It had been two weeks since he had exited the camps and had his break up with his girlfriend, two week since he lost his left eye due to an overzealous guard who couldn’t handle rejection and a week since he had been home from Romania. The team was well strained and tired which was why he wasn’t forcing them to do much. Those who had duties around the mansion and or the city that were in Romania got a few days off to cope with everything, not every day a mutant has to live through the camps.

Life continued on like it was the same once he got back a fact that made him sick to his stomach, he was heart broken, depressed and alone. The only comfort he sought was that in Bruno and Cammie who were happy to oblige due to the fact that they missed him greatly. When he first arrived home both Bruno and Cammie pounced him and proceeded to attack him with kisses. After a heart warming reunion Sam spent the next fourteen hours sleeping snuggled between a hundred and forty pound dog and a purring fur ball that took her throne next to Sam on the pillow where Alex used to rest her head.

His right eye for some reason refused to shed any tears over the entire situation it was weird to say the least. That he could feel as down as he was and still show no typical emotion that would most would show in this situation. His thoughts immediately trailed back to Tatmah. They were the reason he couldn’t process anything like a normal person. He was emotionally broken that was what he had concluded and that was why he could never cry or be happy with someone. Yes, logic for now had escaped him.

---

Two days that was how long it took him to reason that it was time to go back to his roots, he was to go home… err a place that he once called home. Broken memories of a far off place that seemed like a winter wonderland one where he could see faded images of his parents and his brother… his brother! Dom would surely have more information that what he had to go on after all he had lived with them for a few more years!

He would have a location and more recent memories, which meant… Sam sighed quietly as he laid in bed for it meant that he was to take his brother back to their roots the home of their family…

---

The engine of his car revved as it kicked up dust behind them as they continued on through their dusty trail through Kansas one state away till they were to Colorado it was ten at night and Sam had to stop for the night for his head grew heavy. He could have let Dom drive but there was no way in hell that was going to happen. Repeated requests were repeatedly denied there was no way Dom was going to drive his car.

Eyes growing heavy Sam rolled down the window to give himself a wake up the wind blew in his face as he looked to his brother and asked, ”I think there is a hotel around here somewhere, let me know it you… ah! There it is!” a dim light cut through the darkness as if it was the light at the end of the tunnel. It was slightly eerie seeing it with one eye but Sam paid it little mind everything was different with one eye.

Reading the sign as he drove closer and got off the high way Sam spotted a few dozen cars parked in the parking lot the sign was falling apart and it looked run down but he needed sleep so he nodded his head and spoke quickly to Dom, ”Get your stuff…” it wasn’t an order more like advice.

The ride with his brother for the most part was uneventful but they did have some time to talk about some topics some he was happier to discuss than others. Topics like his eye removal, Alex and some background information about his past he tried to steer clear from when he could. This was supposed to be a positive trip and he didn’t want his mind wandering back to depressing memories. Other than some of the music that Dom had he was actually enjoy the time with his brother.

Stepping out of the car and stretching his legs he pulled his arms behind his back and went to the trunk where he pulled his backpack full of his tooth brush, water, and cleaning supplies one would use during a road trip and a change of clothes. That was all he really needed anyways.

The entrance to the hotel was as he thought before a little run down but he didn’t really ever judge a book by its cover. As he approached the entrance there was a very attractive brunette woman with a warm smile on her face. She waved to both Sam and Dom and then curtsied and said, “Welcome to Hotel California, my name is Susan, can I help you with your bags?”

Looking back at his back over his shoulder then to Dom and his luggage Sam shook his head and smiled, ”No I think we’ll be alright Susan, but I take it there is a room available?” Susan nodded her head and caused the brown hair flow over he shoulders as she directed them to the front desk, “Let’s take you to the front desk first, then we can get your rooms set up.”

Nodding his head he waved his brother to follow Susan and as she led the way his eyes traveled south something he figured Dom was doing as well. But he didn’t say anything or give his brother a sign for when they entered one or two men in butler uniforms eyed them.

His own eye trailed around the room, which was completely different from the outside. Clean was an under statement sparkling would be a better word for the main lobby, which gleamed with gold from the chandelier and the lights all around the room candlesticks were nearby which caught his attention. “Lately the power has been fickle…” Susan said quickly as she had seen Sam eyeing the candles, “Now would you like one room or two?” she asked as she opened up a book and stepped behind the counter and approached the room keys.

