"So… what else about you should I know?" he asked her. They both sat in the farthest table in the coffee shop, away from the eyes of the masses.

"I come from a long line of hunters…" she answered whispering. Granted the music playing on the speakers muted out any noise lower than an inside voice, she didn't want to risk people's eavesdropping. She was holding her coffee cup in one hand, her index finger stroking the bottom of the handle of her cup, the other surrounding the base of the mug.

"Something that doesn't involve hunting", he corrected. She smiled and laughs silently.

"Well, I'm… I don't know where to start", she answered, looking down.

"Favorite music?" he asked, taking a sip from his cup.

"I don't really have a favorite type of music. I have a wide variety of favorite songs. But for the most part, classic rock, 70s to 90s music would be my safe choice."

"Dean would love you", he answered, smiling his wide smile.

"I bet he would if I could hook him up for free beers and one-night stands with my coworkers", she crossed her arms and placed her hands over her opposite elbows. "What about you?"

"Whatever Dean decides to listen on the radio when we drive from place to place", he answered then his face dropped. He tried to steer away the conversation about them being in the same business but it seemed everything about them revolved around hunting.

"Okay, you said you were at Stanford studying law right?" she asked, placing her mug down after taking a sip. He nodded and took his cup to his lips. "Were you almost done or still had some more all-nighters to pull through?"

"I was a senior and I was applying for law school", he answered, chuckling. "What were you planning on studying? You said you were at a community college."

"Yeah, I wanted to get my degree in journalism but it would just bring more complication to my life." She sighed and bit her lip. It didn't matter which way you put it, something always ended up with them back on square one. "Did you have a girlfriend at Stanford?" Sam didn't say anything except give her a shattered look and looked away, his lips grew a tight line. "I'm sorry…"

"It's fine…"

"No, it's not… this always happens… I always cross a fine line..."

"You didn't know…"

"But I shouldn't have asked…" she looked down and mentally punched herself in the stomach, her face giving little indication she was hurt. She jumped when a soft, warm hand held hers. Looking at their hands, Alice's big, warm cinnamon colored eyes then focused on his large, cool emerald eyes.

"It's fine, really. I don't really let people know about her", he answered, his thumb stroking her index finger's knuckle. She smiled and gave an apologetic look. He squeezed her hand and she in returned chuckled. "Can I ask you something?" She nodded and waited. "Can you read my mind?"

"I don't really like to use my abilities. I try to avoid reading or controlling minds, or even moving things unless it's an extreme emergency. I try to blend in, you know…" Sam merely blinked and nodded. "I can try though… for fun."

"You don't have to", he answered leaning back, his hand still holding hers.

"Let me try at least. Just to say I tried", she smiled. She closed her eyes and focused on entering his mind. Clearing her own, she tried to connect her brain to his but for some reason, she couldn't find his. She caught brief scattered thoughts of those around her but his were nowhere to be found. Her face gave him signs she was struggling.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, his grip on her tightening. She then managed to catch a sliver of his mind thinking, "What did I do? What's wrong?"

"I think I just connected with your mind", she said, her eyes still closed. She then searched through his memory and saw the incident at the bar where she spilled beer on him after they bumped into each other. She opened her eyes and looked at him, then at their entwined hands.

"You made a face as if you weren't sure", he answered, Sam's eyes traced her sight and released her hand. She pushed her fingers in between his, grasping lightly. Her warm, cinnamon eyes melted his jaded, puppy eyes as he held her hand tighter and a smile broke their faces.

"I'm just tired, I guess…" she answered, looking at her watch. "Oh man, it's really late."

"Yeah, I guess so", he repeated. They finished their drinks and walked out of the shop, their hands missing the warmness of holding each other.

"Well, I live down this way…"

"I'm staying at the motel need a ride?"

"No I can make it on my own thanks."

"Can I walk you home at least?"

"Um sure if you want to…" she shrugged and started walking, him right beside her. "Any pets?"

"Dean hates animals in his Impala so no. I used to have a dog named Bones but that was a long time ago."

"I'm sorry…" she looked down and inhaled deeply.

"It's okay… what about you?"

"I have a dog, he's a Gerberian Shepsky", she answered, looking up at the street.

"A what?"

"Oh, Siberian Husky and German Shepherd mix."

