Fuel

In moments like that Georgina knew she wasn't supposed to get in panic, however, seeing Aly being strangled by Rome who was undoubtedly not himself, and watching the car igniting at the same time were two good reasons at once to freak out. The flames underneath the car enlarged.
"Sh*t!" Georgie raced to the car while shouting at Lily and Morrigan, who were right behind her. "We have to get her out of the car, now!"
As soon as the girls came too close to the car blue haze shoved them backwards, but this time it wasn't as strong as it was a fiew moments before. Georgie quickly got up on her feet, ignoring the pain in her left arm. "The only way we can get rid of Nick is by burning his car, and since it already started to burn he gets weaker! We have to try it again!"
Georgina grabbed her gun and shot the windscreen. Surprisingly it worked this time, although she felt the pressure of the blue haze again. Nick must be getting weaker...
"We have to break the windscreen!", she shouted, and the three kicked against the glass. "Lenna, can you hear me?"

"She's not responding!" Morrigan started coughing while the smoke of the burning car was filling her lungs.

Georgie fired another shot at the windscreen, they kicked again and the glass finally broke to an extend where they were able to get into the car. Georgie felt the heat coming from everywhere and the smoke burnt in her eyes. "Unbuckle the seatbelt!"
While Lily worked on the seatbelt Georgie and Morrigan grabbed Elenna's left and right arm. The moment they touched her they felt an enrmous pressure, like two strong invisible hands trying to push them away.
"She's bleeding", Morrigan cried. Despite the invisible force they continued to pull her.

Hold on, Lenna! Please!

“No one can save you it is too late and you know that, Elle.”

The girls might pull her out of the burning Mustang, and hell yeah it might hurt Nick as hell that it was burning, but the burning a car gave him a lot more time then burning bones. They couldn’t save Lenna, her times was up. Nick really thought he needed his town, the town where everything started to be stronger, but the truth is all he needed was his sister. All she had to do was having a weak moment and choosing him over her friends over her life. Her live was draining out of her and into him. It didn’t matter that she cried for help all that matters was she gave up and without her fight all he needed to do was taking her live piece for piece. No weapon could stop him.

Rome struggled, but it was just as useless as if this had been Andre. Rome was possessed.

Again.

A sob shook the chest of his soul before Rome got himself back together, wiped his metaphorical tears away from screaming eyes, and started fighting again. Except for the fact that this truly sucked out loud, there wasn't the mindrape feeling associated with Nick's possession as he had felt with the demon. Nick didn't own him, and didn't plan to stay—couldn’t stay, if the car was burning like that.

And maybe, just maybe, he could actually talk to Nick.

He didn't have to be nice about it, though: "Nick. Hey. Nick. Nick! Sh*thead, you listening to me?"

"Who the hell you think you're talking to, meatsuit?"

"You've got to let her go, Nick!"

"Or what? What're you gonna do about it?"

Rome sighed, trying not to let himself get (too) angry. “Look, nothing, okay? But you are, dammit!”

Nick laughed at him.

“Look, okay, I get it. You hate me. That’s fine. I hate you, too. Probably more than you hate me, though you seem to have been working on your end for quite some time.”

“You’re damn right, jerkwad.”

“Shut up and listen to me, you psycho bastard. Okay, we may hate each other, but I can guarantee we both agree about Elenna. We both care about her. That’s why I’m asking you—”

“You don’t care about her, douchebag!” Nick shrieked, and did something in Rome’s head that Rome definitely didn’t like, something that hurt. Black ectoplasm poured out his nose and ears.

“The hell I do!” Rome answered, angry now. “I’m not the one who’s going to leave her alone!”

That stopped him. Rome took a moment to feel smug—as smug as one could be while possessed by a ghost—before continuing:

“Listen to me, you motherfracking chump-tard. We are torching your ass extra crispy one way or another, no matter what you do to her and definitely no matter what you do to me!”

“Good, because I—”

“And what’s she gonna do when you’re sucked through the cosmic airvent into the linty hereafter, huh? She’s gonna be alone, that’s what. Just like you were.”

