Everybody loves a clown 1
Alexis stood next to the brothers as they watched John's body burn. Alexis slips her hand into Deans, giving it a squeeze.
"Before he-before he-" Sam pauses. "Did he say anything to you? About anything?"
Dean is silent for a few seconds. "No. Nothing."
Alexis squeezes his hands again, he was lying. But Alexis didn't care. She would be there for him and Sam. She didn't know how she would help, but she would figure it out.
~~~
It had been one week since John's death and Alexis watches out of Bobby's window. Her eyes trained on Dean, who's was fixing the impala. She had already been out there five or six times today, but Dean was pushing her away. She plays with the end of her recently cut hair, it now went down to her shoulders, she needs an excuse to go out there.
Of course she would be lying if she said watching him fix the car from afar didn't have its perks. She shakes her head, making those thoughts disappear. So maybe this was more than a crush that would go away. Alexis had accepted it now. She had feelings for Dean Winchester. Just few though. Nothing serious, right?
Then she sees Sam walk out there. Alexis sighs, tapping her fingers against her thigh as she pushes herself away from the window.
"You still staring at Dean?" Bobby asks her as she walks in the kitchen.
Alexis rolls her eyes. "I'm making sure he's okay." She grabs a beer from the refrigerator. "I'm worried about him," She leans against the counter. "he's pushing me away. Whenever I try to talk to him its like pulling teeth just to get him to say more than two or three words."
Bobby sighs. "He just needs time."
"I know, but I can't stand seeing him like this."
Alexis heard the door slam. She walks toward it.
"Anything?" She asks Sam.
"Well, we're going to see who this Ellen is." Sam says. Alexis nods.
~~~
'Harvelle's Roadhouse', the sign read. The van came to a stop.
"God, I hate this thing." Alexis mutters, opening the car door.
"This is humiliating." Dean complains as the three get out of the car. "I feel like a friggin' soccer mom."
"Its the only car Bobby had running." Sam tells the two as they walk toward the door. "Hello? Anybody here?"
"Hey." Dean calls out after looking through the window.
"Yeah?"
"Did you bring the -"
"Of course." Sam throws Dean the lock pick.
Dean gets the door open and they walk in. The three walk around until a person laying asleep on the pool table catches their attention.
"This seems promising." Alexis crosses her arms over her chest.
"Hey, buddy." Sam calls out. "I'm guessing that isn't Ellen."
"Yeah." Dean replies. Sam walks off to the back room. Dean wanders back to the middle of the room Alexis went behind the bar and grabs a bottle of whiskey before walking back over to Dean. The two face the door where Sam had went. Alexis takes a sip of whiskey before handing the bottle to Dean.
Dean suddenly stops moving. "Oh, god, please let that be a rifle." Dean says, grabbing Alexis' attention. The gun cocks.
"No, I'm just really happy to see you." A woman's voice says from behind them.
"Shit." Alexis hisses, grabbing the bottle back from Dean.
"Don't move."
"Not moving. Copy that." Dean holds out his hands.
Alexis rolls her eyes. "Come on, I can't go anywhere without having a gun pulled on me."
"You should know something. When you put a rifle on someone, don't put it right against their back...it makes it real easy to do-" Dean spins around, grabbing the gun from the blonde woman. The bullet falls to the floor as Dean shucks the gun. "that."
Alexis turns around. The woman punches Dean in the face. Alexis takes a step back as the woman takes the gun and Dean stumbles back a little.
"Sam, I need some help in here." Dean yells.
"Sorry Dean." Sam says as he walks out with his hands on his head. "I can't right now. I'm a little tied up."
A woman walks out from behind Sam, holding a gun at him.
"Wow, you two suck at not getting caught." Alexis sets her hands on her hips.
"Sam? Dean?" The woman who had a gun at Sam's head asks. "Winchester?"
"Yeah." The two reply.
"Son of a bitch."
"Mom, you know these guys?" The blonde lady who had a gun pointed at Dean and Alexis asks.
"Yeah, I think these are John Winchester's boys." She laughs, dropping the gun to her side. "Hey, I'm Ellen. This is my daughter Jo." Ellen looks over at Alexis. "But I don't know who-" Ellen's eyes scan Alexis before landing on the half an H sticking out from her shirt on her collarbone. She points the gun at Alexis. "No, get her out."
