The Animal

Rawson stepped even closer as it growled at him, shooting out its throat. It was writhing from the flames, and wasn't moving to dodge his shots. Three... two... there! Like Luke shooting the Death Star it was in. The skinwalker's body arched tautly, and he watch it begin to spasm for a moment. And then, as the wendigo skin finished burning away, he (she? it? who knows) fell to the floor. It was crinkled, naked, and surprisingly small. Gone. Rawson coughed after inhaling a bit too much smoke. In all honestly, it was a rather anti-climatic moment.

"Romie, do you by any chance have a first aid kit in your pack?"

Rome pointed to the remains of the med kit strewn around the foot of the altar, which had been sadly inadequate even before he had tried to keep Rawson from bleeding out. And now...now it seemed the entire team was in danger of dying. The horror of the Skin Walker had only been replaced by an even more difficult horror to combat.

He snatched up what was left of the bandages, resisting the urge not to put them on Raws and run away with him, instead going to Allison, who didn't look well.

Yeah. Understatement. He never liked persons in positions of power, especially those who didn't even want to sleep with him, but yeesh.

"Allison? Allison, you gotta stay with me. Come on, now. Stay with me. Don't fall asleep. Asleep is dead right now, come on," he continued, putting pressure on the abdominal wound. No black or yellow, so could be worse, but still. They needed a hospital. Now. "Elenna, check on Georgie for me, okay? Can you do that?" He threw his head over his shoulder. "Raws, you hangin' in there, man? We happy?"

"Blow me."

"That's what I like to hear. You wanna check on Pops for me?"

"I heerd zat," came a weak groan from the corner.

"Awesome, you guys are stellar." Rome wasn't sure if it was still an adrenaline high, but he was feeling...better, in spite of everything. Maybe the Corpse Powder sickness really had gone away? To check, he unearthed a water bottle, took a sip, and went back to binding up Allison's gut, using his t-shirt now as they had run out of bandages. The water didn't immediately come up, which he half-expected, so he tried another sip. Again, so far so good, so he chugged the whole bottle.

That was awesome.

Somehow, they made the hike back to the cars without incident, just as the sun was coming up. He and Raws carried Allison (his brother also had a huge sack full of something he refused to let go of, even though he looked like he was going to faint at any minute), Danila managed to stagger along leaning on his sword--really?--and Elenna helped Georgie, who was concussed and scratched up but otherwise unharmed. And no one was dead. And that was good.

They even made the drive into town successfully and no one was dead.

"Okay, Lennie, listen to me," he said. They were parked at some distance from the hospital, standing outside the Camaro. The FBI vehicle was there, too, with the wounded stowed safely inside. "I need you to do me a favor, huh?"

"Yeah?" she looked fearful, probably because she knew what he was going to ask.

"I need you to stay with these guys in the hospital." A pout formed immediately but she let him continue. "Tell them whatever you need to, you'll know what to say. You're a good liar, I know you are, you're the best," he smiled fondly at her, like it was the highest compliment. It was, really. " We're getting out of town soon, but we won't leave you, I promise. Make sure these people are okay for us, yeah?"

"Why can't you?" she asked petulantly, again, knowing the answer.

"'Cause I gotta look after my retarded brother, that's why. You got this? I know you got this, chica."

She nodded sadly. He wasn't sure whether this was because he had relegated her to babysitting, or separated her from he and Raws, or because she didn't like hospitals, because all of the above were true. So he pulled her into an embrace right then and there.

"You did good today, you know. You looked after everyone. Looked after me. Saved all our asses more times than I can count. I owe you big time for that, okay, sister? I'm proud of you." This wasn't his quick, salesman patter. This was genuine. Quiet, tender, for her ears only.

When she looked up at him, she was smiling again, just a little bit. "That's my girl," he said, grinning widely.

