(mind_the_muse) "Do you serve a purpose or purposely serve?"

[smart_alec494]

- Have you ever been betrayed by someone you love dearly? He sat. Unmoving. He wasn't sure for how long. All time was the same for him. He'd lost them. Slipped right through his blood slicked fingers

Comments

[idontdig_graves]

Elle didn't mind the contact, in a way it reminded her of sitting in the back of the Impala and shoving her foot on Dean's head, or wedging it between the door and the passenger seat so Sam would hold onto it. It never made getting out of the Impala easy but she didn't ever mind. Now she didn't mind Alec's boots barely pressed to her thigh.

She knew the way back to TC almost by heart by now. All the road trips out with Sam looking for the Colt, looking for an answer to the question without an answer. Still just like the Impala the gas mileage on the truck was horrible and just over the state line they had to make their first stop. It was good too since she figured that Alec probably hadn't been taking care of himself since Ruby left.

Pulling off the expressway and onto the feeder Elle found the least scary looking gas station -slash- truck stop and parked the truck next to one of the pumps praying she'd picked the right side for the gas cap. Cutting the engine she nudged the toe of Alec's boots trying to get his attention as she reached for the plastic, "Uh... static girl doesn't do gas pumps."

[smart_alec494]

He looked up from his slight daze. "Smart." He dredged up some life. "I wanna die in firey explosion, but only when I'm old." He could do this. It just wasn't easy. He uncurled and slipped out of the car. It was easier with someone near by. A steady presence. A genetic traite he'd gotten from Dean. He didn't do as well alone.

His feet hit the pavement and he wasn't X5 steady, but good enough. He looked around and matched up his suroundings with the snap shots that accompanied his mental atlas. It didn't take him long to match up the route that Elle had picked. Main roads, pleanty of places to stop.

[idontdig_graves]

Elle scooted over onto the passenger side door, she never really liked to risk the whole giant ball of flame account of her. She'd watched those Dateline things where the pop of static torched the cars. Walking around to the other side but not so near she hovered near the hood of the truck, leaning toward the side mirror a bit. "You look like shit," Elle finally expressed honestly, but with a smile of concern and caring so hopefully he wouldn't fly off the handle on her.

Biting on her bottom lip she shrugged, "I'm gonna go get something to eat for us, and yeah you're gonna eat something. I know all about the eating habits of you. I did watch you eat a whole gallon of ice cream in a sitting, and you do need to eat."

Elle nodded hoping he'd be okay by himself for a bit, which she was sure he would. He wouldn't leave her and she wasn't going to leave him either. Heading into the store the cool rush of the air conditioning put a chill to her skin as she moved through the back aisles and tried to remember that he was allergic to chocolate. She grabbed milk, because she knew from Jondy that was pretty crucial. Then a few of the sandwiches that were premade already, a bag of chips. She passed up the Blow Pops that normally would've been tossed at her head over the aisle. Instead she grabbed a bottle of iced tea for herself and made another pass for some other random things to eat and another thing of milk, because she figured.... just in case.

Thankfully by the time she'd finished wandering she could nod to the pump and pay for that and all the food at once. She felt like she had a grocery store in her arms, but she knew from the look of the hotel room they'd just left in New Harmony... Alec hadn't been eating.

Signing the bill Elle headed toward the truck to see Alec leaning against the passenger side door. Reaching in she grabbed the milk for him and pressed it to his chest, "Here. You've got meds to take too right? The turkey pills or something. J told me they're important back in Terminal City, so they're important now too. I'm not having my butt kicked by Ally if you are all dead and weird when we get back home."

She was stern, brave face Elle because she knew she had to be, and she might not be strong enough for herself but she could be for someone else.

[smart_alec494]

He nodded a little at her pronouncement about his appearance. He kinda figured he looked about as good as he felt and it wasn't all self neglect. He then gave a small but genuine smiled at the comment about the ice cream. That had been the birthday party she'd thrown for him. The first party of any sort he'd ever had. "It was damned good too." After a moment he added. "I'll eat." He didn't know how to express how grateful he was to her for coming back. and for making this trip with him, so if she wanted him to eat he damned well would.

He pumped the gass while she was inside, and it took a few minutes. This baby guzzled gas like a drunk goes after wine. It took a lot to go not very far at all. When he was finished he just draped himself agains the bed of the truck, tired. His arms hung over the edge and the fingers of one hand tangled in the strap of one of the bags.

Alec turned and took the milk when she pressed it to him. "She'd kick my butt first." But he did fish his pill bottle out of his jacket pocket. Then he tilted his head a little and gave her the curious/confused/considering face. "Can you be dead *and* weird? Wouldn't it be weird *then* dead?"

[idontdig_graves]

Elle pursed up her lips in question to her own words, "Huh, I don't know? I guess I never thought about the order more or less the whole barely living state you look like you're existing in. Which by the way better get better before we get to Ally."

She nodded matter of factly trying to put on airs that it was all okay, that this was going to be fine. They'd drive forever and get home and that would be that. The rest... the rest would just fall into place eventually. Or at least close to where the pieces belonged.

Leaning against the back of the truck Elle watched Alec take his pills and she breathed a soft sigh of relief for that fact at least. She never was sure what would happen without them, but she had to guess it would be bad. Finishing half of one of the sandwiches, she grabbed a bottle of water and twisted the cap off taking a sip.

"Come on, long way to go still," Elle pushed off the back bumper and moved to the front of the truck to cross over and get into the drivers side and start up the truck again. They'd stop again soon enough and she'd eat something else then. Maybe then things would start to feel a bit more normal.

[smart_alec494]

"Maybe I'm to literal? Sometimes I do that." He sipped at the milk, giving that and his pills some time to settle before wanting to atempt anything else. Puking would be so uncool.

"I'll look better. I think. . I think I need sleep." He watched her eat while working on the milk. "It's hard. Double whammy. So seretonin no sleep." He looked down, "I don't like sleeping alone." It didn't even have to be Ruby. Just family. Lately it had been Ruby, Ally or Dean. Dean was surprisingly tolerant of his kid brother acting like an attentioned starved stray. But Ruby, Dean and Sammy were gone.

He abruptly shook his head and climbed into the truck, cutting off thoughts that wouldn't help.