#A Supernatural Journey

[eevvvaa]

A Supernatural Journey - Part 26

A Supernatural Journey - Masterlist

Serie Summary : After an unplanned event in their road trip, Emily and Eva crossed paths with two brothers. One thing leading to another, the two best friends found themselves in what seems to be a supernatural journey…

Pairing : Dean Winchester x Eva (OC), Sam Winchester x Emily (OC)

Warnings : Some fluff, a bit of angst, not much to warn about honestly

Words : 20 424 (I don't think I know how to write short chapters anymore ahah)

Dividers by the amazing @firefly-graphics

A/N : Well. It's been a while 😅 But if anyone is interested on a new chapter, here it is ! Happy reading :]

Emily’s POV:

I was still quiet as Jody brought us something to drink.

The welcoming woman had insisted on giving us something other than water but Eva told her that it was totally fine, neither of us wanting to bother her with another kind of drink. But Jody had none of it so my best friend asked for some apple juice, fully knowing that I loved this drink even though she wasn’t a big fan of it. This put an end to this discussion. Jody kindly accepted this answer and left the room to go and get us our drinks, ignoring my best friend’s and I’s proposition to help her.

Anyway, I politely thanked the sheriff when she offered me the glass but stayed pretty silent after that, a bit uncomfortable to be in a stranger’s place like this. But, aware of my discomfort even though she wasn’t at complete ease either, Eva sat down next to me on the couch, her leg touching mine to create some comforting contact between us. I gave her a light smile and got one in return.

I still didn’t know what had happened to her earlier, but whatever it had been, it was gone. Her face was brighter, her eyes showed more enjoyment and her smile was real. I liked that look way more. But even if I was now relaxed to see her like this, the curiosity and desire to know what had happened was still there and I was still wondering what could have gone through her mind to make her feel the way she had felt. I was planning on asking her about it soon.

“You boys want something to drink.?” Jody’s voice put an end to my thoughts and made me come back on earth.

“Sure, some beers would be fine. Thanks Jody.” Dean immediately answered and Sam nodded by his side, offering her an appreciative smile.

When Jody left the room to go get their drinks, I could breathe a bit more easily, the slight uneasiness of being there still making me tense. Sam turned his head towards us and my eyes unintentionally met his before quickly looking away. I didn’t know what it was about that day, but I could hold his gaze even less time than usual. The intensity of his gaze made me feel strange, almost uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure if he knew how his gaze made me feel or if it was even intentional but still, it was there and making me want to hide and disappear. I just wanted him to stop looking at me like this.

Ugh! I needed to stop this. I needed to stop feeling this way when my friend was looking at me. Because that was what Sam was: my friend. And the night before had been nothing but a… a friendly mistake.

“Hum… Aren’t you gonna drive again after this?” Eva asked hesitantly, making me raise my head again and offering me a nice distraction from my thoughts.

The tall girl next to me was looking at Dean who raised his eyebrows at the remark, letting a smirk spread his lips. He chuckled.

“Don’t worry Sweetheart, one beer won’t make me have a car crash.” He declared, full confidence in his voice.

I felt my friend shifting her leg next to me, probably flustered by the nickname. I knew what this word did to her. I slightly smiled at her discreet reaction probably going unnoticed by the brothers and looked at her, waiting for her response but Sam was the one replying to him instead.

“No, but your bad driving could.” He retorted with a sassy grin and I couldn’t help but let a quiet laugh out, approving his answer.

Sam looked at me when the light chuckle escaped my mouth and his lips stretched a bit to lightly show the dimples in his cheeks. Something new shone in his eyes and a part of me interpreted it as pride. But it was probably just happiness that, for once, someone appreciated his humor. He probably wasn’t often supported in his jokes, and certainly not by Dean considering the dark glare the older man was suddenly giving us.

Then, fully ignoring Sam’s eyes on me, I focused on Dean and offered him my best mocking grin. After what he had done to me while driving away from the gas station, I had every right to openly make fun of him. And yet, he should have counted himself lucky that I was only laughing at his brother’s joke, it wasn’t much considering how I could actually piss him off. Actually, after getting on my nerves that morning by basically telling me to get lost in the kitchen when I had only asked him if he was alright; then irritatingly interrupting Eva when she was about to explain me what was bothering her and, finally, making me fall in his stupid car, he deserved to be made fun of. So I wasn’t going to be shy about it.

“Yeah. I still don’t understand how you didn’t crash your oh so precious car yet. Did you get your driver license in a Kinder Surprise or is this thing fake too?” I asked, a proud smile on my face, holding Dean’s gaze that was clearly not amused.

But it didn’t matter if he was finding this amusing or not because I did. And according to the chuckling man next to him, so did Sam.

“You think you’re funny?” Dean asked with a mocking expression, clearly in need of a good comeback. But before I could say anything, Sam opened his mouth again.

“Oh, she is.” The taller man declared and I felt my ego grow bigger, a new pride invading me at the idea of Sam enjoying my humor.

I had never really paid attention to Sam’s reactions at my bickering with his brother before but, apparently, he was enjoying it. When I looked away from Dean to look at him again, his eyebrows were slightly raised, showing his brother how satisfied he was with my answer. And when Sam looked back at me, I could see in his eyes that he meant it. A warm feeling spread inside my chest at the idea of Sam sharing my humor. I hated this feeling as much as I liked it. Or maybe I hated that I liked it. I didn’t know anymore, I didn’t know what to think since the events of the night before. Events that I was desperately trying not to think about.

So why was I bringing it back again?

“Yeah, no, I know. I guess all I’m trying to say is… to be careful?” Eva tried to explain herself, her original comments with the best intention, and thankfully interrupted my thoughts. Preventing Dean from replying anything to my provocation in the process. And when I saw in his eyes the little bit of frustration from it, I couldn’t be happier.

My best friend had helped me win this argument in spite of herself and I loved her even more for that.

“I’m not gonna be arrested for just one beer. And even if I was, I’m in the Sheriff’s good grace.” He proudly replied, closing his eyes and raising his chin in a satisfied gesture.

I rolled my eyes at his face.

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t take it for granted, Dean.” Jody declared when she entered the living room again, holding two beer bottles in her hands. “Eva’s right, I shouldn’t give you this.” She joked, eyeing the bottles then Dean.

I slightly straightened when she reappeared, silently enjoying her picking our side and teasing the older Winchester too. She wore a satisfied grin while Dean’s proud smile fell at her comment and I savored the sight of him being annoyed to be mocked at. I could get used to Dean Winchester being not amused, it was a pleasant and satisfying view.

A teasing smile on her lips, Jody offered Sam a beer he gladly took, thanking her, before sending an amused look to his brother. Then, without adding anything, he walked to the couch, dangerously close to where I was sitting. I tried to hold myself back but my eyes followed his movements for a second, before returning to Jody and Dean, still standing in front of each other. The elder brother turned his palms towards the sky in an annoyed gesture. I felt Sam sit beside me, taking place on the armrest next to me, his very presence sending tiny little sparks all over my back. I gritted my teeth at the feeling, trying to suppress it while he nonchalantly opened the bottle, unaware of the sensation on my back.

Why did he have to sit right there? Couldn’t he just pick an easy chair to sit on?

“Come on, what is this? The Vice Squad?” Dean complained and I internally snorted at his comment. He could be annoying but, as much as I hated it, I used this kind of reply too when someone was on my case when I hadn’t asked for their opinion.

Eva turned towards me for a second, a not-so-suppressed grin on her lips and I understood that she was thinking the same thing, having heard me say it multiples times before. Like when she would judge me for eating sushi with ketchup. Apparently, it was an insult to sushi, but wasn’t eating raw fish the real insult? And everything was better with ketchup!

“Here.” Jody finally declared, slightly rolling her eyes at Dean’s sudden big smile as he grabbed the bottle and walked to the couch too.

The green-eyed man happily sat down next to Eva, making her turn her head towards him as he uncapped his beer bottle with his hand. Jody sat down on the other side of the coffee table, crossing her hands between her slightly opened legs and looked at us.

“Jody, can you tell us more about the case?” Sam’s voice asked next to me and I could almost feel his hot breath landing on the top of my head. I mentally cursed him, keeping my face neutral as Jody looked at him. She took a breath before starting to talk about the reason of our coming.

“Three people went missing. Zach Garrison, Hailey Hammond and Charles Odom. Zach’s a local kid who lives alone in an apartment a bit out of town and was the first one to disappear. It’s his girlfriend, Liv, who reported him missing after a few days without news from him. She came to his apartment and found it empty. That was last week. Then there is Hailey. She works at a bar downtown, the JL Beers, and didn’t come to work for three days before her boss, Harry Werner, started to think that maybe she wasn’t just sick. He didn’t have any news since Tuesday. The last disappearance is Odom, works in public library next town, nobody heard from him for two days now. And today, we found Zach’s body near the river…” Jody explained the first part of the case, filling the boys and us in with what had happened in this town.

It was clear in her voice and expression that she was concerned about those missing persons. Of course it was her job as the sheriff to make sure of the safety of the inhabitants of Sioux Falls but I could feel how seriously she was taking this duty, how finding this man’s dead body was affecting her. But, looking at her, it looked like it was also giving her a certain strength, a powerful desire to found the killer and put them behind bars. Or put the monster down as it seemed to be in this case.

“You mentioned him being drained of his blood.” Sam added and Jody immediately nodded, approving this information.

“Yes. The M.E. didn’t found any stab wounds or bites marks, only a tiny hole in his arms, the size of what seems to be a needle. I checked myself. A few bruises on his body as well but that’s it.” Jody declared and I turned my head towards Eva who was wearing a disgusted expression.

I was repelled by those information but I knew that she and I weren’t uncomfortable for the same reasons. I knew Eva could physically feel and picture the blood being drained from her body, even though it wasn’t truly happening. I, on the other hand, felt almost sick at the idea of a person murdering another one. And I still wasn’t quite sure how I felt when this person wasn’t even human but a monster lurking in the darkness.

“Well, definitely sounds like a djinn. They keep their victims alive for a while until they’ve sucked all the poor guy’s blood.” Dean declared and I felt Eva shudder next to me, hating everything they were saying.

Naturally, I put a hand on her knee to ease her a little and Dean must have felt her discomfort too because he looked at her for a second, his slightly concerned eyes ready to found hers. But Eva had already turned her head to me, offering me a thankful smile at my gesture, missing the hunter’s look.

“Yes, that’s what it seems to be. And I would have loved to not have call you for this, guys, but I never dealt with one of those before and three disappearances in a week… it’s a lot of missing people, already. And I don’t want it to get out of hands.” Jody added, looking like she was sorry to have asked for their help.

“No, no, don’t worry. You were right to call us on this. Djinns are powerful and all it needs is a single touch to trap their victims.” Sam quickly answered and the sheriff nodded, showing how she appreciated them coming to help her. The brothers hadn’t hesitated even for a second, answering her call for help in an instant.

“Thank you for coming.” She replied, a simple smile on her face.

“Of course, Jody.” Dean added before clapping his hands before him and getting up in a grunt. “Well, Sam and I are gonna have take a look at that body, see if we find anything you could have missed. No offense.”

“Sure.” Jody nodded, getting up from her seat as Sam left his too.

My eyes found the wide back of the tall hunter as he walked in front of me and I quickly looked away, refusing to stare at him for even a second. So, focusing on my shoes, I ignored the hunters standing in the living room, preferring admiring my holed Converses than paying too much attention to the obvious muscles on his back.

His back…

Stop it, Emily!

“Aren’t we coming with you two?” Eva suddenly asked, her voice showing how unsure of her own question she was. But it was a great question. The guys were going to inspect the corpse but what about us? Were we going to wait for them here, in a stranger’s home? Because as nice as Jody seemed to be, we didn’t know her at all and even if I didn’t doubt that Eva would have made conversation with our host, I wasn’t feeling really comfortable staying there all day long.

“Hum, no, not really.” Dean started and I tucked my chin at how sure of this he was.

“Why?” I immediately asked before I could even prevent myself from speaking.

“Well, I’m sorry to break it to you but you’re not an FBI agent.” He started and I glared at him at tone he had used. “And even if we wanted to bring you with us, we don’t have any fake badges for you two.” He explained, pinching his lips together when he was finished.

As much as I wanted to argue with him that we could still join them and hated to even think this: he was right. Eva and I had zero experience on impersonating federal agents and considering the look on Sam and Dean’s faces, they weren’t going to teach us any of this that day.

“Dean’s right, you can’t come with us for this.” Sam added, his voice leaving no room for argument and this time, I gave him a look too, frustration invading my body.

And what were we supposed to do during this time?

I hadn’t realized that, by agreeing to come with them on this case, we were going to stay behind, alone, waiting for them to come back. I hated this idea, it made me feel useless.

“Well, I can show you girls around during that time. I’ll have to finish preparing the bedding for your staying, if you don’t mind helping me?” Jody suddenly turned to us, offering a warm smile, as she tried to find a way for us to pass the time while the guys would be gone.

I appreciated how she tried to make us feel like we weren’t just going to wait there, on the couch, for the boys to come back. I wouldn’t have agreed to that either way. It was out of question to let her do everything without lifting a finger. She was welcoming us in her home, the least we could do was help her prepare the things we needed for our stay here. I certainly wasn’t going to let myself be serviced by her, especially when I already felt like I was inviting myself to her house.

So, I nodded, letting her know that we were going to help her, needless to say, and gave her a polite smile.

“Of course, we’ll help you.” Eva quickly replied with a smile.

“By the way, where are Claire and Alex?” Dean asked, furrowing his eyebrows for a second.

Right. The boys had mentioned Jody’s adoptive daughters and since we were here, we hadn’t met any other resident of this house. And now that Dean was mentioning it, I started to wonder how big Jody’s house was to welcome all of us there. I knew for sure that Eva and I could book a motel room for the weekend if it was complicated to find a bed for the two of us. But before I could look further into the situation, Jody answered Dean’s question.

“Claire went to a party with some of her friends and will sleep at one of her friends’. As for Alex… Alex is staying at her boyfriend’s place tonight.” She quickly let out in a breath, as though she wasn’t ready for her own words.

Dean’s eyebrows raised at her sentence, surprise written all over his face as he crossed his arms on his chest.

“Oh. And you’re alright with that?” Dean asked with an amused smile, leaning against the wall next to him.

“Well, no. But I can’t keep her locked in here forever, can I?” Jody replied, her motherhood showing at this sentence.

I internally smiled at how protective over her girls she seemed to be. I didn’t know anything about the woman, yet, but she appeared to be a great mother, worried about them even if she hadn’t been the one giving birth to them.

A movement to the right of Dean caught my attention and my eyes landed on Sam. He looked at the watch wrapped around his wrist, not paying attention to the conversation happening. Something strange happened in my chest at his taciturn behavior and he raised his head, his eyes founding mine. I quickly looked away, not wanting any kind of eye contact with him and stared at Eva instead, listening to Dean and Jody.

“Dean,” Sam interrupted, “I think we should go talk to the coroner.” The hunter declared, pointing at his watch to make his brother aware of the time passing and therefore putting an end to the conversation going on.

“Right.” The older man answered, turning around and bending to grab their duffle bags on the ground in a grunt.

“The two bedrooms at the end of the hall and the bathroom are free.” She simply said and Dean nodded.

“Where can we…?” He started when he straightened, pointing behind him with his thumb.

Jody seemed to understand whatever he was asking because she answered his unfinished question.

“Great, thanks.”

Dean placed one of the bags on his shoulder before throwing the other one to his brother. Sam caught the bag with surprise, a huff leaving his mouth and glared at his brother, annoyance in his eyes. Dean offered him a wide smile, amused by his own actions and turned around, heading to the stairs behind him, his brother following.

Eva’s POV:

As the boys went upstairs, Jody asked us how the road to her place had been.

Emily and I automatically answered that it had all went well, even if, for me, it had been far from it. Holding back tears, trying to breath correctly while fearing looking at the man I had spent the night with wasn’t what I could call ‘a nice trip’. But I had to be honest with myself and say that, now that he and I had talked, I felt much better, lighter, even if I was regretting acting the way I had.

I would apologize about that to him later.

In order to pass the time while the boys were doing whatever they had to do upstairs, Jody asked some basic questions to get to know us. I could feel how nervous and uncomfortable Emily felt, her voice all soft and high as she answered Jody’s questions. She was always like this when in a stranger’s house. Emily wanted to be as polite as possible, trying to make the other person as comfortable and untroubled as they could be, making her presence as less remarkable as possible. So, in order to make it easier for her, I was going to do the talking for the both of us. I didn’t mind answering Jody’s questions and according to my best friend’s look, she was appreciating it.

After a few minutes, the sound of footsteps going down the stairs caught our attention. Bringing my glass to my lips to take a sip of the apple juice, I raised my head towards the sounds, catching the sight of unfamiliar clothes. I frowned for a second when I didn’t see the basic jeans the brothers usually wore and my eyes widened when I took a better look at it.

Once I looked passed the Oxford shoes going down the stairs, I lifted my gaze, going up the dark darted pants covering familiar bowlegs. Then, passing the sight of the dark belt around his waist, my eyes landed on a strong chest hidden behind a bright white shirt, a green tie hanging at his neck and bringing out his already jade orbs, even ten feet away.

A suit.

Dean was wearing a suit. And he looked absolutely incredible in it. Hot and handsome.

Oh my…

Even if I had wanted to hide those thoughts, my body betrayed me as I choked on the beverage I was sipping. Slamming my glass on the table, I started to cough loudly, choking on the damn apple juice and the sudden amazing beauty thrown at me. Covering my mouth with a hand and resting the other one on my chest, I tried to breath properly, couching even more as some juice tried to leave my lungs. I felt Emily slightly patting my back in a comforting gesture, trying to make me breath again and I finally calmed down, clenching my jaws in concentration so it wouldn’t come back.

With watery eyes, I straightened, feeling everyone’s gaze on me – for obvious reasons – and I tried to avoid every one of them. But as though they had a mind on their own, my eyes naturally found Dean and his slightly pleased smile. I gulped, my heart hammering in my chest at the near-death experience and the sight of him. I took a deep breath, trying to find my composure back under his intense gaze and hardly swallowed when he kept staring at me, like no one else was in the room with us.

“You’re okay there, Sweetheart?” He asked, a satisfied tone in his voice and his eyebrows slightly raised. All of his face showed how proud and contented he felt to get this reaction out of me, as though he was forgetting for a second that we were supposed to keep the thing between us discreet.

“Yeah…. hum… Wrong pipe.” I tried to explain with a hoarse voice, slightly patting my chest to try and clear it out.

