Seeing Dean raise his eyebrow at her description of one of her past concussions and injuries made her wonder if he had ever come across that sort of injury before or if he was lucky to have never had to deal with that. If the latter then she considerd him lucky because that night wasn't fun when she was alone and as she felt herself passing out that time, she recalled herself praying she would wake up again. She also was glad that this time it was just light and he didn't have feel paranoid of her health and safety too much, something which she was more than aware of him being now.

She didn't think much of his paranoia or worry toward her, other than her thinking it was just a case he didn't want anyone else to die around him after losing Mika. His comment about Sam being a good nurse, Lexi found herself smirking and scoffing in amusement whilst giving a nod. "That is true. He does have his uses when it comes to needing aid" she retorted back to him.

With Sam coming back into the room and putting the drinks in front of them, she wasted no time in grabbing her beer bottle, holding it by the neck and slowly bringing it to her face as the brothers exchanged looks toward each other. Sam definitely seemed to have something on his mind but she couldn't claim to know him well enough to say for sure. She took a swig of her beer as Dean explained to Sam what the plan was going to be, and when he mentioned about so much room in his bed, she quickly paused her drinking of the beer and forced herself not to choke on her drink in the process.

Sam went to take a swig of his beer but Dean's remarks made him pause before he could do so, raising an eyebrow as he looked Dea, then Lexi and back at Dean again. "I'm gonna be okay. Think I'm just gonna head to my room and chill out before getting an early night, well...early for us anyway" he replied as he watched Dean give Lexi a teasing smirk, which she echoed on her own face easily enough.

"Because you know me better than anyone else?" he pointed out as he replied to his brother's assumption. "but it can wait until the morning if you wanna go find a film to watch. It's nothing major anyway" he told him, deciding to leave the ball in Dean's court, rather than forcing him into what will end up being an awkward conversation as he had a feeling what he had to say to him about Lexi, might make him feel guilt all over again toward Mika. Even if he did think that Mika would agree with him when he told Dean that Lexi was a good person and someone who would be good for Dean.

"If you boys need to talk, you can talk now, I can step out of the room. Hell, I'll probably go raid your cupboards for film snacks" Lexi smirked, standing up and putting her beer down on the table. "Don't feel like you can't have private chats with me around" she added as she made her way into the kitchen to do exactly what she said she would. Raid their cupboards for snacks.

Sam was going to protest against Lexi's words, but it seemed Lexi had other ideas and yet again she impressed him with how she could read a room and know when to exit whilst being thoughtful to others. He followed Lexi with his eyes to see when she got into the kitchen then turned back to Dean. "Lexi is pretty cool huh? You seem pretty smitten with her anyway" he said, sitting down in front of his brother.

Dean didn’t like Sam’s dismissal but he was still glad that his brother felt well enough to be alone. He really had to learn, all over again, Sam’s pain thresholds again, and what injuries he needed to worry about versus which ones Sam just slept off. It had been a while since he had really noticed Sam’s scrapes and bruises, unless Sam needed him to stitch him up or fix an injury that required an extra set of hands. He smirked and muttered, “Well that’s your loss…”

As Sam answered his question about the grilling that Dean knew he wanted to do so badly, Dean narrowed his eyes, both glad that he could read his brother’s faces so well, but also nervous, because he and Sam hadn’t talked much in the past several months. So, there was no telling what he wanted to ask. Dean started to protest Sam’s wanting to wait until the next morning, when Lexi spoke up.

“You don’t have to step…”, Dean protested to Lexi instead, reaching his hand out to her as she stepped around the table toward the kitchen. He sighed, not honestly wanting to be alone with Sam, if he was getting ready to ask any sort of awkward question. As she left the room, he followed her footsteps silently with his ears, and turned his eyes back to Sam with a sigh, “So…”

As Sam’s eyes turned back to his, Dean sighed at his words, and he nodded, turning his coffee cup in a circle with his fingers, “She’s pretty fun to be around. Reminds me of…happier times, I guess. But smitten? I don’t get smitten. I don’t date. I just…exist. But I will say I don’t mind her company.”

Lexi felt slightly bad that she was insisting on leaving the room when Dean was protesting against the idea and reaching out for her. Yet she could also tell that whatever it was Sam wanted to talk about, there was no way it was going to wait which was why she wasn't going to just let him leave it until the morning.

Sam listened to what Dean was saying, glad that he was at least admitting Lexi was fun to have around but rolled his eyes when he denied being smitten. It also saddened him that Dean thought he just existed and nothing more. "Mika didn't think you just existed." he countered and sighed. "but you are smitten Dean, I can see it in the way you look at her. I can also see it in the way she looks back at you. I've known her for only a few months now but she's done nothing but fake smiles, that is, until she met you. She doesn't date either, but she blatantly likes you" he told him.

"something tells me you two were meant to meet and help each other. She's an amazing woman Dean" he added then took another sip of his beer. Whilst he was talking to Dean, Lexi was still in the kitchen grabbing the snacks she found that looked appetising and in date and was now hiding behind the wall listening to the conversation.

