A/N: Final chapter! Thank you all so much, however many are left, for sticking around after so long. I enjoyed finishing this fic and getting back into the story and characters!

I had a sequel planned way back when, and I'm thinking of actually writing it. I will post that one to both my Ao3 and here. I will also probably be re-posting this fic to my Ao3, just to have it on there. Any updates on this story or my writing I will put in my profile with the date I updated :)

Enjoy!

The morning sun peeked through the small crack between the motel curtains, dappling the beds and finding its way across Alice's face. She was the first one awake, stirring slightly and opening her eyes just a bit to squint at the clock on the nightstand. 7:42. Not too early, not too late. She let out a small yawn, suddenly becoming aware of Sam behind her, his arm draped around her waist. He was still asleep, she realized, his breathing slow and rhythmic.

It was moment of peace. Alice closed her eyes for a little longer, focusing on how it felt to be held like this, to feel safe, normal. No ghosts, no creatures of the night. Just the warmth of their bodies under cheap motel sheets. It was enough to almost lull her back to sleep.

Sam slowly came to consciousness, aware of Alice's closeness to him. He vaguely remembered the night before in his half-asleep state, and realized with a slight twinge of dread that today was the day they'd say goodbye. He tightened his arm around her, squeezing her gently against him, moving his face to nuzzle against the back of her neck. Her hair smelled of flowers, he noted.

"Morning," he mumbled against her skin.

Alice smiled, eyes still closed.

"Morning. Did you sleep okay?"

"Better than usual. What time is it?"

"Almost eight."

Sam let out a long sigh.

"We should go get Dean and Mel and get breakfast," he said. "If they're even awake. Dean likes to sleep in after a hunt."

"Mel wakes up pretty early, so really it's up in the air."

"Oh, great. Hope we don't walk in on anything," Sam groaned.

Alice let out a soft laugh.

"We'll knock first."

Reluctantly, Sam pulled himself away from Alice, sitting up in the bed. He smoothed his hair down with his hands, attempting to make it at least a little tame. All his stuff was back at the other motel room.

Alice pulled the covers back and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You can use the bathroom first. I have to pack up all of Mel's stuff," she said.

Sam nodded, standing up and heading to get ready. Alice watched him go, the lingering sadness in her growing stronger. Of course, the first time she actually connected with someone this way and she had to say goodbye in just a few hours.

'Not yet, though,' she reminded herself. 'We still have some time left.'

Alice sighed, standing up and heading over to where Mel's open suitcase sat on the opposite bed. She reached under the pillow, feeling for the gun she had unceremoniously pointed at Sam last night, grasping it carefully and packing it back into the compartment where Mel kept some of her smaller weapons. There were some newspaper clippings and other pieces of their research sitting on the table by the windows. She remembered the worker at the library asking her to return the file today and decided to do so before heading over to meet Mel and Dean; it was on the way, and she'd feel bad if the girl lost her job.

She glanced over as she heard Sam leave the bathroom, holding the file up in her hand.

"I have to return this," she said.

Sam raised his eyebrows, then broke into an amused smile.

"That the Wellons file you took from the library?" he asked.

"It is. Sorry about that, by the way. I assumed you two were the awful kind of hunters when I did that."

She placed the file back down to pick up the other papers to pack away. They kept records of their cases back at their house, just in case they needed to reference any of them on a future hunt. She placed the papers inside Mel's suitcase and zipped it shut.

"No, it's okay," Sam replied. "It was a smart move. Dean and I probably would have done the same. I'll go in with you to return it. I told the woman at the desk I was your project partner."

Alice laughed.

"Really? Well, then, that works out for us," she said. "Less likely they'll think something's up now."

"It's a good thing we stayed together last night," Sam said, then paused, suddenly feeling a little awkward. "It's a plus, I mean, returning the file. Last night was… good regardless."

Alice felt her cheeks grow hot, smile turning shy.

"Yeah. It was."