Dean gave a me a little smile, not buying my lie and I cleared my throat again. The more I was going to look at him the worst it was going to be, so, I turned my head to my best friend. Already looking at me, Emily sent me a look, silently making me understand her thoughts. Thoughts that I knew meant ‘Wrong pipe? Really? There is absolutely no other reasons behind you choking on apple juice?’. Of course there was another reason! So many other reasons.

Trying to avoid her knowing look, I turned my head towards the brothers. Briefly taking another look at Dean, my eyes fell on Sam. The tallest brother was wearing a dark blue suit, a plaid tie of a lighter blue resting on his chest and even if, to me, no one could compete with Dean’s look, I had to admit that Sam looked incredibly good too! He objectively looked hot and knowing my best friend, I would have been surprised if she didn’t thought so too.

At first, she refused to look at me, probably feeling my gaze on her but I saw the tips of her ears reddening. I smiled. Emily had become a master in hiding when she blushed, literally swallowing it down, but she still hadn’t managed to stop the tips of her cute little ears from reddening. And this was exactly what I needed to know how she felt.

I must have analyzed his looks for a second too long because Sam narrowed his eyes at me when I looked at his face, his brows furrowing. Or maybe he was suspicious about my sudden choking, seeing right through me and my reaction at his brother’s sight. I had already felt his suspicious eyes on me during the whole ride there but I had tried to ignore those, acting as natural as possible to prevent him from finding out what his brother and I had done the night before.

Hoping to not look too weird, I gave Sam a slightly embarrassed smile for staring at him like this and turned to my best friend again.

Oh, same here, Em’, same here.

“Alright, we gotta go. The sooner we see the body, the sooner we can search for the others.” Sam declared, not forgetting for a second the reason why they were here in the first place.

Dean nodded next to him and my stomach warmed up when I looked at him again. The green-eyed hunter had his arms crossed before him, his suit fitting his biceps perfectly and I took a deep breath. I had felt those under my hands, skin-to-skin. I knew what he looked like under those clothes. And the more I looked at him, the more I felt like everyone in the room knew that.

“Yah, we’ll let you know if we find anything.” Dean added and looked at me.

I wondered if he knew the affect he had on me, if he could see it as much as I could feel it. But from the look in his eyes, he seemed to, a discreet smile present at the corner of his lips.

The brothers checked their fake FBI ideas and I wondered what aliases they had chosen this time.

“You guys are not gonna leave on an empty stomach.” Jody declared standing up, the mother in her showing at her comment. I smiled, loving that they had someone like her in their life. They always took care of each other and it warmed my heart to see that Jody took care of them when they came visit her.

“We’re gonna grab a bite on the way, don’t worry.” Dean replied, offering her a big smile and she sent him a disapproving look. Next to him, Sam gave her a sorry smile too, showing that he agreed with his brother.

Before she could say anything else, the brothers turned around and headed to the front door.

“We’ll keep you updated!” Dean shouted, raising a hand in the air in a waving gesture and I couldn’t help but let a quiet snort out at his behavior.

The hunter took a few more steps and my eyes lowered on their own until they found his backside. I had often stolen a few glances at his behind but I had to say that those pants were doing real justice to his ass. But before I could think more of it, he disappeared at the corner of the living room, putting an end to my slightly inappropriate thoughts.

The door closed behind them and Jody let a sigh out, probably a bit frustrated with them leaving like that. The woman turned to us, a tight smile on her face and put her hands on her hips. I smiled at her, understanding her feeling and she gave us a warm look.

“Well. I’ll show you girls your room then.” She declared and I nodded, turning my head towards Emily who seemed tenser than before now that we were alone with the Sheriff. She was still going to need some time to adjust to being in her home, I knew that. But I hoped that it was soon going to be easier for her because Jody seemed to be a very nice woman.

“Sure.” I replied, looking at Jody again.

“Alright, follow me.” She asked and headed to the stairs, waiting for us to grab our bags and join her.

Glancing at Emily, I offered her a friendly smile and winked at her, a gesture she seemed to appreciate, and took the first step towards the short-haired woman.

Emily’s POV :

“Since the girls aren’t here I could have give you a room each, but I know Claire doesn’t like when someone goes into her bedroom, not even me. And if I don’t let either of you sleep in her room, it wouldn’t be fair to let you use Alex’s. I’ve heard you both have siblings, I’m sure you know what it’s like.” Jody explained in the hallway upstairs and I saw perfectly what she meant. Florian and I often bickered about who had more soda in their glass, equality was everything in our house. So, I understood what she meant.

Eva let a light chuckle at Jody’s words and the woman slightly turned around to look at us. I nodded.

“Yes, a little.” I replied, my voice higher than usual, shyer even, and I rolled my eyes at myself when she turned around.

Why was I always taking this high, shy and annoyingly honeyed voice when I was with a stranger? Ugh! Why couldn’t I just be natural? Plus, Jody seemed to be a nice woman, there was no reason to feel uncomfortable around her.

“I gotta say, living with those two… it’s not always a piece of cake. Claire is… she has her temper.” She admitted and I felt myself be sporting a polite smile even though she couldn’t see me.

Unable to respond anything to that, empty of any kind of answer to give her, Eva was the one speaking this time.

“Well… From what Sam and Dean told us, you seem to be handling it very well.” She declared and I could feel her smile in her voice. It was true that the brothers had spoken highly of her and from the look of it, she seemed to be true to her reputation.

The woman slightly turned around, looking at us behind her shoulder and smiled, clearly appreciating the comment.

“Thanks. I’m not perfect for sure but I’m doing my best.” She said and continued to walk through the hallway.

Jody’s house was big. We hadn’t seen every corner of this place but even from outside it was huge. Her living room was bigger than Eva’s bedroom and mine gathered; and our apartment was okay. And now that we were walking in the hallway upstairs, I wondered how many rooms were available in her place considering we had already walked pass two bedrooms. Claire’s and Alex’s from what I had understood. Taking a few more steps, two other doors were closed on each sides of the corridor. Another one was at the end of the hallway, a sign indicating that it was the bathroom pinned on the white wooden door.

Then, Jody came to a halt in front of the closed door on the left.

“You girls can stay in this room.” Jody started while opening the door and taking a few steps in the room. Eva followed her and I was the last one to enter. “I hope that you don’t mind sharing a bed, I assumed that it would be okay.” She said, turning to us and waiting for our reaction.

“It’s no problem for us, don’t worry.” Eva answered with a smile.

“Absolutely.” I timidly agreed and mentally cursed myself for appearing so… honeyed. It was one thing to feel a bit uncomfortable around Jody, but I hated to not act like myself like that.

“But maybe it won’t be the case for the boys.” Eva tried to joke at the idea of Sam and Dean sharing a bed and Jody chuckled at her comment.

“Well, they won’t have a choice.” She declared, not leaving room for them to argument with her and I liked how confident of it she was. And Eva was right, I wasn’t sure either that the brothers were going to be thrilled with the idea of sharing a bed with each other. We knew that they had slept in the same room basically all their life but I didn’t know if they often slept in the same bed.

“Alright, so there are some sheets just here.” Jody explained, opening a wardrobe and taking some in her hands and Eva hurried to take them from her, placing them on the undone bed. When she turned around, Eva smiled at me and I gave her a slight grin in return.

“You have some blankets just here in case you’re cold during the night.” The Sheriff pointed at an upper shelf of the furniture. “And feel free to hang your clothes in there too, it’s your space.” She explained and I appreciated how she was welcoming us in her house.

Eva nodded and I thanked Jody with a smile. My roommate put down her bag on the floor, next to the bed and I did the same, placing mine right next to hers.

“There are some towels in the bathroom for you two, under the sink, if you wanna take a shower. The changing of bath mode to the shower mode is a bit difficult but the trick is to slightly push it on the right.” She explained with a smile. Then the tallest woman started to walk towards the exit of the room, making us turn around to keep our eyes on her.

“I don’t know if you girls are hungry bu-” She didn’t get to finish her sentence as her phone rang. Jody took her phone out of her pocket and gave us an apologetic smile.

“Excuse me.” She told us, gesturing to the call she was receiving and we made her understood that she could answer it without any problem. She gave us a quick smile before answering to a certain Scott and left the room, disappearing in the hallway.

Turning to my best friend, Eva was playing with her hands, looking around the little bedroom we were in. The bedroom was small and cozy, the window opposite to the door was allowing the sunlight to get it and shine on the warm colored bedroom. The huge wooden wardrobe was placed opposite to the bed and created a very welcoming place even though it was clear that it wasn’t used often.

A few seconds later, Jody came back in the room, ending her call.

“Sorry, an agent of mine just called. One of our regular visitors is causing them some troubles and our new guy won’t be able to handle him alone. I have to go back to the precinct and give them a hand.” She quickly explained, slightly sighing as though it was bothering her to leave us.

“Of course, Jody. You have other things to do.” Eva told her and I nodded.

“I would have loved to show you around a little more but I really have to go. I’m sorry to leave you like this, girls.” Jody declared and I slightly shook my head at her.

“No worries, Jody, it was already really nice of you to show us your house.” I told her and she gave me a kind smile.

“Alright.” She suddenly said, clapping her hands before her in an attempt to get into action. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone but from what I’ve understood, you two didn’t eat either. So, there are some leftovers in the fridge if you want, feel free to heat them up. But if you’d rather eat something outside, which I’d understand, Botski’s Bar and Grill in town is a great place. I recommend it to you.” Jody explained and the idea of eating her food while she wasn’t even being here bothered me. A lot. So, I didn’t know yet what Eva thought of this but to me, this diner sounded good.

The Sheriff exited the bedroom and with a move of her head indicated us to come with her. So we did and followed her in the hallway while she continued to explain us our options while she was gone.

“I’m gonna give you two a spare key to the house so you can come and go as you wish.” She suddenly declared as she went down the stairs, making me mentally freeze.

This woman didn’t know us even the slightest and she was entrusting us with the key to her home. How could she so fearlessly let us stay here in the first place was surprising me but the idea of leaving two strangers in my house and allowing them to go back and forth without minding at all was impressing me.

She was giving us a trust we didn’t even earned.

“Jody… are you sure? I mean, we would understand if you’d rather have us waiting here for you to come back. Or wait in town and you locking behind us when you leave.” Eva tried to say as if she had read my mind. She probably wasn’t feeling totally comfortable with this situation either and found the idea of staying at her place without her a bit much for a first meeting. But Jody didn’t seem to agree as she turned her head towards us once she reached the end of the stairs.

“I’m not gonna ask for you to sit and wait here while I’m at work. I want you to feel comfortable here so, if you’d rather spend the day outside, go. I’m just asking you to lock after you when you leave.” She declared with seriousness and I felt myself nodding at her words.

The tall woman continued walking until she disappeared behind a corner, the sound of a drawer opening reaching my ears. Eva stopped at the end of the stairs in sync with me and we looked at each other, silently agreeing with the fact that she was being incredibly nice to us. I was amazed by people’s kindness sometimes. And never knew how to react to it. Then, my best friend gulped as though she was thinking about something bothering her. I raised my eyebrows, trying to understand what was suddenly on her mind and she took a step towards me.

“Do you think that it’s wise to leave this house? I mean, with the… the monster in town and Dean and Sam gone… If they come back and we aren’t here… I don’t know, I don’t think they’d want us to leave without them.” Eva said, letting her worries out.

And I understood that she felt this way, Eva had always been one to ask for permission when I would rather ask for forgiveness. Even if, in most cases, forgiveness wasn’t even to ask. And in this situation, I neither wanted to ask for permission or forgiveness, I didn’t want to patiently wait for them just because they could be a little upset about us leaving a place they had left us alone at in the first place. At most, I would have stayed there without arguing if it had been what Jody has asked us, after all it was her house. But apparently, as surprising as it was to me, she was willing to let us decide whether we wanted to stay here or not while she was gone.

“Well, you’re not prisoners here, so you can do whatever you want. And if Sam or Dean have a problem with it, they’ll deal with me. They can’t expect you to just wait here for them to be finished with their work while you do nothing. So feel free to visit the town if you want and go eat something at this dinner. You’ll see, Gary is a nice guy.” Jody declared before I could even reply anything to my best friend. And how I loved this woman’s answer.

I could see Eva’s doubt in the way she breathed, a little out of words, and the way she slightly moved in discomfort but I, on the other hand, felt more comfortable around Jody than since the beginning of our meeting. I didn’t know what I expected of her, and to say she hadn’t scared me a little with her appearing knowing eyes would have been a lie, but in this moment it felt like we were sharing the point of view on things. And I liked this, the idea of neither of the boys having to say anything about what we did.

A smile appeared on my face in spite of myself and Jody must have seen it because she gave me one back. Giving me a single nod in understatement, she confirmed her words, silently saying that she was having our back.

“So, here the keys, make sure to lock when you leave.” She repeated and took a few steps towards us, handing me the key.

Quickly stealing a glance at Eva, I took the spare key and smiled at Jody.

“Thank you.” I simply said, my voice more natural than before and I mentally thanked myself for this.

“And I’m gonna give you my number, just in case.” She said, walking to the coffee table. Jody grabbed a pen and scribbled something quickly on a piece of paper. Once she was done, she came back to us.

“Here.” This time, she handed the object to Eva who gently took it, reading the numbers on it. “There is a bus stop down the road on the left, it can get you downtown in a short ten minutes. Feel free to come back whenever you want. All I’m asking is for you to be careful and call me if you there is anything.” She declared with a smile and put on her jacket before leaving her house without worrying for a second.

Eva’s POV :

She shouted to us to make ourselves at home before she shut the front door, leaving us standing in her living room before Eva or I – even if I was actually agreeing with her on most points – could argue with her. I turned towards my best friend who was staring at the closed front door, speechless about what had just happened. I, on the other hand, felt myself slightly smiling.

Yeah. Maybe I was going to like this woman, after all.

Staring at the opened messages section on my phone, doubt invaded my mind.

I was thorn between letting Dean know that we had left Jody’s place and taking the risk of him not liking it and the option of not telling him anything, enjoying my afternoon with Emily but risking him maybe being angrier that I hadn’t told him. I knew this mental debate was stupid because I was a grown up, so was Emily, and we could do whatever we wanted. It wasn’t like they had given us order to stay in Jody’s living room. But still, it felt wrong, like I had to let him know. But Emily surely didn’t agree with that, her free will was really important to her and she never let anyone tell her what to do. I, on the contrary, would rather have people telling me what I should do, it was easier and so mind freeing for me.

I knew how stupid that sounded but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to have to argue with Dean if I hadn’t texted him when I should have.

Ugh, why was I creating problems to myself like this? I could just live my life, I didn’t have to justify myself. And he wouldn’t be mad if I was being careful, right? Right?

“You’re not listening to me at all, are you?” Emily’s voice suddenly reached my brain and I raised my head to look at her, eyebrows high on my forehead in confusion.

“What?” I asked, coming back to Earth and to the diner we were sitting at, the sound of forks on plates and people talking filling my ears. Emily glared at me and I pinched my lips at her expression.

I hadn’t even registered her talking to me.

“Sorry.” I apologized, feeling bad for not paying attention to what she was telling me.

My best friend let a sigh out and I quickly locked my phone as though I had something to hide and straightened, placing the device next to my legs.

“Are you texting him?” Emily asked, slightly raising her eyebrows and I mimicked her expression.

“Who?” I asked, playing dumb even though I had no reason to lie about that, we both always knew who him was. At this Emily rolled her eyes, not believing me, and I gave her a little pinched smile.

“You know who. You don’t have to tell him where you are all the time, you know. I mean, like Jody said, we’re free and adults, we can take care of ourselves. Hell, we’ve been taking care of ourselves before we even knew them.” The blue-eyed girl in front of me said and I knew she was right. But something in me didn’t feel right if I didn’t tell him about this.

“I know, I know…” I sighed, my eyes landing on the menu I hadn’t even looked at yet. “I just don’t want him to be mad at me because I didn’t keep him updated about where we’ve been.” I explained and Emily took a deep breath, understanding my fear.

It was always the same thing with me, I didn’t want people to get mad at me. And after years of knowing each other, Emily knew that very well. When she had no problems speaking her mind and standing up to people, all I wanted was to disappear, avoid any conflicts and apologize for weeks. We didn’t deal the same way in those situation and where she found some kind of stimulation in it, I only saw danger and insecurity.

“Yeah, I think she can be pretty scary.” I joked and my best friend nodded rapidly.

“Well, the thing you need to understand in your little head is that no one can be mad at you. You’re just frustrating like that.” Emily declared and I let a little laugh out at her words. “And why would he be mad, huh? We don’t have to report him our every actions. So if he has a problem with us being outside and eating, he’ll get through me. And Jody, apparently.” She continued, a bit of amusement in the end of her sentence and I smiled, loving the sound of that.

I could always count on her even when I was being a coward and kept a low profile when I was caught red-handed, just like I did in high school. When we were being in the wrong because we were talking about everything but the class, Emily never feared the teachers, explaining herself without being disrespectul and finding a way to avoid us some blame while I would look at my feet and pray for the ground to swallow me. So if Emily was capable of facing her teachers back at high school, I had no doubt she wouldn’t have any trouble facing Dean.

“Right? I mean, she seems nice and I don’t wanna talk badly of her, but it looks like she can see right through you without even trying.” Emily said, clear in her voice that it wasn’t something she was enjoying.

“Do you think it’s a mom power or something? Like, the moment you become a mother you can see through people you don’t even know just by looking at them?” I wondered at loud and Emily made a face, shaking her head at me.

“God, I hope not. My plan is to avoid eye-contact and proximity with her.” She declared and I laughed, knowing that it wasn’t even a joke. Of course she was going to try and avoid Jody at all cost, probably fearing questions she didn’t want to answer to.

I crossed my arms and rested them on the table.

“I see, staying polite without being too close. This way you won’t have to answer to the least personal question possible. Good plan.” I joked and she chuckled.

“Exactly! It’s already embarrassing enough that I have this stupid voice every time I talk to her. I’m not gonna go and see if she can figure out everything about me. I won’t do this to myself.” She declared, shaking her head and I knew she meant it. She truly hated this sweetened voice even if it wasn’t that terrible actually.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong in what you do and you really don’t sound as bad as you think. You’re just being really polite and that’s nice! The carefulness in your voice can be a bit surprising when we actually know you, but that’s all.” I explained and she let out an annoyed sound, throwing her head back to rest against the back of the booth.

“Ugh, I wanna punch myself every time I hear myself talking.” She grumbled and I chuckled.

“It’s really not that bad. Just be your amazing self and Jody will adore you.” I truthfully told her with a wink and she rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, right.” She replied, clear in her voice that she didn’t believe me much.

Before I could argue with her, a young man approached us, a notebook and a pen in his hand. A huge smile plastered in his face he seemed incredibly sympathetic and I grinned back, appreciating the kindness that emanated from him. Passing a hand through his dark hair, he stopped at our table, ready to take our order.