Hearing Sam tell Dean that he had noticed how they were looking at each other and what he thought of her. Sam's words honestly made her smile to herself, especially at hearing he could see Dean liked her. It was something she wasn't expecting to hear, especially with how she first met Dean, but maybe Sam could be right, maybe she and him were mesnt to help heal each other whilst finding comfort ine ach other.

She gave it another minute or two before stepping out and into the main room again. "found some snacks for us" she declared as if she didn't just overhear the whole conversation.

Dean’s stomach tightened painfully when Sam brought up Mika, while arguing that he was a little more attached to Lexi than he gave himself credit for. He was right that Mika would likely be bothered by his words, and by his inability to accept other humans giving him any sort of support or feelings. Mika was possessive and jealous, but she was very much the ‘everyone deserves to be happy type’ and would most likely beat his ass for denying his feelings for Lexi, no matter how new they were, and how short of a time he had known her.

He sighed, and looked down at the table, spinning his coffee mug in his hand. Sam was right. Dean was having some trouble being around Lexi without feeling tense, as if his heart was waiting to meet her, and let out some of his emotion, to make room for her. He needed to at least be willing to accept her attraction to him, at her pace.

“And what do I do? I mean, I don’t have any plans to just jump back into life, or anything. It’s not like she’s going to be around here forever. So, it’s a moot point.”, he muttered, shaking his head. He took a final drink of his coffee, and sat the mug down.

“But I’m not going to push her away, either. I just don’t want to give her the wrong idea. If you’re right and she likes me, or whatever, pretending that I have anything to give, after what happened would be cruel. So, I’ll just…figure it out as I go…”, he finished, just before Lexi came back into the room. Dean flinched at the sound of her voice, and he turned his eyes to her with a small smile, “Hopefully we got the most horrible food in the kitchen. I like junk food with my movies.”

He smirked and turned his eyes to Sam briefly, before sighing lightly and chewing at his lip as he turned back to Lexi, “What do you want to watch? I’ll compromise, since you’re the hurt one, this time.”

Sam listened to his brother talk about how he was feeling and what his opinion was about any possible feelings toward Lexi and how long she would be around for. He wanted to say more, to try and reassure him that he wasn't the only one feeling that way but he couldn't as Lexi had arrived back in the room declaring she had snacks. So instead he gave his brother a pat on the arm, deciding that was the best way to go about things for the time being.

Lexi looked down at the armfuls of the snacks she had and then looked back at Dean with a smile, "oh I found plenty of junk food snacks for us" she replied, "And as for picking the film, I'll gladly pick once I know what you have" she smirked, walking over and keeping a hold of the food she had gathered. "but no chick flicks, they're so not my thing for the most part" she added, "I'm much more of either a psychological thriller or action kinda girl" she said.

Sam looked between the two of them and smiled, "I guess I'll be leaving you two to it then. Dean has a pretty decent film collection, so you'll no doubt find something worth watching." he remarked to Lexi, already noting how she was different to Mika with her film tastes which he could only imagine would help Dean out mentally as well.

Lexi tried to put what she overheard at the back of her mind as they chatted just that little bit more, the idea that Dean could like her but feel it was pointless in doing anything about it because she wasn't staying for long, or he had nothing to give her was something that didn't entirely sit well with her heart. If she let herself like him, it wasn't because she expected him to be anything like her ex, Dean was different, a hunter. Someone who could understand her work and someone she wouldn't have to hide half of her lifestyle and personality from.

She liked that he was seeming to be someone who wouldn't hold back on a lot of things and would get the job done. It wasn't like she hadn't heard the stories of the Winchesters through the hunter grapevine after all. She also wasn't naiive to think that she could waltz into the brothers' lives and make everything all fine and dandy again, she knew it would be work for Dean to get passed his grief of missing Mika and she didn't want to replace the woman that was clearly so dear to him. She may not ever have known Mika, but if her death had caused this level of mourning for Dean then she truly must have been special to him she thought.

"I'll see you two in the morning, I'm sure Dean will show you to the room you can crash in later once you've finished your movie marathon" Sam spoke up once more when he realised Lexi wasnt going to say anything else. Patting Dean on the shoulder, he gave him the look of 'just think about what I said' then walked over to Lexi and gave her an awkward hug because of her arms being full, then walked away to his own room.

Lexi looked back at Dean, "shall we?" she smiled.

Dean raised his eyebrows and he tilted his head back in surprise when Lexi stated that she hated chick flicks. After almost two decades with Mika, the idea of a woman liking anything BUT chick flicks took him aback. He turned his eyes briefly to Sam, showing his surprise, but he quickly turned them back to Lexi as she mentioned that she liked action flicks and thinkers. He placed his hand over his chest to feign swooning, and smirked at her, “I think I can work with that.”