They were both silent for a time, smiling at eachother. It was Sam who looked away first.

"We should get going," he said.

Alice nodded, picking up Mel's suitcase and the file. Sam grabbed the other suitcase, giving the room a last glance-over. They made their way to the car, silently packing the bags into the trunk. There was a sadness between them, to be leaving the motel. As little time as they had been there, it had been a sanctuary. Now it was just another building on the side of the highway.

Another place they'd have to leave behind.

"You're going to have to get up eventually, you know," Mel stated matter-of-factly.

Dean groaned.

"Listen, I'll get up when I get up, okay? You're lucky I'm even awake after that shit you pulled last night," he said, voice muffled by the pillow his face was half-smashed in.

"You say that like it was a bad thing," she teased, running her fingers lightly over his arm.

"It wasn't, but it sure as hell tired me out."

Mel laughed.

"You fared better than some others have, believe me," she said, getting up off the bed to stand.

Dean poked his head up, squinting at her with tired eyes.

"Others?"

"I don't kiss and tell, Winchester."

It was really a shame, Dean thought, that he couldn't stick around Melanie longer. They got along so well, and even when they weren't, it still ended the way he liked it— a heated make-out session. She was really his type, and a hunter to boot, which was rare. He usually only messed around with normal chicks, one and done. It was easier that way to say goodbye and get back on the road. He wanted more with Mel, though. More he couldn't have. There was a wide world of monsters out there to hunt, and his baby brother needed him. His own wants were not a priority.

"Hey," Mel said, looking out the window. "Get some clothes on, your brother's here."

"Fuck," Dean sighed, pulling the covers off and standing.

He gathered his clothes off of the floor, quickly getting his underwear on. Mel turned to watch from her place at the window, enjoying the view. There was a knock at the door, and Dean swore again under his breath, pulling his pants up. A few seconds passed, another knock at the door.

"Tell them to wait a damn second," he huffed.

Mel glanced out the window, making eye contact with Sam and her sister, holding up a finger in the universal 'wait' gesture. Alice raised an eyebrow, to which Mel winked in return. Sam made a face.

Dean quickly pulled his shirt over his head.

"Okay, okay, let them in," he said.

Mel opened the door, smiling at the two mischievously.

"Hey," she said, glancing between them. "How was your night?"

Sam cleared his throat awkwardly.

"It was fine," he said, walking into the room.

"Fine," Alice echoed, following him in.

Mel closed the door behind them before leaning over to her sister.

"Details later," she whispered.

Alice nodded, looking embarrassed.

"Sleep well, Sammy?" Dean asked from across the room.

"Yeah, I did, since Alice was nice enough to let me stay with her," he said. "The hell, man? You could have at least told me you were leaving the bar with Mel last night."

"Dude, if you don't know my routine by now, I don't know what to tell you," Dean replied, shrugging.

Sam rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, we were thinking of going to get breakfast together before we part ways."

Dean's eyes lit up at the thought of food.

"I'm game. What about you, terminator?" he asked, glancing at Mel.

"As long as there's coffee, I'm good, casanova."

Dean grinned and slapped Sam on the back.

"Pack your shit up and let's get moving."

Breakfast was interesting.

Dean was his usual self; he scarfed down food as if he hadn't eaten in days. Alice did the same, but made an effort to not be sloppy about it. Mel picked enough at her food to be considered normal for a human before handing over the rest of it to her sister, to Dean's dismay. Sam laughed when Alice stuck her tongue out to gloat.

It was oddly normal, all of them eating together. Like a group of friends going out to reminisce about the good old days. Human.

But it always came back to the hunt.

"So what's your plan?" Dean asked, mouth full.

"Head home, regroup… ask around for more cases," Mel stated, taking a sip of coffee.

Dean swallowed his food, eyebrows raising.

"You have a house?"

Alice nodded.

"Yeah, we do. We tend to take jobs relatively close to it, but we've branched out some lately," she said.