Nick faltered. The blue force around the car flickered, again, and the girls almost managed to tug her free, but the blue wall came up again, and they were pushed back, only to dive back in again. “I--well--I’m sure as hell not leaving her alone here with you, asshole! Anyway, she’ll move on with me!”

“Are you kidding me, man? She’s gonna be looking for you: she’s gonna be lost and looking for you, and be sad and scared and you won’t be there, so she’ll probably go batsh*t bonkers just like you did, and forget how to love and only remember how to hurt people. Every hurt you went through in the past five years is going to happen to her, until someone torches her bones to put her out of her misery. A misery you put her through!”

“Shut up! Shut up! She has to come with me! She has to! You’re no good for her!”

“Dammit, Nick, you’ve gotta let her out! Kill me if you want to protect her from me so bad! But don’t you dare let her die—don’t let her turn into you. If—” where he had previously been on somewhat of a roll, Rome now choked with emotion, which was a weird sensation within the confines of his own body, “if that’s what you want for your little sister, then no wonder we hate each other’s guts so much.”

It felt like running against a wall over and over again. Every time they got close to tug Elenna free the blue haze was coming up again like a barrier. But they just had to get her out of there or she would die right in front of their eyes. Georgie could hardly breathe, there was too much smoke in her lungs. She heard the other two coughing as well, but not one of them backed down.

"Elenna!", Georgie screamed, although she knew she didn't hear her. "You're not going to die, do you understand me? Goddammit, you're not going to die!" Georgina didn't know what it was, but for some reason she suddenly felt stronger. Perhaps her mixed emotions of anger and despair gave her the strength she needed to pull Lenna out of the car. "Grab her arms again, I'm counting to three!"
Morrigan and Lily bent over.

One...two...three!" The moment the girls pulled Elenna they felt the blue force, but this time it was either to weak or they were finally strong enough to break down this wall between them and Lenna. With a last and efficient pull the girls fell backwards, Elenna between them. There was blood all over her forehead and she didn't move at all. She didn't seem to breathe.
"Lenna!" Georgie grabbed her shoulders and shook her, first carefully, then a little stronger. Lenna's skin felt cold and under all the blood she was too pale. This wasn't good.

"It's too late..." Georgina heard Rome say in such a Rome-unlike-voice. "She's made her decision. She's coming with me!"

"Hey, Jackass!" Rome cried, panicking. "Listen, you moron, damn you, let her go! You have to tell her not to follow you!"

Rome struggled, again. Ectoplasm was clogging his lungs, making it difficult to breathe, difficult to think: but his eyes flickered, changing their color and brightness as Nick and Rome battled for control.

Nick was losing control, that much was obvious.

But would he actually give up? That was important. If he didn't give up, Elenna sure would.

"Nick," Rome said. "Nick, you've got to let her go. Don't let her follow you, man. Or she's gonna hurt just like you hurt. Look, I promise I'll look after her. I never wanted to replace you, man. I couldn't if I tried. She loves you, and always has. Don't make her hate you."

Nick felt confused, why did he start to feel so weird? He was right wasn’t he, she shot him, and she put him in this misery. But she looked so vulnerable, so tiny and helpless. She needed him, didn’t she? She couldn’t look out for herself; she was a danger for herself.

“Why does it have to be you looking out for her? You will break her heart; you will leave her just like everyone else. She is all alone. I can’t go and I can’t let her be with you or anyone. It is not me that makes her want to be with me. She was the one who never let me go.”

Nick looked at his little sister. She was so pale and she didn’t look to good.

“She hates me?”

“Not yet, right now you are this number one guy she compares each guy to.”

Nick-Rome walked over to Lenna and pushed the girls aside.

“My little girl, you got so big. You were so innocent, and then everything changed. Sweetie you have to let me go, I don’t wanna go but I have to and you know that. You need to stay here, I hate what you are doing but you are good in your job. Don’t stop sharing your light. Elle come on open your eyes, open them for me.”

Lenna’s eyes opened slowly, and she looked at the face above her. In those pretty green eyes. Oh she missed him so much.

“I don’t want you to go anywhere.”

“I know but it is time. I love you forever and you know that.”

Lenna nodded nearly not visible but she did. Not that she liked it that Nick was right, but he was her big brother and he knew what the right thing to do was.