He watched from the Camaro parked some distance away as Elenna's shouts collected the hospital staff to rush out of the emergency room into the car where the wounded were, put them onto gurnies and rush them inside, with Elenna going along, he was sure, making up a great story to tell the people there. At least they didn't have any supernatural illnesses to worry about this time. He also wondered if that Mandy chick had held out. He felt better: why shouldn't she? He'd have to make sure to have Elenna check.

"How long before they connect us to the police station crap?" Rawson asked. He was sitting in the passenger seat now, and was sounding weaker by the second.

"Umm, well, I managed to wipe most of the security tapes, so they shouldn't have an APB out for those guys, yet. Still. Should probably stage a hospital break when they're all stabilized."

"You want the FBI chick with us?"

Rome laughed. "Not really. But she may need us. Maybe she won't know it yet, but.... We can't leave her out in the cold, after what she saw today." He threw the car into gear and drove back to the motel. Where he was going to first, eat anything and everything that was in that hotel room not nailed down, and second, he was going to sleep forever.

"And the Russian and Barbie?" Rawson continued.

"Barbie's on the team through good looks alone, man, I still wanna tap that. And the old man's not so bad," he reflected, seriously. "I figure with you around we could always use another grump on the team."

Rawson frowned, and not at the insult. "We have a team now?"

"We do as long as I'm the leader," Rome grinned.

"Ha!" Rawson scoffed, which turned into a genuine chuckle and then thoughtful quiet after a moment of realization.

They drove for a minute in silence.

"Dude. That bag smells rank. What the hell is in there?"

Rawson just grinned to himself, deliriously, so Rome didn't push it.

They pulled into the hotel room, where Rome made sure all the guns were hidden or with him, and then helped Raws up the stairs to the room.

"Dibs on the shower."

"Good. You look like the white guy trying to play Crazy Horse."

Raws grinned at that. "Shut up," he said, leaning heavily on the doorframe. Rome had already found the mountains of cold food and was digging in. He was surprised with Rawson spoke again. "Rome?"

"Yeah?" He turned around, his cheeks stuffed full of food. Raws waited until he swallowed and stopped looking like an idiot, giving him that probing, serious look.

"We need to talk," he said.

Rome frowned at the door as Rawson shut it. "Yeah. Yeah, we do..."

Elenna hated the idea to go with the other to the hospital, but she just couldn’t ignore Rome’s order. She didn’t even know why but she had her CDC ID she used the first time in the hospital the other day in her jeans pocket. She told them ridiculous story –just use the word terrorism these days and you get what you want- and no one question it. Georgie wasn’t too bad injured she already did something Lenna would never dream to do at this moment. Georgie went shopping in the hospital gift shop. When Elenna came in Georgie’s room she was sleeping but a present was on the chair. It said To Elenna “Hermione” From Barbie

“Georgie? Are you awake? What is this?”

Elenna turned the card around to see a second note. Thanks for saving our lives

Lenna was sitting on the chair in Allison’s room, hugging her knees, sleeping like an angel, smiling and in the yellow peace offer from Georgie. She can still hear Rome’s request to take care of their new friends in her ears.

Everything would be okay. Rome promised not to leave me here and I really need the sleep. I am soooo tired. I wish I could sleep for one week, maybe a month. No friggin way I wear a pink skirt Georgie. It looks hideous.

Elenna’s dream were this time harmless and innocent, the way it should be.

Georgina still felt a little dizzy, but she was by far better off than the FBI agent and Danila. She was definitely fit enough to buy Elenna the little 'Thank You' present. She also appreciated the fact that Elenna had told her what had happened in the cave. It was a proof that Lenna- despite her usual distrust- seemed to finally show a little trust in her. Where was she anyway? Georgina went to a nurse and asked her, then she opened the door to Aly's room and took a short peek without entering. Aly looked severely hurt. She hoped she would recover soon. Elenna had fallen asleep on the chair next to her. A weak smile appeared on Georgina's face, then she closed the door and turned around.
Since I seriously get freaked out by white walls, I need to find something to decorate the room so that Lenna and Aly will have something nice to look at.
She got to the gift shop a second time, buying a 'Get Well Soon' card and pink roses (yes, that would certainly look nice in a white room), then went back to Aly's room, quietly sneaked in, placed the card and the flowers next to her bed and left.