Alexis rolls her eyes. "Come on, really? I didn't even do anything. I'll pay you for the drink."
"No, out now."
"Mom, what is it?"
Alexis turns around. "So, you haven't heard of me." Alexis laughs. "That always makes this more fun." Alexis takes a step toward Jo. She turns the gun from Dean to Alexis, who walks closer until the gun presses into her stomach. "So, I'll introduce myself. Hi, I'm Alexis Hart. You can call me Alex. Or you can pick from one of the many names that every other hunter has assigned me. Murderer, killer, psycho, whore, bitch, slut, I could go on and on." Alexis smiles. "But I can tell by the look in your eye that the minute I said my last name, it clicked. Didn't it?"
"Lexi-" Dean sighs.
"No, Dean, this is fun. So, have you heard the rumors? I've heard a few. I had no clue hunters were such gossips, but....Anyway, I want you and your mother to know. They're all rumors. I'm not what people say I am. Except, you know, I am kinda related to a bunch of murderer's. But, hey, you can't choose your family, am I right?"
"Just get out." Ellen says.
"God, you people are no fun." Alexis complains. "Sam, Dean, either of you gonna help me out?"
"I was going to. Come on, let her stay." Dean looks at Ellen. "She's really not like her family. My dad trusted her. Bobby Singer trusts her. I trust her."
Ellen glances at her. "She makes one wrong move, I'll shoot her."
"I take it that means you want your whiskey back." Alexis holds out the bottle.
"You're not gonna hit me again, are ya?" Dean asks Jo, who lowers her gun.
~~~
"Here you go." Ellen hands Dean a rag with ice.
"Thanks." Dean takes it as he sits beside Alexis at the bar. "You called out dad, said you could help. Help with what?"
"Well, the demon, of course." Ellen replies. Dean looks over at his brother. "I heard he was closing on on it."
"Was there an article in demon hunters quarterly I missed? Who are you? How do you know about all this?" Dean asks.
"Hey, I just run a saloon. But hunters have been know to pass through now and again. Including your dad a long time ago. John was like family once."
"Oh, yeah? How come he's never mentioned you before?"
"You'd have to ask him that."
Alexis furrows her eyebrows. Something was off with that.
Dean is quiet for a minute. "So, why exactly do we need your help?"
"Hey, don't do me any favors. Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if-" She stops. "He didn't send you. He's alright, isn't he?"
"No." Sam answers. Alexis reaches over and grabs Deans hand. "No, he isn't. It was the demon, we think. It just got him before he got it, I guess." Sam continues.
"I'm so sorry." Ellen tells the two.
"Its okay. We're alright." Dean shrugs.
"Really, I know how close you and your dad-"
"Really, I'm fine." Dean insists. Alexis squeezes his hand.
"So, look, of you can help....we could use all the help we can get." Sam says.
"Well, we can't," Ellen starts, looking over at Jo. "but Ash will."
"Who's Ash?" Sam asks.
"Ash?!" Ellen yells. Sam, Dean, and Alexis spin around when they hear a noise behind them. The guy who was asleep on the pool table jumps awake.
"What?" He turns to face them. "Closing time?"
"That's Ash?" Alexis glances between him and Ellen.
"Mm-hmm, he's genius." Jo nods her head.
"I'm havin' some trouble believing that." Alexis admits.
~~~
Sam drops a folder onto the counter.
"You gotta be kidding me. He's no genius. He's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie." Dean crosses his arms over his chest as he stands beside Alexis, who was sitting at the bar with Sam a seat away.
"I like you." Ash tells Dean.
"Thanks."
"Just give him a chance." Jo says.
"Alright," Dean gives in, sitting down and sliding the folder to Ash. "this stuffs about a years worth of our dads work. So lets see what you make of it."
Ash takes the folder and pulls out all of the papers. He flips through the papers for a few minutes.
"Come on. This crap ain't real. There ain't nobody that can track a demon like this." Ash says.
"Our dad could." Sam shrugs.