He turned his eyes to Sam as he all but dismissed himself, while shooting him a look to convince him to explore things with Lexi. Dean swallowed heavily at the thought, and he nodded to his brother, giving him a sheepish nod as he watched him stand and walk over to Lexi for an awkward hug. Once they were left alone, Dean fidgeted with his coffee mug on the table, as Lexi’s eyes fell back on him, and her voice broke the silence like an air raid siren in his awkward staring.

“What? Oh! Yeah. Sorry. I zoned out for a minute. Not really used to Sam going to bed so early.”, he laughed, standing from his chair. He pushed his chair back up to the table, and grabbed another cup of coffee, before stepping up close to Lexi, and leading the way to his room. Inviting her into his room, after the conversation he had just had with Sam was something of an awkward experience. While they were gone, he had picked up a bit, and so his normally trashed room looked a bit more like a bachelor’s room after the maid had left, than a two week old pizza on the dresser type room.

Stepping into the room, he gestured his hand toward the bed and smirked, “That’s the bed. I got a sweet little 20 inch tv and if you need something to sleep in, there’s a lot of t-shirts and flannels in various drawers and the closet. I have a lot of clothes for someone who wears the same thing practically every day.”

He laughed awkwardly and walked over to his desk, sitting his coffee mug down, and quickly peeled off his flannel. He then unbuckled his belt and shoved his pants down, stepping out in only his boxers and a t-shirt with an awkward smirk, “Habits. Now, what kind of movie are you thinking? I have a whole box right…under…here…”, he grunted as he bent over and pulled a long cardboard box of movies from under his bed, sitting them on the desk for her to go through, “Dealers choice.”

Lexi wasn't expecting the reaction she got by her remark of not liking chick flicks. Yet it seemed she said something absolutely shocking to Dean and to some degree Sam as well. She couldn't help the look of absolute bafflement creep onto her face at their reactions until the chatter moved on with Dean saying he could work with what she said. It was only afterwards that she suddenly realised his ex probably was a chick flick type of woman, which if the case surprised her as not many female hunters were that way inclined in the tastes.

With Sam now gone, she had noticed how Dean went into the awkward silent type she first had met, which was why she asked him if he was good to go and start the movie marathon. She smiled at him when he said he wasn't used to Sam going to bed so early, but Lexi was convinced it was Sam's not so subtle way of making them be alone together as soon as possible. She didn't want to say anything to Dean about what she was thinking for fear of making him all the awkward.

She followed him to his room and noted how it looked like a typical bachelor room but she could tell it had been recently tidied up as she knew that someone in grief wouldn't care about the state of their room, she certainly didn't at the time until Sam convinced her to tidy, and even helped her do so. She looked around when he gestured where the bed was and where the tv was, smirking as he called a 20" tv 'sweet'. "Didn't think they still made tv's in 20inches, and thanks" she replied, unable to not make some joke about the size of his tv, having been used to much bigger when she lived at home.

She ambled her way casually over to his closet, deciding it was the safer place to go rather than a drawer and opening it, unable to quelch the curiousity of just how many clothes he did have, for someone who pretty much wore the same thing everyday. Opening it she really did see just how many flannel shirts he had making her raise an eyebrow before glancing over her shoulder as she saw him removing his jeans.

At his comment about it being habit, she waved his excuse off like it was no big deal. "No sweat, don't bother me" she commented, picking one of his flannel shirts in red and black, luckily not one Mika used to wear. Little did she know the one that always favoured by Mika was the one to it's left in grey. The more worn out faded colored one but because of it's worn nature, it was the most comfortable in Mika's eyes.

She perched on the end of his bed and pulled her boots off, not wanting to put her dirty boots onto his sheets. She may be a hunter but she still had some kind of decorum when in someone else's home. She then pulled her vest off over her head as it was grubby from the fight and with her back to Dean, switched the vest for his flannel shirt, doing up the buttons, her small frame almost being swallowed up in the shirt, one side of the collar slightly sitting off to one side and not close to the neck like it would do on him. This also meant the sleeves near enough covered her hands.

Once half changed (she still had her jeans on), she walked over to his desk, her socked feet barely making a sound on the wooden floor, just a light patter sound as she walked. Looking at the box of films he had that he was pulling out and placed on his desk, she used her fingers to flick through the spines of the many dvds he had to offer, impressed with the collection he had aquired and the broad spectrum of films. She noticed the odd chick flick amongst the collection which she assumed were his ex's choices. "This one looks good, and one I've never gotten round to seeing." she commented, pulling out Se7en.

Dean watched from the corner of his eye as Lexi rummaged through his clothes in the closet and finally settled on a flannel to wear. He climbed onto the bed slowly as she sat on the end, and removed her boots. He was careful not to stare too much as she removed her top, and replaced it with his shirt. He swallowed heavily, and bit down on his bottom lip at the way it fit her, almost baggier than when Mika had worn his clothes.

He turned his eyes from her, and looked down at his lap as he shoved his legs under the blankets and leaned against the headboard. As she stood up, thought back to the feelings of having Mika in the room, before Lexi and Sam had shown back up from their hunt. It was like Mika was trying to push him toward something that wasn’t sadness and angst. Same with Sam. He seemed to be pushing Dean toward anything that would seem normal, and fun. Lexi was far from normal, but she was definitely fun.