Lenna didn't know how long she had slept, couldn't even say which day it was. The sun was shining so it must be day. When she opened her eyes she saw pink roses.

So Georgie found us. Kind of cute that she bought roses even pink ones and a card for Aly. When was it the last time I have eaten something?

"Okay next time I don't sleep on the chair." Whispered Lenna to herself. She looked at the Aly which looked not good.

"I won't be gone long, I just get something to eat. I promise." Said Lenna quiet her. As quiet as possible she went out of the room. She quickly skipped through her phone book picked Barbara Millicent Roberts and pressed the call button.

"Hey where are you? How are you? Wanna go on a date with me, I guess it is for us dinner time. It was a long day."

I hope the boys are okay, and don't forget me here.

Lenna waited so that the other girl had a chance to answer.

"I feel honored that a girl asks me out", Georgina replied. "Although I'd much prefer Jude Law, but...I can't have everything, right?" She heard Lenna mumble something on the other side of the phone, and she recognized something sarcastic in her voice. "Okay, see you at the marvelous 3-star hospital canteen. I hope they serve salad. I'm not a Mac and Cheese kind of chick."
"Get over it, Barbie", Elenna responded, but couldn't resist chuckling. "See ya!"

((OOC: Because Miss Austen always goes early to bed, she said I can write Georgie’s and Lenna’s date.))

Lenna chuckled.

I guess I could kind of like this girl. She is horrible plastic, but… Lenna looked at her new shirt. …kind of nice. At least she is here. I wonder what Rome and Raws were doing; it’s been nearly 12 hours since we separated. I wonder…
Lenna was playing with her speed dial jumping from Shrek to Tramp and back. She decided to give them an hour more before she texted them.

When Lenna entered the hospital canteen Georgie was already there. But it looks as if she already had company, there was another plate full of…

“Salad? You got to be kidding me? Do I look like a rabbit? I don’t eat salad, maybe a side salad but just salad. You didn’t even have bread. Georgie?”

“Come on, in bread are carbs and we had a tough day and shouldn't eat them. I just picked the good stuff for you. Look here are sprouts, carrots, and…”

“I friggin don’t care. Give me your credit card or money, you get it back. But I need food, not a hayfield.” Lenna was demanding holding her hand to Georgie. The older girl mumbled something that sounded like “If you insist to lose you figure” and gave her $20.

Lenna came back with a coke, chocolate milkshake, mac and cheese, a cheese burger and some fried vegetables.

“See I eat veg but not salad. Here is you change.”

The two girls were sitting for a while in silent until Georgie broke it.

“Where are you from, Lennie?”

“First of all it is Elenna, if you have to Lenna but Lennie is not for your use. And second, um why do you wanna know that?”

“You do know what small talk is, right? People do that to get to know each other. That’s how you make friends.”

Lenna blushed a little.

Right friends. I did promise Rome it feels like ages ago to play nice. But it was actually yesterday evening. If this still counts? Fine.

“I am born in New York, but I never lived there. My dad was a preacher and we traveled a lot. The last long term home was in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with Bobby Singer. He is a hunter.”

“I lived most of my life in Boston. What about you parents what do they think about you being a hunter? Aren’t they worried?”

“Don’t know.” Lenna looked at her plate.

Why did I thought it would be nice not to eat alone?

“You don’t talk a lot about yourself, what? How did you become a hunter?”

“Werewolf. Can we talk about something else? Please?” Lenna looked up from her plate with tears in her eyes.

Georgie looked confused and a little curious at the Lenna. “Um sure. Why are you hunting with Rome and Rawson?”

Lenna started to giggle. “Because I safed them. But I guess that is their story to tell so ask them. But I should warn you Shrek is sometimes a mean green ogre. And Tramp hits on every girl that is in his reaching area. But they are both great, true friends you can count on when you need them.”