"So you two are like… friendly neighborhood Spiderman?"

Sam shot Dean a look.

"Really, Dean?"

"What? That's what it sounds like."

"It's something like that," Alice said, smiling. "There's a network of hunters we do business with sometimes not too far from us. They gives us leads."

"For a price," Mel added with a roll of her eyes.

"So you pay for leads? That's bullshit," Dean said.

"I have to agree, that doesn't sound like the best arrangement," Sam said.

"It doesn't happen very often. To tell you the truth, we get a lot of leads by listening in at bars," Alice said. "We only pay other hunters if we absolutely need to."

"People are very chatty once they've had a few drinks," Mel said, grinning. "And I'm very good at acting interested and mildly intoxicated."

"Damn, that's good," Dean commented.

"Reading newspapers and the internet helps too," Alice added.

Sam nodded.

"Yeah, that's what we do."

"You both seemed shocked that we have a house, do you guys just motel jump?" Alice asked. "I know most hunters do."

"Yeah, it's easier that way. Less trace. That and… houses just seem like a target," Sam said, looking sad for a moment. "Just be careful about that."

"We are, don't worry," Alice said, meeting his eyes with a reassuring smile.

Sam smiled in return.

"My Baby out there is the only home we really need," Dean said, nodding towards the window of the diner, where the Impala was parked outside.

Mel shook her head and glanced at Sam.

"Is he always this obsessed with his car?" she asked.

"Oh, you have no idea," Sam replied. "If it was a person, he'd probably have sex with it."

"Nothin' wrong with appreciating a little beauty," Dean said, crossing his arms.

"It is a nice car, I'll agree with that," Alice said. "Nicer than ours."

"Hey, look at that. Blondie has some good taste. Surprising, considering," Dean teased.

Alice looked annoyed.

"Considering what?"

"Considering you like Sammy," he finished, winking at his brother, then laughing.

Sam looked flustered at that.

"Dean—"

"Actually, I think I have great taste. It's my sister who has none, considering she likes you," Alice countered, raising an eyebrow.

Sam held back a laugh.

"She got you there," he said.

"Yeah, she did," Mel said, laughing.

Dean looked impressed and mildly amused.

"You're good, blondie. Both of you are. Makes me glad we ran into your sorry asses" he said, genuine.

Mel squeezed Dean's thigh under the table.

"The feeling's mutual," she said.

Alice glanced sideways at Sam, giving him a smile. She moved her hand to lightly rest on his between them in the booth.

"Agreed."

Sam smiled at her, grateful for the gesture.

"So where do you two go after this?" Mel asked. "Just ride off into the sunset?"

"That's about it," Dean said. "Stop at a few motels, read through some news, hit up a couple bars. You know the drill."

"So you don't know where you're going next?" Alice asked.

"Nope. We just go."

"It's not always the best," Sam said.

"But it's freedom," Dean adds.

Freedom. They were all free to pick the place, the job; free to drive miles and miles without stopping with the radio on full blast, free to enjoy the scenery. But they weren't free to live their lives how they wanted. The hunting life was a cage, and none of them could really leave it even if they wanted to. They always had to sleep with one eye open, make peace with looking death itself in the eye. Always had to leave comfort behind.

The four hunters stood in the parking lot, saying their goodbyes. Sam scribbled down a few numbers on a worn notepad, tearing the page out and handing it to Alice.

"Those are some of our burner phone numbers if you ever need us. If one doesn't work, try the others," he said.

Alice took the page, folding it neatly and slipping it into her pocket. Something about the exchange made her heart ache.

"Thank you," she said.

Sam nodded, running a hand through his hair, words caught in his throat.

Mel and Dean stood near the Impala, giving the other two some space.

"I'm gonna miss you, pretty boy," Mel said.

She put her hands on his chest and leaned in for a lingering kiss.

"Don't forget about me, okay?"

Dean smirked.