“Hi, what can I get you two?” He asked and my eyes widened for a second at his question.

Lost in my thoughts, I had totally forgotten to read the menu and even though my stomach was eating itself from the inside, I didn’t know what it craved.

“Huuuh…” I started, quickly grabbing the menu before me and scanning the list of food. “Sorry, I haven’t chosen yet, but I’ll be quick.” I apologized and he chuckled.

“It’s alright, I can come back in a few minutes.” He explained but I shook my head, I was starving and wouldn’t take long to choose what was going to fill my empty stomach.

“Em’, you can order if you made your choice.” I told her, trying to gain more time to go trough the menu.

I hadn’t seen the bagels options yet but if there were it was evident that she had picked that. She could eat those for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was safe to say it was one of her favorite food ever. And I agreed, it was a nice choice.

“Alright. I’ll take the veggie bagel with an apple juice, please.” Emily ordered and I raised my head at her.

Of course.

“Bagels sound good. I’ll take the Indiana one with a coke, please.” I finally ordered with yet another apologizing smile.

“Those are pretty good, I hope you’ll like them.” Our waiter told us, scribbling our order before looking at us again. “French fries or salad with those?” He asked and I took the greasy side order while Emily favored the more healthy one.

Once our waiter left, my stomach growled and I put my hand on it, trying to silence it.

“God, I’m starving.” I declared, comfortably resting against the booth.

“You don’t say! You didn’t eat anything all day, of course you’re hungry!” Emily replied and I shook my head at her.

“That’s not true, I ate a Twix bar earlier.” I answered even though I knew it wasn’t what she meant. And as I expected, my best friend rolled her eyes at me.

“Yeah, I’m fine now. Sorry for earlier, I didn’t wanna bring the mood down like that.” I apologized, lowering my head a little.

“Well you didn’t eat anything else than a Twix bar.” She playfully glared at me. “By the way, how are you feeling now? You seem better but, how are you?” She gently asked and my stomach tightening at her question.

Of course she had noticed it, everyone had, but I somehow wished that it hadn’t stayed on her mind.

It was the truth. Now that I had talked with Dean, I felt lighter and not like I was ready to cry if someone asked me what was going on. But I still felt a bit bad for being so quiet and bringing such a thick tension in the car. It hadn’t been anyone’s fault but me and my stupid brain.

“No, no, don’t worry about that. I’m glad if you feel better now, though. I am. You wanna tell me what was bothering you?” Emily asked both curious to know what had happened, I couldn’t blame her, and concerned about how I felt.

Yes. And I wanna tell you about my night with him and what I agreed to. I wanna tell you everything. I wanna tell you about him. I have so much to tell you.

But I couldn’t. I had agreed to not say a thing about Dean and I for the moment and the more the day went by, the less I felt like I could do it. How was I suppose to not tell the one person I said everything to that I had spent the night with the guy? And as much as it could be a bit excited to keep it a secret, it didn’t feel as right as it could have.

“It was just stupid and not important.” I tried, torn between telling her everything and avoiding this conversation.

Emily tilted her head to the right and raised her eyebrows, her face showing that she didn’t believe me in the slightest. And I knew that, she had seen my reddened eyes after all.

“When are you finally gonna stop beat around the bush with me and tell me right away what you wanna say?” She asked, a bit annoyed and I couldn’t blame her.

“I know… I just feel stupid about it.” I told her and it was the truth. Even if it was over, I still felt guilty and like an idiot for acting and thinking that way in the first place.

The brown haired girl in front of me stared at me, patience in her eyes, ready to let me talk about it if I wanted. And I wanted to. I always felt better when I talked to her about what was bothering or had bothered me. Talking to Emily was liberating and even if at first I was reluctant to do so, not wanting to annoy her with my stupid thoughts, I always felt better after telling her.

“It’s just my stupid brain who did stupid things.” I declared and she furrowed her eyebrows at me, shaking her head.

“Stop saying that.”

But I ignored her comment and continued.

“My day started well and I just… I don’t know, I started to see and feel things the wrong way. I misinterpreted that one little thing and just overthought from there. I mean, you know me.” I explained, letting a little laugh out at the end of my sentence and Emily gave me a light smile.

And it was the truth. A bit vague and unclear but still the truth. Everything had went well until I had started to think.

“I bet I can’t know about that ‘one little thing’, can I? It was about Dean, wasn’t it?” She suddenly asked and I felt my eyes widening at her question. “I’m sorry to break it to you but we could all see it was about him.” She said, a smile at the corner of her lips and I let a dramatic sigh out.

So much for keeping it a secret.

“Yeah… yes, it was about him. And it was stupid but we talked about it and it’s all good now, we’re all good.” I told her, feeling the easy smile on my face.

“When all of you just abandoned me in the car?” She asked, a bit of contrariety in her voice. It was right that I hadn’t seen it that way, I had actually selfishly didn’t think about it but it was true that at one point we were all in the gas station but Emily.

“Yeah… I’m sorry about that too.” I gritted my teeth and she let a chuckle out.

“No, it’s fine. I know that I’m the butt of this group’s joke.” She accused with humor and I lightly laughed at her falsely annoyed face.

Before I could add anything, the dark-haired waiter came back with our plates and widely smiled at us. Straightening a little to give him the space he needed to put the dishes on the table, I smiled at him in return.

“Here are is the Indiana bagel” He said, placing my order in front of him, then he put Emily’s in front of her too. “And the veggie one.”

“Thank you.” Emily and I replied in sync and he wished us a good appetite before leaving us to our meals.

“God, I’m starving!” Emily quickly declared, immediately grabbing her bagel and taking a huge bite of it, humming in pleasure when she started chewing.

I laughed, loving how she always had the same reaction and feeling when she ate a bagel. Closing her eyes and savoring every part of this food. I picked mine up and took a bite, my stomach already thanking me for finally putting actual food in it.

“Well, huh, yah. I mean, did you see him? This suit really, well, suited him. And with the green tie it was… phew!” I told her and she let a laugh out, a wide smile on her face at my words.

“Hum, speaking of Dean, care to explain me what happened to you earlier? Had some troubles drinking?” She teased and I almost chocked on my food, feeling myself blushing at the memory.

Hardly swallowing, I put my bagel down and stared at her. I couldn’t tell her yet about what had actually happened between he and I, but she knew what I thought of him, how I saw him so there was no reasons denying it. And thinking about it, it could actually free me.

Just thinking about it did things to my stomach but I knew for sure that I hadn’t been the only one who wasn’t left indifferent when they had came down the stairs. So, raising my eyebrows, I grinned in advance at my future sentence.

“Like you didn’t blush when Sam appeared as Mister fake FBI agent.” I teased and Emily raised her eyebrows high on her forehead, her face trying show me she had no idea what I was talking about but unfortunately for her I had seen her traitorous ears.

“Nope. Didn’t look at him, I don’t even know what he looks like, actually.” She feigned to not know, taking another bite of her bagel and I rolled my eyes.

“Oh. Well, that’s a shame because he looked really hot in his suit, really highlighted his chest and shoulders.” I declared, casually picking a french fry and dipping it in my mayonnaise, giving a knowing look to my best friend.

Locking eyes with her, she glared at me, not amused by my teasing but I couldn’t help my grin from widening.

“But weren’t you too busy looking at Dean, anyway? I’m sure you have more thoughts about it. I mean, you’re the one who chocked on your drink, not me.” She said back, a satisfied grin on her lips and took my glass of coke to have a sip.

Taking another bite of my food, I nodded, not denying it. Of course I had had troubles drinking, and everyone had been there to witness it.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting to see this. It took me by surprise, okay?” I defended myself and she let a little laugh out. “And I’m just telling you, you missed something with Sam. He looked really, really good in this suit.” I emphasized with a smirk and Emily shook her head, sipping at her drink this time.

“Meh. I don’t think so. He doesn’t even look that good actually.” She lied, not even meeting my eyes anymore.

“Oh yeah?” I raised my eyebrows and she nodded, putting her glass down.

“Yep.” She stated and continued eating.

I hummed, not believing her but finally stopping my teasing. I couldn’t force her to reveal anything she didn’t want to, even less admit anything about Sam. She had commented something about this man was when she either had been drunk off her ass at the bar or after their date. So, I decided to let it go, suddenly remembering that this teasing could back fire and that she could ask questions too. Questions I couldn’t answer to. Questions about the night before.

I took another one of my hot french fries and surprisingly Emily spoke up again.

“Plus, he made a poor choice in tie. Really questionable taste.” She declared, saying this like she was saying it had rained the day before when she was actually admitting she had looked at Sam Winchester. And had even taken a good look at him to know she hadn’t liked his tie at all.

“Ah! So you did look!” I replied with a huge smile I could feel in my cheeks.

But quickly, Emily faked a frown, shaking her head at me as though I had said something absurd.

“No…” She poorly lied, not even trying to hide it correctly. “Shut up.”

But her attempt to refute what she had just let slip was her way to admit that she had indeed looked at him – and potentially enjoyed it – without really admitting it either. We both knew that she didn’t just let slip things like those, it was an unspoken rule between us, if she ‘innocently’ said something like this, it was because she wanted to tell me about it. And it didn’t matter that she took it back right after. It meant that she was finally admitting it to herself, even if it was just a little bit, and it was the good step I hoped she would take.

So, in order to try and not make her regret saying this, I nodded, taking in her words and grabbed another fry.

“Oh okay. I thought so. My bad, then.” I declared, both of us clearly knowing what it all truly meant.

Turning her bagel in her hands, she shrugged.

“Nah, don’t worry, we all make mistakes.” She replied in a mocking tone before taking another bite, the conversation stopping there with a chuckle from me.

She hadn’t said anything too revealing, I knew that, but it was something. And I started to wonder if something had happened to change her mind or if she had just decided that she could finally admit a few things to me and to herself concerning the giant hunter. After all, she had been a bit strange too this morning…

Emily’s POV :

Ugh…

Why did I have to say that! I shouldn't have said anything. Why did I have to make a comment on his stupid tie!

I should have just kept this to myself, continue to pretend I hadn’t had a single thought when seeing him in this damn suit. Actually, I shouldn’t even have looked at him at all, it would have had solved everything. But I couldn’t helped myself and looked, internally blushing and screaming at him. Or at myself. I didn’t know even anymore. I wanted to yell at everyone, at everything. I wanted to yell at him to ask him why. Why had he kissed me? Why did make me fe… And of course Eva had to look at him too!

Couldn’t she have just stare at Dean and not pay attention to Sam at all, forgetting herself that he existed?

But contradictorily I also kinda wanted to tell her.

I wanted to tell her a lot of things, but at the same time I didn’t want to. I wanted her advice to try and clear my head, to put some orders upstairs after what had happened. I needed some guidance on what it all meant. If it meant anything, actually. I didn’t even know if I wanted it to. But I also didn’t want to tell her, I wanted to keep it to myself, I didn’t want to say something that wasn’t true. Saying it out loud made it real and I far from wanted that. I was aware that my secret and thoughts would be safe with her. I knew that if I told her that Sam had… she would just have been excited for me.

Why did he have to enter my life?

And I knew that I could tell her that I had indeed looked at him as a fake FBI agent and that I had indeed noticed the way his shirt stuck to his torso and how the jacket revealed his back muscles. And that I had had some shameful thoughts about it but I wasn’t ready to fully let them out yet, not to Eva and hardly to myself.

Why was everything so hard?

I was just tired. The day before had been full of strong emotions, things had been done, words had been said and I simply felt drained. I merely wanted to be home, put all of this aside, get away from Sam for the day and have a quiet evening wrapped in my flannelette. I just wanted to stop thinking. I needed a break from all those emotions but couldn’t and some new ones more were being added now. Because on top of all of this, we were meeting someone new and slept in her house. And as much as Jody seemed to be a great woman, I wasn’t natural around her and feared what she could interpret; making the option of staying be Eva’s side for the whole week-end the best and smartest choice. And maybe if I stayed next to her long enough she was going to tell me whatever she was hiding from me.

“I’m freezing my ass off. I hate Winter so much.” Eva complained, wrapping her yellow scarf a bit more tightly around herself.

“Okay. So, ten more minutes and we’re there.” Eva’s voice brought me back to Earth and I saw her looking at the digital maps in her right hand.

Deciding to take a look around Sioux Falls before getting back to Jody’s house, Eva and I had walked down the diner’s street until we turned at the corner of a movie theater. This town seemed nice, not too crowded but still active, the many shops in the streets still opened and running. Taking a few more steps before turning to the left, we came across a park and Eva informed me that it could be a way cut through town and get back to Jody’s place faster. I agreed to this idea, even though I would have loved to spend more time outside before facing everyone again, and followed her through the bare trees. Some children and families played at the playground next to a switched off fountain and I lightly smiled at the scene, loving the sounds of the kids laughing as they chased each others.

“I’m so not a Winter girl. Just because I’m born in this season doesn’t mean I like it. I like your month. May is great. The nature is coming back to life, the sun shows itself again and it’s not night at four in the afternoon. I can’t wait to put my t-shirts back on.” She explained and I let a chuckle out.

“It’s a bit ironic for a Winter girl.” I told after a quiet snort.

Eva turned around, her head buried in her shoulders in an attempt to keep her warmth. She looked like a turtle trying to get back into her shell.

While Eva hated Winter, I loved it. The hot chocolates in bed, cozy under a plaid and watching a Christmas movie. Christmas magic in the air and the best holiday on the way. And I never minded that the setting of the sun was earlier than the rest of the year, I actually liked it.

Shivering loudly, Eva tightened her coat around her before looking at her phone again, checking how far from Jody’s house we were. I followed her through the park, trying to keep my mind from thinking too much – or at all, really – when she glanced at me, frowning.

“You’re okay?” She asked, a bit of concern in her voice.

“Yep. You?” I immediately replied, slightly raising my eyebrows to make it appear as though her question was surprising. Eva looked at me for a second too much, narrowing her eyes a little.

“Okay… I just wanted to make sure you were.” She half-accepted and didn’t push the topic, probably feeling that I wasn’t going to talk about it.

I didn’t even know myself if I wanted to talk about it or not, or even what to say on the matter. I just wanted to make it through the week-end.

Back to Jody’s place, I appreciated the warmth of her house and Eva let a loud and satisfied sigh out, clearly enjoying too. Quickly, my best friend hung her coat on the coat rack and took mine to put it there too. Then she locked the door behind us, putting the keys on the small piece of furniture next to the front door so Jody could open it when she got back.

I was amazed on how comfortable she was in this stranger’s place, already finding her feet somehow while I didn’t want to disturb anything in the house. But, the more Eva moved around the house, not sneaking into Jody’s stuff but simply looking around to discover her home and trying to get familiar with the place and the woman, the more I was starting to get used to the unknown house myself. At least slightly more comfortable.

After getting ourselves a glass of water, Eva reminded me that we had to make the beds for us and the brothers, so we went upstairs and searched through the wardrobe to get everything we needed. Standing up on the mattress, holding the quilt above my head while Eva was pulling at the quilt cover around it, we continued our conversation on the last Marvel movie that had just been released and how we would have to go see it back home. Apparently a certain Tom Hardy would make an appearance in it and I suddenly understood why she wanted to see this new movie so bad. Once we were done with our bed and were getting the pillows ready too, Eva’s phone rang, making her drop the pillow in her hands. The tall girl answered the call and brought the cellphone to her ear.

“Hey.” She started with a small smile on her lips. “Yeah we’re here… Oh right, okay, I’m coming.” She ended the call and turned to me, putting her phone back in her pocket.

“They’re here.” She declared and I followed her down the stairs, mentally preparing myself to face Sam.

Oh, how I hated feeling this way. So ridiculous.

Get it together, Emily!

Eva’s POV :

“Jody isn’t here?”

Was the first question Dean asked when he entered her house and I explained the brothers that an agent of hers had called and that they needed her help on something else. The Winchesters nodded and parted ways, Sam heading to the living room to sit on the sofa and already getting his laptop out of his bag; Dean on the other hand, walked directly towards the kitchen and I heard the fridge’s door open and close. A few seconds later, he came back with a beer bottle in his hand, uncapping it with his right hand. I liked seeing this. I didn’t even know why but I liked it. Dean took a few steps towards me and I felt my chest get warmer the closer to me he got. It was stupid how I was internally feeling when he stopped in front of me and asked if I needed anything. It took all my mental strength to not answer the first thing I had in mind – “you” – and simply shook my head, telling him I had a glass of water waiting for me in the living room. Nodding, he placed a gentle hand on the small of my back to lead me to the room and join Emily and his brother.

Once inside the living room, Dean sat down next to his brother who was typing on his open computer. Emily was standing at the entrance of the room and I stopped next to her before heading to one of the armchair around the coffee table. Emily sat in the other one next to me.

“So, did you find what you were looking for?” I asked while Dean took a sip of his drink.

“It’s a djinn for sure. The vic shows all the signs of being drained for about a week. The intravenous drip wasn’t clean, it most likely that it was done by someone who isn’t familiar with medical methods.” Sam explained, his eyes still on focused on the screen before him and I felt myself frown, feeling the needle in my arm.

“Or someone who doesn’t care about doing it safely and clean. Like a djinn.” Dean added and I nodded.

“And do you think the same thing happened to the other missing persons?” Emily asked and Sam raised his head to answer her.

“Djinns rarely make only one victim and from the numbers of disappearance in such a short time, it’s most likely that they were taken by the same monster.”

“So what do we do now? I mean, once you found out what kind of monster is responsible, what’s the next step?” I asked, curious to know what was the process of a hunt.

“Well, if we’re familiar with the monster, we usually have what we need in the trunk. If it’s something we’ve never came across before, we look through the lore and search for what would kill them. I usually take care of this.” Sam finished, sending a dark look to his brother who took another sip of this beer, not seeming to care much about what his brother was implying.

I let a light chuckle out.

“So we know what to use against djinns, right? You encountered one before, didn’t you?” I asked even though I was pretty sure they had, they talked about this monster like they were familiar with it. The brothers shared a look before Sam answered my question.

“Yeah. We met more than one.” He simply said and when my eyes drifted to Dean who seemed to remember something for a second. I made a mental note to ask him later.

“A silver knife dipped in lamb’s blood kills the bastard.” Dean declared and I nodded, silently wondering why that was what killed them.

“And you have some of that in your trunk?” Emily asked, probably questioning her company and I felt her. If we truly thought about it, those guys were weird, keeping endless weapons and lamb’s blood in the trunk of their car.

“Yep.” Dean said and Emily and I shared a look, silently agreeing that those men were another level of strange.