"Woah, that's really cool, what's his name?"

"Kayser with a y, he's an absolute teddy bear but can get a bit aggressive when it comes to strangers."

"Did you train him? Mentally?"

"Yeah I kind of cheated on him." Sam gave her a side grin and tilted his head to the side. "Hey, he's stubborn for a dog." She chuckled along with him. "But granted, he is smart and what not and he's a sweetheart." They continued to walk and talk, laughing every now and then, and it seemed, even for a moment, they had forgotten they who they were and how they were different. Just then, as if by some miracle, it started to downpour heavy, sending Alice and Sam to run through the rain, laughing and holding each other's hand to not get separated.

"Well, that was refreshing", she laughed as they stood under her door roof. Both looked at the damaged done by the rain, their hair falling over their face, hers clinging over her cheeks and neck, his over his forehead. She smiled as their eyes met, breathing in heavily through her open mouth. He also was panting from running and smiled, revealing how beautiful his smile was. Her cheeks blushed and she quickly broke the spell they were both under, grabbing her keys from her pocket. "Want to come inside? You can use the bathroom and dryer if you'd like."

"Sure", he answered, nervously as she unlocked the door. She opened the door and a giant ball of fur jumped up on her.

"Ah! Hey Kay!" she laughed as her giant dog licked her and knocked her to the ground. She pushed him off and quickly got up. Kayser then barked playfully at her and then walked up to Sam, smelling him first and licked his hand.

"I think he likes you", she stroked Kay's back, earning his attention and a nudge from the head. "Okay Kay, come on." She then guided Kay to come to her as she filled his bowl with food.

"So much for being aggressive", Sam added.

"Sometimes…" She shivered and looked at Sam. "Oh um bathroom is down the hall. You can put your clothing on the sink, I'll pick it up and I'll dry it off."

"Oh um thanks", he answered, wrapping his hands tightly around his arms. He followed her hand as she gestured to her bathroom and he entered, dumping his clothing in the sink. He turned on the water and stepped into the shower. He later heard Alice open the door slightly and grab his clothing, then closing the door.

As Alice searched Sam's pockets for items to take out before tossing into the dryer, she found his wallet and phone. She placed his shirt, jacket, and pants in the dryer, her curious eyes catching his wallet. She placed her hand over it and her mind was able to read its contents without opening it. Inside, she found some cash, some business cards, and a photo of a very beautiful young woman with curly blonde hair. A thunder boom broke from her concentration and removed her hand from his wallet. She walked back to the room and changed into something dry then sitting on the couch, Kayser placing his black, redhead over her lap, his white and black nose next to her hand. She stroked his head and smiled, her fingers bending his ears gently.

"I know Kay, he's nice, and very good looking, and all but… I can't… you and I both know that", she whispered, kissing his head then getting up, hearing the water shut off. Going into the kitchen, she prepared a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for her. She walked to the door and knocked. "Sam, I put some dry clothing on the bed if you want to wear instead of clutching the towel over your privates."

"Thank you Alice", she heard his voice, muffled through the door. She smiled and placed the clothing on the bed in the guest room. She walked out and again, bumped into something hard, all for keeping her eyes to the ground. She found her cheek plastered against his bare pec, her ear near his heart, his head over the crown of her head.

"Is this going to be a regular thing between us? Bumping into each other?" she asked, lifting herself up from his body but keeping her eyes down.

"Maybe one day, we won't bump into each other anymore. We'll just morph together and walk around as if we were one person", he joked. She gently looked up and separated from him. A lump formed in her throat as her chocolate eyes focused in his soft green ones. Some strands of his hair touched his eyebrows and eyes as he looked down. One hand clutched his towel and the other one barely touched her back. She tried hard to not bite her lip as his breath from his nose swirled over her face.

"Um, I'll go… uh, I'll go let you change…" she stuttered then walked to the kitchen. Sam stood there, baffled and confused, unsure of what to do, running his hand through his damp hair. He walked to the room and changed into his borrowed clothing, a pair of boxer short and a black muscle shirt. He walked to the door but stopped, looking left and right before stepping out of the room. He walked to the kitchen and found Alice setting a cup on the counter and serving herself some milk. She heard him walk in but didn't turn around.

"Hey, how do you have men's clothing?"

