The sun was setting, casting a deep orange glow across the already golden California streets. Everyone was inside, whether it be a house or a club or otherwise, and Lola was blissfully happy with her alone time. She could walk safely down with the street with only a minor headache, maybe even a clear head if she was lucky.

Weather wise it was a day just like any other. Pure, unforgiving heat had given way to an uncomfortably humid atmosphere with little to no breeze. Lola had dressed only in a tank top and floaty knee-length skirt, playing it safe in case the sun decided to burn overtime again.

Ready for anything (and she'd learned recently that anything really could happen) she set off down her road, enjoying the feel of nothing and the sound of only her thoughts.

Sam never expected to be in California again so soon, but he supposed the heat had a way of making even demons go crazy. During his time in Palo Alto, he had gotten used to the muggy California air, and bummed it in shorts and tee shirts with the rest of his sweaty dorm mates, but now he had lost his tolerance for it, and his blue tee shirt and jeans were sticking to him just as badly as the seat of the Impala had.

Dean was out at some seedy bar, and probably with some seedy blonde, and Sam welcomed the alone time. There was just too much to sort out these days. When Dean was around, Sam found it harder and harder to let him out of his sight. Though he'd never admit it, he was counting the days, cataloging memories just in case they would be their last.

As the street lights came on, he squinted, making out the figure of a girl ahead of him. He kept an eye on her, because even though the lights were on, and the coast looked clear, it wasn't always safe at night, especially when you were alone. As she turned her head to study a house in front of her, he could hardly believe it.

"Lola!?" he called, jogging up to her.

It was truly amazing how you could live on one street your entire life, and never notice that one of the houses near you had changed. She could've sworn that the Patterson's house was white, not blue, and she suddenly wondered if the Patterson's even lived there anymore.

She really need to get some control and leave the house more often, because this was ridiculous.

When she heard her name being called, Lola looked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened and she smiled like an idiot, unable to believe that Sam was back in California. She liked that they always ran into each other.

"Sam?" She smiled even more, if that was possible, and resisted the urge to hug him. "What are you doing in Los Angeles?"

Lola was the type of person whose smile was infectous, and even Sam Winchester couldn't help but catch one too. He had saved her from two pretty nasty demons a while back, and the two had really hit it off. He loved that nothing seemed to get her down, even the powers that seemed to keep her from being a normal teenager, and all the supernatural messes she seemed to keep getting thrown into. Sometimes Sam wished he had that kind of optimism.

He could definitely use some right now.

"Oh, just tracking some more demons," he told her. "Your city is crawling with them, Lola. Why haven't you been killing them for me?" he joked.

Lola giggled, raising her hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She'd elected to wear her hair up so her neck didn't heat up under all her dark hair, but her hair band was beginning to lose its elasticity and the ability to do its job. She made a mental note to ask her mom to get a new pack for her.

"What am I going to kill them with? A pen?" She said with a smile, shaking her head. It was a good thing demons only seemed to like her when Sam was around, otherwise she'd be long gone by now. "Besides, I wouldn't want to get too good and put you out of a job. It wouldn't be fair," Lola teased.

With her hair pulled back and away from her face, it was hard for Sam not to notice Lola's amazing blue eyes. They were wide and seemed to be always alert and studying something, which was perfect considering her personality. Lola was extremely inquistive, and while Sam had a feeling that quality would annoy the crap out of his brother, he kind of liked it. He was full of useless facts, after all, and now he had someone to share them with.

"I'm actually pretty sure you can kill a demon with a pen," Sam said honestly. "Well, I wouldn't know, but my brother probably has, but I'm glad you're keeping safe, Lola." Sam paused, suddenly worried. "Nothing else happened while I was gone, right?"

Lola smiled happily as she felt his worry for her safety, feeling little butterflies start to take flight in her stomach. She'd often wondered if he thought about her while he was away and it warmed her to think that maybe he really did. He was just such a caring person.

"Well, there was that time a bunch of frat boys tried to make me their virgin sacrifice, but... oh wait, that was probably Buffy," she said with a playful grin. "Nothing happened, I promise. It's been pretty boring, actually. How are you? Anything good happen while you were gone?"

