Breathe Life Into Me

"Mel? Hey Mel..." I whispered as I walked into her room and sat beside her as she slept soundly. Her body was pin straight and had her hands folded on her stomach. It reminded me of Sleepng Beauty... "Mel...hey..." I shook her a little and her eyes opened slowly. "Hey...you okay?" I eyed her as she looked around the room as if it was all unfamiliar to her.

"I guess..." She spoke slowly, still unsure of her surroundings.

"Here..." I helped her sit up and handed her a cup of coffee. She sipped it.

"I Uhh...Brit...could you just give me a minute..."

"Umm yea...sure..." I got up cautiously and walked out of the room but put my ear up against the door.

"What are you doing?" I jumped at the sound of Sams voice and spun to see him and Dean standing there watching me.

I hushed them. But then the door swung open and I jumped away from it. Mel stared at all of us curiously and I saw she had changed out of pajamas and into day clothes. "Has...anyone heard from Kevin?" She decided to ask instead of acknowledge the fact we were all crowding around her bedroom.

"No, nothing yet..." I answered.

She just nodded and walked passed me, giving a good morning kiss to Dean and he happily followed her into the main room. "What's it been, like, three weeks? What's taking that little brainiac so long? It's a book. Read it" Dean said but his mind was someplace else with that stupid dreamy look in his eye.

I rolled my eyes at him but then felt Sam next to me. I looked up at him. "Just a guess, but translating an ancient language with zero help might be more difficult than we think" he replied to Dean as Mel walked into the kitchen and Dean spun to face us completely.

"So, no word from Cas, Kevin's taking his sweet little time, Brits paranoid and you're acting cagey. We need a lead before I start climbing these walls"

"I am not paranoid" I narrowed my eyes at him but he just waved me off.

"Well, In that case, I can give you zombies" Sam shifted some papers across the table. "Guy gets hit by a car, left for dead overnight, guts spilled out all over the road, then gets up and walks away from it"

"Nothing about brain munching?"

"Remember Bobby's wife? She didn't...munch on any brains"

"Who's the witness?" I asked.

"Montana state trooper, 20-year vet. Checked his pulse, saw his insides spilled out all over the place, pronounced him dead with a capital D"

We both acknowledged the fact that was definitely a case but then there was a crash coming from the kitchen. Dean was the first to move, spilling his coffee all over the table in the process as he sprinted toward the kitchen and Sam and I quickly followed.

"Mel? You okay? What's..." Dean suddenly stopped talking as he jumped to action.

Sam and I just stood there as we watched him get to Mel's side who was on the floor, picking up pieces of a mug she must've dropped. He was trying to get her to put the shards down seeing as there was blood covering her hands. "I...I don't know what happened...I didnt think I was holding it so tight...I don't even remember picking it up..." she was babbling and Dean was trying to keep her still to stop her shaking.

"Hey...hey! Look at me" he demanded sternly and when she snapped her wide eyes up at him he smiled lightly...it just looked like he was in pain tho. "It's just a cup. It's okay. We have hundreds of them..." She just started nodding very violently and Dean held onto her tightly, trying to sooth her

Dean pulled her to her feet and moved her to the main table and he sat her down. "Do you see what I was talking about now? It's getting worse, Sam"

"I know...but what can we do about it, Brit? Cas isnt answering, there's nothing about this kind of thing in any book..."

"You've looked into it?" I asked lightly. He gave me a gentle look.

"Of course I have. It was important to you...you're worried about Mel and when any of us start worrying about each other it messes with our heads...and I need to know your head is on straight" he smiled and then so did I. "We'll find a way to help Mel" he promised, wrapping his arms around me. I just nodded, taking in his scent...his strength...suddenly I felt so much safer in his arms.

Dean came over to us, running a hand down his face. "We can't take the case, not with Mel like this..." Sam and I nodded. "We'll go. You and Mel stay here" Sam said.

I saw how Dean became hesitant as he eyed Sam almost suspiciously but then he looked at me and I nodded. "We'll stay in touch. You just stay here and take care of her" He nodded.

"No" We all turned to see Mel standing there, staring down. "I'm not just gonna sit around and let Dean baby me while people might be getting hurt. Either we all go or no one goes"

We all looked at each other and then shrugged. "Guess we're staying home today" I told her.

"Wait what?!" she looked at us like we were crazy.

"Mel, you're not in the right mind to be fighting. Something happened to you in Purgatory and we aren't sure what it is..." I tried explaining.