Being a teenager was hard. Being a teenager who's parents were dead was even harder. Then add on being thrown into a foster home and then being kicked out for having mutant powers and being shunned by the majority of the general population because of it. It's been nearly a year since Dominic had arrived at the institute on his last strand of hope to find his last possible remaining relative. Over the course of time, Dom was surprisingly accepted into the mansion with open arms. Well, omitting the fact that Sam slugged him in the face when he first arrived, but over all, the now 17 year old blonde hair, blue eyed feral mutant was happy had grown fond of his new home and family. But of course life wasn't all rainbows and butterflies, and Dom had his fair share of problems. The main one was trying to gain proper acceptance from his brother. Dominic and Sam, while sharing the same blood were on opposite sides of the spectrum. The ice mancer, who excelled in sports and combat. Then there was the feral who excelled in cooking, arts and crafts and memorizing each and everyone of Beyonce's and Lady Gaga's songs. They were worlds apart, but every now and then, they met common ground and both could appreciate a beautiful female with a fine derriere. Some things just ran in the family. -shrugs-

The last couple of months, Dom has been pooping bricks over the well being of his brother as Sam and the other X-men went over to Romania to handle some of the trouble over there. Of course, then he remembered how bad ass his brother pretty much was and figured that he would returned unharmed. Sam returned, but the unharmed part...not so much. So of course Dominic was horrified when his big bro returned as a cyclops. Not only that, but apparently Alexandra wasn't going to be around anymore. Or at least that was the piece of gossip floating around and judging Sam's depression, it was probably true. Dom wanted nothing more than to lend support to Sam, but he knew the best thing to do was to just let Sam be and therefore Dom would also avoid another possible right hook to the face had he even tried to play counselor.

Dominic was surprised when Sam had approached him about going to Colorado. That was a touchy subject for Dominic because that was where the root of his problems had started. He vaguely remembered the day of Sam's disappearance due to him having been so young at the time, but that had been a stab to little Dom's heart and spirit. Then flash forward to the day Dom returned home from school only to receive notification of his parents' deaths. So one could see why Dominic wanted to give Sam a hell no to the idea of going back. He had started to move on, going back would only make the hurt resurface. But his brother had asked him to come along and help navigate them back to when life had been simple and happy. It didn't help that each time he looked at Sam and saw that eye patch, Dominic felt his stomach turn in knots from the guilt and that he wanted to go ape-shit (literally) and smash something. Yeah, there was nothing Dom could have done. Sam ordered him to stay behind and keep an eyes on things at the mansion and New York, but still. If there was one button to push to set Dominic off, it was bringing harm to his friends and family and he wanted to wring the neck of whoever was responsible for taking Sam's eye. He hoped the person who removed it had caught some serious karma and was rotting in hell. It was out of character to even think like that, but he was just that angry.

---

The car ride was a rather smooth but one could cut the awkwardness with a machete do to it being so thick between the two. Lady Gaga's newest CD was playing in the radio, which Dom loved, but he knew Sam was shuddering on the inside. The conversation was good, but Dom knew Sam was avoiding what had happened in Romania at all costs, which was starting to piss the teen off because he really wanted to know what happened between his brother and Alex and what exactly had went down to cause his eye to go missing. Instead of being a pest through, Dom played the game and didn't bring up the subjects for now anyways. Sam was getting tired and despite his protests of taking the wheel for awhile, Sam continued to deny him from the driver's seat. That was fine. Sam controlled the wheel, Dom controlled the radio much to Sam's dismay.

The brother's pulled up to a hotel...a rather decrepit one at that. The kind where you take a lady you've just picked up off the street and pay her fore a few hours of fun. "God help me..." he sighed to himself as the car came to a stop at the parking lot. Dom exited the passenger side and grabbed his things, even though Sam didn't really need to tell him to because Dom had brought along a bag of cleaning supplies in case they ended up somewhere gross looking like this place. Dom wore a horrified expression at how crappy the place looked. He didn't like filthy and run down looking places at all and the urge to break out the rubber gloves and bleach was starting to over come him until..."Hello..." his expression warped from horrified to mesmerized by the beauty of the woman greeting them and yet his eyes couldn't help but wander down her back as he followed behind her to the counter. Ok, so the outside had been misleading. The place wasn't the Hilton, but it was still pretty nice. However, that still wouldn't stop him from showering the room with Lysol.

"“Now would you like one room or two?”" Susan asked.

"Uh..." Dom began until Susan spoke up once again.

"We also have the lovers suite available if you two would prefer that. It comes with a jacuzzi and a mini bar. I mean if you two are..." Dom's eyes widened in terror. Did she think they were...?

"Hell to the no, that's freaking gross! He's my brother! Two rooms, please!" Dom snapped trying to wipe the horrid thoughts from his mind.

Susan chuckled placing a hand over her chest as she did so. "I sincerely apologize.I just assumed, that's usually the situation when two hotties come here together." she smiled. Though Dom was still disturbed, he felt a bit at ease at her latter comment. She thought he was hot. He didn't want to seem cocky, but he wasn't surprised at all. Good looks were another thing that ran in the family. As Susan started ringing them up, Dominic gladly backed away from the counter. Paying would be Sam's department.