“Right. So, Zach’s body has been degraded by the water it was found into, erasing any clue we could have needed to have a location. We could think the place where he was held captive was clammy but it’s probably just to cover their tracks. Most of the times djinns choose a quiet, private and away place so they aren’t bothered by anyone.” Sam explained and it sounded like any serial killer’s hide-house.

“Like an old, abandoned factory.” A feminine voice suddenly interrupted and I flinched, Emily and I slightly gasping at the same time at Jody’s quiet come back. The sheriff got a smile at our reaction and entered the living room, a plastic bag in her left hand.

“Pretty much, yeah. Do you have anything like this in Sioux Falls?” Sam asked her and she let a small sigh out.

“Yes. But we’ve already searched the place, hoping to find Hailey and Charles there, ideally alive, but there was no one there. Just a few empty cans, some destroyed devices and graffiti on the walls.” Jody explained, some deception in her voice and Sam straightened, opening his laptop a little wider.

“Well, something else must exist. Another factory, an underground passage or an abandoned house. There must be a place where they keep them.” The younger brother declared, ready to find out where those poor people were trapped.

“Did you guys eat?” Jody suddenly asked and Sam didn’t even raised his head when he answered.

“Not hungry.”

At his sentence, Dean’s stomach growled in disapproval and he placed a hand on his belly, trying to reduce the sound. Sending an apologizing look to Jody and offering her an awkward smile, I couldn’t help but find him absolutely adorable. Even if he was still wearing this damn suit that made him look way more than adorable…

“I take this as a no. Well, I’ve grabbed something on the way so put this computer aside and help me set the table.” The older woman announced and the tallest man mumbled something, still not moving from the couch, the laptop on his knees.

“Sam Winchester. Put this laptop away, go change and come eat before you pass out on us. You’re not gonna fight monsters on an empty stomach.” Jody repeated, her voice a bit deeper and more serious. I couldn’t describe it any other way, it sounded like a ‘mom voice’.

At her tone, Sam raised his head and closed his laptop before placing it on the coffee table before him. I couldn’t help but stare at him for a second, astonished to not see him argue with her and when I turned my head towards my best friend, she seemed as stupefied as I was. From the short time – well, months – that we knew the Winchesters, Sam wasn’t one to back down or do something he didn’t want to do. And Dean had personally explained to me how his little brother didn’t even listen to him sometimes and only did as he pleased.

Maybe being a mom gave super-powers after all.

While Jody turned on the oven to heat up the lasagna – that looked insanely good – that she had picked up on her way home, Emily and I stood awkwardly between the dining room and the kitchen while the boys explained to Jody what they had discovered. She had pretty much found the same thing and knew where those monsters usually hid and it was crazy how normal it was to talk about those things for them. How comfortable and casual they were to debate on whether they were one or multiples to manage kidnapping those people. Emily and I shared a few looks during their conversation, having nothing to add but still carefully listening to them.

We didn’t know what to do with ourselves and it was probably showing.

Still talking about the case, Jody opened one of her closets and pulled five plates out of it, placing them on the counter in front of her. Then she opened a drawer and grabbed the cutlery we were gonna need. Her hands full of crockery Jody turned around and faced the brothers, the younger one not interrupting his guesses on the case when Jody handed them the plates.

“Here. Take a break and set the table. Please.” Jody asked and Sam grabbed the plates, stopping his thinking out loud but it was clear that he wasn’t finished with his mental researches.

At Jody’s request, Emily and I jumped from our spot and immediately joined the brothers to help them set the table, finally making ourselves useful. Once everything was on the table, Jody opened the oven and grabbed the scorching hot dishes while I picked up some glasses in a closet and gave some to Emily. Following the sheriff into the dinning room, she put the dish on the table and we handed a glass to each person at the table.

Sitting next to Emily, I chose the seat closest to Jody, therefore facing Sam while my best friend was sitting in front of Dean. I offered to serve everyone but Jody quickly stopped me, declaring that we were her guests. Sam wondered out loud where the victims could be while Jody placed a large slice of lasagna in Dean’s plate, the youngest brother wondering if it was possible to get access to the blueprints of the buildings of the town.

“Sam, no talk about work during dinner. I wanna find them too, you know I do. But let’s talk about something else while we eat.” Jody declared and I could see the frustration on the tall man’s face, not really happy to not be able to continue working on this case for now.

Then the dark-haired woman turned to me and asked how much lasagna I wanted.

“Hum, not much thank you. I’m not very hungry.” I answered a bit shy, not wanting to say no to the food she had kindly brought us. But she suddenly raised her eyebrows a little as though she had just realized something.

“Oh, right! You ate not that long ago.” She said and I nodded, confirming her thought. “Did you go to Botski’s?” She asked, a light smile on her face.

“Yes, it was really nice, you were right.” I told her and her smile widened. I didn’t know if she was happy to hear good things about this place from us or if she was glad we’d left and had a good time.

“What did you try there?” She added and looked behind me, at Emily.

“The bagels. They were really good.” My best friend said and I nodded in agreement.

“Wait. You left the house?” Dean’s voice suddenly interrupted us, his voice louder than our conversation.

I shyly turned my eyes towards him, nervous to see his disapproval. His eyes were focused and a bit hard. I gulped and nodded, playing with my hands under the table, my heart beating a bit faster in my chest as he furrowed his eyebrows, clearly not liking my answer.

“What?” Sam voice joined his brother’s, the disapproval and unhappiness clear on his features, making him even more intimidating than usual.

“Are you crazy? What if something had happened to you? What if the djinn had decided to pick you for its next victims?” Dean asked, his voice loud with worry and care but the veil of anger in his tone and the idea of the monster picking us made my stomach tighten and eye-contact impossible.

I timidly looked at Emily at the corner of my eyes and I could see that she was holding back, her breath was high in her lungs and she stood straighter than usual, her jaws clenching lightly. She was ready to retort something if he continued with this tone. My only explanation to her lack of comeback to Dean was that she didn’t want to yell in a stranger’s house, otherwise she would have already replied something in the lines of being free to do whatever she wanted. But Jody was faster and quickly cut Dean off.

“Hey! I did. I let them leave the house how they wanted to. It’s you two who decided to leave them all alone. So if you didn’t want them to be left alone, you shouldn’t have left without them. Did you expect them to patiently wait for you two to come back, quietly and motionless? Well, that ain’t working for me. They’re big girls and can take care of themselves. They did before they even knew you two and I think they handle it pretty well. So why don’t you trust them a little?” Jody defended us and my heart grew a bit bigger, appreciating her help.

“Wha- We trust them, it’s the monsters we don’t trust. And you know how dangerous it is, you’re the one who called us. They should have at least tell u-” Dean argued, his ‘they’ echoing as a ‘you’ meant for me.

I so should have sent that text…

“Dean Winchester. I wasn’t going to keep them prisoners in my own house. Calm down, they just went out for a bagel. You know me, if I was truly scared about their safety, I wouldn’t have left them alone. And if you’re not happy with this, maybe you shouldn’t have left without them.” Jody declared, putting an end to the discussion.

I dared look at Dean, the frustration to not being able to continue this argument and the discontent clear on his face, and the only thing I wanted was to apologize. Then I stole a glance at Sam who hadn’t said a whole word but his dark gaze said it all, making me unable to look at him either. So, the safest option and the most comforting one was my best friend whose face looked both stoic and embarrassed. I had no doubt that she was a bit uncomfortable that Jody had defended us that way, and I was too. But I could see in her slightly clenched jaws that she was frustrated to not be able to shoot back at Dean’s reaction.

Staring at my plate, I awkwardly played with the food, picking it with my fork and moving some salad leaves aside, hoping that the heavy air in the room was going to quickly dissolve while millions of apologizes burnt to escape my lips.

Emily’s POV :

I thought I was going to explode.

Even if I deeply wanted to retort that they had no say in what we could or couldn’t do, I wasn’t going to make Jody uncomfortable by arguing in her own house, at her dinner table. And even though it was very nice of her to defend us the way she had, I couldn’t help but feel bad that she did so. The last thing I wanted was to put her in a difficult position, even more because of us. Because of me.

But soon after putting an end to the topic of Eva and I leaving for lunch, Jody changed the subject. By asking some lighter questions and mentioning a certain Donna’s fishing trip with her boyfriend, Jody brought back a better mood, much to my best friend’s delight whose gears I could practically hear in my own head.

The boys’ unhappiness of our departure started to disappear too but every time I caught a glance at Sam’s gaze, even for the shortest second, the desire to make clear that we were free to do whatever we wanted came back twice as hard. The black look he was giving me every few times our eyes met made me want to glare back at him and face his disapproval. To ask him what his problem was. To made him say out loud what he was really thinking and the reason behind his silent glare. To make him express his aggravation so I could let out my own irritation. But I couldn’t. Not at Jody’s place.

So, in order to both keep my composure and my frustration at bay, I tried to not look at him but even when I succeeded, I could still feel his gaze on me. A gaze I couldn’t help but notice, even though I was forcing my whole mind and body to ignore it. A gaze I wanted to face all day long. A gaze I couldn’t help but enjoy, probably more than I should have.

“Sure. You know that if she needs help she can always call us, we’ll be there. Right, Sammy?” Dean’s voice suddenly brought me back to the conversation going on.

At his mention, my eyes locked with the youngest Winchester’s for a short second before he looked at Dean. He mustn't have paid much attention to the conversation either because he slightly frowned and asked.

“What?”

Dean quickly looked from his brother to me as though something was suspicious and I raised my eyebrows in an attempt to kill whatever thoughts he was having. Probably getting the hint, he finally looked at Sam.

“That Claire can call us if she needs help on a hunt.” Dean repeated what we both hadn’t heard.

“Yeah, sure.” Sam nodded, agreeing with the idea but I was sure that everyone could see in the gesture of his head that he wasn’t fully thinking about it. No one paid attention at the detached tone he used in his response and his eyes found mine again when he finished his answer.

Something warm appeared in my stomach and before I could think anything about it Jody asked if we wanted a desert, the happy squeal of Dean at the mention of pie bringing me back to Earth.

Once the last slice of pie was served and eaten by the glutton in front of me, Jody got up and grabbed the empty plate of lasagna.

Immediately, Eva and I followed her lead, taking the empty plates and cutlery and bringing them to the kitchen to put the dishes in the sink. Sam cleared the used glasses off the table while his brother put the drinks back in the fridge. Then the tall Winchester disappeared at the corner of the kitchen without a word, leaving us with Jody who started to roll up her sleeves.

“Wait, Jody, I’m gonna do the dishes.” Eva quickly interrupted her, reaching the sink before the sheriff could.

“Oh, you know you don’t have to.” Jody replied at the offer and my best friend shook her head.

“It’s fine, really. You invited us, the least we can do is help you out.” Eva explained and I joined her in front of the turned off faucet, agreeing with her.

“I’ll wipe the dishes.” I said, next to my best friend and Jody smiled.

“Well, thank you, girls. It’s very nice of you.” She declared, sending a knowing and dark look to the hunter still in the kitchen. Dean slightly looked at the ceiling as though he hadn’t heard and exited the room too, leaving us alone with Jody for the second time of the day.

“Thank you very much for dinner Jody, it was incredibly good.” Eva started the conversation as she washed a first plate. I grabbed the dish towel resting on the drawer, getting ready for when she was finished with it.

“I’m glad you liked it. Marco’s lasagna are the best, I can’t make them as good as he can.” Jody said and I smiled at her comment before taking the cleaned plate Eva was handing me.

The sheriff cleaned her kitchen counter, putting the few things on them in their right place and Eva took care of another plate. Once I was finished with mine I looked around, trying to find out where to put them and Jody joined my side.

“Here. I’ll put them away.” She said and I gave her the dish, thanking her and she knelt in front of a closet on my right.

“I’m gonna invite you more often if you clean this well. Claire and Alex aren’t really fond of doing the dishes.” She joked when straightening and Eva and I chuckled.

“Well we’re used to it, we don’t have a dishwasher back home. And it’s actually usually this way. I wash and Emily dries.” Eva explained and Jody smiled.

“I see that everything is in order. You two are a great team then.” She declared and Eva and I shared a look, a smile on our lips.

“Yeah.” I answered and Eva gave me another plate, winking at me before going back to her washing.

Then Eva gave me a third plate when Dean reappeared in the kitchen.

“Hey, Eva, do you have an extra phone charger for me by any chance?” He asked, leaning against a closet and my friend raised her head to look at him.

“Hum, no, I only have mine. Sorry.” She answered, her voice not as assured as usual, as though she wasn’t totally comfortable in this very moment.

“Can I borrow it?” He asked and she nodded her head, looking back at her hands squeezing the sponge.

“Sure, no problem. It’s in my bag upstairs.” She explained him and gave me another plate without meeting my eyes.

“Could you show me? I don’t know which bag is yours.” He said and I frowned. I was pretty sure he knew which bags were whose by now. I looked at my best friend again and felt her nervousness. I hated that.

“It’s the gray one, next to the bed closest to the door.” She answered and he moved away from the closet.

“Eva.” He said and she raised her head to look at him, leaving the dishes behind. “Do you mind showing me?” He repeated and even I had understood he wanted to talk to her alone. And as though she had suddenly understood it too, she raised her eyebrows.

“Oh.” She turned off the water. “Hum, sure.”

Eva turned towards me to borrow the dish towel so she could dry her hands and gave me a quick look. I frowned at her timid behavior and before I could try anything about it, she stepped away and turned to Jody.

“Sorry, I’ll be right back.” She declared and Jody stopped her with a movement of her hand.

“Don’t worry, Honey. I’ll take your place, it’s fine.” The woman replied and Eva nodded, shyly smiling before she followed the older Winchester out of the kitchen, leaving me with Jody.

Looking at Eva leaving, something tightened in my chest and it took everything in me to not just follow her. I just couldn’t stand seeing my best friend uneasy like that. I didn’t know what Dean wanted to talk to her about but she seemed nervous about it; and I sure hoped he wasn’t going to do or say anything stupid or I was going to have to punch him in the face.

I felt myself straightening as I remained alone with Jody. Of course I had seen that she was welcoming and friendly, but she was still a stranger to me and I didn’t feel comfortable with people I didn’t know. Even with the ones I knew. Sometimes. And finding myself alone with her meant I would be the one talking with her. I would be the one she would ask her questions to. And I was far from ready for that.

Jody turned on the faucet again and started to clean the rest of the dishes, the silence around us way more appreciated by me than the potential questions she could have. But unfortunately, the silence didn’t stay long.

“So, Sam told me you’re a doctor.” Jody broke the silence and after tensing at the mention of the younger Winchester, I realized her question was about my career. Something I was way more comfortable talking about.

“Yes, I’ve been working at the ER for a while now. It’s pretty intense but I’ve always wanted to be a doctor.” And it was the truth. As far as I could remember, I had wanted to be a doctor. To help people, heal them, helping them get better. Understanding the human body and learning about it. Making a difference.

“Oh I’m sure it is. One of my girls, Alex, she’s a nurse at the hospital. And I know it’s not the same thing but she’s always exhausted after being on duty all night.” She explained and I nodded, taking the next cleaned plate.

“Being on duty is exhausted for sure and for all the health care personnel. But even when not working at the hospital, nurses have a pretty exhausting job as it is.” I told her and I appreciated to hear the tone of my own voice, the honeyed and timid one slowly replaced by my natural voice’s timbre.

“That’s true. Does being a doctor run in your family?” She then asked, adding some dish soap on the sponge.

“No. But my mom’s a nurse.” I told her and Jody looked at me, a smile on her face.

“Really? She must be really proud of you. Everyone, actually. Being a doctor is such an admirable job. And from what I’ve heard, you’re a remarkable one.” She declared and I felt myself blushing. I quickly looked away from her gaze, uncomfortable at her kind words in my regards.

“Thank you.” I shyly said and knelt to put the last plate at its place, using this action as an excuse to be away for a second. To be able to take a breath.

“You have a very laudable profession too, you know. And not an easy one.” I told her, trying to steer the conversation towards her rather than me.

“You’re being kind.” She chuckled and I smiled at her, meaning my words. “But thank you.”

Afraid that she would ask another question, I decided to take action and wondered about her daughters.

“So, hum, your daughter Alex is a nurse. What does Claire do?” I asked and I didn’t understand Jody’s expression for a second. She seemed almost surprised but quickly, a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth when she looked at me again.

“Well, I try to get her into college, learn about anything she wants but she doesn’t feel that way.” She sighed, rinsing the cutlery before giving them to me. “She’d rather hunt and it’s not that I’m against the idea. Or maybe I am… the only thing is that she isn’t being careful yet, she’s too young and too inexperienced. And of course she’s too stubborn to want help. At least not from me.” She explained and I felt bad for Jody. She seemed to try so hard to keep them safe, it must be difficult to see their child doing something dangerous everyday.

“I just worry about her.” She finally said and I nodded.

If I had decided to go crazy and become a hunter, I had no doubt my parents would have been worried to death too.

“But enough about this.” Jody quickly said before I could reply anything. “The boys told me you and Eva were roommates. Where do you live again?”

I wanted to try and reassure her, even though I had never been really good at this but she quickly changed of topic. And even if I was willing to go pass my discomfort of personal confessions to try and help her out, I respected her desire to not talk about it. If I was trying to change of topic, I would like her to follow my lead too. So I answered her question.

“Topeka, in Kansas. We’ve been living together for a few years now, actually. We had talked about this as a dream since forever but we actually did it after I graduated.” I told her, remembering the late night conversation in our beds at our childhood houses, talking about the apartment we would share. Me dreaming about the window walls and Eva already imagining our sexy neighbors. She had been quiet disappointed when she met Mrs McCarthy instead of two handsome guys she would have declared ‘perfect for us’.

“It’s not easy to actually live your friend, even when you get along with them. But you two seem to pull it off very well.” Jody said with a smile and I nodded, agreeing with her.

“Yeah, I was a bit worried about this, actually. We were spending all of our time together, but it’s not the same as living with them 24/7. But we tried it and now we’ve found our own balance, so it’s great. And with our work, we can also have our own alone time.” I explained, silently asking her where to put the cutlery and Jody pointed to a drawer next to me.

“I’ve been with a roommate too, but during college. It was a long time ago, now.” Jody joked and I laughed at her comment. I didn’t know her age but I was sure she wasn’t as old as she pretended.

Trying to not think about it too much, I took a short second to appreciate how comfortable I was starting to while speaking with her. Maybe it was something that emanated from her or maybe the topic we were talking about, but I enjoyed how less tensed I was starting to be.

“Where you sharing a flat with friends?” I asked, wanting to know more about her and her time as a roommate. And she seemed to appreciate my question as she smiled.