"A friend of mine used to live here for a while. He bought extra clothing, thinking he would need it but he enlisted into the Army so he left it here. Want a sandwich?"

"Oh, um, yeah thanks", Sam added. Just then the lights flickered and her skin turned white. Alice tried to get busy by making his sandwich but the storm seemed to increase. "Alice are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine…" her voice broke.

"Alice, you and I just met and I don't think it's right to lie to someone you just met", Sam added, walking up to her. She was still turned from him and her hands released the butter knife, slightly over the bread.

"I'm fine, really Sam", she added, lifting the utensil again.

"Alice", he added, gently taking her hand and holding it close to his chest. She looked and immediately regretted, seeing how muscular he really was. She could see his collarbones exposing above the neck hem of the shirt, his pecs expanding the width of the shirt, his abdomen hugged by the bottom part. His arms were slightly built, veins exposing. His shoulders were wider than his hips and his neck was rather muscular as well. She thought they should make it illegal for guys like him to wear muscle shirt. Something in his eyes, however, told her she was safe with him. She swallowed and looked away. Another thunder boomed and a lightning flashed the room. She jumped and pulled her arm away from him. Holding herself close, she averted her eyes from his view. "You're afraid of thunderstorms aren't you?" She nodded and shut her eyes tight, ashamed of her childhood fear. "It's okay, it's just an ol' thunderstorm."

"It's something I've been afraid of, since I could remember", she answered. She then felt two strong arms wrap around her shoulders. "What kind of a hunter is afraid of thunder and lightning?"

"What kind of hunter is afraid of clowns?" he asked, his eye keeping steady in her face. She swallowed and slowly wrapped her arms around herself, holding her fear inside.

"The kind that knows clowns aren't all smiles and laughs", she answered, looking at his biceps. "Do you want to call Dean and let him know you're here?"

"Yeah, I think I should", he answered, letting her go and went in search for his phone.

"It's on top of the dryer", she answered, finishing her assembly of the sandwich. Sam returned and called Dean.

"Yeah I'm fine Dean, I just walked Alice home and it started raining." She overheard the conversation, smiling. She then walked to the bathroom and grabbed some extra sheets and started making the spare bed in the guest room. "Hey." She turned and smiled. "What are you doing?"

"I thought you might want to spend the night here since it's raining outside…" thunder boomed and she bit her lip. "This bed was hardly used but if you want, you can use it."

"You would let a total stranger spend the night at your house?" he asked, looking at her as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Technically, we're working together now", she answered, giving her eyebrows a lift. "A hunter helps his/her fellow hunters."

"You mean you're going to help us figure out what's causing these killings?"

"From the sidelines… I'm not ready to pick up a gun or shoot an arrow just yet." She looked down and held herself together again, hearing another thunder crash and seeing a lightning bolt illuminate the sky. She closed her eyes, attempting to calm herself down. Her eyes then bursted open when she felt two strong arms hold her towards him, one arm around her shoulders and the other below her ribs. Her arms slowly unwinded themselves and found a spot on either side of him, her fingers finding the gaps between his ribs. His chin rested over her head and her temple right on his collarbone. She bit her lip, reminding her she was only a part of the team, they were working together to fight whatever was killing innocent people.

"Whenever you feel ready to join the hunt, we'll leave the door wide open for you", he added, her head feeling the rumbling of his voice. She smiled and closed her eyes.

"Thank you", she whispered. He gave her a tight squeeze and then rubbed his hands once or twice over her back then let her go. Her hands then squeezed his arms as she looked up. "Get some rest, I'll go with you to the motel."

"Okay, goodnight Alice", he told her.

"Sleep tight", she answered, crossing her arms again and waited for him to do whatever it is he was going to do but missed the moment he pressed his lips against her forehead. She blinked and moved her face away from him, then walking out to her room. Shutting the door behind her, she leaned against the door and thought of what just happened. She then set her sights on a certain four-legged furry friend. "What are you looking at?" Kayser cocked his head to the side and then made his way to her room. Shaking her head, attempting to clear the fogginess of her mind, her feet moved her to her room, settling for a sleepless night she would endure, thanks to the storm brewing harder outside. "Just my luck, a storm is concocting outside, a very cute guy who happens to be a hunter is in the next room, and he kissed my head, and my dog watched the whole thing instead of barking to end things quicker…"