A blink with one eye is considered a wink so all he could do when Susan asked if he and Dom were tighter was wink. ”Ummm….” he said slightly confused about her question, sure they didn’t look exactly a like but he was sure there was some kind of family resemblances between them. Not saying much after Dom told Susan the situation and then she responded in turn by calling them hotties. He didn’t pay much mind to the compliment for obvious reasons like still trying to get over what happened between him and Alex but he could tell his brother took this compliment to heart.

Seeing his brother’s ego inflate Sam smirked slightly and then looked back to Susan, ”Too rooms would be perfect, thank you and it’s alright no harm no foul.” he already could tell Dom would back up when it was payment time a fact that he was alright with, he knew after all Dom wasn’t making a ton of money and the money he was making Sam hopped he was saving for car insurance or cell phone bills.

Pulling out his card Sam handed it to Susan and she smiled and placed her hand on the card and Sam’s hand in turn. He blinked with one eye and eyed her hand then looked up to her gaze and then smiled, ”Could you give us two rooms right next door to each other, need to make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble.” pulling his hand away quickly from her hand Sam looked counter and then waited for her to ring up the amount. There was an awkward silence where she did nothing but stare at him for a few seconds before giving a friendly smile and swiping the card.

Within a few minutes Sam had his card back in his wallet and his keys in hand. “Now let me show you to your rooms!” Susan said with a smile as she walked back out towards them and down the call past the stairs to the second floor. Following her Sam got an uneasy feeling like he was being watched from afar as they passed the dining hall and the pool, which had a few kids inside. Hand rushing up to his head as he eyed the hot tub, which had a few old folks in it.

The flashing sensation came about fast and everything around him glowed slightly, well nothing but Dom and the hot tub, which he found extremely odd considering that when ever he had the flashing sensation people seemed to glow momentarily. He shook his head and looked back to Susan who had seemed to notice his momentary pain stricken face. “You all right?” she asked sounding worried far more worried than was necessary. Nodding his head slightly Sam smiled and said, ”yep”

As she approached the end of the hallway Sam was handed a key and Dom was as well this time instead of making hand contact and eye contact with him she made it with Dom and handed him the key to the room in the corner. “If your up for it Dinner will be ready in an hour, it’s a buffet so feel free to pig out,” she winked at them both, “I helped make the food so make sure you eat a lot of it alright.”

Sam smiled politely and nodded his head and then opened his door and started to walk in before he was stopped short by Susan grabbing his arm and the pulling it back while blushing, “Ummm… well… there… is also something else tonight you guys should come to, there is this dance in the ball room and it is usually boring with all the old folks and kids but I think you two might make it a little more enjoyable!” she gave a pleading look and Sam looked to his brother and shrugged, ”We’re leaving early in the morning if we are gonna reach our destination by tomorrow…” Sam said as he looked back to Susan and then sighed and shrugged his shoulders ”We’ll see….” with that he face lit up and Sam smiled in return before walking into the room next to Dom’s corner and walked in shutting the door behind him leaving Dom and Susan out in the hallway.

Waiting for Sam to pay for the rooms, Dominic posted himself against the wall of the lobby arms crossed. He looked up at the ceiling wondering whether this trip was really the right decision or not. He kept telling himself that everything would be fine and he would be strong enough to keep it together once they did reach their once little humble abode.

>>”Could you give us two rooms right next door to each other, need to make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble.”

Owe. Way to bust a guy's family jewels. Sam would embarrass Dom and treat him like a child around the hot lady. Dominic was a good kid and he didn't get into trouble...much. He was only 17, he had his fair share of unintentional mischief and misjudgment, but believed he was a good kid overall. She sighed and just decided to take out the iPhone he'd purchased with his savings from working at Full Circle. Even though it had been months since it happened, he was still pissed about that night he lost his Blackberry after the store had been broken into. He would log on to Facebook to kill his boredom, but the rooms had already been charged to the card and Susan started to escort Sam to them. Dom pocketed his phone and grabbed his bags following in tow glancing around the hotel as they walked through it. The place had a pool, which was cool. He could go for a swim later on to kill his nerves. The hot tub would have been better to relax in, but seeing the old people in bathing suits killed that idea real quick.

The came to a stop in front of their two rooms and Susan handed the brothers their key cards, though when Dom got his, he got a little bit of hand holding action and he stared back at the woman who did the same staring into his own blue eyes. A tint of red came into his cheeks as he took the card and finally broke hand and eye contact setting his eyes back towards the pool area. And then seeing some old guy bending over in a speedo snapped his eyes right to the sky as he cringed a bit trying to rid the hideous image from his mind. So he didn't catch the wink she had given both of them when she mentioned dinner. Next came the invitation to the dance. In all honestly, Dominic didn't feel like going, especially if it was going to be filled with old people and little kids. He'd be good sitting in his bed watching videos on you tube on his phone, which was pretty much what he planned to do. Even when Sam gave Susan a bit of optimism of the brothers showing up, Dominic had his mind set: No old people dance. Sam made his leave from the scene and entered his room leaving Dominic and Susan by themselves in the hall.