“I’ve done both, actually. I started with two friends and it went pretty well until they moved away. Then I had to find new roommates, it’s more convenient to share a flat when you’re a student.” Jody explained and I agreed with her. Having a roommate both have bad and good sides and while I hadn’t thought about it, Eva had pointed out how financially better it was than when we had our own apartments.

“So after a few months alone, I decided to open the apartment to anyone willing to share a flat. That’s how I met one of my greatest friends, actually.” Jody continued and I smiled at her story.

“Wow, that’s great. I would have never been able to share a flat with a stranger. I admire you for doing that.” I told her, meaning it and she smiled again, both at my comment and the memories obviously coming to her mind.

“I was a bit scared, not everyone around me thought it was a great idea but it turned out pretty well. Sometimes you have to take that scary step to have something great happening to you.” She declared and something strange tightened in my chest at her words. She sent me a look I couldn’t quite understand and I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

Before I could say anything back, I felt my body slightly tensing on its own before a voice resonated in the room.

“Found it. I know where they’re hiding. I tell Dean and we’re ready to go.” Sam declared before I could see him and I slightly turned my head to look at him. His eyes found mine for a second before he looked at Jody again.

“Alright, I’ll get my things.” She said, turning the faucet off and drying her hands before she left the room. Sam sent me another look before joining her.

I hadn’t even realized I had trouble breathing correctly before I was left alone in the kitchen.

What the hell was happening to me?

Eva’s POV :

Making sure to leave the door opened behind me, I knelt besides my bed and grabbed the grey bag at the foot of it. Searching for my phone charger, I heard the door slam, making me slightly jump in the process. But what really startled me was Dean’s sudden loud voice.

“Have you lost your mind?” He strongly asked and I quickly raised to my feet and took a step back, taken aback by the sudden sharpness of his tone.

“Wha-what?” I stuttered, not understanding the sternness of his features.

“What were you thinking leaving this house? Do you realize how stupid and dangerous that was?” Dean questioned again, his voice rough and his eyebrows furrowed.

He wasn’t yelling, but it was just like it. My heart hammered in my chest when I understood we hadn’t come up here to take a phone charger but so he could let me know of his disapproval, away from everyone. I had already felt guilty at the dinner table, intensely regretting the choice made to leave this place. But after Jody’s talk and the way we had changed of topic, I had hoped that we had all moved on. Of course I would have had my own guilt to deal with but it would have calmed down eventually. It just needed a little time. But knowing that Dean was still mad at me about it wasn’t going to help for sure.

“I- We-… It was just…” I tripped over my words, incapable of thinking at the moment.

A part of me knew we hadn’t done anything wrong per say. Emily and I had talked about it, she had reassured me at the diner. And there was Jody. Their friend and sheriff of the town had declared that we could leave her house if we wanted. She had only asked for us to be careful. And we had been.

“We’re not here on vacation, this a case. A hunting job. There are djinns in this town kidnapping and killing people. And you go out for a bagel? Without telling me?” Dean continued, his voice strong and his brows almost touching each other.

“I… Jody said it was okay to go out. She just said to be careful.” I finally said, trying to justify myself and I hated how childish I sounded.

Dean let out a scoff at this and shook his head, looking at the ceiling for a short second before looking back at me.

“To be careful? And how careful have you been, huh? Do you even know what djinns do? I’ll tell you.” He started, his face closed and upset.

“Dean.” I tried to interrupt him. The last thing I wanted was to hear about some scary story. I knew we weren’t there for pleasure, I didn’t need a reminder. But as though he hadn’t heard me, Dean continued.

“All they need is one little touch and you go sleeping beauty, trapped in a perfect fucking dream life you never wanna leave. And during this time? They drain you from all your blood until you die. That’s what you want?” He raised his voice, taking one more step towards me and my throat clenched, my stomach tightening at his words.

I was gonna throw up.

“No! Of course not. Stop it, please!” I let out and turned away from him for a second. My throat still in knots, I could feel my blood quickly pounding in the veins of my neck. Dean didn’t move and thankfully, he stopped talking too, giving me some time to think. I took a shaky breath and looked at the floor, trying to regain some courage before talking again.

“I’m sorry.” I started, already feeling a bit lighter by just saying the words. “We were careful, Dean.” I said turning back to him, my voice quiet and as calm as possible, hoping the tone I’d use would make his calmer too. And would slow down my speeding heart. “Jody… Jody said to call her if we had a problem.” I continued and Dean immediately cut me off, jumping at my words and taking a step towards me.

“No. No, no, no. Something happens to you, you call me. Not Jody. Me!” Dean shouted and my heart jumped in my chest.

“I call you, Dean!” I said back, closing my eyes for a moment and I could feel my own voice breaking a little. I took a deep breath, my eyebrows furrowing as I poorly tried to keep my emotions under control. I raised my head and Dean’s face softened when our eyes met. “I call you. When Emily was missing, you’re the one I called. Not the police. You. If I’m in troubles, I would call you.” I reminded him, looking in his eyes.

“And you don’t have to try and scare me with all the horrible details, I’m already scared as it is. Don’t worry.” I let out, falling on the bed behind me and played with my hands in a nervous gesture. I could see the tips of Dean’s boots in my peripheral vision as silence remained in the room for a moment. Then I added. “I know you’re mad at me but please… Stop yelling.” I asked, closing my eyes at my request.

I hated this. I hated this so much. I didn’t want him to yell, I didn’t want him to be mad at me. I just… If only I had send this stupid text message…

I heard Dean faintly sigh in front of me before feeling the bed lowering next to me. Dean’s arm brushed against mine as he sat by my side and somehow I could breath a little more easily.

“I’m not mad… I’m worried.” Dean declared and something heavy left my chest at his words. I raised my head to look at him and he continued. “Sweetheart, I don’t want anything happening to you or Emily because of a stupid bagel.” He declared, his voice calmer and his eyes softer.

“I know… I know. I don’t want that either, you know.” I told him, looking away for a moment and stared at my hands on my lap. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but, Jody didn’t seem worried and we’ve been careful. I’m always careful.” I said and Dean put his hand on my thigh and I hadn’t even realized I was shaking it. I felt it calm down under his warm palm and took a quiet breath. My heart calmed down, my throat and stomach relaxed too and I felt a bit more like myself.

“I know, you’re careful, Eva. That’s not this I’m worried about.” He started and I bit my lip. “Listen, you just don’t know what it’s like to be under a djinn’s spell, okay. I do.” He confessed and I raised my head to look at him, surprise in my eyes.

I knew something had happened to him in relation to those monsters. I opened my mouth to ask questions, feeling like myself again, wanting to know more about what had happened. But Dean must have sensed that I was gonna ask questions and shook his head.

“Not now, please.” He asked and I closed my mouth, respecting his choice. I hoped that one day, he would tell me about this too. “Just… Promise me you’ll text me next time. Just let me know those kind of things. I don’t say I’ll be happy about it but…” He didn’t finish his sentence but I knew what he meant.

“But at least you’ll know. Got it.” I said, nodding. And I meant it, I got it.“I’m sorry, Dean, I didn’t mean to worry you.” I said seriously, finally holding his gaze and he gave me a light smile. I felt his thumb moving on my leg in a reassuring gesture and I tried to give him his smile back.

“And I’m sorry I yelled.” He said, searching my eyes and I appreciated it. This time I felt my smile reached my eyes.

Then Dean playfully pushed my shoulder with his, a smirk on his face, and all the previous tension in the room disappeared. “Was it good at least?” He asked, raising his eyebrows in curiosity and I frowned.

“Was what good?” I asked back and Dean tucked his chin at my question.

“Well, your bagel, of course.” He replied and my face relaxed in realization, a little smile taking place on my lips. Seeing his soft features made it all so much easier.

“Oh, yes. Jody gave us a very good address. I’m sure you would have loved it.” I told him, my grin widening at the change of topic.

“I’ll have to give it a try then. Even though I’m more of a burger kind of guy.” He declared with some pride in his voice, probably loving his own tastes and I chuckled at his face.

“Yeah, I noticed.” I told him with a smile, locking eyes with him.

Looking into each other’s eyes, it felt like all argument and tension had never happened. The silence surrounding us wasn’t heavy or stressful anymore but calm and quiet. Staring into his green orbs, my smile lightly faded and I felt the air shift around us. I wanted to know what had happened. I wanted to tell him I was having a really hard time keeping everything from Emily. I wanted to tell him I wasn’t enjoying hiding it. Hiding us. I wanted to tell him… I wanted…

Something was suddenly different and I felt my body moving closer to his on its own. As if pulled by an invisible strength, I turned my body towards his and his eyes fell on my lips before finding my irises again. My heart fastened when he lowered his head towards me, placing his hand on the side of my head and I ached to feel his lips on mine again. I closed my eyes in anticipation, felt his nose bumping into mine before his lips brushed against mine.

“Dean!” Sam’s voice from downstairs made me slightly jumped, breaking the moment and Dean sighed in front of me, resting his forehead on mine as he closed his eyes.

“I’m gonna kill him.” He whispered against my lips and I chuckled at his annoyance.

Then Dean straightened and moved away from me but kept a hand around my waist. Sighing again, he pinched his lips.

“What!” He screamed back to his brother and I cursed at his yell, turning my head away so he wouldn’t yell in my ear again. Surely, screaming from one room to another wasn’t the most enjoyable for ears. But apparently the brothers didn’t mind because Sam yelled back.

“Found it!”

Dean raised his eyebrows at Sam’s words and our eyes met. He must have found where the djinns were hiding. Where the victims were held captive.

“The hiding place?” He asked as to make sure they were talking about the same thing and Sam confirmed his thoughts.

“Yep. Now get your ass down here, we got to go.” Sam declared and he was right, if they knew where the djinns were hiding they needed to leave as soon as possible.

Dean stared at the door for a second then looked at me again. Searching my eyes for a moment, I didn’t know what he was looking for. But they couldn’t wait another minute here when people were in danger, I knew that. So, I patted his chest gently before moving him away.

“Go.” I simply told him and he nodded, standing up. I mimicked his movements and followed him to the door. But a tiny pressure appeared in my stomach and I needed to be sure of something before he left.

“Dean?” I stopped him, grabbing his wrist. The hunter turned towards me, eyebrows raised.

“What?” He asked and I slightly frowned.

“We’re good, right?” I shyly asked and Dean smiled at me, this simple expression easing everything.

“Of course we are. Now, come on.” He declared, grabbing my hand and leading me in the hallway.

Emily’s POV :

Dean and Eva went down the stairs and it felt like a breath of fresh air to see her. Not knowing what to do with myself between Sam and Jody once he had found out where the monsters were hiding, I was glad to see the familiar and comforting face of my best friend. And apparently, she seemed more relaxed than when she had left the kitchen. I was glad to see this and when her eyes found me, she offered me a wide smile, walking to me and confirming my thoughts.

“So, where are they?” Dean asked as he walked down the last steps.

“An old factory outside of town. The police department had already searched it, but didn’t found anything. But I had a feeling. So I looked it up and found the blueprints of it. Apparently, there’s a hidden basement in the left wing of the building. I’m sure they’re here.” Sam explained and I couldn’t help but feel a bit strange at the mention of the blueprints. This man could truly get any information he wanted.

Eva finally stood next to me, listening to the younger brother and I felt her head landing on my shoulder for a second. An affectionate gesture I appreciated. Then she put a light and discreet kiss on my sweater and I smiled at her when she straightened. I didn’t know the actual reason behind her loving gesture but silently enjoyed it.

“The original way to the basement ‘s been clogged, that’s why the police didn’t find it. But I’m sure they’re there. It’s quite, away from everything and everyone, in the dark. It’s the perfect location for them.” Sam continued, showing the blueprints as he talked and Dean nodded, not even doubting his brother’s theories.

“Alright. Let’s check it out, then.” The older hunter declared and Sam stood up from the couch, closing his laptop and putting it on the coffee table.

Jody, Sam and Dean, all three started to move around the living room, taking their coats, grabbing their keys, checking their guns. Preparing everything they needed to face the monsters they were heading to while we stood there.

“So, how can we help?” I asked, not wanting to be benched or locked in this house again.

But as soon as the question slipped from my lips, Sam raised his eyebrows at me and I stared at him. I knew we weren’t hunters but I was growing tired of being useless in this case and wanted to help them out. After all, there were people in danger and I wanted to help save them.

“No, you’re not coming.” Sam stated, understanding what I meant with my question. “This is way too dangerous and you aren’t prepared for this. So you’re staying here.” He declared and I hated him in this very second. I didn’t let anyone boss me around and tell me what to do. But as I was about to respond something, I met his gaze and shut my mouth. I didn’t know how he had managed to do that but I hated it. I hated him.

“We just wanna help you on this.” Eva tried, backing me up. I both loved her for this and hated how it made me feel like I couldn’t argue myself.

“We know. But it’s way too dangerous and you’re not hunters. We don’t want you getting hurt, that’s all.” He repeated and I clenched my jaws.

It had better not become the new excuse to everything.

“He’s right on this one, girls. I’m sorry.” Jody declared, incapable of supporting us in this argument. I knew she meant well but in this moment I just hated how everyone was babying us.

“Alright, let’s go.” Dean said, putting an end to all this and I glared at him too. But as though he was more open to discussion than earlier that day, he sighed and tilting his head. “We’ll call you if we need help, but for now, you stay here.” He said with a rapid smile and I rolled my eyes at his face.

All of them walked to the front door, Dean holding it so Jody could step out of the house first. Then Sam readjusted his jacket and sent me a look. A look that could both mean ‘Stay here. I’m serious.’ and ‘Stay safe.’ But I kept sending him a dark look, still upset to having to stay here again. Sam slightly clenched his jaws and I enjoyed the idea of annoying him, an imperceptible smile on my face.

Then he started to leave the house too but before he could fully step outside, Eva stopped him.

“Guys.” She called and both of them turned to look at her. “Be careful.” She asked and they nodded in sync, Sam leaving immediately after while Dean gave us another look.

“Lock behind us.” He declared and closed the door, leaving Eva and I alone again.

My best friend let out a sigh next to me and I turned to her, shaking my head when our eyes met.

“I hate them.” I told her and in this moment, I meant it. Eva chuckled, knowing what I meant and went to the door to lock it.

We were going to wait. Here. Again.

Ugh.

I hope you liked it ! Let me know if you did !

Tags : @emilielbls @roonyxx @awkward-and-indecisive @thoughts-and-funnies @deans-spinster-witch  @avanatural @waynes-multiverse @akshi8278 @snowlovespie @silent-stories

[touchstiel]

EVERY TOUCH EVER ☞ 198/198

15.18 Despair The Truth

[winchestergifs]

I wanna be the guest star. Being the hero sucks. I mean, sure, you’ll probably win eventually, but until you do, your life blows.

🥂 Congratulations to DJ and Ty, Heroes of Supernatural!🥂

[undercovercannibal]

Sammy, I got this one. I’ll do it. She asked me to. You don’t have to. Yes, I do.

SUPERNATURAL 2.17 ⛥ Heart

[fanfictionalraven]

Faithfully

Title: Faithfully

Song Inspiration: Faithfully by Journey

Characters: Reader, Dean Winchester, other SPN characters

Word Count: 4, 904

Warnings: Pregnancy

Author's Note: This was an anonymous request. Such a beautiful song and so perfect for Dean. Thanks for the idea Anon!!

Highway run into the midnight sun,

Wheels go ‘round and ‘round, you’re on my mind,

Restless hearts, sleep alone tonight,

Sendin’ all my love along the wire.

“Another?” The bartender asks Dean, pointing to the beer he’d been nursing for a while.

“No thanks. Work tomorrow,” Dean tells him, tossing some cash onto the bar. He and Sam had rolled into town a little earlier in the day. Some case Sam had found; a witch or shifter or…something. Dean couldn’t remember. 

“Leaving so soon?” A sultry voice asks. Dean looks over to find a gorgeous, young blonde sliding onto the booth beside him. She tosses her hair over her shoulder and leans forward to highlight her ample breasts. A hand reaches for his knee but Dean catches her wrist.

“Sorry, Sweetheart. Not happening,” he tells her, letting her go. She rolls her eyes and stands, moving to her next target. Dean laughs lightly, shaking his head.

A few years ago, that would have been all the invitation he’d have needed. They would have wandered out to the Impala, maybe made it back to her place for a night of meaningless sex, and he would have returned to Sam first thing in the morning, satisfied. But all that had changed almost a year ago.

As he heads out of the bar and into the cold, he pulls his phone out, smiling at the screen. The picture that greets him is one of his favorites. It’s from the small “vacation” the two of you had taken only a couple months ago. It was one of Bobby’s old safe houses he’d told Dean about; a beautiful little cabin out by a lake. Dean had snapped the picture of you sitting on the small dock, feet dangling off the edge. You’d teased him about pursuing a career in photography after seeing it.

He finds your name with ease and calls as he climbs into the driver’s seat of his car. It rings twice before you pick up.

“Hey,” you answer. Dean smiles immediately at your voice.

“Hey,” he replies. “Bad time?”

“For you? Never,” you laugh lightly. He smiles even wider at your laugh.

“Still in Utah?” The familiar sound of the Impala’s engine roaring to life comes through the phone.

“Yea. Found the nest though. Taking it out tonight,” you tell him, as you lean back against your car.

“On your own?” Dean asks, voice laced with concern.

“No, Dean,” you say, smiling to yourself. “I’m not stupid, ya know?”

“That’s not what I meant, Y/N,” he says. “Just…you know…”

“Awwww. You worried about me, Winchester?” You tease him, pushing off the car and walking to your trunk.

“Always,” he admits, almost too quietly for you to hear. Almost. Your smile softens as you open the trunk, glancing around at your weapons.

“You just calling to check up on me?” You ask, pulling a machete out to check the blade.

“No…just…missed you,” he confesses. You swing the machete around quickly to test it out. “Haven’t seen you since…”

“The cabin,” you finish. “I know. I miss you too.”

The two of you had been off and on for the majority of the time you’d known each other. It had mostly been a friends with benefits situation until last year. Suddenly, you were way more on than off. It was starting to feel like a real relationship. You hadn’t slept with anyone else and Dean said he hadn’t. You trusted him, of course.

“I’ve been thinking…” Dean starts, seemingly getting the subject away from…feelings.

“Haven’t hurt yourself, have ya?” You ask. You can practically hear Dean roll his eyes.

“Will you shut up? I’m trying to be serious here,” he tells you. You laugh and slam the trunk closed, machete in hand. Your cousin’s car pulls up, parking next to your own. You smile and wave at her.

“Serious. Right. Sorry. Go ahead,” you say.

“I was thinking you should come to the bunker,” he says. You smile and roll your eyes.

“I was planning to come by after this,” you tell him. He sighs and cuts the engine off, having reached the motel.