“I'm sorry, Elle. I was just trying to protect you,” Not-Rome-Nick said. Rome was frankly getting sick of things using his mouth to say things, but this one time he actually agreed with it.

Then there was an explosion from the car, and the feeling that he was burning, but when he stopped screaming and opened his eyes, Rome could move again.

Elenna was in Rome's arms already, and he pulled her tight against himself, glaring daggers at anyone who would dare to try to separate them.

“Lennie?” he asked.

She was crying and murmuring. “I will be alone forever…everyone left me, first my parents, then Nick, then Rome—”

“Hey, whoa, hold the phone, there, chica, Romey’s not leaving you.” She didn’t hear him.

“No one loves me…I wish I was dead…” Her voice was hoarse, and tears literally poured down her face. She trembled, faintly.

But Rome held her against this, gripping her tight, tight enough to hurt the both of them, but he didn’t care. “Okay, okay, shh,” he soothed, running his hands through her hair. “You’re okay, you’re okay, Lennie, baby, I’m here. I gotcha. Shh.”

She was crying harder now. “Don’t leave me!” she sobbed, then, in a bipolar fit, “If you’re going to leave just go! I don’t want to see you again!”

“Whoa!” Rome cried, pinning her flailing arms with his own. “Easy there, tiger,” he said, gentle but firm. “No one’s going nowhere. I don’t care if you want me to leave. I didn’t leave before, did I? I got my ass kicked like nineteen times and I didn’t leave—“

“Oh!” she wailed, burying her face in his chest. “I’m sorry, Rome, I’m sorry! I was so stupid, forgive me, I’m sorry, please don’t leave, I’ll never do it again!”

Okay, wrong tactic. “No, no, it’s all right,” he tried again. “I’m okay, you’re okay, that’s all that matters. We’re all okay here. Got it? And we’re all here. I’m staying right here with you, and I’ll be damned if I’m giving you the chance to run off again. You’re okay, you’re okay, shh,” he went back to brushing her hair with his fingers.

“Rome?” she sniffled. It was adorable. “Why did you disappear?”

“What? Chica, baby, Lennie, I’ve been here the whole time. You’re the one who ran out on me, remember?”

“I think…maybe you started to become Nick.”

“Oh, and that’s comforting, because I like getting possessed by psychotic werewolf-ghost douchewads.” She pouted but he continued. “Lennie, he was trying to hurt you, trying to kill you. That’s not love, okay? We’re here, we’re looking after you. That is. Time you started trusting the right people.”

She nodded.

“We ready to get this show on the road? I’m betting we got the law on our tail come daybreak.”

She nodded again, clinging tightly to his jacket.

“Okay, and, up,” he said, lifting her with a small degree of effort complicated only by the fact that he truly didn’t think six inches of his body were left unbruised. Well, maybe six inches. And that was being modest. He had just got her situated in the back seat of the Audi when more black stuff came up and out his throat and nose, and he leaned over and puked and coughed and hacked until there was nothing left.

Lily stood by, patting his back, and shoved water in his face when he was done. He took it gratefully and downed the entire bottle. Then he wiped the sticky black stuff off his face with his overshirt, which he balled up and threw on the car pyre.

Then, “Okay, squirt, shove over, I’m coming back there.”

Elenna looked sad and frightened. “You don’t have to babysit me. I’m um… fine or more okay. I think.”

“Oh, like hell I do. I’ve heard that one before,” he grinned, climbing back to sit with her. Immediately she folded against him, and he wrapped his arms and legs around her until there was no way they were coming untangled.

Lenna was already half asleep when she mumbled just for Rome. “The last days were weird, like a dream and I couldn’t wake up from it. I didn’t know what I was doing. It was as if someone else plays me and all I could do was watch it.” Lenna snuggled closer to Rome, if that was even possible. “Sorry it took so long to safe you. You are the best big brother I could wish for. Nick is long gone and he can’t be replaced by anyone but you are the best second choice.”

"What?! Second choice?" Rome looked hurt, but he was laughing.

“When you were first choice you got attacked by my dead lunatic brother and you all thought I’m a werewolf. What about you, you are my first choice for the second choice, but you are still in the first place.” And there she was, the smart annoying Lenna. Georgie produced a blanket; it was of course matching the color of her car, which she tucked around them.