"So where are you boys headed to exactly if you don't mind me asking?" Susan ask with her usual cheerful tone and smile. Dominic smiled back rubbing the back of his head and he was starting to blush again. Colorado." he replied simply. "Just taking a little trip back home. So um...yeah. I don't want to sound rude or anything but, er, I'm kind of beat, so I'm going to go in now." he said walking towards his room and opening the door. He didn't want to be rude, but he was starting to get a weird vibe from the woman. He hadn't been noticing it before because he was so gaga over her looks, but now that he was coming back on cloud 9, there was definitely something off about her. It made him feel uneasy. Kind of like when a dog barks at a person because they knew that person was scared or had malicious intentions towards them.

"You rest up. Just don't fall asleep or you'll miss dinner. And I hope you'll join me tonight. I'm expecting a dance. Don't let me down." she replied with a wink. "See you later, handsome" and with that she turned around and headed back in the direction of the lobby. Dominic sighed. Now he felt somewhat obligated to show up to that stupid dance but on the other hand, his sixth sense was telling him to be wary of the woman. Whatever, as Sam said, they would see. Until then, it was time for a bit of R&R and Dom entered the room and dropped his bags on the ground. But first...

"Time to sterilize." he said reaching into his cleaning bag and slip on a face mask and a pair of yellow rubber gloves. Then he took out the can of lysol. What really helped with his cleaning was having his animal senses to aid him. He started to sniff around using a canine's smelling ability. It nearly overloaded his mind each time he did this because a dog's nose was keen and could pick up on so much more than the average human's. Though there was one scent that lingered in the air that made his eye twitch a bit. He had caught on the scent of bodily fluids, one that shouldn't have been too surprising considering that it was a hotel room. Just goes to show that the cleaning ladies at the place didn't know how to clean properly. However there was another fluid picked up. That iron scent of blood reached the sensory in his mind. Not only that, but the faint odor of decaying meat was registering too. It started to make him really wonder. First he picked up a vibe from the woman, now he was smelling blood and flesh in the air of his room. He wanted to think he was paranoid, but he just didn't feel right here anymore. Even if he asked Sam if they could leave, he'd probably decline the request since the rooms had already been paid for.

"...Crap." he whispered walking over and taking a seat on the edge of his bed. Now he wouldn't be able to get any kind of sleep because he was freaking out a bit. He'd seen way too many horror movies involving murders and hotels just to ignore it too. "...Crap."

It wasn’t time yet, it wasn’t time to move on from Alex, but she was flirting with him right? No she was flirting with both of them a pair of brothers and that wasn’t any way to single out and get Sam’s attention. He sighed as he fell onto the bed and ran his hand up to his face to wipe away the irritation and pain of the situation. His left eye was a constant reminder of the love that forced him away from her. He sat up his right eye tearing up as he shook his head and headed to the small bathroom in his room. Turning the shower on to as hot a he could possibly go he placed a towel on the toilet.

The warm water was a good distraction from everything around him, the things he left in New York the ones he left in Romania the one next door in the hotel room probably disinfecting the room with the can of Lysol he thought he kept hidden from him. The only thing he couldn’t be distracted from was the worry of what was to come when they reached their destination. Was there a trap of some kind waiting for him, a last ditch T.A.T. attempt to try and capture him? He was lucky the higher ups were adamant about getting him back in control other wise he would have probably been killed by now.

The more he thought about the more he started to worry why was it they were so focused on capturing him? They had plenty of attempts to do it but it would have required more force than they were capable of at the time, the closest they had ever come was in Hawaii when they turned Ghost for a time. Leaning over in the shower letting the hot water beat against his back he thought about the last time he truly had seen the last person from T.A.T. maybe they were out of operatives powerful enough to detain him? Adien wasn’t really in his league but the tiger shifter defiantly could get the element of surprise like no bodies business but the time he would be ambushed by someone of that caliber was over. Sam was on a different league now.

Sam continued to think over T.A.T. and everything that had been going on for the fast few months. The headaches that had seemed to be increasing the more he thought about Colorado and T.A.T. maybe it was a form of P.T.S. he didn’t know but it was defiantly starting to worry him. He decided as he got of the shower he was a therapist’s worst nightmare.

Twenty minutes later he walked out of his room fully dressed and already knocking on Dom’s door, it was dinner time and then after dinner they would go to the ballroom for a bit, this trip wasn’t just about him but his brother as well which was why he was going to distract himself with his brother and the art of picking up women. ”Hey clean your room another time, let’s get some grub!”