“No, Y/N. That’s not what I meant,” he says. You hold up a finger to your cousin, asking her to give you a minute when she gets out of the car. “You should move…into the bunker…with me.” You’re mid swing on the machete when he asks, causing you to freeze. The machete slips from your hand, landing near your cousin.

“Jesus, Y/N!!” She snaps. You wave a hand at her in apology as you walk away. 

“What are you saying, Dean?” You asks. He lets out a chuckle. 

“I’m saying that…I’ve really started to hate sleeping alone, sleeping without you. I hate waking up without you,” he starts. “Now, I don’t wanna tie you down or anything. Do your hunts, whatever you want. I just want the bunker to be…home.” You hold the phone away for a moment and breathe deeply. You were mere moments from clearing a vampire nest. You weren’t about to cry. Returning the phone to your ear, you can’t help but smile.

“Dean,” you say. “I’ll go anywhere you go. You’re already my home.” Dean smiles and closes his eyes for a second, thanking anyone who was listening.

They say that the road ain’t no place to start a family,

Right down the line, it’s been you and me,

And lovin’ a music man ain’t always what it’s supposed to be,

Oh, girl, you stand by me,

I’m forever yours,

Faithfully.

You walk into the kitchen of the bunker one morning, stretching. Sam’s already sitting at the table, his laptop open in front of him. You smile at him widely and walk over, kissing his cheek quickly.

“Morning, Sammy,” you tell him. He looks at you and laughs lightly.

“Good morning,” he says, watching as you walk over to the counter, humming. You pour yourself a cup of coffee, swaying to the music in your head. “You’re awful perky this morning.”

“Am I?” You ask, glancing back at him. He laughs and nods. You shrug, leaning against the counter. 

“I guess you two had a good Valentine's Day?” He asks. 

“We had a great Valentine’s Day,” you laugh. 

“Well, I’m glad,” Sam tells you, looking back at his computer. Dean comes in, a smile to rival yours plastered on his face. He walks over and kisses you quickly before getting his own coffee. Sam looks at the two of you and starts to laugh. “Is that a hickey??” He asks. You and Dean exchange glances before Dean moves your hair from your shoulder, examining your neck briefly. He smirks.

“Looks like it,” he says. You laugh and shrug at Sam.

“I said it was great,” you tell him. Dean smiles and pulls you in for another kiss, your arms snaking around his neck.

“I found a case. If either of you care,” Sam announces. Dean sighs as he let you go and turns to his brother, taking a drink of his coffee. “Stacy Altman, 19 year old babysitter from Hudson, Ohio was murdered last night,” he says. Dean nods slightly.

“Oh, that blows. But if her name’s not Amara, how is that us?” He asks. You lean against Dean and he wraps his arm around your waist.

“Because her heart was ripped out,” Sam tells you both. You grimace and Dean nods.

“On Valentine’s Day? What is that, like an ironic werewolf? Alright, we’ll check it out. But first, I need bacon.” Dean gives your waist a squeeze then looks down at you. “You coming?”

“Think I’ll hang back, keep working this Amara thing,” you tell him, going to leave the kitchen. Dean smirks and gives your ass a quick smack. You let out a squeak of surprise and look back at him as you go into the hallway. You just hear Sam mutter something about the two of you being disgusting as you head back towards your bedroom.

Glancing over your shoulder, you close the door behind you before locking yourself in the bathroom. You look at yourself in the mirror, take a deep breath, then pick up the stick you had left on the counter earlier.

“Please be negative,” you mumble a quick prayer.

You and Dean had only been together for about a year. You were both hunters. God’s sister was currently on the loose and very much out to end the world. This had to be the absolute worst timing. The two of you hadn’t even discussed starting a family. It certainly wasn't on your radar and you couldn’t imagine it was on Dean’s either.

You’d bought the pregnancy test a few days ago when your period failed to make its monthly appearance. You hadn’t mentioned anything to Dean yet, didn’t want him freaking out over nothing. Cause that’s all this was, of course. Nothing.

The timer you had set on your phone goes off and you nearly jump out of your skin. You flip the test over and…

**

About a day later, Dean pulls the Impala into the garage of the bunker. He sighs as he cuts the car off and lays his head against the steering wheel. Sam looks at him and smiles a little.

“Dean, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s not like you cheated on her,” he says. Dean shakes his head slightly.

“Doesn’t feel different,” he says. “We just had this great day, things were going so well…”

“She won’t be upset, Dean. Come on,” he says, getting out of the car. Dean frowns then gets out as well. They both get their bags and then head to their respective bedrooms. Dean tosses his bag into the corner then sits on the edge of the bed, running his hands over his face.

You make your way down to the room nervously, wringing your hands. You’d been practicing your speech ever since you’d read the test. You had it all planned out and were absolutely prepared to tell Dean. That was until he’d told you they were headed home. The minute you’d received that text, your nerves had gotten the better of you. You had been running every possible bad scenario, each one worse than the last.

“Dean?” You ask, stepping into the bedroom. You frown when you see him so distraught. “What’s wrong??” You ask. He pats the spot next to him and you bite your lip as you walk over. He knows. He already knows and he’s breaking up with me. You sit down next to him and he turns to face you.

“This case…it was a witch, a curse…it was passed by kissing. I kissed the woman who had it and got it passed to me so she was safe,” he explains. You let out a breath and take his hands in your own.

“Dean, did you think I’d be upset about that?” You ask with a laugh. He sighs and shakes his head.

“I’m not finished,” he tells you. Your smile falls slightly and he looks at your hands. “The curse, it takes the form of your deepest, darkest desire and then that person or whatever kills you.”

“I’m…guessing that wasn’t me,” you say. He shakes his head. “Amara?” You already knew before he said anything else. From the moment she’d been freed from her cage, she had some weird connection to Dean. It had only been a few weeks since he told you that she’d kissed him and he couldn’t help but kiss her back. It stung, sure, but you knew it wasn’t Dean.

“I don’t want this, Y/N. I don’t want her. I just can’t shake this hold she has on me. Sitting here with you right now, I want nothing more than to kill her,” he starts quickly. “But when I’m around her, I can’t do anything.” You let his hands go and take his face gently, raising it up to meet yours. You press a soft, gentle kiss to his lips.

“I’m not mad at you, Dean. I know you love me. We’ll shake this Amara thing soon enough and get back to normal,” you assure him. “You and me. And…whoever else comes along.” He looks up at you, confused. You smile at him and stand, walking over to the desk. It isn’t until now that Dean notices the small gift bag sitting on it. “It’s a little late for Valentine’s now but…” You shrug and hand him the bag. He raises a skeptical eyebrow at you before pulling the pink and blue tissue paper out of it. He looks into the bag, then up at you quickly.

“Is this…” He stops before sliding the contents of the bag into his hand. His hands shake as he flips it around, trying to find the little screen for confirmation.

Pregnant.

“Oh my god,” he says, staring down at the test in his hand. “This is…”

A mistake. The worst possible timing. Not what I want at all. You brace yourself against the desk behind you, waiting for the death blow.

“This is…incredible,” Dean says finally, looking up at you. There are tears in his eyes threatening to spill over but his face changes the second his eyes meet yours. “Are you okay?” He asks, jumping up quickly. His hands come to rest on your shoulders as he looks you over. “Y/N, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Which…is really saying something for us.”

“You’re happy,” you say quietly, looking at him. His brow furrows in confusion as he takes in your state.

“What? Of course I’m happy!! I mean…” He stops and shrugs. “Timing could be better but…a baby!!” He lets out a laugh and lifts you into a tight hug, spinning you around the room. You squeal and laugh as well, tears of sheer joy and relief streaming down your cheeks. “I’m gonna be a dad!! Sammy!!” He calls out, setting you on your feet. He grabs your hand and pulls you down the hallway quickly. 

Circus life under the big-top world,

We all need the clowns to make us smile,

Through space and time, always another show,

Wonderin’ where I am lost without you,

3…2…1…*beep, beep, beep*

You stare into the microwave as the light goes out. Popping the door open, you grab the bottle and test the milk on your wrist. Perfect temp. You turn to go feed your three month old son and accidentally send the stack of neglected and dirty dishes crashing to the floor. 

“Dammit,” you curse, setting the bottle on the counter. Kneeling down, you start to pick up the pieces of the shattered dishes and old food.

“Y/N?” Mary asks, stepping into the room. “What happened?” She comes over quickly to help. You glance up at her and shake your head before hissing in pain. You’d managed to cut your hand on a shard of glass. “Oh, Y/N.” Falling back against the counter behind you, your emotions overwhelm you.

“I can’t do this anymore, Mary,” you cry.

Dean and Sam were missing. They had taken on Lucifer once again and this time he was possessing the president. That was almost two months ago. For two months you've been struggling to take care of your newborn son on your own. Sure, you had Cas and Mary but it wasn’t the same. D.J. needed his father.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I…what do you need me to do?” She asks, handing you a dish towel. Wrapping it around your cut hand, you glance back up at the bottle.

“Could you feed D.J. for me? I just…I need a minute,” you tell her. 

“Of course,” she says. She gives your arm a quick, reassuring squeeze before leaving you alone in the kitchen.

You lay your head back against the counter and close your eyes, allowing the tears to fall once again as you contemplate life as a single mother. You knew this life was risky, of course. You knew there was always a chance one of you wouldn’t come back from a hunt. You just didn’t expect it to be two months into actually being parents.

“Y/N? Are you alright?” Cas asks, when he sees you. You shake your head, eyes still squeezed closed as you cry.

Cas frowns as he walks over, taking in the disaster that is the kitchen. He hesitates for a moment before carefully sitting down next to you. You lay your head over on his shoulder as the sobs rake through your body. Cas shifts awkwardly and you feel his arm come around your shoulders, comfortingly. The pain alleviates in your hand and you pull it from the towel, perfectly healed.

“Thank you,” you mumble between sobs.

“I wish there was more I could do,” he says. You wipe at your cheeks and shake your head.

“Please stop blaming yourself. You followed the plan,” you tell him, laying your head back on his shoulder. 

The two of you sit in silence for a while, you don’t know how long. Eventually, you sit up and find a clean part of the partially bloodied towel to wipe your face. You rise from the floor and look at the mess at your feet before taking in the rest of the kitchen. You’d really let things slide lately. You sigh and shake your head, going to get the trash can. Mary comes back into the kitchen.

“No,” she says. You stop and look at her.

“What?” You ask, confused.

“You need to go get some rest. Take a shower. Take a nap. Refresh and reset,” she tells you, taking the trash can from your hand.

“Mary, there’s too much to do,” you respond, looking around at the kitchen again. It wasn’t just the kitchen either. You knew the library, war room, and bedrooms needed your attention as well.

“Castiel and I will take care of it,” she says, sending a pointed look to the angel as he gets up from the floor. He nods, looking at you.

“Of course,” he says. Looking between the two, you realize there’s no point in arguing. You were absolutely exhausted, barely able to get any sleep the last two months. Mary smiles at you, reassuringly.

“Shower. Bed,” she tells you. You sigh and nod, reaching for the baby monitor but Mary snatches it up quickly. “I’ve got him too.”

“Okay,” you surrender, holding your hands up.

You head down the hall and steal a quick peek in at your son, sleeping soundly in his crib. Continuing down the hall, you go into yours and Dean’s bedroom, closing the door behind you. One hour-long, steaming hot shower later, you slip into one of Dean’s t-shirts then under the covers. You don’t expect sleep to overwhelm you as quickly as it does. Your last thoughts are the same as they’ve been for the last two months.

Where are you, Dean?

And being apart ain’t easy on this love affair,

Two strangers learn to fall in love again,

I get the joy of rediscovering you,

Oh, girl, you stand by me,

I’m forever yours,

Faithfully.

Dean smiles politely at the waitress, taking his order. She was clearly flirting with him even though he’d told her about you and D.J. She walks off to put his order in, dinner for him and Sam to go, and he pulls his phone out to call you. It rings three times before you pick up.

“Hey,” you say, smiling. You’re sitting in the library, having just gotten D.J. down for the night.

“I miss you,” he says with a sigh. “This waitress won’t leave me alone.”

“I’m sorry. Is Dean Winchester complaining about being hit on?” You laugh. He shakes his head as he glances around, his eyes landing on the mechanical bull.

“I told her I had someone back home and a kid. She’s still flirting,” he says, watching as someone gets thrown off. He lets out a chuckle. “I was better than that,” he mumbles.

“What?” You ask.

“There’s a…a mechanical bull,” he tells you. You throw your head back, laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“I would pay to see that,” you tease him.

“Hey. I was awesome,” he assures you.

“Man. I can’t believe I missed that,” you say, still laughing. He smiles and shakes his head before someone catches his attention.

“Babe, I gotta let you go. Think I just got a lead on our case,” he says, standing up quickly. Your smile slips slightly and you nod.

“Be careful,” you tell him before he hangs up. You sigh and lean back in the chair.

**

“Dean’s been hexed. He’s losing his memory.”

That was the call you’d received from Sam earlier in the day. He thought it might be best if you were there to help. Thankfully, Mary had been in the neighborhood so she could keep D.J. for you. You’d peeled out of the garage, tires squealing as you headed for Arkansas, a 7 and a half hour drive. You make it in six.

You whip into the parking lot of the motel Sam had given you the address to and park next to the Impala. Grabbing your bag, you make for the door of the guys’ room and knock quickly. However, it isn’t Sam or Dean who answer the door but Rowena. Your shock gives way to anger almost immediately.

“Did you do this??” You snap, stepping up to her quickly. Her eyes widen in surprise before she smiles.

“Afraid not, dear,” she says. “But I am here to help.”

“Help? Are you kidding?” You ask, looking at Sam as he steps up behind Rowena.

“I know, I know. But...I didn’t know where else to go,” he explains. You sigh and glance around, spotting Dean sitting on one of the beds. He’s laughing at whatever he’s watching on the TV. He looks over and his eyes lock with yours before he smiles widely.

“Hi,” he says, standing. He remembered you. You smile as you walk over to him.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” You ask, your hands resting on his arms. He looks down at your hands then back at you.

“Much better now that you're here,” he says, his smile turning into a smirk. “I’m, ugh…I’m…”

“Dean,” Sam says, frowning.

“Yea. I’m Dean,” he says, introducing himself. Your smile fades as you take a step back. He didn’t remember you. It was worse than you’d thought. Sam’s hand comes to rest on your shoulder and you shake your head.

“I need some air,” you say quietly before leaving the room. Dean frowns as you go and Sam sighs, ushering him to the bathroom to talk. He explains the situation to him, reminding him of everything, everyone. Dean runs a hand over his face.

“So, after everything…that’s it. This is what nails me,” he says. Sam shakes his head quickly.

“No. No, no. Dean. I-it,” he stops and takes a deep breath. “It’s not gonna happen, all right?” Dean looks at him and Sam can see the fear in his eyes.

“Well, you just told me my whole life story. And I gotta be honest, man. I…I can feel it, slipping out of my head. I mean ganking monsters is one thing. But this…” He covers his face with his hands. “I forgot Y/N and my own son.”

“We’ll figure it out. We will,” Sam assures his older brother before standing up. He leaves the bathroom and finds you outside the door.

“Can I?” You ask, pointing to it. Sam nods and steps out of the way. You push the door open slightly and peek in. Dean is standing over the sink, staring at himself in the mirror.

“Okay. My name is Dean Winchester. Sam is my brother. Ugh, Mary Winchester is my mom. Cast - Cas is my best friend. Y/N is my wi…girlfr…” He stops and you sigh before stepping into the bathroom. 

“Girlfriend,” you provide. He looks over at you then down, embarrassed.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” you tell him, leaning back against the door. He walks over quickly and wraps you up in a tight hug as though clinging to your very memory for dear life.

“I don’t remember what he looks like,” he says quietly. You can hear the crack in his voice, the emotion choking him up. You’re fighting tears yourself now.

“Just like you. Your eyes and everything,” you say.

“What’s D.J. even stand for?” He asks, still clinging onto you.

“Dean Junior,” you tell him. He nods and looks down at you. “You didn’t really want to name him after you but I insisted. Cause I want him to be just like his father.” He smiles a little before leaning his forehead against yours. “We’re gonna fix you, Dean. I swear.” There’s a knock on the door and you glance back.

“Y/N, we need to go,” Sam says.

“I’m coming,” you call back to him. You look up at Dean once more and take his face in your hands. You stand up on your toes, closing the distance between the two of you, and kiss him. You had to tell yourself this wouldn’t be the last kiss the two of you would share. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he tells you. You can’t be sure if he actually means it or if he’s saying it back to spare your feelings at this point. Did he even remember how much you two loved each other? You smile at him before leaving the bathroom and following Sam out the door. Dean rushes out behind you to the desk inside the room. Rowena watches as he jots down a quick note and sticks it in his front pocket. He glances at her and she raises an eyebrow. “Just a reminder…”

**

The three of you get back to the bunker later the next day, Dean’s memories restored. Mary meets you all in the garage, D.J. in her arms. Dean practically bursts from the car and rushes over, taking his son. Mary smiles as she hands him over.

“Glad you’re better,” she says, patting his shoulder. Dean smiles at her before kissing D.J.’s forehead.

“Can’t believe I forgot him,” he says quietly. You smile as you walk past, heading towards the bedroom to put your bags away. Dean watches you go before looking at his mother. “I need your help.” She nods.

“Of course. With what?” She asks. He pulls a piece of paper from his front pocket.

“I don’t remember writing it but…it’s my handwriting. And I mean…” He trails off as he hands the paper to her. She reads it and her eyes widen before looking back up at him.

A few minutes later, Dean comes down to the bedroom and leans against the door frame, watching you. You’re busy taking the clothes from both of your go bags and putting them into the hamper to take care of later. You glance back and smile.

“I figured you’d still be spending time with D.J.”

“Wanted to spend time with you,” he says, walking in. He closes the door before walking over and wrapping his arms around you. You smile as you slip your arms around his neck. He leans in and kisses you gently, his hands sliding over your waist slowly. He pulls away too soon and you lean in again. He laughs lightly. “Hold on.”

“I don’t really want to,” you laugh.

“I wanna give you something,” he says. You raise an eyebrow at him as he reaches into his pocket. He pulls a folded piece of paper out and holds it up between the two of you. “I wrote this at some point during the whole…hexed thing.” You take it, giving him a skeptical look. He seems nervous and you can’t figure out why. You unfold the piece of paper slowly.

Dean. If you survive this, marry Y/N.

It was scratched onto the paper quickly and sloppily but it was for sure Dean’s handwriting. You can’t help the gasp that escapes your lips as you look back up at Dean. He’s watching you, trying to read your face, as he reaches into his pocket once again. This time he produces a ring.

“Oh my god,” you whisper.