At peace for the first time in days, Rome was asleep before they reached the interstate.

Georgie checked on them in the rearview mirror. “Wow I thought I never see that happening, Rome is really sleeping, and on top of that with a girl in his arm. I bet he won’t ditch her the next morning.” She turned on the radio and the song fitted perfectly to the situation, could it be that it was the final goodbye from Nick or just coincident?

Morrigan climbed into the car, keeping her head down. She didn't have much to say- it was pretty clear no one needed her anymore. Maybe they never had.

She didn't know where to go now. It was too hard thinking about going back home alone, having to tell her family about the way Shane had died. She'd have to tell herself again that there was nothing she could have done to save him.

Back at the motel, she hoped that someone would offer to drive back with her, but a part of her didn't expect it.

She looked back at the road where the Mustang was now nothing more than a bad memory. Lenna had lost her brother too, and that made it so much worse. She wouldn't miss Chestertown when it was nothing more than a sign on the way out of town.

For a brief moment Georgina smiled when looking into the rearview mirror and watching Rome and Elenna sleeping under the bright pink blanket, then she thought how helpful Lily and Morrigan had been with getting Lenna out of the car. What is Morrigan doing anyhow? She's probably back at the hotel by now...
Georgie grabbed her cell phone although the voice of her uncle popped in her head, warning her not to talk on the cell phone while driving. She was a hunter after all, so she needed to be capable of doing more than two things at the same time. She pressed the phone on on ear and waited until she heard a rather tired 'Yeah?'

"Hi Morrigan, it's Georgie. You left without a notice so I wanted to check if everything's alright."

"Yes, I'm fine."

Georgina's woman's intuition told her something else. "Are you in the hotel? We're heading back as well."

"Yes, I am."

"You were a great help, Morrigan, really. I couldn't have pulled Lenna out of the car without you."

"I'm glad I could help." She sounded sincere, but Georgie didn't miss the rather sad undertone in her voice.

"So, what are you up to next?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure", Morrigan repiled. "I'll figure it out. I have nothing left here."

"You know what?" Georgina paused for a second. "I think your car would make an excellent addition to Caleb's monster truck and my pretty Pink Lady, don't you think so?"

"Ahm..."

"And I will need a lot of female support when it comes to dealing with this little brunette brat that we just saved."

"Are you saying...do you want me to join you guys?"

Georgie smiled despite the fact that Morrigan couldn't see her. "We'll see you in a bit, okay? And don't run away, got it?"

"Got it."

Allison's eyes opened slowly at the movement of the truck.

"Ca..." She coughed holding her throat. It burned when she swallowed and when she breathed. When she pulled the mirror down her neck was purple, the bruise shaped like Rome's hand.

She didn't remember what happened, but they were in the truck and there was a pyre behind them, so she guessed they'd won and it was over.

Aly collapsed against his arm crying both because of the pain in her throat and the stress of the last few days.

Caleb sighed. It was strange knowing he could sleep again. The relief was unbelievable. Surreal. All he had to do was stay awake. What was almost as surreal as that was Allison asleep in the passenger seat. Some remnant of the Djinn's nightmare world made him smile and adjust her seatbelt a little so it wasn't digging into her cheek. She stirred as the truck hit open roads again, trying to speak, but the bruise on her neck - a relic of the battlefield still burning in the rear-view mirror - prevented her. And then she was crying on his shoulder.

"Shhh ... it's over now. It's okay," Caleb reassured her, moving his arm to wrap around her shoulders.

Aly didn't even blink at him wrapping his arm around her. She wanted him to and liked it more than she cared to admit. The tears settled down into little spurts and finally stopped. She was exhausted and didn't care to know how long she'd been awake.

Her voice rasped like an old woman's.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on sometimes," Caleb answered before grinning almost-sadistically, "And Rome has shoulders like a little girl. We've been awake way too long."

Caleb tried not to doze off as they followed the roads back towards the hotel, using Aly's head on his shoulder as his focus to stay awake.

Aly snorted a laugh.

"Ow."

Then came the giggles. The kind that get more and more uncontrolled the tireder one feels.