Dominic was a worrier by heart. considering how his life had been a little rocky, he figured he had the right to be. He always tried to have is guard up and trust his instincts. Right now, they were telling him to find another place to stay the night. Something Sam would probably say no to. There was also the option of just leaving without Sam, but that was completely out of the question. Dominic may have been the less courageous so to say out of the Johnson brothers, but even he wouldn't think twice about abandoning his blood. The eye patch Sam wore only a reminder of how Dominic couldn't be there for him in Romania.He would do everything in his power to cover his brother's back.

Dominic got off the bed and continued to finish what he set off to do, which was to get the place as clean as possible. He tried to set his mind on the task at hand so he would stop worrying, but it just continued to pester him like a mosquito on a damp summer day. The knock on the door caught him off guard and a high pitched girlish squeal was forced from his throat as he dropped the lysol can onto the floor. His heart was racing. He the voice from outside. It was just Sam, not Norman Bates. Thank god. He mentally sighed hearing Sam telling him to clean his room later. He knew Dominic too well.

"Coming." Dom called back as he reached down to grab the can of lysol and set it on the hotel room dresser. Some food did sound good right about now...he just wasn't sure if he wanted some from here. That was probably rude, but it was the truth. He checked his pocket to make sure he had his phone and his room key and once those items were confirmed to be in check, he headed out the room , closing the door behind him. The two brothers then walked down the hall towards the dining area. This was probably his moment to voice his concerns and he took it.

"Sam..." he said with a slight pause trying to figure out how to exactly phrase what he had to say. He didn't want to sound like a moron. Lord knows he done so many times before. "I smell dead people."

...and this would be another one of those times.

A blink was all he could produce to his brother when he said he smelt dead people, looking around the banquet hall Sam shifted his attention to all the people and then back to Dom, ”Serious?” he asked as he continued to look around in somewhat disbelief. Sam couldn’t smell as well as his brother but if Dom did smell something similar to dead people it was something he couldn’t ignore.

Frowning and continuing to look at a few of the hotel workers in their black and red uniforms Sam looked back over to Dom, ”Where was the smell coming from?” Sam asked curiously as he got in line for the food, if this place was where a few corpses reside then it was possible… ”It’s not coming from the food is it?” Sam whispered under his breath as a hamburger was placed onto his plate with some fries. It wouldn’t be impossible to turn a body into a source of food like that, all they would need to do is put it through a patty maker.

He shuddered at the thought of consuming something as vial as a corpse… looking to his brother after he got his plate he nodded him over to a table in the corner of the room secluded from the majority of the people eating, ”Act like everything is normal… we need to get to the bottom of this…” Sam said as he eyed Susan coming their way in a dress that showed off her assets. ”Not a word Dom…” Sam said as he took a bite of a fry praying it was just a fry.

"I'm serious." Dominic replied, a bit relieved that Sam actually believed him. Then again, Dominic wasn't really the one to joke about something so serious. Now he'd never actually smelled a dead person before, but roadkill, that was easily distinguishable for it's horrid scent. Whether it was an armadillo or a human being, rotting flesh was rotting flesh. "I smelled it in my room when I was trying to clean and sniff out the areas that needed the most disinfecting. I caught a whiff of blood in the air too." he followed behind his brother as they entered the buffet line and picked up their plates.

Dominic was really hungry, however with the topic at hand between him self and his older sibling, he wasn't really crazy about eating, especially when the thought came to mind about how the burgers could be people. It must have slipped across Sam's mind also because he asked if the smell was coming from the food also. The 17 year old grabbed a burger and placed it on his plate as her raised it to his nostrils, activating his powers again to double check. It smelled like a regular hamburger, thank god. Once he plate was filled, Dominic walked over and took a seat at the secluded table away from the crowd next to Sam. Act like everything is normal? He could do that. However, his senses were still telling me that there was anything but normal about this Susan woman. "She's trying to hard." Dominic commented quietly to Sam as he noticed the dress the woman was wearing showed off her bust. "I'm getting a strange vibe from her too, bro. There's something off about her...I don't know what it is, but it's creeping me out."

Yes, Sam was a little hesitant to believe his brother but living the life he had lived so far nothing was too hard to believe that and Dom had no reason to lie, sure if it was to save his own butt he would lie his way out of anything but this… it would have just been ridiculous. Not only that but Dom seemed a bit too jumpy to be lying.

The food checked out, it was a normal burger and normal fries. They tasted fine a little greasy but fine none the less. His eye still on Susan’s bust as she approached was a distracting break for the situation but when Dom spoke Sam regained his focus and ate another fry, ”She is a woman, she is a little more friendly than most of the girls I met but she hadn’t jumped either of us yet so…” Sam shrugged and took a bite of his burger and then continued, ”Easy Dom, she is just a girl, worst case scenario she is a mutant of some kind, just keep yourself under control, if she or anyone else is dangerous I’d rather us save or abilities as our trump cards.”