“I, ugh…I thought I was going to have to save up to buy a ring but,” he stops and shrugs. “Mom gave me hers. Didn’t even ask. Said she wanted you to have it.”

“Oh my god,” you say again, swallowing thickly.

“Marry me, Y/N?” He asks. You take a shaky breath as the tears finally start to fall.

“Yes,” you tell him. He smiles widely and pulls you in for another kiss. This time you pull away too soon, holding your left hand up. “I want my ring.” He laughs lightly as he looks at it.

“Dad had it inscribed. I didn’t know that. Mom just showed it to me,” he says. You take it and hold it up, trying to read the inside. You smile widely as you make out the two words. They couldn’t have been more true for the two for you. He takes the ring back and slides it onto your left hand before lifting you and tossing you onto the bed.

Forever yours.

****

Forever Tags: @roseblue373

[static-horrors]

running through the hallways of hell with your best friend is one of the gayest things you can do. oh, you're both trapped in hell together? better hold hands so you don't get separated. that's the only reason, right? not because you're in gay love. never because of that.

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Our Lady Of Mysterious Ailments & The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle

books 2 & 3 in the Edinburgh Nights series

paranormal mystery set in a climate-ravaged future Scotland, plagued by ghosts and magic

follows a 15yo Black girl who’s finally gotten an in to learn scientific magic properly - but it turns out to be an unpaid internship, so she has to take more jobs delivering ghost messages and investigating mysteries to take care of her gran and little sister

in book 2 she’s investigating a strange illness centred on a magic school for boys

and in book 3 she’s attending a global magician conference held in a creepy castle - when someone’s murdered, and they’re locked in until she figures out the culprit

Zimbabwean magic, friendship, disabled characters, no romance (so far)

[ananke-xiii]

Here are the stages of grief for belated Destiel fans (I've lived them, I'm still in recover).

1. The downplay: here people acknowledge the existence of Destiel but also think old-time fans exaggerate it. Bear in mind: usually these people have never watched Supernatural before so this can also be called "The blissful ignorance" stage.

2. The curiosity; Usually on Tiktok and usually around Nov 5th, said people get bombared by Destiel-related content. The lingering angst of the fans start to tingle the blissful ignorant's curiosity.

3. The warning: Wise and longstanding fans warn said people against watching SPN. They really do their best, in hindsight one can say that they really cared about newcomers. They scream ZONT ZONT ZO IT at the top of their lungs.

4. The arrogance: said people ignore the wise fans' warnings and proceed to watch SPN thinking they're stronger than anybody and they indeed will AND can ZO IT.

5. The suspect: season 1 starts before said people's eyes and they soon realize Dean is bi-coded and "omg it's so obvious". People start to suspect fans were ALWAYS right.

6. The shock: few episodes in season 4 and now said people are the ones who are screaming. They can't believe their eyes, they repent, they apologize, they BELIEVE.

7.  The rage:  they get angry at the show for gasliting people for 15 years while still watching it because they need MORE.

8. The doubt: people start looking for old online metas because maybe they're getting crazy so they need proofs, receipts, timestamps etc.

9. The certainty: people are now certain even though the show never gave them any certainty. But now they know that "when you know, you know".

10. The consolation: the only thing left to do is watching edits, gifs, other people' comments. Usually these people are never left alone and will be in good company while recovering from the TRAUMA.

TELL ME I DIDN'T SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD NOW!

[winchestress]

savage

[mlobsters]

~one minute later~

supernatural s1e13 route 666 (w. eugenie ross-leming, brad buckner)

swamp diving for a corpse laden racist truck, totally normal💁‍♂️

will he stay or will he go part 8 of ?

[eevvvaa]

A Supernatural Journey - Part 25

A Supernatural Journey - Masterlist

Serie Summary : After an unplanned event in their road trip, Emily and Eva crossed paths with two brothers. One thing leading to another, the two best friends found themselves in what seems to be a supernatural journey…

Pairing : Dean Winchester x Eva (OC), Sam Winchester x Emily (OC)

Warnings : Full anxiety, overthinking, a bit of angst I suppose but fluff too

Words : 10 184

Dividers by the amazing @firefly-graphics​

A/N : Thank you for still being here, happy reading :]

Eva’s POV :

The silence in the car was heavy, or maybe I was the only one feeling it this way.

No one had talked since we had left the Bunker. No one had asked anything even if I could clearly feel their questions burning their tongues. I had felt Emily’s gaze on me, desperately wanting to know what was wrong with me. I had seen Sam sending me and his brother sides looks, probably sensing something wasn’t right but still couldn’t put his finger on it. As for Dean, he was the only one I hadn’t made eye contact with yet. And I hadn’t even felt his eyes on me.

The looks and questions on their faces stayed for what felt like days but when I took my phone to look at the time, they had only lasted an hour. Because after an hour or so, Sam and Emily stopped silently guessing what was wrong and didn’t even dare ask anything to satisfy their curiosity. As though they knew they weren’t going to have any answers.

Emily tried to reach me, putting a reassuring and comforting hand on my knee, making me look at her. And when I found her beautiful blue eyes, I wanted to explain everything to her but I knew I couldn’t. At least not at this moment. So I tried to smile at her even though I felt in my cheeks that it was forced. And when she understood that I wasn’t going to say anything, that I couldn’t say anything, she gave me a compassionate smile. A smile that said that no matter what was happening she was there for me, a smile that said she was going to give me time, a reassuring smile that made me feel better even for a short second.

Then she let it go, at least for the moment. I felt her eyes on me a bit more, discreetly checking on me every now and then even if my eyes were now focused outside of the car, watching everything possible to stop the vicious circle of my mind. Looking at the landscapes passing before my eyes at the Impala’s speed, I couldn’t even think anymore. No matter what I was telling myself, no matter how I was trying to put things in order to see them another way, no matter how much I tried, I couldn't think straight.

I could only feel.

I could feel Emily’s eyes on me and her worry. I could feel the tension reigning in the car caused by Dean and I. Or maybe just by I. I could feel the pit in my stomach threatening to swallow every good feeling. I could feel my throat tightening the more the minutes passed, increasing the silence between Dean and I. I could feel the imminent tears tingling the back of my eyes, even though I was trying very hard to keep them at bay, as I rethought the morning event. I could feel my breathing getting heavier as the tension grew. I could feel my body getting colder as I didn’t meet Dean’s green eyes.

But I couldn’t meet his eyes. As much as I wanted to, as much as it could have helped me, I didn’t want him to see me this way. I didn’t want him to see me like this, see me so anxious and sad for something so stupid. Because it was stupid, even I was tired of myself for reacting this way for such an insignificant little thing. And I was upset too, even mad at myself for creating this tension between all of us, for being this dramatic when I was the very one asking for things to be simple, mad at myslef for putting such an awkward situation and ambiance on everyone just because I was too much of an idiot to simply let it go. And I was ashamed, wanting to hide underneath my covers for days for ruining everyone’s day by being quiet and joyless.

But I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t find any interesting things to say to break this deafening silence in the car. I couldn’t just act like I was fine because it never worked, everyone could always see how fake my smile was. I wasn’t able to talk to Emily without seeing in her eyes that she knew something was wrong and wanted to know what it was. Every question to make discussions felt stupid, every grins would have been fake, and even if they had started to talk I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on the discussion, too overwhelmed by my loud thoughts that didn’t even make sense anymore.

The only one who could have changed that was the one I was fearing to look at.

All I needed to make these never-ending thoughts stop was to know if it was all in my head. If those noisy thoughts were just stemming from a stupid misunderstanding or if I had interpreted his gesture – or more lack of it – the right way. I needed to know what was going on in his head to put order back in mine but I was also horribly scared to know.

How could I have gone from joyful after passing the night in his sheets to heavy-hearted, thinking that he didn’t want to have anything to do with me, in one morning only?

I closed my eyes, deciding to try to fall asleep in order to stop thinking. It usually worked. It was my way of shutting my brain down so it wasn’t going to bother me with heavy and anxious thoughts anymore. But usually, I fell asleep after crying my eyes out, letting the tears out as well as my thoughts until my brain was empty from everything. Then, I could fall asleep, tired from crying, from thinking, from feeling. But I couldn’t burst into tears in the Impala. It was out of questions and it made it more difficult to fall asleep, my eyes wanting to open every time I closed them.

Putting my elbow against the car’s door, I put my face in my hand, my fingers hiding my eyes. I hoped that keeping the sunlight away from my eyelids could make it easier but it didn’t work either. So I straightened, trying to find another position, another idea that could make everything quiet upstairs but when I raised my eyes, they came across Dean’s in the rear-view mirror.

My body froze and my blood ran cold as I watched his green eyes in a darker shade, unable to interpret the significance behind his look. It looked like he was glaring at me. Maybe he was mad at me. Maybe he was angry with me for the burdensome atmosphere I had created. Maybe he was upset that I had tried to do what I had done when he clearly had said he wanted to keep it a secret.

When I thought locking eyes with him could have helped me, it had done the very opposite.

I quickly looked away, incapable of holding his gaze any longer. Almost turning towards the window with my whole body, I half hid my face in my hand as I felt my vision getting blurry. I allowed a single tear to escape my eyes but quickly closed my eyelids, knowing that if I let myself go, my face would have been bathed in tears in seconds. Taking a long and painful breath, I opened my eyes again and focused on the landscape going by, hoping to make everything stop.

Eventually, I zoned out.

I hadn’t even realized I had until I came back on Earth and became aware that the landscape had changed. I had completely stopped thinking. My brain was now totally empty of thoughts of any kind as I watched the little hills in front of me. I didn’t feel anything either, or at least I didn’t know what I felt, like I felt almost detached, not even remembering how I was feeling before. It wasn’t really better, it was a strange feeling of fake calm but at least I didn’t feel like suddenly bursting into tears anymore. I just needed to not think about it again, otherwise I would have fallen into the rabbit’s hole again.

The silence in the car was still there, no music filling the vehicle, but it wasn’t as heavy as before and was now allowing me to breathe a bit better. I turned my head to the right and I saw my best friend with her book in her hands, her shoes off of her feet and her neck probably hurting from bending it so much as if her whole body wanted to enter the pages. I slightly smiled at the view, loving how into the book she was when she liked it. I didn’t know what this story was about but it seemed captivating.

Then I raised my head and looked at the front seat, finding Sam on his open laptop, looking at what seemed to be an article online. I couldn’t make out what it clearly says but from the intense reading he was giving to it, I assumed it was about the case we were driving to. Then he opened another tab with what looked like a police file, making me frown.

Could these men truly hack anything?

Then my eyes slowly drifted to the left and stopped when they found the broad shoulders in front of me. Watching straight ahead, Dean seemed tense, his back straight as he drove his car. I didn’t like seeing him like this and I silently wondered why he was so uptight. But when a little voice in me told me maybe I was the reason behind it, I shut my eyes to make it quiet, not wanting to fall into this vicious spiral again. When I opened them back, I quickly found his green orbs in the rear-view mirror. My heart skipped a beat and I quickly looked away, lowering my head, not knowing what to do with myself.

It was so stupid, I knew it, and I didn’t mean to avoid him but I couldn’t hold his gaze either. Because I couldn’t properly interpret the look in his eyes and simply was too ashamed to look at him. I was just an idiot, I knew it, I had created this distance between us, all by myself and he probably even didn’t know why. I had started this situation and I had no idea how to get out of it.

Then the car slowed down, heading to a gas station and stopped completely next to the gas pumps. Sam slightly raised his head, looking around him when he felt the car coming to a halt while my best friend didn’t even move, not realizing we had stopped. Dean opened his door, making it squeak before slamming it behind him, making me flinch. He seemed irritated and I hated it, I knew I had caused it and I didn’t know how to fix it.

I felt like crying again.

When I turned my head to the right, I met Sam’s eyes, curiosity and incomprehension in his hazel irises. I gulped, not knowing how to act now that he was staring at me, probably trying to understand why I was so weird again. My heart beat faster and I needed air, I needed to find myself alone for a short second to get my composure back. So, before Sam could ask me anything, my hand reached the handle on my left and I started to open it.

“I, huh, I have to go pee.” I half explained and got out of the car before he could answer me.

Shutting the door behind me, the smell of gasoline instantly reached my nose and I frowned in disgust. I turned my head to the right and found Dean leaning at the back of the car, putting the gas pump inside the fuel tank. The hunter suddenly raised his eyes, a slight frown above his beautiful eyes and I clenched my jaws, trying to hold back the emotions coming to me all at once. Looking away, I hurried to the gas station, appreciating the cold air of January landing on my cheeks, slightly calming my mind and I felt Dean’s eyes on me when I passed the door.

Inside the little shop, I let a quick and shaky ‘hello’ to the cashier and found my way to the bathroom without turning back. Once inside, I stopped in front of the mirror seeing my slightly red eyes and the tears threatening to escape. I clenched my jaws, looking away to not start crying at how stupid it was to want to burst into tears for nothing. Closing my eyes and pressing my fingertips against my eyelids, I let a sob out and quickly hid my mouth with my hand, trying to suppress the other sounds wanting to escape. And when I raised my eyes and saw my reflection in the glass again, I let out a louder sob and rushed to one of the stalls to hide.

Closing the door behind me, I lowered the toilet seat and sat on it, burying my face in my hands, needing to set free the overwhelming emotions inside me. Big tears rolled down my cheeks, my breath alternatively quickened and calmed, from shaky to long and punctuated by my sobs. When my breath was calmer and I felt like I could stand up again, I started to burst into tears again, the actions repeating themselves for what felt like hours. But I couldn’t stay there all day, I couldn’t hide forever, we were going to hit the road again soon, Dean wasn’t going to fill the fuel tank for hours.

Dean…

I let a shaky breath out and hid myself again, curling onto the toilet and losing my hands in my hair. It was stupid and ridiculous to break down like this for a hand story, for a lack of affectionate gesture. Pathetic even.

After a few minutes, I calmed down, the tears stopped and my breath became calmer. The emotions now freed, it was quieter inside. I took a deep, calm breath and dried my tears, standing up and putting my hand on the wall next to me to keep me steady. I grabbed the dozen of used tissues I had folded in perfect triangles and put them into the little bin on the floor. Then, straightening, I looked at the ceiling and mentally prepared myself to face everyone again.

I exited the stall and saw myself in the mirror, my eyes were a bit red so I grabbed another tissue and tried to dry my eyes even more, even sponging lightly on my eyeballs. Once I was a bit more satisfied, I straightened and took an intense breath, staring at myself. But quickly, I sighed.

I was so stupid.

Rearranging my hair and sniffing one more time, I got out of the restroom. Looking at my feet, I let them guide me to the door but was quickly stopped on my way when a hand grabbed my elbow and made me turn to the right. My heart fastened at the sudden contact with my body and I slightly gasped when I raised my head and met Dean’s serious face.

“Okay, what’s going on with you?” He immediately asked, his voice strong and his eyebrows furrowed.

I lightly moved backwards, freeing myself from his grip, startled by his sudden voice. Dean frowned at my gesture and straightened. I hadn’t meant to move away from him, but I hadn’t expected him waiting for me at the restroom’s door either. I took a shaky breath and looked away, incapable of seeing his eyes.

“Nothing, I’m fine.” I tried to lie but I felt how fragile my voice was. I didn’t even really know why I was lying, it never worked even when I really wanted it to. And from the look on Dean’s face, he didn’t buy it at all.

“Yeah? Then what’s with the no-talking, the no-eating?” He asked with his hands, his intense green eyes staring at me and his voice grave as he required an explanation.

So he had noticed… But there were so many other better ways he could have mentioned that…

Joining my hands in front of me, I lowered my head and my eyes fell on my fingers, my nails scratching the others in a frantic, nervous gesture. He wasn’t shouting but his voice sounded like he was very close to do so and I feared it. The last thing I wanted – the last thing I needed – was him yelling at me. The thing I was fearing the most was starting a fight because I had overthought him refusing my touch.

I had made complicated the very thing I had asked to be simple. I was already feeling like crap for bringing this situation, if he had yelled it would have meant I had completely ruined it.

"I’m sorry, I don’t wanna fight…” I pleaded in a murmur and Dean suddenly stopped his movements, lowered his hands and rested them by his sides. I shut my mouth tight, apprehensive of his reaction but the hunter didn’t answer immediately and my heart beat faster as thoughts came crashing against the walls of my brain all at once.

I didn’t open my eyes again until he spoke.

“Wha-” Dean breathed out before finding his voice again. “Eva, we… we’re not fighting.” He said in a calmer voice and the ones in my head calmed down. I let a short sigh of relief escape, feeling already a bit soothed at the clear affirmation. “I just wanna know what’s wrong.” He explained and I lowered my head even more.

“Nothing…” I tried again, feeling more and more stupid once he was in front of me and asking.

“Come on, don’t try this with me.” Dean pleaded and I gulped. I was always asking him to tell me what was wrong and I was doing the very opposite with him…

“Are you mad at me? Did I do or say something I shouldn’t have?” He asked, concerned in his voice and now I was feeling bad for making him worry he had done something wrong. The last thing he needed was me adding to his already heavy conscience, especially for something so ridiculously unimportant.

“No… You didn’t say anything wrong…” I sighed, rubbing my forehead in a tired gesture.

Everything was so simple when I didn’t start thinking…

Dean took a step closer to me and I felt his eyes staring at me, trying to see my face as I started to hide it with my hand. Looking at the floor, I tried to gather my thoughts together and have a clearer mind to find a way to stop this conversation and get back to the car quickly. But the hunter didn’t let me.

“So I did something wrong, then. Is it about the case? I mean, if you didn’t want to come to Jody’s I wasn’t going to force you or anything. Is that what this is about?” He tried to find out and I felt so guilty to make him go around in circles like that. He didn’t deserve this and the more times passed, the less I knew how to explain my behavior.

“No, that’s not it, but it’s really stupid Dean. We should go, everyone is waiting for us. I’m sorry, let’s forget it.” I declared and tried to move away and towards the exit, hoping he would follow me and let it go. But as I started to turn around, Dean grabbed my arm again and made me face him in a firm yet gentle gesture.

“No, no, no, I wanna know. What happened? I thought it was going well between us and then, in the kitchen, you seemed down all of a sudden.” He said, confusion written all over his face and I hated to see this expression on him. Especially when I was the one causing it.

“God it’s so stupid, Dean… I’m sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong, I just overthought again. It’s not your fault, it’s just my weird brain and I’m so-” I started, my hands completely hiding my face but was quickly cut off.

“Tell me what I’ve done.” He pressed, his voice not letting room for arguments or ways to avoid anymore. I had no choice but to say it, so, in an ashamed voice I answered.

“You didn’t take my hand.” I quickly blurted out and it felt like everything stopped around me.