Sam laughed. "Yeah, the magic of that show was pretty much lost on me, no matter how awesome Willow was."

He really was relieved that Lola hadn't had anymore trouble of the demon variety. Dexter was bad news, the worst kind of demon with an even worse idea of fun and Sam didn't even want to think about what could have happened to Lola if he hadn't got there in time.

So much had happened since he'd seen her last, and as usual there were just too many things weighing him down, but he didn't want to talk about that with Lola. It wasn't because he didn't like her or trust her or anything, but because he liked how carefree she could make him feel. He just didn't want to ruin the good mood.

"Nothing good, but nothing worse than usual," he half lied. "We're really busy lately, though."

She could feel his unease as she asked her question and tried not to frown, knowing there were things he wasn't tell her. Whether it was to protect her, or because he simply couldn't say... well, she was an empath, not a mind reader. But the sadness within him was faint but definitely there and she knew whatever had happened, it had been really bad.

"Are you staying long in Los Angeles?" She couldn't help but ask, a little ashamed at her selfishness. Lola wanted to know that he and his brother were both okay, but she knew that he might not appreciate it if something really had gone down.

Lola always seemed happy to see him, and Sam could definitely say the feeling was mutual. He felt a certian connection with her, probably because of their powers and the unspoken lonliness that seemed to come along with them. He just couldn't imagine having to grow up with a secret like that, and to have everyone else not understand. He was sort of blessed in that aspect. The Winchesters had seen too much crazy to think he was.

"I guess it sorta depends on the case," Sam said honestly before starting to grin. "Why, did you come up with some more questions while I was gone?"

Giggling softly, Lola opened up her messenger bag and started to dig through the contents. "Hang on a second," she told him, always happy to give him what he wanted. She knew he liked it when she had lots of questions so she'd taken great care to write down anything that had popped into her head.

After a few moments of rooting around, she found a small notebook and pulled it out. It was more of a reporter's notebook than her journal and she flipped the cover open to reveal carefully written questions on every line. Lola looked over at him and smiled. "I might have a few."

It was amazing how free she could make him feel. It was almost as if Sam was a kid himself again. It was weird, though, because Lola was a bit of a walking contradiction. At times she showed a maturity well beyond her years. She was a bit of an old soul, but she still had this level of almost childlike innocence that reminded Sam of how sheltered she had been and just how much she hadn't seen.

Or maybe she's seen a little too much, Sam thought bitterly, thinking back to Dexter.

He had been half joking about the questions. Sam knew that Lola would have them eventually. She spouted off questions like a fountain, but he never expected her to have an actual list. It was so endearing, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm all ears," he told her with a grin.

She smiled brightly and began to look down her list of questions for a good starting one, but realised it might go a little smoother if they were sitting down. Lola held her notebook in one hand and gently tugged the sleeve of his jacket with her other, not wanting to freak him out by grabbing onto his wrist or even (she blushed lightly just at the thought) his hand.

"Come on, there's a park nearby and it'll be deserted by now. There's plenty of stuff to sit on so we don't get all tired of standing around," she explained as she started off towards it. "I'm guessing your extra long legs can get tired really easily." Lola teased.

When Lola tugged on his shoulder, he almost let out another laugh as he watched her. It was just such a strange thing to do, almost like she was a little kid who wanted a piece of candy or something.

"The park sounds great, shortie," Sam shot back. "I just hope you can keep up."

For some reason, Lola poking fun at his height didn't bother him as when Dean or Bobby did it, and he supposed it had something to do with Lola's irresistable charm. She struck Sam as the type who could even curse cutely, though he doubted she ever did.

He started toward the park purposely walking ahead of her and making a show of looking over his shoulder to see if she was in step. "What are you doing out here by yourself, anyway?" he asked suddenly. "You know better than anyone it's not safe."

She laughed as he walked ahead of her, practically having to jog at some points so she could try and keep up with him; his legs really were super long, and while she wasn't short, he had to be nearly a foot taller than her. She kind of liked that about him though. Sam was like some big teddy bear, but the type of teddy bear that could keep you safe and look after you.