Sam didn’t want to come out and say it but Dom was right, Susan was making herself a bit to available with them, it made him uncomfortable as well, mainly because he just got through an intense break up, if it wasn’t for him being such an emotional wreck he might have been a little more open and friendly to Susan.

“Hey you guys made it for dinner!” the beautiful brunette exclaimed as she sat down and picked a fry off of Sam’s plate then took a bite of it. “It’s so boring here with all the old folks and the kids here, haven’t gotten anyone around my own age here in a long time.” Nodding his head Sam smiled and nodded his head, ”Well I’m glad we could help you out then!” picking up the burger and taking another bite. Then putting his glass to his lips taking a sip.

“So… you boys must drive the girls crazy back home right?” the comment caught Sam off guard and he created a small spray arc of his beverage that hasn’t been consumed yet. Coughing for a second Sam covered his mouth coughing while making sure that his brother or anyone else didn’t get hit with the spray. ”Sorry about that!” Sam said quickly before looking to his brother. ”Think I might have struck a nerve!” Susan said excitedly before looking over to Dom, “and you?”

"...Yet." Dominic emphasized before taking a bite of his fry. It was obvious that Sam was being really mellow about what was going on. Either that or Susan's tatas must have been distracting him a bit from the fact that Dominic had caught the scent of rotting flesh and blood in his bedroom! How could he stay calm? That was not normal at all! But Sam was right, it was better to just play it cool and not stir up any trouble. He did his best to avoid eye contact with the woman and just kept his concentration on the plate in front of him.

The burger was greasy and a little on the bland side. Maybe Susan tried to make up for her lack of cooking skills by flaunting her body. Part of him wanted to tell her to buzz off and learn how to properly prepare a burger, but as Sam said, it was best to just play it cool. That was beginning to be hard considering that Dominic had developed a bit of a cynical and sarcastic tongue and it was waiting to give Susan a good lashing. However, he told himself that there was no need to provoke the potentially psycho axe murderer lady dressed like a call girl who probably wanted in his and his brother's pants, right?

The 17 year old narrowed his eyes at Susan's comment about not having anyone her own age around the place in a long time...oh that triggered it. "Yeah, glad things look a bit dead around here...wonder if some of the guests are too..." he spoke in a casual tone before taking another bite of a fry. He mentally sighed at her comment about himself and Sam driving the girls crazy at home. Apparently Sam was caught off guard by her words and accidentally performed his own amusing version of a pokemon's water gun attack. Dominic was unaffected and looked back at Sam with a 'really?' look.

>>”Think I might have struck a nerve!” “and you?”

Dominic looked back at Susan gripping his glass and bringing the rim of it to his lips before replying "I'm gay." and taking a sip of his drink. A little white lie never hurt anyone, but maybe it would make Susan back off, from Dominic anyway. Sam would still have to deal with this woman's advancements. Tough.

If Sam had anything in his mouth he would repeat the offense, a spray that would hit anyone in the restaurant. However he blinked and looked to Dom and shook his head. Sam still had trouble telling when his brother was kidding or not, but he had a hunch that this time he was trying to ward off Susan who was starting to get a bit to friendly. Though if he did look at everything about his brother it wasn’t to farfetched to see him gay, he danced to Put a ring on it… he never did see Dom with any girls… he shook his head slightly and took another bite of the fry.

“I doubt that but I can take a hint…” Susan said with a pout and she looked over to Sam as she took a fry off of his plate and ate it while smiling at him. He blinked in return and added, ”That’s actually no that ridiculous of a notion…” he smirked to Dom then looked back to Susan who was giving him her undivided attention. ”Food is great!” Sam said quickly trying to get her to look away from him so nothing would happen between him. Eye contact was an important detail in flirting she however was not getting a look in return and nether was her cleavage.

Taking a giant bite of his burger and starting to chew it he heard a flirtatious laugh one that always seemed to get his attention no matter what girl did it. Turning his head slightly and looking at Susan she reached over with a napkin and whipped the side of Sam’s lip where some ketchup managed to leak out. She smiled warmly at him and said, ”Your making a mess…” he blinked once and met her gaze and nodded slightly, ”I have a tendency to do that…” he said not really sure how she just managed to get him to say that. She must have seduced him…

Chalking it up to he was still on the rebound he started to see Susan in a different light, she was a pretty girl and so far she had been nothing but nice to him. Why blow her off… hell she might even have a few answers for him as to why his brother was smelling blood and decay.

When his plate was cleared almost on cue music started to play, it was old jazz music something that the older folks there seemed to enjoy looking over to his brother he felt a tug on his arm and his body reacted instantly grabbing the hand that grabbed him. Hand now in Susan’s he loosened his grip and then smiled as she spoke. “You owe me a dance!” looking to his brother Sam shrugged and got up and followed her to the dance floor.