"So? You think sitting at home will fix me? I'm here and I can still hunt. I may be forgetting things but I'm not completely useless. Not yet...let me at least help some people before I go all senile"

She knew the extent of her situation...and she still wanted to take the case...so she could do some last good deeds before she was gone for good...who was I to deny her that much?
~
"Stay here" Dean ordered.

"What? No, Dean. I listened to you when we were at the crime scene but now that we're at the morgue, I want to help. I can help" she stressed.

"Not today you can't. Stay" be said and got out of the car.

Finally! We were all on the same page! I leaned forward as Mel sighed against the window. "Here, have a candy. We'll be back soon" I smiled and got out to follow the boys inside. I know Mel wasnt getting any better but knowing Dean and Sam were finally on my side about this made me feel somewhat better and almost relieved.

"No I.D. on this guy?" Sam asked as the coroner showed us to our John Doe.

"Fingerprints came up blank, too" I put a glove on my hand and lifted up the lip of the corpse but there was nothin there so I just shook my head at the boys. Then Sam pulled down the sheet covering the lower abdomin where there was a large gash.

"What's going on down here?"

"Liver was eaten. Best guess is a bird got at it" We all just nodded, acknowledging his assumption.

"I got to say, I am a little disappointed" Dean said as we walked down the hallway. "Yeah, 'cause you wanted to shoot zombies" Sam said.

"Damn straight I wanted to shoot some zombies.

"Look, man, this is about as open-and-shut as it gets, all right? Guy gets Mack-trucked, goes down for a nap, wakes up, takes a detour into mama bear's den: end of story"

"Then why would he run? He was injured. That trooper could have helped him"

"I don't know. Shady past?"

"Dean, don't guys with a shady past usually have a fingerprint on file?" I reminded him.

"Whatever it was, the guy's dead now, all right? Remember what Bobby said, hmm? "Wood chipper beats everything"? Yeah, well, so does grizzly bear..." Sam sighed as we headed back to the coroners office...only to see the body was missing. We all rushed inside.

"What the..." I started but then looked out the window to see our John Doe wrapped in a cloth talkin to Melissa. "Son of a bitch" I grunted and raced out.

I heard the guys quickly catching up behind me as we got outside and then Dean came out of nowhere throwing our supposed corpse up against the car and jamming his gun into his jaw. "Dean!" Mel scolded. He ignored her. "You better start talking. What are you?!" He lifted the guy off the car and threw him to the ground, shifting his arm up behind his back.

"And If you say, "zombie," I swear..."

"What?! No, I'm not anything" he grunted back at Dean.

I looked around and subtly started to move in a position that would conceal Dean beating the crap out of this guy from bystanders. "Look, two minutes ago, you were room temperature. You're something"

"Look, I don't know what I am, okay? I don't know who I am. All I know is all I do is die, so if you want to shoot me, shoot me. Just promise me you finish the job, 'cause I can't take this anymore" he cried out.

Mel moved to Dean to grab his arm and pull him away gently. He looked at her first then back at the very human man on the ground. I bent down to help him to his feet. "All you do is die? What's that supposed to mean?" I asked lightly and i felt Sam hovering behind me.

"Once a day, for as long as I can remember. After a few hours, I'm back" "What are you, like a real-life Kenny?" Dean quipped.

"Who? No, my name is Shane"

"All right, well, listen, Shane. We're not gonna find out what the hell you are here, so you're gonna come with us, okay? We're gonna run a few tests, make sure everything's kosher"