"He does...Genies and werewolves and ghosts...oh my."

He glanced down at her with a tired but genuine smile and she felt the draw to him. She almost let it happen, but they were both too tired to think straight and for some reason she wanted anything with Caleb Daly to be more than a one night stand.

She closed her eyes, scooting a little closer to him as they left the sleepy New York tourist town behind them.

She whispered half asleep. "You find a place I can buy turtlenecks stop, k--people'll think you beat me." Another snort and another groan of pain. She wondered if her larynx was bruised.

"We don't live together - why would people think I beat you?" Caleb teased, "I wouldn't hurt a fly. I'd kill the everloving s*** out of a demon or shapeshifter, but I wouldn't hurt a fly."

Caleb pulled up in the car park of a late-opening truck stop, checking that the clothing section was still open. He glanced at Aly and sighed heavily.

"You're gonna need to come in or I'm gonna have to ask for your size," Caleb announced.

Rome knew sleep was too good to be true. After five days--what was that?--like 120 hours--with only snatches of sleep--part of it drugged by the djinni, and the rest plagued by "normal" nightmares--he was ready to go insane from the dreams because he was going to go insane from the not-sleeping thing anyway.

And he was tired. And he hurt. And he was relieved as all hell that Elenna was okay, that she was sleeping curled up on top of him like an a-freaking-dorable little kitten thing, that the remains of Nick were torched, and that they were headed back to Tex's to go to ground and get all of their angsty problems sorted out. So, Rome slept.

Big mistake.

He woke, warm in his bed at Tex's, with the sun streaming through the window. He raised himself slowly, groaning, when the door opened cautiously.

Elenna poked her head around, with red-rimmed eyes--and was she holding a teddy bear?--and he smiled at her before she could say anything.

"Hey, chica. You just wake up?"

She shook her head.

"How long was I asleep?"

"I think...some days."

"Days?" Rome repeated. "Well no wonder I really need to use the can." He raised himself up, slowly, aching, and pulled Elenna into a hug. "You still tired?" Deliberately not asking if she was okay, because, dude, really?

She nodded.

"Well, here, you chill here, I'll be right back, because I just need to use the little boys' room and then I'm gonna go back to sleep, too, okay?"

She nodded again and burrowed under the covers, waiting for him. Rome did the old-man-hobble-shuffle down the hall to the bathroom, where he peed for about seven minutes straight, brushed his teeth, and washed his face as much as he could around the bruising. As he put his toothbrush back and closed the mirror, there, in the reflection of the mirror, stood Rawson behind him.

Rome yelped and turned around. "Rawson! What the hell!" Rawson was pale, and bleeding in several places, in the left arm and left shoulder most prominently, hastily bandaged.

"You didn't answer your phone," Rawson said, and then his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell.

"Raws!" Rome shouted, diving forward to catch him, and he felt so real and heavy there, in his arms, that Rome had just convinced himself this wasn't a dream when--

Rome twitched awake, only stopped from hitting his head or rolling off wherever he was by the body sleeping on top of him. He took a moment to get readjusted.

Oh. Lenna. Sleeping. Whups.

In Georgie's car. On the road. At one of those huge multiplex truck stop venues that Rome always found so fascinating--the kind with sinks big enough to wash your hair in, and mini-malls attached to them.

Elenna shifted on top of him, but luckily did not wake. Georgie was gone. Rome craned his aching neck to peer around him. The Fordosaurus was nearby, as was Morrigan's brother's car. Georgie and Morrigan stood talking outside.

Rome struggled to find the door handle a moment before managing it: "Hey, Georgie!" he whisper-called. "You got a first-aid kit?"

She was crouching at his side immediately. "Yeah. You okay?"

"Huh? Fine. Not so sure about Lenna."

He dragged himself out of the car followed by Elenna, whom he laid out on the hood of the car to get a better look at her, hoping she wouldn't wake.

She definitely had a crack on the old dome he could deal with, which had stopped bleeding but had not been cleaned. Just as he was pouring antiseptic onto a rag, however, Morrigan took it from him.

"Easy, Rome, let me handle it."

As the world was kind of spinning, he nodded and let her go, staggered back a few steps, and sat on the curb.