Apparently Susan didn't take all that kindly to Dominic's comment and all he could do was shrug. He wasn't one to be really all that rude, but seriously. She could have had a bit more class. She was practically throwing herself at them. Well, now after getting a hint, she was only throwing herself at Sam. It was then when Dom started to think and wonder about what had really happened between his brother and Alexandra.

At first, Dominic was a bit bitter that Sam was the one to snag her but over time he accepted it. Not only was Dominic too young for her, but there was just the principle that she had been happy with Sam and he was happy with her. They either a really strong like for each other, or they had been in love judging from how Sam had been acting after coming home and the absence of Alex in his life. And not he was allowing this...well, he didn't want to call her out of her name and Dominic didn't know if she slept around frequently or not, but she was acting like she was....easy to put it nicer terms. He rolled her eyes as she wiped the ketchup from her brother's lip. Here's Sam's comment, Dominic frustratedly scrubbed hand over his face. Was he actually giving in? Maybe just humoring her? Whatever, it who was Dom to intervene in his brother's fun. Just know that if she would try to hurt Sam, Dominic would have no qualms about hurting her. The 17 year old tapped his fingers on the table along with the Jazz music until he was approached by an elderly woman that walked up to his table and gave a toothless grin. "My what a handsome young fellow you are. How would you like to dance?" she asked.

"Um..."he didn't want to be mean or rude to the old woman, but...he wasn't enthusiastic about dancing with her either. "Actually, I think I'm going to just head on back to my room now. I have a long trip ahead of me in the morning. Yeah, you have a nice night now." Dominic smiled as he got up and patted the old woman's shoulder, then started moving toward the dining hall's exit. He stopped for a moment looking over at Sam and Susan shaking his head. Dominic was still getting that vibe from her....so much for actually sleeping tonight. He might have to watch Sam's back and his own.

Sam was oblivious of his brother till his right eye locked on him for a minute or two after he shot down a little old lady. Classy was a way to describe it. He sighed and then looked back to Susan not really bothering to focus on his brother anymore, Dom was a big boy he would be fine, he just hoped he wouldn’t do something stupid and panic due to what he had informed Sam about earlier.

Sam’s eye was open to his surroundings however distracted he may have been. Susan was a pretty good distraction. She clung to Sam’s arm as they walked to the center of the dance floor. Looking around to the more classic dancing to the jazz music Sam mimicked and started swinging Susan about. Hand in hers she smiled to him and pressed herself against him any chance he got. She was defiantly looking for attention and given Sam’s current relationship status and a broken heart she was getting it.

A few hours had passed and the ballroom was becoming empty. Just the band an old couple that was holding each other in a lover’s embrace and then Sam and Susan everyone else seemed to have left at some point. Her head was on his chest she was about the same height as Alex and if it wasn’t for her perfume he might have mistaken her for Alex. His heart sank when he thought of Alex and was only brought back to the present after Susan let out a long yawn. One he had no problem copying seeing as he was exhausted. ”It’s getting late…” Sam said nonchalantly hoping she would agree and decide to call it a night.

Things however didn’t play out exactly the way he had hoped. They remained there for one more song after Susan had requested it and then after he had agreed to walk her back to her room on the third floor. As they approached the door Sam leaned in and kissed her on the lips one that was a bit longer than he expected but as he tried to pull from the kiss he found himself being forced back into it. When the kiss ended a few seconds later she grabbed onto his hand and then said, “Still kind of early… you want to come into my room for some coffee?”

Sam’s lip twitched slightly, he liked that idea however he didn’t want things to go this way, she was all over him and he was leaving in the morning, it would have been a hell of a night stand but… ”Sorry, Dom’s gonna be worried if I’m not in my room in the morning, the poor kid panics enough as is…” leaning and kissing her on her cheek, Sam smiled, ”I had fun tonight, long overdue fun… thank you…” he pulled his hand from hers and headed back down stairs proud of himself that he managed to resist the temptation.

A few minutes later his door shut behind him and he banged his head against it. He should have stayed for coffee, it was only coffee right?

Knock Knock

Sam removed his head from his door and opened it without looking at the peephole, hindsight it wasn’t the best idea on his part because when he opened it he was pushed back as Susan quickly closed the door behind her. She was wearing a robe and Sam blinked, ”What are you doing?” Sam asked surprised she welcomed herself into his room.

He didn’t need to raise any more questions, her robe dropped when she tuned and locked the door. “You really have to ask?” she said smiling and leaning up against the door turning the light on above her to reveal the reason she unrobed. ”….” he didn’t say anything but just stared, ”…..” again words couldn’t form just yet, he was still to surprised. “Well?” Susan asked laughing slightly liking his jaw dropping silence. He blinked then smirked reaching down and removing his shirt, ”So much for sleep!” Sam said happily as he was eyeing her seductive clothing.