"Tests?" His eyes went to mine first, then Mel's, uneasy.
~~~

Mel came walking over with some of Deans clothes as the boys were finishing up the "tests". "Seriously? This is FBI-sanctioned?" he asked Dean.

"Drink" was all Sam said, handing him the flask.

"All right, so uhh how long has this dying thing been going on?" I asked.

"As long as I can remember, but my memory only goes back a few years"

"Wait, so now you have amnesia? How do you know your name?" Dean eyes him.

"My real name isn't Shane. It was given to me because...I don't know, people had to call me something" he shrugged.

"Okay. So, then, what happened to you?" Mel asked, sitting beside him on the bed.

"Got pulled off a mountain in Europe. They said that I got caught in an avalanche. I don't remember anything from before the rescue. When I realized my condition, I knew I couldn't be around other people, so I built a little cabin, learned to hunt, kept to myself. Seemed easiest that way. Then a couple pot growers grew nervous with me being so near their crop. Shot me twice. I figured it was time to move on"

"Right into the grille of that pickup"

"You think maybe I could clean up?" Shane wondered, gesturing to the dry blood and dirt on his body.

"Yeah, man. Knock yourself out" Dean said as Mel stood, handing him the new clothes. She gestured to the bathroom and he nodded, thankin her before he walked out of the room.

"Well, he's definitely something" I sighed.

"Yeah, but maybe he's not the monster. Maybe he's the victim" Mel suggested.

"What were u guys talking about anyway? Outside the morgue?" Dean said suddenly, snapping a look at her.

"Umm nothing...I asked him if he needed help since he was only wearing a sheet for clothing...what's wrong with you?" she furrowed her eyebrows at him and he froze up.

"Umm nothing...sorry...So we thinking curse?" He quickly moved on. I eyed him.

"Could be looking for a witch, yeah. You know what? He's parked here. He's safe. Maybe we should just get another room until we can figure this out" Sam suggested lowly.

"All right, but you're the one going full-cavity for the hex bag"

Night fell and Ill admit I was spying on Dean and Mel as they went outside to talk. "Dean, I don't get why you're acting like this. It isn't you..."

"How would you know...?"

"Because you're not this insecure, jealous..."

"I mean how would you know when you just keep losing your memory, Mel. I'm losing you all over again and just the thought of you and..." He was too flustered.

"Me and someone else?" I watched through the curtains as his whole face was pained just hearing it. "Dean...do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?" she smiled at him. He just rolled his eyes at her. "You should never even consider the though of me and someone else...I'm yours forever..." She murmured.

"But...what about..."

"I know you'll be able to find a way to bring me back. If I lose my memory...you're the key to bring me back...you have to be..." I could feel Sam standing behind me, watching.

"How are they?" he spoke up, knowing very well how they were. "Fine. It's nothing Delissa can't handle" I sighed, shutting the curtains. He chuckled at me using my pairing name for them.

"What about us?" I felt tension through out my body.

"What do you mean...?"

"I mean...I feel like you're avoiding me lately...ignoring me..."

I forced myself to turn and face him. "I'm not. There's just been a lot going on..." Have I been avoiding him? I haven't even noticed....

"Brit, do you want to talk about..."

"I don't want to talk about the trials, Sam" He didnt respond as first, trying to think of his words. "I just...I don't want to think about...losing you again..." I was choking back my tears.

"Brit...you're not going to lose me" I just laughed, mockingly. "You know how these things usually end, Sam..." I murmured. I saw the sad look on his face and I calculated the distance he kept between us...never inching closer...worried I might snap.

But then I heard loud thumps and grunts coming from the next room over. I flew open the door in time to see Mel and Dean already racing over to Shane's room. Sam and I followed. When we reached the room Dean was on the floor, Mel was bent over the table, falling to the ground and the other woman in the room threw her arm up in our direction. I ducked thinking I would avoid the attack but I felt my feet leave the floor and I skidded backward to see Sam got the full effect and he was tumbling down the stairs. I forced myself to fight the amount of pressure I had on me but all of a sudden it was gone and I stumbled inside, seeing Mel throw the woman off Shane and up against the wall. She shifted the woman's arm up behind her back, almost breaking it as she also held the knife to her neck. Ill admit I felt a little relieved seeing her jump in action. It let me know she still had some kind of natural instinct.

"Who are you?" Mel demanded.

"Now I'm your worst enemy" she grunted and just like that she was gone, leaving a small gust of wind behind and taking her blade with her.

"Who the hell was that?" Dean huffed as Mel rushed to help him up and I noticed Sam was back at my side, staying close.

"She...she said that she knew me" Shane answered.

"Yeah, how?" Sam slammed the door shut.

"I don't know, but...I could have sworn that she was upset I didn't know her back"

"This is uhh this is a lot more than a curse, man. You've got, like, some tiger blood. Where did you learn that kung fu?" Dean asked about somehing I missed I guess.

But then Shane fell to his knees, gasping as if someone was choking him. Sam was first to reach him, trying to get him up. "Hey, buddy, you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I just need a minute. I've never been in a fight in my whole life" He was panting and jerking his body now. "Whoa, hey, hey, pal" Dean was trying to help Sam control Shanes convulsions. "Hey. Are you..."

"Is he having a heart attack?" Mel narrowed her eyes as she ran to the bathroom to grab some cold compresses.

"Do we call 911?" Sam wondered.

"And tell them what? That the dead guy we stole from the morgue is alive and having a coronary?" Dean snapped but I just rolled my eyes as I grabbed the pillows and blankets off the bed and I threw them to the floor. "Get him down. He's gonna hurt himself it he keeps shaking like that" I ordered and they obeyed.