Georgie smiled, the girl was weird but she had something that was adorable. After the awkward beginning of their date they started to giggle and made fun of the other people in the canteen, after all they were girls, well one was for sure the other one was trying to be one and not losing the tough hunter status she had sometimes.

“Yammy that was a great dinner.”

“I can’t believe you have eaten everything.”

“Oh yes to bad they didn't had good desert. I would love now to take my favourite demonology book and read it, but it is in my Mustang which is back at the hotel. So I have to be bored, and you have to survive that. Rome says I start to be grumpy when I haven’t touched a book for 12 hours. So be aware. Let’s go back to Aly. I have a promise to keep.”

While they walked back to Aly’s room Lenna wrote a text to Rome.

Rome are you guys okay? I haven’t killed Georgie yet, might don’t have to. Aly and Dan are not looking good. Did all I could for them. XXX Lennie PS Don’t get used to the name I still don’t like it!

Rome woke with a snort to the soft sound of his phone beeping.

He took longer than normal to remember where he was. Hotel, because this wasn't his bed at home. Of course not home. Hotel.

Rawson was still sleeping in the bed next to him, looking pale but alive. This took a few more moments of computation, because he couldn't remember why he wasn't asleep in his perfectly good bed across the room. Rome was perfectly willing to admit he simply wanted to be close to his brother, as snatches of the horrors they had experienced resurfaced, but he couldn't imagine his brother being so sentimental. Well, okay, yes he could, but admitting to it? Also, the TV was on the Sci-Fi channel, showing re-runs of Stargate.

As awareness multiplied itself and Rome sat up, groaning against protesting muscles and bruises, he realized he was still dressed in what he had been wearing last night, and all the sweat and blood that came with. He still had one boot on, for crying out loud. He could vaguely remember...ah, yeah, that was it...Stargate: Atlantis was now doing a marathon, Rawson coming out of the shower and heading immediately for bed as the sun was rising, and Rome found himself also hit with the heaviness of sleep compounded by the first real meal he'd had in 24 hours which easily made up for the three missed in size. He had stumbled to Rawson's bed to check on him, but self-sufficient Rawson had bandaged up his own wounds, and then the last thing he remembered was sitting there trying to remember how to take his boots off.

Okay, good. So there was a perfectly logical, heterosexual reason for why he was...

"Dude. What're you doing in my bed?"

"That's not what you said last night," Rome smirked as he sat up and completed his task of taking both of his boots off. It didn't do to leave a job half-done.

"Shut up. What time is it?"

"Uh..." Rome tried to see the clock on the desk without moving any part of his body--which hurt all over--nothing serious but the kind that hurts anyway and doesn't get you much sympathy--no dice, so he groaned again as he moved--"5:00...PM? I wonder where..." Rome shifted again, realizing his phone was still in his pocket. He took it out, finding it luckily still intact and informing him he had one text message:

Rome are you guys okay? I haven’t killed Georgie yet, might don’t have to. Aly and Dan are not looking good. Did all I could for them. XXX Lennie PS Don’t get used to the name I still don’t like it!

He chuckled faintly and told Rawson what the message said. Then he wrote her back:

Ok, just woke up. Thanks, LENNIE, we'll call you in an hour or so. Lemme know if Dan or Aly get any worse. Also check on the earlier victim, Mandy. Thx

He turned back to his brother, giving him the visual once-over. "You all right, man?"

Rawson nodded sleepily.

"You sure? 'Cause I don't wanna have to rig that MacGyver transfusion number up again like we had to do when we dealt with that Shadow in Vicksburg."

"Seems to me that was your tank that needed to be topped off that time, Mr. I Know What I'm Doing With an Unholy Ritual Dagger. I'm fine."

Rome grinned, blocking out the painfully embarrassing memory. "Shut up. I have to shower," he said, grabbing some clean and not-claw-torn-or-blood-stained clothes, of which he seemed to be possessing increasingly few, and heading into the bathroom.

“Georgie? Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you think Rome and Raws are okay? I haven’t heard from them for a while.” Lenna looked worried at the blonde girl.