"These are nonparametric statistical overviews. Cross spectrum correlations. I mean....damn. They're signs. Omens. If you can track 'em, you can track this demon. You know, like crop failures, electrical storms. You ever been struck by lightning? It ain't fun."
"I was almost struck by lightning once." Alexis picks at her chipping nail polish.
"Can you track it or not?" Sam asks.
"Yeah, with this, I think so. But its gonna take time. Give me.....51 hours." Ash stands up, and starts to walk away.
"Hey, man." Dean calls out.
"Yeah."
"By the way, I dig the haircut."
"All business up front, party in the back." Ash walks away.
"Hey, Ellen, what's that?" Sam asks.
"Its a police scanner. We keep tabs on things."
"No, no, no, the folder."
Alexis looks up when she feels Deans hand brush her arm as he stands up. She glances over her shoulder to see him start to walk up to Jo. Alexis rolls her eyes, the all too familiar burning filling her chest. She quickly turns back to Ellen and Sam.
"Uh..." Ellen walks over to it, she grabs it and walks back to Sam. "I was goin a give this to a friend of mine. But take a look, if you want." Ellen hands him the folder.
Alexis leans over to see it.
"Thanks." Sam says.
Alexis was reading a paper from the folder where she overheard Dean.
"I guess we got 51 hours to waste." Dean points toward the door where Ash disappeared to. "Maybe tonight we should....." He trails off, glancing at Alexis. "No, you know what, never mind." He tells Jo.
Alexis shakes her head slightly, ignoring the rest of their conversation. Focus, Alexis, she tells herself. Get it together. He doesn't feel the same.
"Dean, come here. Check this out." Sam calls out. Dean stands and walks over to the two. He stands behind Alexis and leans down, his hands on either side of her and his chest pressed against her back.
"Yeah."
Alexis takes a deep breath. "A few murders, not far from here, that Ellen caught wind of."
"Looks to me like it might be a hunt." Sam adds.
"Yeah, so?" Dean asks.
"So, I told her we'd check it out."
~~~
Alexis shifts uncomfortably in her seat for the millionth time. She hated this van.
"You gotta be kidding me. A killer clown?" Dean asks.
"Yeah, he left the daughter unharmed and killed the parents. Ripped them to pieces, actually." Sam answers.
"I think its kinda funny. I've always wanted to hunt down pennywise." Alexis shrugs.
"The family was at some carnival that night?" Dean questions.
"Right, right. The Cooper Carnival."
"So, how do you know we're not dealing with some psycho in a clown suit?"
"Well, the cops have no viable leads, and all the employees were tearing down shop. Alibis all around. Plus, the girl said she saw a clown vanish into thin air. Cops are saying trauma, of course."
"I know what you're thinking, Sam. Why did it have to be clowns?"
"Oh, give me a break." Sam rolls his eyes.
"Oh, yeah. Sam's scared of clowns." Alexis chuckles a little.
"You didn't think I remembered, did you?" Dean asks, chuckling. "Come on. You still bust out crying whenever you see Ronald McDonald on the television."
"At least I'm not scared of flying. Or spiders and dolls."
"Planes crash." Dean argues.
"And spiders bite." Alexis glares at Sam.
"Apparently, clowns kill."
"In my experience, dolls do too." Alexis sinks into her seat.
"So these types of murders, they ever happen before?" Dean asks.
"According to the file, 1981. The bunker brothers circus. Same m.o. It happened three different times, three different locales."
"Its weird though. If it is a spirit, its usually bound to a specific locale: A house or a town." Dean says.
"Maybe its not a spirit." Alexis taps her fingers against her thigh.
"So how's this one moving from city to city, carnival to carnival?" Sam asks.
"Cursed object, maybe. The spirit attaches itself to something, carnival carries it around with the." Dean suggests.
"Yeah, maybe." Alexis nods her head.
"Great. Paranormal scavenger hunt." Sam complains.
"I know, it'll be a blast." Alexis adds.
"This case was your idea." Dean tells Sam. "By the way, why is that? You were awfully quick to jump on this job. You were too, Lex."
"So?" Sam asks.
Alexis shrugs her shoulders. "We haven't been on a hunt in a while and I want to get back out there."
"Sam, it's just not like you, that's all. I thought you were hell bent for leather on the demon hunt."
