Chapter 12:

Eventually both of them got clothes on and Sam came in. Dean and Liz sat on the bed, close to each other but not touching. Liz looked like she was in some other world when she stared in front of her seeing nothing. She didn't even react when the boys started to talk.

Dean tried to concentrate on Sam and what he had to say, but his attention was constantly drawn to Liz. Between her eyes was a little wrinkle, which made clear that she was worried. In Dean's line of work, he had learned to read people – he noticed little changes in them quickly and he had learned to spot people with something on their chest; liars, cheaters and troubled people. At the moment Liz clearly belonged in the last group.

“Are either of you listening to me?” Sam suddenly said in a louder voice. Dean tore his eyes away from Liz and looked at Sam. He was right; Dean really hadn't listened to him.

“Not really,” Dean admitted looking Sam sheepishly. Sam let out long, annoyed sigh.

“Focus people! People need to be saved, werewolves need to be killed – ring any bells?” Dean didn't blame his brother for getting frustrated with them – with him. At the moment he probably was the worst hunting partner ever. Damn Liz, who made his concentration fly out of the window!

“Sorry, Sam. It's my fault. Max got to me more than he should have. I will try to be better from now on, okay?” Liz sighed and turned her face to Sam. She smiled a little bit and Sam couldn't help but smile back. When Liz wanted she could be the sweetest person on the planet Earth – like she was all the time back in Roswell.

Dean was amused by the surprised look on Sammy's face. He hadn't expected Liz to act that way. Gently Dean put his arm around Liz and pulled her closer. She was now his girl – no matter if she agreed to it or not.

At least she didn't hate the idea since she didn't pull away.

“Don't worry, princess. He won't get to you,” Dean tried to sound comforting, but got an annoyed looked from Liz.

“It's not me who I'm worried about. He isn't here to get back to me. He is after you Dean, I hope that you have realized that already,” Liz said staring at Dean seriously. Of course Dean had got that already; he wasn't stupid – no matter what some people may say.

“Well, yeah, but...”

“Don't say that you are worried about me! I know Max Evans; he tracked you down because he thought that you are responsible of my death. Now that he saw me too, and understood that instead of killing me you stole me from him. That is making him really angry. And to him, I am the perfect Liz Parker, who needs to be saved and who doesn't know what's best for her. Probably his new plan is to eliminate you and take me home. He would never hurt me. So don't you dare to say that you are worried about me!” Liz talked in a frustrated manner, which made her to get away from Dean and walk around the room.

“Fine! I'm not worried about you. Not at all,” Dean did what Liz asked; he didn't say that he was worried about her, but she knew he was. Liz sighed and came back to sit next to Dean. She looked at Sam.

“We can't do anything about this Max problem now. So please Sam, could you start from the beginning?” Liz asked, and Sam just nodded. Dean saw right through Sam and knew that he was starting to like his girl. But there would still be one hell of a fight because of Liz's supernatural status. Damn, it was going to be awkward.

“Yeah sure. Now just pay attention please?” Sam agreed, but kept glaring at both of them until they both nodded. He wasn't going to tell this story a third time, “Yeah, so Dana was already on the board. So most likely Liz is right; they are going to turn her right after they change and make her a new member of their werewolf army.

But as I said before, I have no idea how we can stop it from happening. We blew the attack to the barn and they probably aren't going to use it anymore. Plus there is Mina Cage, who they are going to pick up today.”

“Mina Cage?” Liz asked.

“She is one of the army member's sisters. We visited her earlier today and Evelyn was there. Mina told me that they are going there tonight. We can't let them have her or anyone else.”

“You said that they probably won't use the barn anymore, but I disagree. That is a big bunch of a werewolves, where they would hide? And they are always gathered to one place for the change. I think they are going to use the barn tonight – they probably think they scared us off last time. Well at least its worth checking,” Liz pondered.

“Even if they were in the barn tonight, what could we do? We need snipers to get them all down,” Dean asked. This was weird. The three of them hunting together. Dean and Sammy rarely hunted with other people and actually never with women. Once with Jo and that didn't go so well either; Jo had ended up getting herself caught and boys had to save the day.

But Liz was different. She knew what she was doing, also the fact that she didn't die really easy made it easier. She wasn't that kind of girl with her vampire status who had to be worried all the time. Though, Dean would still worry.