When Lexi pulled out Se7en, Dean’s eyebrows shot up and he stared at her as if she was insane, “You haven’t seen it? But it’s a classic. Anyone who claims to like thrillers is lying if they haven’t seen Se7en!”

Dean gestured to the tv, and he waved his hand around, “Put it in. You’re getting an education tonight. It’ll definitely keep you awake, and I’m dying for snacks. If anything, we should have ordered a pizza.”, he said with a frown, scooting to one side of the bed so that she could join him when she was ready. Though, his heart picked up its pace at the idea of having her in the same bed with him, no matter how casual. They were just watching movies. They were eating snacks and watching movies, but still, the implications of her staying in his room, potentially all night, swam in his mind as he fought against zoning out.

Lexi found herself giving Dean a look of 'what?' when he looked at her as if she was utterly insane for not having seen the film in question. She knew it was a classic and knew of that famous scene with the famous line that came from it, but that was all she knew about the film. She just never got round to watching it between hunts and since losing her fiance a lot of films just didn't seem like the thing to watch as it always used to be their thing that they shared. Before that she was oblivious to the previous looks he was giving her as she was too focused on finding a film to watch, yet if she had just turned round a moment earlier she would have seen how he was looking at her in his flannel shirt.

"Yeah yeah, I know, it's a classic" she smirked, before letting him gesture to where to put the dvd in, which she did so as he told her she would be getting an education this night. She put the dvd in and walked back to his bed where she got on the top and then brought all the snacks she had previously brought in up to them, so everything was in arm's reach for the both of them. "I don't even know how you could think about eating pizza after everything I did for you earlier tonight" she smirked, resting her back against the headboard.

Normally she wouldn't have felt like she could have quipped back in such a manner, but there was just something about Dean that made her feel like she could. He had this aura about him that just drew her to him and made her not fear about her being herself, something she hadn't had since her fiance was in her life. Grabbing some of the chocolate she shot him a glance, "well press play and educate me then Dean Winchester" she chuckled, popping the chocolate into her mouth and looking back toward the tv again.

She knew it had been a while since she last did this and quite honestly, she was excited for it. Sure, her head was beginning to pound and her stomach hurt from the many collisions with the alleyway 'decor', but she didn't care. She was about to finish the night on a high, watching a film she had never seen before, in a genre she absolutely loved and with someone new and intriguing to her. She just hoped she didn't fall asleep during the film or on him to make things awkward.

Dean smirked and shrugged at Lexi’s teasing about his ability to put away food. He was a bottomless pit, and he would admit it. As long as he wasn’t devastated and mourning, anyway. During the several months since Mika had died, he had eaten when he remembered to, or when he left enough room in his stomach after the whiskey for the night. So, being hungry was a welcome sensation.

“I’m a growing boy.”, he quipped back at her, picking up a bag of chips from the bed and removing the bag clip to shove his hand in the bag. He mocked her as she demanded that he start the movie, and he gave a small laugh, picking the remote up from beside the pillow behind him. He turned the tv on and pressed play, settling back against the head board, and leaning his shoulder against hers.

“It’s also a long enough movie that you should be able to head to bed if you ready after…or I can pick the next one and you can spend more time with me.”, he teased, picking up another piece of chocolate for her, and placing it in his palm, before holding it out to her with a dazzling smile. The temptation to flirt was strong, but he didn’t want to push his luck, either with her own hang ups or his. But he couldn’t help feeling a tug at his heart having her in his bed, snacking on chocolate, wearing his clothes, and seemingly open to at least being touched.

Hearing the 'i'm a growing boy' line again tonight made Lexi roll her eyes but she couldn't remove the smirk off of her face. He really did have an infectous personality when he managed to come out of himself and his grieving, something that Lexi welcomed greatly. She chuckled as he mocked her whilst grabbing the remote to turn the tv on and get the movie playing, before she felt his shoulder against hers as they sat side by side.

She nodded at his first lot of words before she found herself looking down at him grabbing the chocolate and holding it to her as he flirted with her lightly with the rest of what he had to say. Taking the chocolate from his palm, her fingers grazed across his palm in the process before she lifted her hand and put the chocolate in her mouth again, "I guess we'll find out by the time the film finishes won't we?" she teased back at him.

His smile really was something that got her stomach doing backflips as it fluttered and she hadn't gotten that since she first met her dearly departed fiance. It was a smile that made it very difficult for her to not smile back at him and feel at ease around him. As the film truly began, she found herself easily relaxed beside him as she got engrossed in the film, watching it with intrigue as she snacked as well. She was taken in completely by the story, which showed in her eyes.

The film was getting near the end when at some point Lexi had fallen asleep beside him, one arm draped across her chest, the other down on his mattress. Her head had drooped partially on his shoulder and her legs had drooped sideways toward his legs. She fully intended to stay awake for the climatic end of the film, but it seemed that her tiredness and exhaustion from the hunt had won out and taken over her. Her breathing slow and steady as she slept soundly beside him, a sleep that she rarely had, even after all this time.