"I don't know. I just think, taking this job, its what dad would've wanted us to do."
"What dad would've wanted?"
"Yeah. So?"
Dean is silent for a few minutes. "Nothing."
~~~
The car comes to a stop in front of the carnival.
"Check it out. Five-0." Dean says.
"Do you think I can still get cotton candy?" Alexis asks, glancing around.
~~~
"Did you get her number?" Dean asks Sam, who was starring at a clown as she passes by. Alexis chuckles.
"More murders?" Sam asks.
"Two more last night. They were ripped to shreds. And they had a little boy with them."
"Who fingered a clown." Sam sighs. Dean looks at him. "What?"
"Yes, A clown, who vanishes into thin air."
"Looking for a cursed object, its gonna be a bitch. How are we gonna find it?" Alexis looks over at the brothers.
"It's bound to give off EMF. We'll just have to scan everything." Dean answers.
"Oh, good." Sam chuckles. "That's nice and inconspicuous."
"I guess we'll just have to blend in." Dean looks over at the 'help wanted' sign.
~~~
Sam, Dean, and Alexis walk into the tent to see a man throwing knives at the target.
"Excuse me, we're looking for a Mr. Cooper. Have you seen him?" Dean asks. The man turns around.
"What is that, some kind of joke?" He takes off his sunglasses to reveal his completely white eyes.
"Nice going." Alexis hisses at Dean, nudging his side.
"Oh, god. I'm sorry." Dean starts.
"You think I wouldn't give my eyeteeth to see Mr. Cooper...or a sunset, or anything at all?"
"Wanna give me a little help here?" Dean whispers to Sam and Alexis.
"Not really." Sam replies.
"I'm good." Alexis shrugs her shoulders.
"Hey, Barry, is there a problem?" A short man asks form behind the hunters.
"Yeah, this guy hates blind people." Barry answers.
"No, I don't." Dean defends himself.
"Hey, buddy, what's your problem?"
"Its just a little misunderstanding."
"'Little'? You son of a bitch."
Alexis bites back a laugh.
"No, no, no. I'm just-can somebody tell me where Mr. Cooper is? Please?"
Sam and Alexis laugh at Dean as he struggles to get an answer.
~~~
"You three picked a hell of a time to join. Take a seat." Mr. Cooper tells them as the walk into building. "We got all kinds of local trouble."
Alexis walks over and sits down. She clears her throat to keep from laughing as the brothers walk in and notice the chairs that were left. One was normal and the other had a back shaped and painted like a clown.
She watches as the brothers practically dive for the normal chair beside hers. Dean had made it to the chair. His shoulder accidentally hits hers as he sits down.
"What do you mean?" Dean asks as Sam reluctantly sits down.
"Couple of folks got murdered. Cops always seem to start here first." Mr. Cooper explains. "So you three ever work the circuit before?"
"Yes, sir. Last year through Texas and Arkansas." Sam lies.
"Yeah." Alexis mumbles.
"Doing what? Ride jockeys? Butcher? A&S men?"
"Yeah, little bit of everything."
"You three have never worked a show before in your lives, have you?"
"Nope, but we really need the work." Dean admits.
"He's right. We would love to join the crew." Alexis smiles.
"And Sam here has got a thing for the bearded lady." Dean adds, nodding toward his brother. Dean laughs a little. Alexis elbows him in the side as Sam gives him a look.
"You see that picture?" Mr. Cooper points to picture of a man who looks exactly like him. "That's my daddy."
"You look just like him." Alexis says.
"He was in the business. Ran a freak show, till they outlawed them most places."
"That's terrible. Dean would've fit right in with them." Alexis shakes her head. Dean gives her a 'what the hell' look.
"Apparently, displaying the deformed isn't dignified. So most performers went from honest work...to rotting in hospitals and asylums. That's progress, I guess. You see, this place, its a refuge for outcasts. Always has been. For folks that don't fit in nowhere else. But you three...you should go to school. Find a couple girls, and a guy. Have 2.5 kids. Live regular."
"Sir?" Sam leans forward. "We don't wanna go to school. And we don't want regular. We want this."
Dean leans back in his chair and Alexis reaches over and grabs his hand.