"Couldn't if I tried," he replied. "Watch yourself out there."

"I will," she said, pulling away from him. Her mischievous gaze softened. "You do the same."

He nodded and watched her walk away, wondering if he'd ever run into her again. He hoped he would, but nothing was ever certain in their line of work.

Sam glanced over to see Mel making her way back to the car. This was it, he realized.

"Looks like we have to go," he said.

"Yeah," Alice sighed, glancing towards Mel. "Guess so."

"Take care of yourself."

"You too," she said, then added, "I'm glad I met you, Sam."

He smiled.

"Yeah… I'm glad I met you too."

She returned his smile before turning and starting to walk towards the car, the pain in her chest growing. Maybe she should have hugged him or something, but for some reason her nerves were back. For all intents and purposes, they were strangers, after all. Strangers who had found each other in a time of need, who kept each other company for a short while. Now that it was over, it didn't really matter did it? They would drive off in their cars and move on.

Sam stood still as he watched Alice walk away, struggling inwardly. His feet almost felt glued to the pavement, and it was driving him crazy. He knew he would regret it if he did nothing, if he ignored his gut feeling. Somewhere in the turmoil inside him, he found his voice.

"Alice, wait!" he called after her, taking a step, then another, closing the distance between them.

Alice turned just in time to see Sam making his way towards her, heartbeat immediately stuttering into a sprint.

"Wh—" she started, quickly silenced by Sam's lips against her own.

Her shock quickly melted into relief, then sadness. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned what she believed to be their last kiss, his arms squeezing her gently against him. They lingered like that for a few moments, then, as soon as it began, it ended. Sam pulled away to meet her gaze, still holding her.

"Thank you," he said. "For last night."

"Of course," she replied, breathless. "You… you're good man, Sam."

Sam laughed softly, giving her a shy smile.

"I do my best. I'll uh… see you around?"

"I hope so," Alice replied.

They shared one last smile before they parted ways, making their way to the cars.

Mel was already waiting in the Camry for Alice. Loud pop music greeted her when she got inside, letting out a long exhale. Neither of them said anything as they watched the Impala pull out of the parking lot and drive down the highway, disappearing over the hill.

Their own car roared to life as Mel started the engine and pulled out of the lot, heading the opposite direction towards their home.

"Do you think we'll see them again?" Alice asked, breaking their silence.

Mel reached over and turned the pop music down some, giving her sister a gentle smile.

"Why not?" she asked. "Monsters exist and your sister's a vampire. Stranger things have happened."

Alice laughed softly and looked out the window.

"Well… you're not wrong."

Dean kept his eyes on the road, letting silence fill the car for the first mile or so. Sam leaned against the door in the passenger seat, resting his chin in his hand. He watched the road signs go by one by one, lost in thought.

"That bad, huh?" Dean asked.

Sam snapped out of it and glanced over at his brother.

"What?"

"You're moping right now, which means you must have had the serious hots for blondie," he explained.

Sam scoffed.

"I'm not moping."

"Sammy. You're staring dramatically out a friggin' car window. All you need is some lonely 80s music and you'd be in a montage right now."

Sam let out a long sigh.

"It doesn't matter. We're probably not seeing them again."

"Our life's no sappy movie, that's for damn sure… but who knows? We might pick up another hunt around here at some point, run into them again."

"Maybe."

The car became silent again, and after a while it was too much for Dean. He put in one of his cassettes, keeping the volume low. They drove for hours like that, Sam napping in the passenger seat. Black Sabbath's 'The Mob Rules' played as they approached nightfall, sunset staining the sky red. Dean sang along softly under his breath, feeling those words now more than ever.

They were playing with fire, ignoring the demon blood that coursed through Sam's veins. He also couldn't help but think of Mel, and the anger she had in her. That explosive, vampiric anger. Both of them were living dangerously, stretching their fingers out towards open flame.

Sooner or later, someone was going to get burned.