Mika was aware of him watching the film with this Lexi and seeing Dean so happy and relaxed made her happy. This woman was having an impact on Dean and she was thankful for that. If she was alive, she knew she would probably be jealous but in this instance, she was glad that Lexi came into his life. She wanted him happy...

Dean smiled gladly at Lexi’s teasing, happy that she was at least willing to tease him back, and make the flirting that slipped from his lips a little less uncomfortable. He took in the way her fingers brushed against his palm, and watched carefully as she ate the chocolate, biting his lip. He scoffed at his own thoughts, and leaned back against the headboard of the bed, “Well, I think you’re gonna like this. Get comfy.”

As the movie progressed, Dean made small comments about what was happening in the movie, while Lexi was still awake, but slowly, he could feel her relaxing against him, as she passed out. By the end of the movie, she was awkwardly laid out across the bed, and Dean tried to figure out which way he wanted to move in order to not wake her, but to settle her in more comfortably. His heart stuttered in his chest at what this likely meant. He couldn’t exactly carry her and open the door, and get her into her room without calling Sam. She would have to sleep over. Swallowing heavily, he glanced down at the top of her head.

He slowly pulled himself from under her head, and with both hands, he lowered her head to the pillows beneath her. Trailing his hand down her torso, he pulled at her legs to better adjust her head on the pillows. With a sigh, he stepped back toward the closet, and pulled another blanket. Walking back over to the bed, Dean shook the blanket out, and covered her with it, tucking it around her shoulders carefully.

As if he had no control over his hands, he watched her face as she slept, reaching a hand out to lightly brush a strand of hair from her face, and behind her ears, his thumb hesitating on her cheek for a moment. He smiled softly, “I guess you’re sleeping over.”

Dean walked around to the other side of the bed, and he unbuttoned his pants, shoving them down and picking up his flannel pajama pants from the floor. Pulling them on, he sighed and stared down at the bed, still feeling as if she might react badly, if she woke up next to him the next morning, despite being under separate blankets. He pulled his t-shirt over his head, and tossed it aside, before carefully laying down beneath the blanket, “Not exactly how I thought tonight was going to go…”, he scoffed at the ceiling, before rolling and shutting the table light off.

All the time when Dean gently moved her head onto the pillows and off his shoulder, Lexi remained perfectly asleep, as she did when he moved her whole body into a more comfortable position and even draped a blanket over her, practically tucking her in as he did so. She didn't wake up once, when normally she would have done, her hunter suspicious mind taking over if it was in any other situation, but this time round it seemed her mind and body just knew she was in no harm this night.

Throughout the night Lexi slept pretty much soundly and peacefully. There was the odd time when her darker thoughts and memories of grief tried to seep into her mind, but then were overtaken with more loving memories she had which made her silently cry in her sleep and turn over under the blanket, her back to Dean and hugging the pillow. After a while, the memories stopped and she went back to sleeping peacefully again, before the next round of memories and dreams came through and that's how it continued for the majority of the night.

By the time the morning came round, she woke up early yawning and looking over her shoulder as she remembered where she was. "no wonder I don't remember leaving his room....I didn't" she whispered to herself, but she didn't find it to be a complaint. In fact it was nice waking up and not being alone again as waking up and finding herself all alone in or on the bed was getting more and more depressing and lonely as the days and months and year went by. There may not have been anything between her and Dean, at least not as it stood now, but it was still nice knowing she didn't wake alone.

Even in a platonic situation it was nice to see she wasn't on her own in a room she didn't know particularly well. She pulled the blanket down off of her, carefully and quietly sitting up and swinging her legs off the end of his bed, not wanting to risk waking him then she crept across his floor, quietly opened his door after grabbing her clothes and on her tiptoes crept out of his room to head to the room she was meant to go to so she could grab her bathroom bag and head for the nearest shower.

In 'her' room, she threw her clothes on the bed and found her bag on the desk, which she presumed Sam had brought in for her and put down. Smiling to herself, she walked over to it and unzipped it, taking out her wash bag and towel, then headed out the room to the nearest bathroom where she found the shower and turned it on to heat the water up whilst she shuffled out of Dean's flannel shirt, placing it to one side as she continued to do with her underwear and then stepped into the shower with her wash gel, shampoo and conditioner to get freshened up and wash her hair of the general grime that it had aquired somehow.

She spent a good fifteen minutes in the shower, making the most of the proper hot water and space that she and most hunters didn't really ever get in a motel room. Feeling more awake and refreshed, she stepped out of the shower grabbing her towel and wrapping it round herself then ringing her hair out over the sink and proceeding to grab one of the boy's smaller towels to towel dry her hair so it didn't drip everywhere when she walked back to her room.

Back in her room, she closed the door behind her and went to her bag to pull out clean underwear and clothes, which she carried to the bed but as she did so, she caught the corner of the bed frame and kicked her toe on the bed's leg causing her curse out loud, no matter how much she gritted her teeth. "Son of a-----bloody hell that hurts!" as she sat on the edge of the bed to check her toe.