"Saaam!" She called out, not caring if she sounded childish. "Would you slow down? You're gonna walk past the park!" Lola told him, managing to slide her arm through his and hold on for dear life, as if he could drag her with him.

Lola had chosen to momentarily ignore his question while she caught her breath, but rolled her eyes as the words came back to her. "In case you haven't noticed, there's no one around. That's why I like coming out at night and all, because there are no people to feel. Crowds are the worst. In heat like this, everyone is wearing no sleeves, and the more skin I brush up against, the worse is gets. Thank god you're stupid and wearing a jacket," she couldn't help but add with a playful grin.

Sam giggled as Lola latched onto him, slightly grateful that Dean wasn't around to hear him it and tell him he sounded like a ten year old girl. They walked arm in arm, though he began to wonder if he had made Lola cranky with his teasing.

It wasn't often that he saw her annoyed, and when she rolled her eyes and made a comment about his jacket, he decided to see if he could egg her on just a little bit more. "I like layers," he said with a shrug. "Besides, there's kind of a lot of me to cover. And I'd be a little nicer to me, you know. My brain just might get fuzzy and then I won't be able to answer your questions," he teased.

It had never really occured to him that touch could heighten Lola's abilities, and as he replayed what she said, he couldn't help but wonder how it all worked. "So you're touching me now. Can you feel anything?"

Giggling, Lola just held on and nudged him sideways to push him through the park entrance. He probably would've walked straight past it and she couldn't help but shake her head a little as she directed him towards a bench overlooking all the park equipment. She would've taken him to the swings, but he was Sam and she didn't wanna look too much like a stupid little kid in front of him.

"I'll try and be extra nice, I promise. You just make it so easy to tease," she told him with a laugh. "Your brother must have a field day with you. He probably has all your most embarrassing teenage moments to fish out and throw at you whenever he wants."

When he asked if she could feel anything, she just nodded. "I can't turn off my powers, remember? I'm feeling all the usual stuff from you that I can get when we're standing apart. You feel... happy, curious, and... well, there's a lot of sadness, and anger, and fear, but that's kind of the usual Sam channel. And I told you, I can't do the whole touch thing because you're wearing a jacket. I'd have to be touching your skin to get really strong feelings."

"Dean would have a field day with anyone," Sam said with a laugh. "If you ever meet him you'll find that out."

The thought of Lola meeting his brother was a good one, and he couldn't help but smile as he pictured it playing out in his head. But the truth was, Dean wasn't himself these days. Sure, he attempted jokes when there were long pauses, or made crude comments when they went to towns with even cruder names, but he just wasn't the same. Sam suspected he was only trying to keep up appearances, more for Sam's sake than his own.

Even after all that he had done for Sam, he was still trying to do more, and it made him love him (and hate him) just a little bit more.

When Lola mentioned skin to skin touching, a wave of warmthflooded over him as he thought about how intense everything could be if you could feel the other person's feelings. Even holding hands could be incredibly powerful. It must make sex an interesting experience. At that very thought, the wave of warmth turned to embarassment and guilt. Lola was a teenager, and even though he knew lots of teenagers her age had went there, she hadn't had sex, and he definitely shouldn't have been thinking about stuff like that.

"I'm sorry my channel is so boring," he said, trying to think of something to break the silence as he sat down on the warm metal of the bench. "It's just been a stressful couple of months."

When she sat down on the bench, and felt the strange mix of feelings coming from him, Lola couldn't help wishing she knew what he was thinking about. She turned around on the bench so she could see him and leaned her arm on the back. He seemed embarrassed, but she didn't know what could've led to that.

She bit her lower lip as he spoke; he felt so tired, and sad, and she couldn't help but reach out and put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay, Sam? Do you want to talk or-" Lola stopped herself, not wanting to pry. "We can just sit here a while. Maybe the peace and quiet will help you relax a little."

Lola really was a sweetheart, and when she offered to let them sit so he could calm himself down, he couldn't help but smile. There was just so much to tell, and it was all so very complicated. Sam wasn't even sure if he'd ever relax. It seemed like he had been permanently tense since Jess' death. Permanently on edge, and alert to what would inevitably come next.

With a life like his, there was always something, and very little time for breaks.

