Louder Than Words

Sam groaned and tried to put a hand to his face. His hands were tied. By what? A rope? No... Zip ties? Yea, that was it. He wrestled his arms out from underneath himself. He pushed the hair out of his eyes with his hands and squeezed his eyes closed tighter and then opened them and groaned.

Sound flooded his ears at the same time as light stunned his vision. He flinched back, hitting his head on some sort of aluminum. He slowly opened his eyes again and got a look around. The light was dim, and the sound had all but faded into the background. He realized quickly that he was in the back of a van. His pockets had been emptied; he could feel it through his jeans. Sam shifted and got his hands underneath him to sit up. As soon as he began picking himself up, though, the car hit a bump and he fell back down. He groaned again and tried a different approach, sidling up the to wall and pushing against it. This time it worked.

His mouth felt like it was full of sawdust and his stomach growled. Black dots spotted through his vision and his head pounded and swam, dizzy. He wondered vaguely if he had gotten a concussion when- When what?

He couldn't remember how he'd gotten to be here. He had obviously been knocked out. But, what...?

Bayleigh. He had been in Illinois. With Perenna. At a gas station? No, mini mart. To get dinner. And she had been right there, coming out. Sam had wanted to turn and go. He couldn't face her like this. But Perenna had called out her name. He suddenly saw her face in his mind and he wished he could get rid of it. It was a look of pure terror as she told him to run, yelled at him. Something happened to make her fear for his life. But Perenna hadn't seemed worried at all. Why?

He pondered for a little while longer until the van slowed to a stop and the engine was cut. He watched the doors carefully and, sure enough, they swung open revealing a grey sky and a deserted private pier over a huge lake. Two men stood against this background as Sam blinked repeatedly against the light. One of the men, faster than humanly possible, leaped in the back. He had a bag over Sam's head seconds later and he was being hauled out of the van. He was prodded along the wood and then physically lifted into a rickety-feeling and already running boat. As he felt the boat take off, he heard a voice on land:

"If you hurt him, I'll kill you all."

<><><><><>

"No." Hayden turned and walked away, down the aisle of the hardware store.

Foster followed his brother, frowning. "Why not?"

Hayden raised his eyebrows. "Why? Because it'll get them killed, that's why."

"But-"

"Fozz. I don't like it. No."

"Hayden, they're vampires."

"I know that," he said, pulling a can of red spray paint off the shelf.

"And everyone else figures that this would be better than just ganking them now that we're done with them."

Hayden turned to face his brother. He looked at him and frowned hard. "Look, sending them in there would be the same thing." He paused, not believing he was gonna say this, "And... I've kinda grown to like Emma."

"Emma?"

"Yea Emma." At Fozzy's resulting face, Hayden snarled, "Don't you dare fucking judge me. I don't judge you."

Fozzy shook his head. "I'm not. You know I'm grateful for that." They started walking again. "I just didn't think... you. I mean, this feels like something Reagan would do. Or, you know, even me. Not you."

"What exactly do you think this is? I just like her. She's interesting. I'm not in love with her or anything." He turned to look at Fozzy, who was trailing behind him. "Wipe that dumb ass grin off your face before I beat it off."

"I didn't say anything," Fozzy smiled.

"Might as well have, you cheeky fuck." Hayden walked away from him then, ignoring his loud chuckle.

<><><><><>

Dean's tongue (a/n: great way to start a sentence) was tracing the inside of Reagan's mouth in a way that may or may not be considered rough. She bit his lip, pinching a tiny bit of skin hard enough that she knew it hurt him, but he was a champ and just kissed her harder, hand snaking up under her shirt. She had already taken his off and was now tracing his belt buckle with an index finger.

Dean broke their kiss to pull her shirt over her head and she took the opportunity to kick off her work Vans. She sat him down on the bed, straddling his waist, and flicked her tongue down his earlobe, nipping at it before moving to his neck. He cupped her face and pulled her away to begin kissing down her chest, in between her breasts. She stopped him almost immediately after.

"What are we doing?" Reagan asked.

"Well I thought we were about to have sex," he replied, hands moving to stroke the soft flesh at her hips.

"No, no, I know that. I mean why?"

"Because it's fun-"

She looked at him. "I know it's fun. I mean what's happening here?" she asked motioning between the two of them. "I really need to start thinking about, like, the future. Future generations of Vasco's and shit. No offense, Hon, but I can't fuck around with every sexy hunter I go on a job with."