Taking a step forward Sam smiled and leaned into Susan’s face kissing her as she wrapped her arms around him. “You should have stayed in my room!” she said briefly as she pulled her face from Sam’s.

"-sobbing-What do you want?"

"To see what your insides look like...."

Yes, after already having the heebie jeebies about being butchered in the middle of the night there in the first place, Dominic was occupying his time by watching a slasher film. Probably not the smartest thing he should be doing and it wasn't helping his paranoia either. He called himself doing research. Studying and refreshing his memory on how to deal with a psychopath looking to spill the blood of young and beautiful victims like himself. There were three main rules:

1) Never say 'I'll be right back' when going to investigate a strange noise. Because you won't be back.
2)You can never drink or do drugs.
3)Never have sex.

Just then, the 17 year old paused the movie on his iPhone as he sworn that he heard strange noises. A door closing. Next door. His brother's room. Oh god, that evil wench was already making her move towards a blood bath. Or maybe he was just overreacting. Still, he felt like he should investigate....no, no, no! That's what the psycho lady would want him to do. But...that was his flesh and blood, the only he had left in this world as far to his knowledge. But then of course Dominic remembered that the people in those horror films never had mutant powers to aid them. Dominic could be stealthy without having to actually leave the room. He slid off of his bed and put his ear to the wall, activating a dog's sense of hearing so he could listen out for any kind of struggle. Well...he heard some struggling....but it sounded like the kind two people enjoyed. He recognized the voices...the feminine one belonging to Ms. Cleveage from dinner earlier. And Sam...Susan...snoo snoo. Nuuu~

"..." he slowly removed his ear from the wall and fell over on his side on to the ground with a expression of disturbance across his facial features. Maybe it was a little too dramatic, then again, a little piece of him did just die on the inside. Well okay, Dom had heard the stories about Sam being a bit of a ladies man, but really?! Even after Dominic had told him of his suspicions he goes and....ugh. What was going on? This trip was going straight down the path of hell....wait a minute. Hell. That was the key word. And there went Dominic's tendency to start over reacting. He'd finally came to the conclusion. The smell of dead people. The sexy dress and flirting...Susan was a succubus. And she was praying on Sam!

...

So, he had two options. He could burst through the wall and save him from the demon wench or...he could slap some sense back into his own head and probably just accept that maybe, just maybe Susan was only a desperate tramp who pounced on young and good looking men for a good time because she had to deal with old people and kids being the majority of the guests here at the hotel. Well, it really was never good to block Sam's chances of having a grand adult time, but you know, better to be yelled at by your older brother for spoiling his sexy sexy time with a floozy than to go over to the room the next day and find nothing but his dried remains.

Dominic hopped back to his feet and exited his room and walked over in front of Sam's door. Now, he needed something...a good excuse. Illness...that was always good. Taking care of your sick baby brother was more important than getting some...at least, Dominic hoped.

"Sam." Dom called as he gave 3 steady hard knocks to the door. A little bit of queasiness and distress was added to his tone for more convincing theatrics. "I'm not feeling too good. I think something's wrong....my gift..." he couldn't come straight out and say his mutation or powers. No need for Susan to cat wind of that little secret. Well, if she was a succubus, she was about to discover it anyway when Dominic goes Gorilla on her to perform his own version of a Hulk Smash.

Lips locking tongues touching and nothing to spoil the immediate gratification of what his brother called snoo snoo. Her hands reached down and lifted at his shirt. Without any struggle it removed it’s self from his body as they resumed kissing. Pressing her body up the wall Sam’s hand traveled up her thigh and…. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK…. Sam paused for a second and then heard the voice of his brother complaining about his gift.

He frowned and cursed under his breath as he removed his face from Susan’s and removed his hand from her thigh. She frowned and kept pressing to move onward with the good time but Sam couldn’t really get back into it. ”Hold on a second…” he said as he removed her hands from his neck reluctantly.

”I need to see what’s wrong… Dom has special needs…” Sam said not really lying about the situation. He had a feeling Dom knew what was going on in his room, and knew that he couldn’t come right out and say his mutation, if there really was something going on in this hotel. Sam kissed Susan once on the lips and said, ”Give me two minutes…” with that he made sure she was behind the door and he quickly opened the room and closed the door behind him so Dom couldn’t see what was going behind closed doors.

”Terrible timing!” Sam said slightly annoyed how his brother was denying him temporary happiness. Hand reaching Dom’s head Sam gave him a quick and soft backhand, ”That’s for interrupting the interrogation… now what do you want?” he asked other hand firmly on the door handle making sure no one could get in or worse… out.