“Um yeah sure. Why shouldn’t they?”

Lenna saw that Georgie had no clue, but she felt a little better.

Gosh I hope they call me soon or text me or maybe I should watch the news just in case they got arrested.

The two girls went back to Aly, when the doctor called Georgie.

“Miss Georgina Gilmore, can I have a word with you, please?”

Lenna looked worried at her friend, but let her go. Her phone vibrated in her jeans.

Ok, just woke up. Thanks, LENNIE, we'll call you in an hour or so. Lemme know if Dan or Aly get any worse. Also check on the earlier victim, Mandy. Thx

Lenna stuck her tongue out in dislike while reading Rome's nickname for her. “Hey Aly, are you awake?” asked Lenna smiling. But the woman in the bed didn’t responded. Her smile faded a little while she wrote an answer to Rome.

Do u know how glad I am that u answered? I was worried. The last time I haven’t heard from u for a while a SW attacked u. Checked on Mandy she can leave the hospital tomorrow.At least we saved one innocent girl, don’t u dare to take her innocence. Aly & Dan are stable but not good looking. When do we leave Gallup? btw I am bored as hell, here is NOTHING to read. XXX Lenna

It didn’t took Georgie long to come back.

“Hey guess what? I can go, I don’t need to stay here.”

“That is great. I stay here. I wait for the boys. Oh and they are okay. Um when you can go where do you go from here? Back home?”

“No not home I will go back to my hotel, take a bath for hours and then hope that you guys give me a call before you leave the town.”

“Oh okay. Yeah we will.”

Georgie smiled when she embraced the surprised Elenna.

“Don’t lose my number Hermione, promise me that.”

“I promise, Barbie.”

Georgie took a taxi to her hotel. And Lenna stayed at the hospital waiting for the boys to call. The waiting and exhausting last days let her fall back asleep. Holding her phone tight so that she wouldn’t miss the call of her boys she was sitting at the same chair she slept earlier. Not forgetting that she was supposed to take care of Aly.

Rawson hurt. Everywhere. The blood loss made him slightly woozy, for which he was rather grateful. The sheer number of cuts, unfortunately, made it nearly impossible for him to move without opening up some number of them. On the plus side, he had made it out alive, and with a decent bag of salvage. He just needed to find a genuine supernatural market- and there had to be some sort of an underground for genuine articles- and he'd likely make out nicely.

"Romulus, what the frack took you so long? I feel like I've been through a blender."

"You're whining, you do realize that, right?"

Rawson glared, and then attempted to pout. Then, more seriously, "we can't stay here." Rome looked at him. "These aren't going to heal easily and if you remember, you're still wanted. And recently escaped custody in this city. We need to skip dodge and the others- why the Hell did we acquire another whole set of pathetic life forms?- might consider doing the same." Raws reached over to the bedside table to grab his coke. "Oww."

Rome grabbed another bandage to wrap tightly around his arm where it had started bleeding.

"What do you think? You 'n me play it safe and get somewhere where we won't have FBI's friends tracking us down? So say we all?"

Rome half-smiled-half-sighed at his brother's whining, but tried to appear angry:

"Look, dude, if you'd given me half an indication that you need a hand, I'm there for you. It's when you do this overly-macho, I-don't-need-any-help thing that I think you're all right and want to be left alone, so I leave you alone!" He sat down on the edge of the bed, totally crowding Rawson's personal space, and gently but firmly began unwrapping the bandage around his arm, instead of wrapping it with more. He frowned at the deep wound. "Think you'll need stitches."

"Don't need stitches," Rawson grumbled, but without much force, because he looked about as strong as an anemic kitten.

"Stow it, dude, you've already proven to me you're not a reliable source of intel where your own health is concerned. I'm in charge now, and with you running on empty like that, I'd like to see you try to stop me."

This made Rome feel smug, and he grinned. Rawson was glaring, probably having deduced that discretion was the better part of valor in this situation, but not liking it a bit. Rome took a certain pride--in both himself and his brother--in that the only fight Rawson ever backed down from was with was Rome.