"How long was I out?"

Georgie checked her watch. "A few hours. It's almost dawn."

Rome groaned, putting his head in his hands. "Great. A new record."

"Rome, it's okay, you can sleep. We'll look after Elenna."

Rome shook his head. "Nah. I'm fine." He stood up. "I'm gonna go get us some food and stuff. Anyone want anything?"

"Your kind of food? No thanks," Georgie laughed.

He found Caleb looking through the women's clothing, having just selected a red turtle-neck top when he spotted Rome looking at him.

Rome grinned, but Caleb didn't think this was funny.

"You think Aly'll wear this?"

Rome opened his mouth to say something snarky before he remembered Nick using his body to choke her: this was to cover up that. Crap.

"Uh." He considered the shirt size from what he remembered about her without clothes on. "I think these sizes are running a little big. I'd go extra-small for her. And not fire-engine red, dude," he struggled through the hangars until he produced the burgundy color of the same shirt. "Here." He produced his wallet and handed Caleb way more cash than the thing was worth. "And it's on me," he said, guiltily.

Now Caleb grinned. "Rome, even your metrosexuality freaks me out sometimes."

Rome had a few remarks to say to that, but he liked his teeth where they were, so he kept his mouth shut. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up," he said, and hobbled toward the bathrooms.

Georgie quickly went to the store to get something to drink. She returned to Morrigan, who was watching over the sleeping Elenna, and handed her a bottle of water.
"Thanks." Morrigan smiled.

"It's just damn crazy", Georgie said while taking a sip of her water. "We all look like a bunch of beaten-up lunatics."

Morrigan chuckled. "Well, yeah, we are a bunch of beaten-up lunatics."

"I guess you're right." Georgina looked at Elenna and checked on her wounds. "When she wakes up you'll finally get to know the real Elenna. She's called the 'Walking Encyclopedia of Weirdness', but in a complimentary way, of course." She turned her head towards the stores. "What are the guys doing in there? Don't tell me Rome and Caleb have suddenly turned into shopaholics", she said sarcastically. "Actually, that would be great because I could use some strong men to carry around my heavy shopping bags."

Morrigan laughed. "Isn't that every hunter's dream? Being a shopping mule..."

"Shopping mule? What on earth...?" Elenna had just opened her eyes and caughed. "You're not honestly thinking about shopping right now, are you, Barbie?" She sounded tired, but there was still sarcasm in her voice.

"Easy there, Lenna", Georgie touched her arm carefully. "How are you feeling?"

"Awesome. My head feels like it's about to explode.."

"Here, drink something." Morrigan offered her the water bottle.

"Where's Rome? Where did he go?" Elenna looked around.

"Don't worry, he'll be right back," Georgie responded quickly as she saw her friend's insecure face expression. "There's one thing you can definitely count on, Lenna: he's not going to leave without you."

Aly smiled groggily as Caleb handed her the shirt. Not a bad selection for a guy. His eyes widened for a second before he averted them as she stripped off her bloodstained white blouse and slipped on the sweater in front of him. She was too tired to care.

"Whe..." Another coughing fit. Rome's grip had done some damage, but she could still breathe so it wasn't life threatening. She swallowed some water and tried again. "Where are we headed?"

"Tex's joint."

"That's like home, isn't it."

"Closest thing any of us got."

She leaned against him as the new girl checked Elenna's head wound. After a crash like that Aly was surprised she wasn't more seriously injured. They should check her for internal bleeding, but she seemed okay. The pounding in her own head prevented any further thought. She wrapped herself in Caleb's arms, enjoying it while it lasted.

Rome returned to the car, with a can of diet Rock Star (like the sugar was going to be the thing to give him a heart attack) and a few bags of clothes.

"Merry Christmas, kids. Got us some clothes and food and crap."

He began to strip down right there in the parking lot, putting on a new t-shirt and clean jeans. Socks and underwear had waited two days, they could wait til he got to Tex's.

He tossed a special bag full about twelve kinds of ice cream at Elenna and then went to Aly, leaning against the Ford and checking out her neck. The bruises that were in the shape of his hands were still visible past the high neck of her shirt.