"Thanks, Lola," he said honestly. "Come on, start asking those questions," he urged. "It'll be nice to have something else to think about."

She smiled and sat properly on the bench, flipping open her notebook and looking through the questions. There was so much she wanted to ask him; so much about this weird, crazy new world that she wanted to know about, to store away for future use. Lola knew that it could keep her safe, which was important, but at the same time it was just so fascinating.

"Okay, here's one," she said after a moment of looking. "Obviously demons exist, because I met that one guy, but what else exists? What's the craziest thing you've ever had to face off against?"

It was a good question, and one he honestly had to think about. He had seen so much even before he had leftthe business and so much more after he had jumped back into it.

"Okay," he said after a moment. "Dean and I went after these clown demons once. "They went after children, even. Not to give you nightmares or anything, but a lot of things do, and those are always the creepiest."

Sam shuddered. "Yeah, I don't do clowns.

Lola's eyes widened and she stared at him. "There are evil clowns? Wow, I don't think I've ever going to sleep again," she joked, neatly crossing out her question. One down, one hundred to go. But somehow she didn't think he'd mind.

She looked through and tried to find another good one, wanting to start off interesting and kooky before she delved into anything that might be a little more personal. "What's the stupidest thing you've ever had to fight?"

"I know I won't," Sam mumbled.

He watched her, his face a mixture of curiousity and amusement as Lola looked over her list. He could see that there were tons of questions on that pad of hers, all neatly printed and ripe for the asking. He had a feeling that he and Lola could be here for a while, but he really didn't mind. Apart from the fact that he enjoyed her company, the night was starting to cool. The stars were out, and there wasn't a soul in sight.

If he and Lola were different people under different circumstances, he would say it was almost romantic, but as it was, the night was just gorgeous.

"You mean apart from Dean?" Sam joked. "We ran into some gremlins once. You know, like the movie. They screwed with my laptop and everything, but they weren't cool like Gizmo."

"No way, gremlins exist?!" Lola laughed with delight, crossing out her question with a little flourish. "That's so crazy! I guess I just can't believe until I see stuff up close, you know? But I don't know if gremlins are something I want to be close to," she added with a smile.

This was nice; her, Sam, a sky full of stars and a park full of blissful silence. She felt warm, and safe, and being this close to him on such a beautiful night made her stomach flip and her brain turn to mush. Her crush on Sam had been there from the very beginning. He'd saved her, after all, and been her white knight and how could she not love that? The fact he was one of the nicest and cutest guys she'd ever met helped too.

But she knew that she was too young and he was in too much pain and this would probably never amount to anything except a very nice friendship. It was enough to make her sigh as she looked for her next question, her eyes focusing on one near the bottom.

"Do you like being a hunter? I mean, is it a job that you chose or is it something that chose you? And are you glad, if it did?"

Her enthusiasm was adorable, and Sam nearly gave into the urge to hug her. It was strange considering the Winchester's weren't known for their affection, though Dean often joked that Sam was the girl of the family. Sam sometimes wished that he could share Lola's love of the whole thing. When he was growing up, he had found the stories of werewolves and things that go bump in the night fascinating. They were terrifying, sure, but in the good way, like a roller coaster he didn't want to get off of.

But as the years passed, harsh reality sank in. This wasn't a fairy tale. He and his family weren't heroes, hunters going after the big bad wolf. Their jobs were dangerous. People in their line of work, got hurt or died. Some suffered a fate even worse than death. Lola's question was a good one, because it was something he had often wondered himself.

"When I started out, I was sort of forced into it. You know, the family business," Sam told her. "But I left for a while. You know, went to school and tried to be normal, but then it sort of all came rushing back." Sam swallowed, trying not to think about Jess. "I guess it chose me again. Or maybe it always chose me, the demon did."

It was a hard thing to think about. The demon had chosen Sam, and singled out his family as a result. Even though he knew it wasn't true, Sam often wondered if his mom and Jess' deaths were his fault.

"I'm not gonna lie," Sam continued. "It's hard, and sometimes all I want to do is pack up my bags and go right back to school but, I think I'm really meant to do this, you know. I owe it to the people I've lost, and to Dean. There are too many people out there that need us."