He nodded and went to the bathroom for the medical supplies, burning the needle to sterilize it, and threading it with surgical thread. He washed the area with alcohol--marveling that Rawson hardly squirmed--because while he liked to whine, Rome knew his brother was a beast when it came to showing pain--numbed it with topical anesthetic, and set to work before he could complain much.

"As for the group--they're a good bunch of people. No way in hell we're leaving Elenna, kid can hardly look after herself. Georgie's hot, and handy with a gun, and anyway I think those two have started to be friends. The old Russian dude's pretty awesome, too, he--" Rome faltered a bit as this got awkward, decided nothing was worth keeping secret, and plowed on, "he kept me level when you were taken." He tried not to convey the unadulterated ground-snatched-from-under-him terror he had felt those hours Rawson and he had been separated, but he always knew Raws could see right through his pathetic attempts to mask what he was feeling. "Anyway. The FBI chick isn't that bad, either. I mean, hopefully she'll forget she saw me when she goes back to work Monday--or, you know, whenever she's cleared for duty again--Lenna said she was stabilized but still out--and we won't even have to deal with her. But I think she's got a case for us, so it wouldn't be fair to cut all ties and make her hunt us down again if she needed our help."

Rawson rolled his eyes as Rome started in on the other arm, which needed stitches as well, though fewer. "You're avoiding me."

"Avoiding what?" Rome asked guiltily, feeling a flash of panic.

"When are we skipping town?"

"Oh. Uh. A couple days maybe? Wait 'til Pops is out of the hospital, at least? I can lay low, even, if you want..."

Rawson was shaking his head. "Dude, that thing murdered a dozen policemen in this podunk little craphole, and that was probably all of them, to, which is the only reason you're breathing free air right now. Days is enough time for them to call in to other precincts and get replacements. Way too much, time, actually. We should be gone yesterday."

Now it was Rome's turn to pout. They couldn't just leave their new friends, could they? He had only just gained their trust, he felt like, after being nothing but a burden to them, and now Rawson wanted him to skip out?

"Could you stay here with them? Maybe..." Rome stopped as soon as he started.

"What am I gonna do, bleed on them?" Rawson asked dryly.

"Yeah," Rome replied with a laugh, "like the Black Knight." He paused, breathing out a sigh. "Okay, okay, we'll get gone. Gonna finish stitching you up, though, first, Frankenstein. No, wait." Rome once again retrieved his phone and dialed up Elenna. He put it on speaker and tossed it down on Rawson's stomach so he could work while he talked.

"Hello?"

"Elenna. Hey. Rome. We're heading out within the hour so get ready to rock."

"Um...Rome, Aly and Dan aren't ready to leave the hospital yet. Aly's still unconscious." Elenna was whispering.

"She'll be fine, Lennie, let's get outta dodge. Probably be easier on her career if the wanted felons--"

"Felon," Raws snapped pointedly.

"--were out of the way. We don't even really know what her motives are, anyway. Walking wounded welcome to follow us. You gave me Tex's number, right? I was thinking she'd know where we could lay low for a few days....Lennie, you listening?"

A pause. Rome tied off his stitches and moved in to work on Rawson's chest, the worst of the wounds.

"You listening to me, chica? We gotta get gone."

"I'll stay."

"What?"

"She saved my life, Rome, I can't get it out of my head. I owe it to her to be here when she wakes up!"

Rome was shocked. Elenna had never snapped to him like this before, much less countermanded him. He stammered for a moment, struggling with an anger he by all rights shouldn't be feeling, "Well--what--do you even--who will--" before finally: "Elenna. I'm not leaving you alone."

"You won't be leaving me alone. You get you and Rawson somewhere safe. I'll follow with the rest. Don't worry about me, Rome."

And then she hung up.

"She hung up!"

Rawson snickered. "You know they do have to leave the nest sometime, bro."