"Sh*t, Al, you okay?" he whispered. Remorse shone in his eyes, and he felt like a kicked puppy. "I...I know it wasn't me, but...it was, you know? So, you know, sorry. I, ah, well obviously, you know, didn't mean to. Can I get you anything? Ice? A cold drink?"

Caleb's arms tightened around her for a moment and then released--almost as if he were hugging her. Then he stepped back as Rome approached.

She knew it hadn't been him, but when he reached out to touch her she recoiled slightly. He reacted as if burned. She took in a breath and reached out for his hand.

"I'm..." Her voice grated and she coughed. "I'm fine, Rome. It wasn't you."

He didn't look any better so she smiled at him.

"Cold drink would feel good--nothing bubbly, thanks."

He returned a moment later with an iced coffee which she took and held to her neck before taking a few sips.

"Thanks." Cal took her back under one arm as Rome retreated back to Lenna and the Barbie mobile. It didn't mean anything other than his protecting a friend until he told her otherwise, but damn it felt good.

She turned to face Cal as he helped her up into the truck again, leaning her head on his shoulder for a moment before pulling away so he could get into the driver's side.

"I'm gonna sleep for a week." She slowly sipped the cold drink letting it reduce the swelling in her throat.

"Any chance you're gonna let me drive?" Rome flashed a smile at Georgie as he walked back to the girls who huddled around the Audi. Rome felt old and tired and used, and was frankly sick of it. He slipped an arm around Elenna where she sat on the hood of the car, wrapped in a blanket.

"Ha," she laughed, without any trace of mirth. "You still look like death warmed over, Rome. I think you should sleep."

Rome tried to school his features so he didn't actually look scared at that suggestion, like a deer in headlights, but he was sure he couldn't help a twitch.

"Ha," he replied. "I'll sleep when I'm dead." Not liking where this was going, he focused back on Elenna, who had begun chowing down on ice cream. "How ya doin', kid?" He grinned at her: "You look strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark."

She didn't, though, really. Morrigan had bandaged her head, it looked like, but he wasn't sure if there were any other injuries. "Mind if I check you out, chica? Not like that," he added pointedly, as Georgie snorted, but Elenna knew what he meant.

"M'okay," Elenna mumbled in protest.

"Yeah, and I could win a beauty contest now," Rome said, and gently lowered the blanket off of her shoulders.

He only knew rudimentary basic-combat-triage, but Morrigan didn't look like she was comfortable doing it, so he stepped in. He felt better being the one looking after Elenna anyway. Rome glanced around the parking lot to confirm it was empty--they were flanked by the other two cars, anyway--before lifting her shirt up and over her head to make sure that wasn't her blood.

It wasn't, mostly. She was a little cut up, and badly bruised, but no ribs gave under his hands, and the rest of her limbs appeared whole. Still, that bruising...

"Now tell me the truth here, girlie," he said her, as he produced a t-shirt and shoved it over her head, guiding her arms through. He looked at her sternly, and as he pulled the blanket back around her, he held her firmly by the shoulders. "How bad? Hospital?"

Lenna blushed a bit when Rome took her shirt of in front of everyone in the middle of a parking lot; well just until she saw all the bruises herself. This looked pretty bad. "How bad? Hospital?"

Lenna hated this question. Did Rome really think she would say willingly that she needed a hospital? She tried to feel how bad it was but as soon she thought about feeling she realized that all of this was her fault, Morrigan’s brother got killed, Aly got nearly killed and Rome was again possessed and if all this wasn’t bad enough already for the first time she didn’t had the feeling Nick was around. A shadow fell over her when she slid down from the hood of the Barbie mobile, handed Rome the blanket and walked over to Morrigan. She hugged the other girl which might was a bit caught by surprise and whispered. “I am so sorry about your brother. I know that doesn’t make you feel better me saying this, but I wish I would have seen what Nick is doing. I wish I could have stopped him.”

Morrigan stiffened and nodded. Lenna let her go and was glad when Rome put the blanket back around her. She wished he would never stop seeing her as a fragile little girl, but she knew at some point she would have to be back on track. But not right now. Right now she needed Rome too much.