Dean slept soundly through the night, his normal bad dreams and stress replaced by the familiar weight of a human next to him, pressing the blanket down around him, as well as the small noises Lexi made in her sleep, or her movements when she rolled over. He didn’t even seem to have his normal ‘wake up in the middle of the night’ moment for more whiskey. He simply…slept.

He didn’t notice Lexi leave the bed, but after several minutes, he opened his eyes and blinked at the wall next to his side of the bed. He frowned, as the memories from the night before washed over his mind, and he remembered that Lexi was actually in bed with him. She had stayed over. Nearly fully clothed, yes, but she was still in his…

Dean rolled over quickly, and his eyes fell on the opposite side of the bed, a frown taking over his features. She was awake before him? Even in his depressive state, he always woke up before Sam and moved around the bunker before Sam could see him and strike up any conversation. Then, it was easier to slip back into his room, have a mid morning night cap, and sleep until noon.

“Lexi?”, he asked quietly to the empty room, patting a hand over the blankets. Sighing, he rolled back over to his back and ran a hand through his hair. He half wondered if she had crossed some sort of personal line, in her mourning, and got too close to him. Maybe he should have picked her up and carried her to her own room, so she woke up in at least her own space.

Before he could think too hard on it, Lexi’s voice rang out from not far down the hall, and Dean shot up out of bed. She sounded as if she was in pain, and judging by her voice coming out through what sounded like gritted teeth, she was angry. Was she fighting something in the bunker? It was warded against almost anything on Earth, but that didn’t mean something didn’t follow her and Sam home, looking for some sort of easy captive meal.

Dean’s rational brain shut off for a moment as he rolled over the irrational thoughts, and quickly reached up under his pillow to pull his pistol. He checked it for ammo, before springing from the bed, gun positioned high. He bent his knees and walked over to the door, swinging it open as he rushed into the hallway. He scanned the hallway from both sides with his pistol, and sighed with relief to find it empty. But Lexi not being in the hallway only left a few locations if she was actually hurt.

“Lexi?”, he whispered as he slowly walked toward her room. His footsteps seemed like cracking glass every time he took a step, until he finally reached her door and wrapped his fingers tightly around the doorknob. He pushed her door open, and entered, scanning her entire room with his gun before his eyes fell on her, and he scanned her body, realizing quickly that she was holding her foot. His abs rippled as he relaxed a bit, and placed a hand over his bare chest as his heart finally started beating again, “Are you okay?! I heard a noise and…I just…reacted. Are you okay?”

When Lexi started cursing from the throbbing pain in her toe, she didn't even think about the possibility of waking either of the brother's up, not realising how much her cursing might possibly echo through the halls. So when Dean came in and opened her bedroom door with gun in hand, thinking there was some kind of major threat coming at her, she felt a little foolish if she was truthful to herself. Looking up at Dean, she saw how panicked he was before beginning to calm down seeing she was in one piece.

"I'm fine, just stubbed my toe on the end of the bed. I am so sorry for waking you up." she replied to him, only now realising that she was still in a towel and not much more making her glad she wasn't someone who was completely shy about herself, even if it was slightly embarrassing to some degree. "I just really needed a shower when I woke up and....well, yeah...here I am now" she added, giving him a sheepish smile.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked him, hoping that in her deep sleep in his room, that he wasn't too plagued with nightmares or grief and she didn't wake up to be able to help him through it. She knew it could be hit or miss if one got a calm night's sleep when they went through what he was, and she hoped not having her in his room was too much of a bother either. "I should also apologise for falling asleep in your room, wasn't my intent to take up half your bed" she then said once more, yet again finding something to apologise for.

As she spoke to him she got herself dressed in the most dignified way she possibly could without losing her towel in the process. As it came to having to drop the towel to get her bra and shirt on, she turned her back to Dean. Unlike Mika's back, Lexi's back was scar and tattoo free. In fact, she didn't have any tattoos whatsoever, not even a anti possession tattoo like the boys had, though she had to admit that it was a good idea what they had, and told herself that one day she would actually get it done just for that extra bit of protection.

Sam in his room, had woken up from Lexi's cursing and he was ready to get up to check on her when he heard Dean was already there, which made him smile slightly to himself so he did the only thing he felt like doing- turning over and closing his eyes yet again. He knew he could have just got up and checked on his friend, but he also was wanting Dean to be focused on anything or anyone to help him get out of his understandable funk. They had lost lost ones and family before, Mika was another one on that list, and he knew it was different for Dean in a lot of ways, but he also knew Dean couldn't live his life grieving her.

"I really hope you're okay with Dean spending time with Lexi Mika, she's making him smile and joke again. But we'll always miss you Meeko...the place is far too quiet without you around" Sam quietly spoke out to air, unaware that Mika's spirit really was able to come and go without alerting them to her presence. Yet part of him felt like the bunker would always have a little bit of Mika around, no matter what.