"This isn't funny, Rawson, she could get hurt!" Rome cleaned his hands, picked up the phone, and almost called her again. But no. Rawson was right. She was right. If she wanted to grow up on him and be a sentimental, retarded moron that was her frakking decision.

Didn't mean he had to like it, though.

"Okay, whatever." He sighed. "One more stitch and you're a whole man. Then I'll load up the car and we're gone. So say we all?"

"So say we all." Rawson finished the traditional response. Good. That was one thing out of the way- at least they were getting his wanted felon brother out of a town that was sure to be swarming with cops in the next day or so. At least they wouldn't have to turn their lives from Horror Movie Extravaganza to Prison Break: The Remingtons.

And speaking of horror extravaganza...

"Hey Rome?"

"What?"

"Care to do a bit of explaining?" Rome looked almost nervous. Alright, if he looked nervous- and Rawson could read him like an open book most of the time, they had spent the majority of their lives within a hundred yards of one another- that meant he had something he was hiding. Or feeling guilty about. Or was afraid Raws would go overprotective brother (aka 'psycho' in Rome's opinion). Which meant it couldn't be anything good.

"So, why is it that I'm getting sudden onset migranes and images of Rome's Fracked Up Life playing in my head? Love ya bro, but it's not exactly my idea of fun daytime tv. Or a normal twin thing."

Of course, ultimately it had proved a good thing. He had gotten around to save Rome in time. And maybe his mental shouts had managed to give the Scooby Gang something to work with. But it was a definite change of the supernatural variety, and therefore not something Rawson wanted to let continue without an explanation of how and why.

"Tell me about it," Rome grumbled, fidgeting with the wolf bracelet on his wrist. Although his shoulder was doing much better, his wrist was still swollen to a sizable, but manageable, girth, so that he couldn't get it off even if he wanted to. He wished he'd remembered to ice it last night. Good thing it was his left, anyway.

"Wait, what? You saw--you had a vision?" Rome felt guilty. Maybe it was some sort of contagious disease, this psychic thing? And he was hurting his brother? He suddenly remembered how weird he felt when Agent Smith had turned into the Skin Walker--how he had felt like he was undergoing a vision, except broadcasting instead of receiving--maybe that was it. "Was that how you knew where I was?" he asked quietly, not managing to look at his twin.

"Yeah. I saw--first a killer headache, like I imagine you get, and then I saw mom's rosary, and handcuffs, and the skinwalker. Then I woke up and was perfectly fine and knew you had been arrested." Just the facts. Just like Raws.

Rome nodded slowly. He had to think about this. "Lemme get the car loaded up," he said, and managed to stall for about half an hour packing their bags and another ten helping Rawson out to the car. That Rawson didn't even bitch that he was driving his car told Rome that he owed his brother the truth...about...well, sort of everything.

Rome opened his mouth, paused, and then shut it again. He sighed, started the car, turned down the radio to talking volume, and tried again.

"I think it's my fault," he finally said miserably. "I-I'm not doing it on purpose, though," he said with a worried glance at his brother, who looked on, neutral and stoic as ever. Good, nothing to react to. Not the fear and hatred and shame he expected, anyway. Raws was so good by him, for all his irritability: at every turn Rome gave his twin new reasons to put him down like Old Yeller and yet he knew Rawson would stand by him until Rome killed him.

"I--something happened. I don't know. It might be related to the bracelets, you remember what Vor said. But it's like, I can't control it, at all. Something just goes off in my brain and stuff happens. I'm the conduit, not the controller. And it's really pissing me off because the nightmares--"

"Nightmares?"

Deer in headlights. "Uh." Rome blushed, wondering if he could construe that into the post-traumatic-stress kind of nightmares that would sort of make sense for someone like himself, but he never out-right lied to Rawson. No way that was gonna fly, even if he wanted to try. "I...I see...it's sort of like I get these visions when I sleep, sometimes. But less strong, less accurate. Like I dreamed days ago that I was going to get in trouble with the police but...but the actual scenario didn't pan out like I dreamed. Just the general theme was there, you know?"

