entirely identical, but still extremely similar nonetheless.

Sam shook his head and squeezed her hand lightly. "It's alright," he reassured her. "A demon killed her," he replied. "The same one that killed my mom got Jess too." He hadn't really talked much about Jess since she died so talking about his former fiancé felt good .

---

"Ten bucks and a bottle of whiskey says they all have something else in common too," Melody replied. She pulled out her laptop and began searching through each deceased man's information using her special hacking program. There had to me more than one link to the men being murdered because there had to be more than just looks that pissed the ghost off.

Callie's ramblings stopped when Sam squeezed her hand. She was quiet as she listened to his explanation, a frown tugging at the corner of her lips. "God, I'm sorry, Sam." She said quietly. She couldn't believe it. He'd lost two women he obviously cared about to the same demon. She had a feeling that he didn't talk about this all very much. And with good reason obviously.

---

Dean's eyebrows rose at her words, though he was never one to turn down a bet. "You've got yourself a deal, Red." He said, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. He didn't know why he'd called her that, it just sort of seemed fitting what with her hair and all that. "Why don't we have a look and see what we can find then?"

"Dean and I are still out looking for yellow eyes," Sam stated. "Sometimes e gets leads that are false alarms. Other leads are supernatural just not the kind we were looking for." He ran his thumb over Callie's knuckles as he used his free to hand to bring his coffee cup to his lips to take a big drink of. Sam wanted to tell Callie about more about the yellow eyed demon, things he hadn't even told Dean but he wasn't sure how well that would go for him or her.

---

Melody smirked, knowing either way she's get to enjoy a nice bottle of whiskey with a guy who was easy on the eyes. She typed in all the victim's names into the database and hit the search button, letting the program she and her brother had worked so hard to make, do all the hard work.