“We burn the barn. When they are changing – we burn the whole shit down and all the bastards with it,” Liz suggested. Dean and Sam exchanged looks, and then both turned to look Liz.

“What? It's the only way to kill them all at once. One of us goes to this Mina's house for her protection, if someone escapes from the barn or isn't there. Then the other two will put some gas around the barn, light matches and poof, no more werewolf problem,” Liz explained watching the boys reactions.

“I like that plan,” Dean approved and looked at Sam, who didn't looks so approving.

“Okay, yeah, it might work, but how are you going to do it so that they can't escape from the burning barn?”

“Gas everywhere.”

“What about Dana, how are you going to get her out before..”

“I’ll go get her when the flames start to rise – she might get few burns, but at least she's alive.” Sam and Liz stared at each other. Maybe Sam felt himself intimated when he wasn't no longer the only brainiac of the gang. Dean didn't take part of their conversation. He liked the plan; it was simple and effective.

“The two who are at the barn will still have guns and they will shoot every werewolf that gets out,” Liz reasoned to Sam, and started to win him over. Sammy would have preferred to do it in a cleaner way, but there wasn't a clean way with these meat eaters.

“Okay, but I will be the one on the barn,” Sam said. Dean lifted his head and looked at Sam.

“Wrong. You are going to be the one over at Mina's. She trusts you and she told you that they are coming tonight. You go there,” Dean said. He knew he was right; he barely even remembered what Mina looked like, so much he had been out of the situation. Sam had done all the talking and he had won that poor girl's trust.

“But I..,” Sam tried to argue, but Dean raised his hand.

“You want to keep this girl safe or not?”

“Yeah, but...”

“It's a deal then. You go to there and Liz and I will take care of the barn,” Sam wasn't pleased, but he understood where Dean was coming. Mina really trusted him.

“What do you say, if I go and try to find Evelyn? If we could take the bitch down before night there would be a chance that when the barn is burning no one will realize to run without orders?” Liz asked, and again Dean thought it was a good plan. She really was a smart girl.

So it was settled; when the day started to turn into a night, Dean would take Sam to Mina's house and then he and Liz would go to the Shade's barn to wait. But before any of that happened Liz left the motel room to search for Evelyn and the boys headed out to get supplies. You don't burn a barn with just a lighter.

As usual Dean was driving and the music was blasting. Dean felt good even though they had accomplished yet nothing here in Mooncroft. Dean had managed to get some accomplishments of his own. He and Liz had found... something. Probably they had the best thing hunter could have with a vampire. Many people would have thought that that sentence was a joke, but Dean knew better – and he knew the irony and immorality of it.

“Things went good with Liz?” Sam asked after he had just watched Dean smile for nothing. Dean never really smiled. He always grinned or smirked, but real smile was rare on his lips. Sam had connected the smile and Liz together, and he was sure that he was right.

“Straight to the happy ending,” Dean gave a look to Sam, who just shook his head.

“Yeah, that much I guessed,” Sam admitted, “So what was Liz's deal?”

Dean became quiet. He didn't look at Sam and just stared at the road. He would not tell Sam. Not yet. He wasn't sure how he would react.

“She was just pissed about something I did years ago,” Dean answered, still not looking at Sammy. Sam noticed the change in Dean. His smile has disappeared and suddenly he found the road very interesting.

“She mentioned earlier something about not saving her,” Sam pointed out wanting the truth from Dean. Instead of speaking Dean just nodded.

“So what did you do?” Sam pushed a little further. They arrived at the gas station; plan was to buy some gas and matches. Dean didn't answer to Sam, when he stopped the car near the gas tanks. He sat there just few second thinking should or should he not say it. But he had to say it sooner or later.

“She's a vampire,” Dean spilled it out and got out of the car leaving a surprised Sam behind. He walked to the trunk to get the tanks he was going to fill with the gas. He heard the shotgun's door creak and slam shut. Sam came out and was next to Dean few seconds later. He stared him demanding.

“I think I misheard you back there,” Sam said. Dean didn't look at him – he just took the tanks and slammed the trunk shut.

“Probably not,” Dean walked to the pump, Sam following right behind him. Calmly Dean placed one tank to the ground and opened the other one.

“Vampire, Dean? Are you serious?” Sam asked, and when Dean reached for the pump, Sam hit his hand, “Stop it Dean and explain this to me. Now. We are hunting with her so I'm not going there without knowing can I trust her!” Sam moved in front of Dean, preventing his attempts to get the gas.