He looked down at his hands, where angry red welts stood out on his wrists from the handcuffs. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. I wanna be honest with you, Raws, really I do, but I don't know any more than you. It's like--I feel like a girl wearing a really short skirt in the wrong end of town, man, like a non-secured wifi hotspot for weird occult sh*t to slam me in the brain, like I'm asking for it. And I don't like it. And I wanna get rid of it. I mean, I must have been dropped by these things like six times in 24 hours start to finish, so it's officially not a fluke thing anymore." He pouted deeply. "I don't know, man. I'm sorry. That's all I can say. I'll...I'll try to be stronger. I'm sorry."

"Really? A girl wearing a short skirt. Why is everything about women with you? Wait- never mind. Forget I asked you that. It's you. Of course it's related to women and/or sex in your head."

Rome looked unimpressed.

"Seriously, whatever Rome. But you know I've got your back, right? I mean, when sitting here carefully not moving praying I don't start bleeding on my baby."

"You're baby, Raws? You sound like Lenna."

"Hey! I might take offense to that- wait, scratch that. I do take offense. And it's Baby #13.5. It's a point five 'cause I take off half a car number for the convertibles." He nodded to emphasize this point, as though that somehow made it less odd.

"You're certifiable, dude."

Rawson held up a hand to stall any further conversation, tilting his head slightly.

"Do you hear sirens? I think I'm hearing sirens. I ways off- say, back by the hotel, perhaps? Romie? Get us the hell out of Dodge."

"You're fracking kidding me!" Rome grumbled, trusting instantly Rawson's ears before trying to listen for the sirens himself, throwing the vehicle into gear and peeling out of the hotel parking lot. He grinned at his brother through the heightened fear: "Well, least we know when we're not wanted, huh Raws?"

"We are wanted, and that's the problem. Now shut up and drive. Take the frontage road."

"Wilco," Rome replied, swerving wildly to avoid getting off the freeway. Sure enough, there was a police roadblock up on the highway out of town. A few of them, seeing him not only driving badly but driving a vehicle with an APB out on it, started up their sirens and gave chase.

"Aw crap," Rome said, hitting the steering wheel and urging the Camaro faster. Rawson's baby could move like no other, he had to give her that, although it didn't help that this thing could be seen from fracking orbit...

"I just had a thought."

"Well, that's a new one."

"Shut up, Raws, I'm serious! This...this was my dream. About getting in trouble with the law...my dream was a high-speed chase down--" they flashed past the last of the buildings, where nothing but open desert stretched out before them, "here."

Rawson looked nervous. And Rawson never looked nervous. "What happened in the dream?"

"We died. But Elenna was there, too, in the dream. And I think...I think Allison's car, too. So we might be safe."

A monstrous black SUV suddenly careened out in front of them, and Rome skidded wildly off the lane into the dirt, running over some scrubby blue-green bushes before he got traction again and bailed back onto the road. He barely missed the SUV, which lunged for them again, though slow enough on the draw to look laughable next to the sports car. The next highway entrance was coming up. There he'd lose them for sure.

"That SUV was totally in my dream, though!" he shouted worriedly. Rawson was moving around in the seat next to him. "And don't you fracking dare go for that P-90..."

The look of how-the-hell-did-you-know-that? shock on Rawson's face told him that that was precisely what he had been planning on doing. This sucked out loud. Why couldn't he dream about winning the lottery or something and have that come true? So unfair.

This is a place-saver for whenever we get to writing the end of this episode, to include:

* The Remingtons evade the police (get lucky? do something awesome? get rescued from an unlikely source? Holyfield calls off the pursuit, preferring to nab Agent Wesson?) and make it to Tex's without too much trouble.

* Not having been there for a full day, however, Rome has a Vision (possibly with Tex's help, meditation, herbs, something) of their friends in trouble...they decide to go back to Gallup.

* End with the Remington boys riding off into the sunset.

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Stay tuned for the next episode of Supernatural: Reanimated Gimme Shelter