"Oh."

"I mean, if there's something here...?" she said somewhat hopefully. "If there's something here, then great. But honestly, both of us know that you can't do what I did. Leave the life. And I'm not going to be the one waiting around for you to get home."

Dean looked at the ground, thumbs still on her hips. "I know."

"I'm sorry, Dean." She laughed a bit. "I know this is utter cliche bullshit, but we can still be friends."

"With benefits?" he smirked.

"Only tonight."

And with that, she pushed him back onto the bed and stripped him out of his jeans.

<><><><><>

Hayden and Fozzy walked into the storage facility. No one else was there, luckily. Usually they came after dark, but today they didn't. They parted ways at their units, Hayden going into Emma's. He pulled the bottle and a copy of Misery by Stephen King out of the duffel bag and went inside.

"You're early," Emma said cheerfully, walking in circles at the end of her chain. "It's because you missed me," she smiled.

"Of course," he replied, the ghost of a smile playing at his lips.

"Oh, Heavens," she laughed, putting a the back of her hand to her head and sagging at the knees. "He's smiled at me. I think I may faint." Her eyelashes fluttered.

"Don't hurt yourself."

"Are we actually going to have a conversation today?" she asked hopefully through her grin.

"Actually, that's why I'm here," he said, sobering. He handed her her things and continued, her smile drying up at the look forming on his face.

"What is it?"

"I have a... a choice. For you."

"Okay...?"

"Either you stay here and I can't guarantee you'll survive my family and Sam and Dean Winchester, or we let you go."

"And what are the conditions of letting me go?" she asked, sitting down and placing her bottle on her lips her bottle.

"You have to spy for us."

She coughed as a speck of blood went down into her lungs. "Que?" she spluttered.

"We're going to let you go, but you need to give us information on the vampires." She blinked a few times. "We'll give you a cell phone with GPS in it. I'll be there, make sure you're okay and what not. We'll meet up every now and then."

"And what if they find out?"

"We're hoping they won't."

"What makes you think I'm going to do this?"

"Die here for sure, or possibly die there."

"Remember that death wish I have?"

"I do."

Emma paused, watching him. "You're going to be there?"

"The whole time."

She was silent for a while longer. He sat down next to her with a soft grunt. She looked at his huge rough hands, relaxed on his knees.

"I'll do it."

Hayden frowned at her. "Okay."

She slipped her small hand into his and squeezing, before releasing it. "Don't worry," she said. He didn't reply.

"So when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow."

She nodded and cast around for another topic of conversation, wanting to see if the smile from earlier would return. "Stephen King," she read, picking up the book. "I've only ever read one book by him."

"Which one?"

"Gerald's Game. That one was great," she smiled. "You know, I went to Elementary school with him. Crazy, right?"

Hayden nodded. "How old are you?"

"When I was bitten or right now?"

"Both," he challenged.

"Well, physically, I'm 24. Technically, I'm... well shit. I've lost track. I think I'm in my late 60's? I'm probly wrong. I guess the better question is how old is Stephen King?"

<><><><><>

Evagoras jimmied the lock open with expert hands. The door clicked and he slid into the driver's seat of a flashy red Mustang with electric blue racing stripes. He started the monstrous machine and it came alive with a satisfying growl. He relaxed into the leather seats and took off out of the parking garage at a dangerous speed. No one thought twice about the attractive young man in the sexy muscle car.

He drove. The only thing that slowed him down were the gas stops. He pushed the car all day and night at speeds a normal person would avoid. It only took him a few days to reach California after he overheard Bayleigh's conversation.

He hadn't left when she'd told him to. He hung around, creeper status, before determining that California must be his destination. And so he left, taking the first car he saw- that caught his attention- and setting off to find Dean Winchester.

Several times during his drive, he'd chuckled to himself. Never did he think he would be on his way to find a hunter. And yet here he was, looking for not just any hunter, but Dean Winchester, to save a girl possibly 1/100th his age whom he look upon as a best friend/daughter figure. It made him laugh, how crazy his current life was.

When he got into the state, it took him a while, but his self-proclaimed super-sleuth skills and centuries of practice led him to a small town, and then to a bar. The bartender. Reagan Vasco. Last he'd heard she was retired, and last he saw, her brothers were chasing him out of a house and away from Perenna. On the last what passed for normal day in his recent years. He'd met her dad once. Not his favorite memory. She was the spitting image. Evvie approached the bar and the girl smiled at him.