“You can trust her, alright! Now get the Hell out of my way,“ Sam started to annoy Dean and his voice was hard. Dean could recall many times when Sam had fought for his monsters.

“No, I'm not moving until you explain me,” Sam demanded. Dean threw the empty tank to the ground getting his hands free. For a moment he thought about shoving Sam out of his way, but Sam hadn't yet done anything to deserve it.

“I already told you; you can trust her. Never doubt that,” Dean calmed himself down a few degrees. Sam deserved to know with who he was hunting, but Dean hoped he wouldn't make him repeat everything Liz had told him. That would make Dean's concentration slip and soon the moments of truth were there. Soon the barn was burning.

“How do you know?”

“Well, I cut myself and she didn't eat me,” Dean told him and leaned on Impala. He still didn't want to look at his brother. Dean knew Sam had no right to judge him: there had been Madison, and those vampires in Red Lodge.

“You did what?” Sam didn't believe his ears.

“Sam, save that crap! You have no right to judge me in this one. You remember those vampires in Red Lodge? You protected them and Liz is like them,” Dean finally looked at him and tried to keep his temper under control, but the look on Sam's face was too much. Like everything was changed because of that little detail. There was no doubt of it; Sam had liked Liz. This should not matter.

“That is completely different thing! I wasn't sleeping with them! Or offering myself as a snack,” Dean noticed Sam's voice changing too. He was getting angry – or becoming over worried.

“You were sleeping with Madison!” Dean didn't want to bring Madison up – it was sore spot to Sam, and Dean knew it. But he wasn't sparing Dean's feelings in this, so Dean wasn't sparing his. At least Liz had some kind of control over herself.

Dean words hit Sam hard. He wiped his face with his hands and then pulled his hair away from his face.

“And you know what, Dean? I did what I had to do with Madison. I killed her, because I had to,” Sam's voice trembled a little as he spoke. He stared right into Dean's eyes.

“If Liz ever lost control over herself, I would do the same. I would kill her myself and I will, if she can't keep it together anymore,” Dean said grinding her teeth. And he would. If Liz lost control, Dean would want to be the one who take the life away from her. It was just something what he had to do.

“I just don't want you to go through it. You can't stay with her,” Sam said in a slight voice. His eyes had become sad. Dean looked away from him and pushed himself away from the Impala.

“Then we just hope she can keep it together,” Dean said in a joking voice. The silence between them lasted only a while, but long enough for to Dean really realize Sam's point. Liz could never be his girl. She wasn't that kind of girl anymore with who you could grow old. She was barely a girl anymore.

“What are you going to do?” Sam asked taking a step closer to his brother. He wanted to do something to comfort him, but he knew Dean didn't like to be comforted.

“I don't know, Sammy. I really don't,” Dean whispered. He really didn't – well, he had a plan like a half an hour ago, but it all had poured to the hard asphalt. Dean had wanted to take Liz with them. Not letting her get away anymore. Change the two hunting brothers to two hunting brothers and one hunting girl. Maybe date her, make her his girlfriend.

A girlfriend? Winchester, what doesn't sound right in that? Dean thought he was so stupid. How could he think about something like that, even after he had known the truth?

“Can I ask one more thing?” Sammy's voice brought Dean back to that painful moment. Dean wanted to say no, but instead he nodded.

“How?” Sam didn't need to say more to make Dean understand what he wanted.

“Long ago, I failed. I didn't know about vampires and they caught her,” Dean explained. Sam would not get even one detail. He didn't need to know them; he didn't need to know that his big brother was a bad hunter and worse tracker. That he was a failure.

Sam raised his hand and gently touched Dean's shoulder. Automatically Dean slapped it away.

“Go get the matches inside and I’ll get the gas from here,” Dean said shaking off all the traces about the talk they just had. He acted like everything was okay, and like he hadn't just realized something that made his future seem even darker. Sam didn't get the sadness away from his face so easily, but he went along with his brother’s wish.

“Yeah, okay,” he said and started walk towards the gas station. Dean looked after him and let the mask fall off from his face. He stared at his brother's back, feeling empty. Sam was all he got and for a moment he had thought that he got someone else to take care too.

With a sigh Dean turned to the tanks and the gas pump. Then he felt someone touching the back of his head, and after that... Nothing.