“I’m fine Rome. No hospital, please.” She didn’t convince herself that she was fine, but she really didn’t want to go to the hospital. “I do whatever you want me to do as long it doesn’t include any hospitals. The ice cream makes me already better.”

Lenna tried to smile convincing at Rome.

“When you start spitting blood I will make sure you get into a hospital and if I have to knock you out I’ll do it.” Rome pulled her closer.

“Okay as soon I spit blood I go in a hospital. But right now can you give me another ice cream from the bag, please.”

“Will you eat all the ice cream?”

“Yes that’s my plan. Eat all the ice cream, so I that I feel sick and not anything else.” Lenna was slightly shivering.

Why does it hurt so much, he is since so long gone? But it feels as if he just died. Nick are you really gone?

There was no answer, this time she didn’t hear the soothing voice of her brother. And it scared her a lot.

“Rome? You are not going away, right? You are not leaving me somewhere to calm down right?

Lenna didn’t care if everyone heard her; she needed to hear him say that he wouldn’t leave her. If she would dare she would ask each of them. She didn’t want one of them to go away.

Family doesn’t end with blood. I have to keep this in mind. I have to.

Lenna was like one of those little chickens that was desperate to be close to the heat lamps. Just her heat source was not a lamp it was Rome.

Rome cocked his head at this, not sure if he'd heard her right. I mean, this was Elenna, who was anything but clingy and didn't willingly surrender her independence.

And okay, not that he didn't understand having abandonment issues related to brothers these days, anyway.

He pulled her in for a hug, as tight as he dared. "No way, chica. I'm always here for ya, kiddo. Always." He pulled her away from him long enough to look her in the eyes. "You believe me, right? I mean, heck, you tried to push me away so many times the last few--"

"Rome, I'm sorry!"

"--That's not what this is about, Lennie, baby. I'm not mad. You were as good as possessed, and believe me, I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of that mickey. Let's just say, if I didn't leave you the past few days, I sure as hell ain't leaving you now."

Family doesn't end in blood, Rome said to himself. Sure, they were each a replacement sibling for each other right now: they could deal with how unhealthy that was later, try to shift the idea of "replacement" to that of "additional" or "surrogate," but that could wait until they were both a little stronger. Right now, it was just necessary.

Rome looked around at the group, not caring if everyone saw him in his moment of tenderness and relaxed standards of cool.

"All right, so we heading back to Tex's? If you're a masochist, Morrigan, you're more than welcome to join us, or we'll get you back to your family's place. Meantime, we're headed to a hunter friend of ours, Tex, who's got a place in Kansas we can crash at. Go to ground, rest up, be ready to head out again, we get word of a hunt. Up to you. As of now you could probably make a convincing argument that you didn't know we're all fugitives--"

"Fugitives?" Morrigan's jaw dropped.

Oops. Rome laughed, "Gotcha, just kidding," he grinned and winked and scooped Elenna up in his arms to take her to the Audi's back seat. Yeah, well, maybe we can save that story until after and if she decides to stick with us for the long haul.

Morrigan smiled at Rome, hoping to God he really was kidding. Right now she didn't really care. She just needed someplace to crash and some people to be with. That was all that mattered right now.

"I'd love to come with you, at least for a night before I head back for the funeral. Then, maybe, if you guys wanted...you know you could come with?"

Rome flashed her a warm smile. "Sure. Like I said: if you've got a thing for self-harm." With that and a wink, Rome ducked back into the Audi next to Elenna.

He hissed as she curled up against him. Before he had been perhaps too tired to care, but there was a definite shift in one of those ribs. Joy. He simply grunted, though, and shifted where her body leaned against him.

She closed her eyes wearily as she burrowed into his side, but Rome didn't plan to sleep as he sipped his energy drink and pulled out his phone.

"Aww, hell," he said. The phone was literally fried--like, scorched and oozing black stuff--and there was no way he was getting a replacement for this baby until it was actually out on the market. Getting possessed did a number on one's electronics. Rome was glad he didn't have a pacemaker.

It's not like Rawson was gonna call anyway, he thought, dropping the expensive paperweight to the floorwell of the car.

"Hey, Georgie? If we run through any town with more than one stoplight, pull over, will ya? Rome's happiness is in desperate need of a toy run."