"What can I get you?" she asked, touching his arm. By the following look on her face, she hadn't lost her touch in her years of retirement.

He put up his hands and leaned back. "I am not here to hurt you. I need to talk to Dean Winchester. It's about his brother. I fear he may have gotten himself into some trouble."

Reagan gave him a blank look and then said, "Hold on."

<><><><><>

At the same time as this, Hayden and Emma were passing into Montana, and Bayleigh was being pulled out of a white, nondescript van. Her hands weren't tied and a bag wasn't put over her head. And there was Sam, being pushed onto a small motor boat. She looked at Mason, holding her arm in a warm, strong grip, and said, "If you hurt him, I'll kill you all."

"He won't be touched," Mason said.

"When do I get to see Perenna?" She hadn't been allowed to ride with her sister. And despite the fact that she had gotten both her and Sam taken, she was her sister, and Bayleigh missed her. She hadn't realized a piece quite so large was missing from her life until she found her other half again.

"She's waiting at the house."

Bayleigh got in the boat, not the same as Sam's. They were already a spot in the distance, nearing a hidden private island a couple miles off the coast of Lake Superior. Under the cover of some trees, Bayleigh knew there was a huge white house, with a roof tiled to match the surrounding forest. The building was only two stories, but sprawled to the cliffed edges of the island. The only way to the front doorstep was by boat and then a thin, rocky path from a private dock.

She got off the boat and waited patiently with Mason while another vampire named Tate tied the boat next to the other. Someone would take them back to the pier later. She walked, then, silently between the two monsters, Mason struggling not to look at her. Their past was complicated, and she was morbidly glad she wasn't the only one trying to deal with it just then. In an equally morbid flare of bitterness, she began walking closer to him just to make him squirm.

Her inner self smiled.

Mason and Tate escorted her to her room and left her there. She went in tentatively. The room seemed to be made of remnants of her old life, her old self. Everything was white and lavender and yellow and baby pink and it smelled like lilacs and fresh honey. She stepped over the threshold, the door closing behind her with a quiet snick. Nothing was dusty and yet everything was exactly how she left it, down to the now dried out water color paints. The only new thing, she noted, was a set of cast iron bars across her window. She slid open the window, inhaling the cool air, and touched one of the bars with her finger tips. She turned quickly when they door opened behind her.

Perenna rushed at her, tears in her eyes and arms spread, engulfing Bayleigh in a hug. Bayleigh hugged her back just as hard, breathing in her sister's familiar sweet scent. She didn't realized Perenna was crying until her chest heaved in a suppressed sob. Bayleigh pushed her back, holding her at arm's length.

"I missed you, Amare," Perenna whispered, fighting against Bayleigh's hold to engulf her in another suffocating hug.

"I missed you, too, Ren," she choked. Even though she'd been in the company of her past for over a day now, she still wasn't used to her old name.

"I'm so sorry I had to do that to you," she said, leaning away and relieving some of the pressure off of Bayleigh. "But I missed you! And they finally let me out to go find you-"

"But why Sam?" Bayleigh asked, brows furrowed. Perenna released her sister.

"Purely chance," she replied, guilt and shame lacing her words. "I recognized him right away, you know. Not as Sam Winchester. Not the first time we met, either. I mean, the way he looked at me that time, I knew he must know you. And then he found me when I was looking for you and it just clicked."

"What clicked?"

"He's your Soulmate. Oh don't you look so skeptical. I mean it. Don't you see it? Oh, you're hopeless. Fine. Anywho," her face fell slowly again, "I didn't mean for him to stick with me." She leaned in. "I was actually hoping that he would pick up your trail and leave me behind. But once we got close, I got excited and forgot about him. It was an accident.... Are you mad?"

"Of course I'm mad. But there's nothing I can do about it now." Perenna smiled. She paused. "Soulmate?"

"Oh, yea. Soulmates. The old urban legend," she said, one corner of her mouth raising in a crooked smile. "You know. The one true person for you. As soon as I saw him the second time, I just knew. He was so... so you. You know?"

"So Sam's my-" She was interrupted by a knock on the door. Perenna opened it to reveal a vampire named Geoffry. He motioned the girls to follow, and Perenna twined her arm through Bayleigh's.

As Bayleigh was led out of her childhood room-turned-mock prison cell, all she could think was 'Home sweet home.'