"I know Sammy, I can see that and that's all I want....for him to be happy again." Mika replied as she stood by his door listening to him speak out to her. Something she hadn't seen or heard him do for quite some time. "I want you happy too Sammy, you'll always be my little brother" she added.

Sam looked up and towards his door, swearing he could feel he wasn't alone in the room when Mika spoke, but he couldn't see or hear anything yet something told him it was Mika as the vibe that felt like family. It was warm and an air of love from family. Smiling to himself, he laid his head back down. "Meeko if that's you...you don't need to watch over me" he commented.

Dean sighed in relief, and he stepped over to the small table behind her door and placed the safety back on his gun, before setting it down on the table top. He pulled the chair and sat down in it, leaning forward to watch her face. It was only then that he noticed she was only wearing a towel, as she explained that she had hurt her foot and had just taken a shower.

Dean shook himself from his thoughts, as he turned his eyes back up to her face and he smirked, “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. Although, we may have to dismantle this bed, if you can’t control yourself and stay safe.”

He laughed softly, and shrugged his shoulders as she asked how he slept. Honestly, he had slept fine, having someone in his bed again. There was something about the warmth against his back in his tiny bed that calmed him for the night, “I slept better than I have in a while, to be honest. You don’t snore. So, that’s a plus.”

As Lexi began to get dressed, Dean turned his eyes to the floor and he shook his head at her apology, glancing up briefly at her back as she dropped her towel. He took in the slim features of her shoulders, and how smooth her skin was. He had become so accustomed to seeing Mika’s tattoo, covering the deep scars across her shoulder blades, that seeing bare skin was almost jarring. He shook himself once again from his thoughts and turned his eyes back toward the floor, before she could turn around and see him staring, “Don’t be sorry. It might be a tiny bed, but it’s big enough for two people…trust me. I kinda missed having a bunk mate, even if on accident.”

He scoffed and stood from the chair carefully, glancing to the door to make sure that Sam wasn’t randomly standing in the hall eavesdropping. He walked over to Lexi’s bed and sat down on the edge, patting the mattress, “Want me to take a look at your foot? You never know what kind of damage a bed frame can do to exposed limbs. You might be ready to lose a toe.”, he teased, a fake pained look on his face.

The idea of just dismantling a bed because she was clumsy enough to stumb her toe on one of the legs of it was amusing to Lexi and made her smirk and scoff at the very notion. Though she was glad that she didn't somehow stupidly break a toe or something on similar lines. She was also incredibly glad that he seemed to be truthful to her and say he slept the best he had in a while. There was just something about his tone that told her he wasn't lying to her.

"I'm glad you slept alright and damn straight I don't snore" she replied, knowing how hard it can be to sleep alone when someone hasn't been used to it for so long. She was also amused by his snoring comment and couldn't resist making a smart ass remark back.

Something in her mind told her he was looking when she was getting dressed but she didn't exactly complain at all. It wasn't an off putting notion to have Dean Winchester of all people watching her bsck as she got dressed. She didn't however let on that she could feel him watching as she was more focused on listening to him dismiss her apology. "in all honesty? I missed it too. Sleeping alone feels so lonely" she told him.

Suitably dressed she looked over her shoulder as he went over to the bed and patted the mattress beside him, an action that gave her a wave of familiarity to her and she welcomed it. Scoffing in an amused manner, she walked over to the mattress and sat where he patted, "well, if you insist on it. I'm pretty sure I'll live though, but I guess a second opi ion never hurts" she smirked, smiling in her eyes.

She didn't think anyone could bring out her teasing side again, but here Dean was doing exactly that. She was being herself and in turn being naturally playfully flirty, rather than obnoxiously so, something she didn't think anyone could bring out of her since her fiancé, but here she was being proven wrong. She actually welcomed being like this with Dean and judging by how much he kept being teasing and smiling around her, he didn't seem to mind too much either.

She lifted her foot up onto the mattress, but kept her eyes on Dean the whole time. "so... What's your opinion? Will I live to have all my toes in tact for another day?" she asked, tucking her damp hair behind her ear.

Dean rolled his eyes at Lexi’s smarts comment, as he pulled her foot into his lap, and pressed at her toes, checking each one for breaks or any response from her. After he was happy that she didn’t have any broken bones, he brushed his fingers over the bright red mark from the impact, and he shrugged his shoulders, “Looks like you might keep your toes. I don’t know…that red mark looks like something that might require a sharp knife. I’ll decide on amputation or not later.”

He scoffed, lifting his eyes from her foot to stare between her eyes. He scanned her face, his eyes trailing down to her lips. Her lips were more innocent, and almost pouty, compared to Mika’s. He couldn’t help wanting to reach out and just brush a finger across her bottom lip, to feel how soft it was. He almost growled, glancing back down at her foot as he wrapped his hand around it for a moment, and squeezed, “I’ll um…I’ll leave you to the whole getting ready for the day thing. I don’t know if you have plans, but um…I’m thinking about trying to go for a supply run. I need some fresh…some fresh air.”

He sighed softly, realizing that he was awkwardly stammering as if he was sitting in front of a celebrity or a childhood crush. They hadn’t known each other long enough for him to have feelings for her. He had to keep telling himself that. She wasn’t his to hit on. She wasn’t his to cling to. She was just here for a while. She wouldn’t even be around long enough for him to feel justified in hitting on her, and yet, as he raised his eyes and placed her foot gently on the floor, his heart fluttered. Something about her was intoxicating, and she was he right type of person that he didn’t even know he had needed around. Cementing her to the bunker, and asking her to stay was not out of the question.

Neither was kissing her. He cleared his throat, trying to find an excuse to get up, in his mind. But his brain came up with no logical excuse, other than leaving her alone. So, he winced, staring at her lips for a moment, “Screw it.”

He leaned forward quickly, pivoting on his hip, and he cradled her face tightly in his hands, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was heavy, and curious, as he moved his lips against hers. He nipped at her bottom lip, raking his tongue over the soft bite, as his eyes closed tighter and he deepened he kiss for a moment. After a few moments of kissing her deeply, Dean pulled from he kiss, panting as he stared at her with wide eyes, both of their lips swollen from he kiss, “Sorry. I’m sorry.”

As Dean pressed on each of her toes, she remained still and didn't flinch on most of them, the only time she showed any kind of reaction was when he got to her big toe, the one she mostly hit where she gave a little wince but nothing major. "good to know in advance" she smirked back, looking him in the eyes back, noticing how his eyes trailed down to her lips for a moment before glancing back at her foot that he still had a grip of. She nodded at his eventual talking again, realising that she actually didn't have anything to do now that the case she was on with Sam, was over.

"I actually don't have anything on, so might just see if there's another case or something...unless you want company doing the supply run?" she replied to him as she lowered her foot to the ground, but considering his expression seemed deep in thought, she wasn't even sure if he had hesrd a single word she said. Then there was the fact that she couldn't ever stop thinking about how attractive he was when she barely knew him. She knew Sam better than she knew Dean, yet it seemed she could never stop giving in to the temptation of either being a smart ass or slightly flirty with him.

Lexi being Lexi knew that although she was being like this, she wouldn't dream of taking advantage of Dean when he was how he was at the moment, but he was fun to be around and as she was to him, he was refreshing to her also. There was just something about him that made her want to be around him, to want to constantly look into his green eyes, listen to him being a smart ass back at her and let herself actually smile genuinely around him.

Dean's little outburst of 'screw it' did make her raise an eyebrow questionably wondering what he was saying it about, when she suddenly saw him lean in and kiss her so quickly she couldn't even get time to process what was happening. Her eyes remained open for a few moments as he kissed her heavily until all apprehension and shock vanished and her eyes closed and she kissed him back just as curiously, feeling him nip at her bottom lip as she forced herself not to let out a noise in reaction.

She willingly deepened the kiss back until he pulled away from her leaving her wanting the kiss to continue as she let the after feel of his lips on hers linger as she opened her eyes and out of natural reaction, gently placed her index finger on her lips as she looked at him as he apologised for making a move on her.

She shook her head lightly, then took her hands to hold his. "don't be sorry, please don't be sorry" she told him softly, knowing she was going to have to tread carefully if she was to be an adult about this and thoughtful, but truth was she wanted to throw caution to the wind with him. Even if she didn't have initial plans to be sticking round the bunker permanently. A plan that was easily going to be broken and thrown out if she kept letting herself crush on Dean Winchester.

"I'm not sorry" she told him, leaning in close, her lips millimeters away from his, her eyes on his eyes before she closed her own and pressed her lips against his once more.

Dean glanced down at his ant Lexi’s hands as she held his hands. He brushed his thumbs over her fingers and relaxed a bit, turning his eyes back up to hers. He scanned her face carefully, and raised his eyebrows at ‘I’m not sorry’. He hadn’t expected her to react positively at all, despite their obvious attraction to each other. He stared into her eyes, not moving an inch as she leaned in and covered his lips with hers once again.

After a beat, Dean released one of her hands, and he brought his hand up to cradle her cheek, deepening the kiss instantly as he pulled her face tighter to his. It was odd. It was foreign. It was new, but the kiss almost caused his head to hurt with excitement as he broke down that boundary between them that had been aching to crumble since they were alone in the vault.

As the kiss became more heated, and he realized things could go in a direction neither of them might be ready for, Dean broke the kiss and pressed his forehead tightly against hers, nuzzling her nose with his. He brushed his lips over hers, and finally opened his eyes to look into hers, “So…you can stay if you want.”

He let out a breathless laugh, through his panting, as his thumb stroked across her cheek. He wanted to get to know her better, and spend more time with her. He didn’t know where things could go. Hell, he barely was able to shower alone, these days. But if there was one thing he knew, it was that Mika would want him to be happy, however reluctant with the ‘how’ of his happiness. She would be jealous as hell, but proud of him.