Dean froze in front of me and I stared at the floor, silently hoping for it to open up and swallow me, making me and my stupidity disappear. But nothing happened, no pit formed itself under my feet, this ridiculous situation didn’t magically erase itself and Dean now knew why I was acting so strange. He knew the reason behind my silence and when I expected him to maybe push me away, laugh or simply leave, not wanting to deal with this anymore, he spoke up.

“What?” He breathed out, bewilderment in his voice as if he didn’t understand what I was talking about. And when I finally raised my head after what felt like forever, I saw the lack of comprehension in his green eyes, his eyebrows slightly raised.

I had let him long enough in the dark, it was now the time to explain myself and this crappy, stupid situation.

“You didn't take my hand… And I know how stupid, how childish it is, I do, but I don't know… I just… I tried to reach your hand and I thought… I mean… I get that you don't want to show ‘us’ yet, I understand, but they weren't going to see… It was behind the counter and they weren't going to… but you just grabbed your fork and I felt like an idiot… And it’s not your fault, my mind was doing weird things and I just… I don't know… I guess, I just needed you to reassure me, you know?… But I- I know how that sounds and I just… I mean… I get how ridiculous it is, pathetic even and I'm sorry I put you in this position Dean, I am. But it's not your fault, I swear, you didn't do anything wrong, it's me. And now I created this weird ambiance in the car and this distance between us an-” I was rambling, losing myself in dubious explanations and excuses, trying to justify myself without making him feel guilty for something he didn’t have to be. But my trails of digression were suddenly stopped when I felt hands grabbing my shoulders and pushing me against a hard, warm chest.

“Shut up.” Dean quickly interrupted me and wrapped his arms around my body.

My head resting against his t-shirt underneath his flannel, I closed my mouth, stopping my flow of explanations. Dean put one of his hands on the back of my head, keeping it against him and the other on the small of my back, preventing me from moving away. I stayed still for a moment, not immediately realizing the hug he was giving me and therefore not even giving it back.

“I didn’t see it, okay? I didn’t see that you wanted to take my hand or I would have let you, Sweetheart. I’m sorry.” He calmly said and I immediately wrapped my arms around his waist, returning the hug with strength.

I closed my eyes, enjoying his warmth and closeness, taking a deep breath to have his scent filling my nose. I hide my head in his flannel, feeling both stupid and relieved. Stupid for having been cold, distant, silent and weird all morning for a misinterpretation. And relieved to know that he hadn’t rejected me, that he had simply didn’t see me trying to reach for him. Everything was calmer now that he was pressing me against him and I could think normally again.

“I told you it was stupid… I’m sorry…” I told him, my voice muffled by his clothes.

“Well, I'll be honest and say that I wasn’t really expecting that, for sure.” He said, a little smile in his voice and I hid myself even more. Dean tightened his grip on me and chuckled. Even if I had been stupid, at least he was laughing.

Pressing my cheek against him, I flattened my palms under his jacket, sighing to release the remains of tension in my body.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with this…” I let out, my eyes still closed, simply enjoying the feeling of him close to me.

“After what you dealt with last night? I think we’re even.” He replied and I frowned, opening my eyes in an instant.

I moved away from him a little, keeping my arms around him but raising my head to have a better look at him. When he felt me move, Dean lowered his head and found my eyes, his were calm as though he was simply looking at me. But I furrowed my eyebrows even more and shook my head at him.

“You did nothing wrong last night.” I told him, trying to not leave room for argument in my voice. Dean looked at me as if he was thinking about it but then his gaze became more serious and he slightly lowered his head.

“Well, same goes for you.” He declared and I sighed. He didn’t have the right to use this against me. But even if it frustrated me a little, I lightly nodded and hugged him again, needing to feel him a bit more. Replacing his hands on my back, Dean moved one up and down in a comforting gesture.

“As for the weird ambiance in the car, I didn’t help. I should have used the remedy for everything.” He declared and I frowned again, in curiosity this time.

“And what is that?” I asked, wondering what was this secret cure he could know.

“Led Zeppelin.” He proudly answered and I chuckled. Of course this group would be the antidote of all the bad moods.

Chuckling too, Dean tightened his grip on me for a second before letting me go. I took a step back but his hands stayed on my hips and when I looked at him, he was smiling. I imitated him and admired the small wrinkles around his pretty eyes.

“Are you all good now?” He asked me, his eyes staring into mine to make sure I was telling the truth as I nodded.

“Yeah.” I breathed out, wanting to tell him how I appreciated the hug. But before I could express my thanks, he cut me off again, taking a step closer to me.

“So, does this mean you’re going to talk again? I happen to like hearing your voice.” The older brother said, his voice a bit lower than before, a cocky smile on his sinful lips. I was starting to get used to this seducer face but I was still falling for it.

Blushing like an idiot, I nodded and his grin widened. Slowly wetting his lips, Dean lightly squeezed my sides and I felt myself getting a bit warmer. Stepping a bit closer to me, I couldn’t look away from his eyes anymore and when I was finally able to, they fell on his lips which looked like they were getting closer to mine. But before I could be sure of this illusion, a voice interrupted my thoughts, making Dean and I take a step back away from each other.

“What’s taking you guys so long?” Sam asked and I quickly turned towards him, half of my body hidden by the shelf in front of me.

“I was in the bathroom.”

“I was paying for gas.”

Dean and I explained in sync and Sam looked at us, suspicion written all over his face. He narrowed his eyes for a second, his brows furrowed and it was clear that he didn’t believe us. Sam was far from stupid, I had felt him watching us in the car, trying to find out what was going on and I had no doubt that he was seeing right through our poor attempt at an explanation. After studying us for a short second, he opened his mouth but before he could let us know his interpretation of what was truly happening here, Dean cut him off.

“Well, let’s go. Unless you’re planning on staying here all day, Sam?” He declared as though we weren’t the ones making everyone wait. Sam’s face immediately dropped as if he was saying ‘really?’ to his big brother and the latter passed next to me, brushing my hand in the process. When he slightly looked back, Dean offered me a small grin and I understood the gesture was intentional. To my greatest pleasure.

Dean walked to the exit, showing the door to his brother as an indication to leave but when I arrived in front of the cashier, I spotted some cereal bars on the shelves. Stopping in front of them, I grabbed three of them and searched my jeans’ pocket for my wallet. Taking my credit card, I paid for the snacks and thanked the man before heading to the door. Sam was already outside but – as though he had sensed me stopping – Dean was waiting for me, his eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. I quickly walked to him, showing him the cereal bars in my hand and gave him a shy smile.

“I’m hungry.” I explained and he smiled widely at me, as if he was happy to hear that.

Opening the door for me, he let me walk in front of him, a discreet hand resting on the small of my back.

Emily’s POV :

I didn’t know how long I had been reading but when I raised my head, no one was present in the parked car, the engine completely turned off. I hadn’t even felt the Impala stopping at the gas station, too focused on the love story between my hands.

I looked to my left, frowning, my best friend missing by my side, and saw through her window some gas pumps. I tried to see if the older Winchester was filling his car, completely turning around in my seat, but didn’t find anyone near the gas pump either, or even behind the black vehicle. When I turned around again, sitting back in my place, I saw that the taller hunter was also missing, his impressive frame not in front of me anymore.

“What the hell?” I wondered out loud as I closed the book after taking the time to put the string between the pages to remember where I had stopped.

I turned my head towards where Eva was supposed to be once more and noticed that her coat and scarf were left behind in the car. And when I bent on the seat in front of me, trying to find other belongings, I saw Sam’s laptop resting on the leather. So they couldn’t have gone far. My best friend was easily freezing, just like me, and she wouldn’t have gone too far without her coat or the yellow scarf always wrapped around her neck. I doubted that Sam would leave his laptop in full display if he wasn’t close to it. And it didn’t take a genius to know that Dean Winchester would have never abandoned his beloved car.

“Where is everyone?” I asked even though no one could answer me and sat again, my back bouncing against the back of the seat.

Deciding to find out where those three had disappeared to, and not wanting to stay alone in this car, I straightened, ready to go search for them. But when my feet met the car’s floor, I felt the material way too precisely under my toes and frowned before lowering my head, suddenly remembering I had taken off my shoes to be more comfortable. Grabbing them from the floor, I quickly put my Converses on, my laces half-done and opened the door, making it squeak.

Once outside, I spotted the gas station in front of me but before I could go any further, I saw the three people I was looking for exiting the Gas-N-Sip and heading to the car. Raising my hands towards the sky, I looked at them with questioning and Sam was the first one to reach the car, a slight look of annoyance on his smooth face. I met his eyes, silently asking him what was going on and he simply slightly rolled his eyes, his eyebrows coming closer to one another and raising a little, showing that he wasn’t sure yet but was kind of peeved about it.

Since when had I started to silently understand him like this?

Before I could go any further in my thinking, Dean and Eva appeared, my best friend wearing a slight smile and wrapping her arms around herself to try and keep her warmth while the hunter next to her looked calmer than earlier, a hand on her back. I wrapped my arms around myself too when a light cold breeze passed next to me and the duo finally reached the car.

“What were you guys doing?” I finally asked, my eyes going from one of them to the others.

Passing next to me and starting to walk around the car to get to the door on the other side, Eva raised her hand holding something in them. Narrowing my eyes, I recognized one of her favorite cereal bars when she waved them at me and I let a small smile appear on my lips when I understood they were for her. Which meant she was hungry. It was always good news.

“Taking this.” She answered me with a genuine smile and I couldn’t help but grin in return, making her understand that I was happy she was finally eating something, that she was finally hungry. It meant that whatever had happened had somehow passed or was at least less intense for her and I couldn’t be more happy than to know my best friend felt better.

“Yeah, right.” Sam interrupted my thoughts and when I turned my head to the right to look at him, the tall man in front of me was rolling his eyes again.

The tone he had used was showing how not convinced at all he was by my best friend’s answer and I frowned at him a little, wanting to know the reason behind his obvious suspicion and distrust in his voice, wanting him to let me into the secret. Sam locked eyes with me and after a moment where my stomach tightened at his gaze on me, I watched his eyes full of theories and incredulity but when he opened his mouth to explain his theories to me, Dean cut him off, opening the driver’s door.

“Well, let’s get moving. Jody’s waiting.” He declared, his tone not letting any place for argument.

Sam clenched his jaws, showing how his brother’s behavior was getting on his nerves and I wanted to tell him I felt the same. But before I could say anything, Sam opened his door and gave me one last look as though he was silently saying that he would let me know his thoughts later. Appreciating the idea and still wondering how I could see this in his eyes and expressions, I watched him enter the car. Once he wasn’t in my field of vision anymore, I turned my head and spotted Dean still outside, giving me an idiotic and forced smile, making me want to hit his stupid face, both for commanding me and for interrupting his brother. But quickly, he entered the car and I had no choice but to do the same.

Not even completely sitting behind Sam, Dean turned on the car and drove away from the gas station, the sudden movement making me half-fall against the front seat. My head hit the front seat, my right cheek flattening against the leather. I cursed, raising my head towards the annoying hunter and Dean was already looking at me, completely ignoring the road ahead of him so he could proudly smile. I shot him a dark look, making him understand that I hated him at this very moment and he offered me an amused smile. Groaning, I straightened, finding my seat back but not without stopping to glare at the older Winchester.

“Asshole.” I insulted him, not even bothering to say it quietly and he didn’t waste a second to laugh at my comment.

Before I could ask him what he was finding so funny or sending him a few more insults, he faked being innocent and slightly turned to his right to have a better look at me, a large grin on his dumb face.

“Oh, I’m sorry Princess. Didn’t see you weren’t ready.” He declared and I wanted to smack the back of his moronic head.

“I hate you.” I simply answered and before he could reply anything else and start an argument with me, I heard a soft chuckle on my left. Immediately recognizing my best friend’s laugh, I clenched my jaws, keeping calm before I yelled at everyone in the car. But before I said anything, I looked straight ahead and spotted Sam’s face in the outside rear-view mirror and spotted a little smirk resting on his face.

So everyone was against me today?

A feeling of impatience started to settle in me and I turned my head towards the sound on my left. I saw Eva trying to suppress her laugh with her hand, hiding her mouth and contracting her jaws to not be any louder. Raising my eyebrows, I wanted to tell her off for not supporting me but the smile on her face made me stop, making the feeling of annoyance completely disappear. Her smile was genuine, honest, it was true and illuminated her face again. Her laugh, as quiet as she wanted it to be, wasn’t forced and I couldn’t help but smile at the sight. I still wanted to know what had happened this morning, what kind of thoughts had run through her mind to make her feel so bad, make her look so down. But at this moment, it didn’t matter anymore. Eva wasn’t forcing herself or faking anything and I couldn’t want anything more.

So, I smiled. She turned her head towards me, her eyes saying a silent ‘sorry for laughing at you’ but her smile said ‘but it was a bit funny’. And in all honesty, it was. So I laughed a little, joining her and she removed her hand from her mouth, letting another chuckle out. Soon, the brothers added their own laughs and even though I was still a little mad at the annoying green-eyed man, I laughed too. But when I moved my eyes a bit too much to the right and met Sam’s eyes, I froze; feeling something weird in my stomach as he didn’t look away, not being able to not look at his smiley face either. I wanted to curse myself for looking at him so much, it wasn’t like me, it wasn’t myself to look so much at a guy I found... okay-looking. Any other day, any other guy, I would be looking away or glaring at him like he was the most annoying man ever and was getting on my nerves.

Actually, Sam was getting on my nerves. A lot. He wasn’t pissing me off like Dean did, because Dean wasn’t annoyingly intelligent, he wasn’t ridiculously giant next to me (even if he was actually pretty tall), he wasn’t indecently attractive, he didn’t make me want to anger him until he had no other choice but to kiss me roughly against a wall to make me shut up… Oh God, it was bad, it was really bad…

“So, how far from Jody’s are we?” My best friend’s question cut my thoughts off, thank god, and had me look away from the tall hunter, making me come back to Earth. Blinking a few times, I refocused on my surroundings, leading my thoughts far away from the man in front of me.

“Three hours, more or less.” Dean answered her and she nodded before slightly leaning against the front seat to be closer to the brothers. Dean quickly turned his head at her sudden appearance and Sam slightly tensed, moving away to make some room for her. But it also looked like it was in an attempt to keep his personal space. I didn’t know for sure, but before I could think about it too much, Eva asked another question.

“So, I was wondering, you guys talked about Jody before and how you help her on cases every now and then but you never actually told us how you met her.” She said and the brothers looked at each other for a moment.

They understood each other in silence for a moment before Dean nodded as though he was giving his permission to Sam to tell us. So, slightly turning towards us, the tall hunter took a deep breath, as if he was preparing himself before talking.

“It was on a case, a few years ago.” Sam started and Dean quickly interrupted him.

“A zombie case.” He added and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Every time we talked to them, it felt like a new monster existed, a new creature was real. When we thought something didn’t exist, they were there to prove us wrong. And when Eva turned a bit to look at me, I saw in her eyes that she thought the same thing.

“Like, Zombieland kind of zombies?” She asked, trying to ease this uncomfortable feeling of knowing zombies existed that we both felt.

“Oh, I wish we had met Bill Murray.” The older brother declared and I frowned, wondering what was the connection between their two sentences. Eva must have sensed my confusion and leaned back a little, coming a bit closer to me.

“Bill Murray, was in Zombieland. You know, in the big mansion where Emma Stone and everyone are to be in a safe place?” She explained and I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows, having no idea what she was talking about.

“Come on, Em’. I made you watch that movie!” She told me and I couldn’t hold my laughter back, shaking my head at her to let her know I didn’t remember it at all.

“Nope, no idea what that movie is.” I said and she let a little laugh out at my lack of memory of this probably great movie. It wasn’t the first movie I had forgotten and it was surely not going to be the last either. Eva knew that and it was the reason behind her little smile.

“I swear, you’re unbelievable.” She stated and Sam let a little chuckle out at her comment, as though he was agreeing with her but before I could make a comment on his sudden snort, he continued what he was saying.

“Like I was saying, it was on a case in Sioux Falls. The dead were coming back to life and Jody had lost her son years before. He was one of the people resurrected and Jody got him back for a little moment, living an almost-normal life with him and her husband.” Sam continued to explain and my heart squeezed a little for the woman, the pain of losing a child probably being one of the worst suffering possible. I leaned over a bit closer to the front seat, my attention captured by this atrocious tale, and Sam didn’t move away this time but simply glanced at me. Before I could even interpret this, he continued.

“But it didn’t last long and soon, all the dead who were raised from the grave started to turn evil and Jody’s son killed her husband. So we had no other choice but to kill every one of them, including him.” He finished and Eva recoiled a little, her eyes widening at Sam’s words.

“Oh my god…” She whispered in horror and I couldn’t agree more with her. It wasn’t what I expected to know about Jody for sure and I wondered how she could have survived such violent and awful losses.

“That’s horrible…” Eva added and the brothers nodded, agreeing with her statement and for a moment a heavy silence took place in the car, the weight of this terrible story surrounding us.

“Yeah…” Dean simply replied and I didn’t know what to add to change the atmosphere in the car but Eva, on the other hand, tried to ask a few more questions.

“How is she holding up about all this?” She quietly tried, unsure on how to say her thoughts but still wanting to know more about Jody and her story, wanting to know more about her in order to act the best way possible around her.

Eva thought this way, she wanted to know about people and how they felt so she didn’t say or do anything that could hurt them or offend them. I, on the other hand, left some space between that kind of information and myself, feeling like I was stepping into people’s private lives without their consent. So if I knew something so personal and private about someone, I would keep it in mind but wouldn’t act on it, acting like I had never known it in the first place. Even if I also enjoyed spying on people and listening to their conversation when they talked too loudly to keep what they were saying a secret. That information stayed with me, either as a secret or as leverage if it was someone I didn't like.

“Jody’s an incredibly strong woman. It wasn’t easy but she got back on her feet. She continued her job as a sheriff, learned about the supernatural and even took care of a few cases by herself. She saves many people and she stays good. She’s a freaking badass.” Dean immediately answered, without even having to think about it.

I slightly raised my eyebrows at the hint of admiration and pride in his voice. And from what they were saying about her, she truly sounded like a woman to admire. I turned my head to see Sam a little and he was nodding his head, agreeing with the words of his brother while looking at him.

So both of them held her in high regard.

“Did she ever… been with someone else after all that?” Eva asked, the curiosity in her voice not going unnoticed. At least by me.

I sent her a look and she slightly shrugged, trying to act innocent and make her question appear as an honest and harmless one. I rolled my eyes and she tried to suppress a smile before looking ahead of her again.

I followed her gaze and saw the brothers looking at each other, silently understanding each other like they often did, as if their minds were connected and they didn’t need to talk to fully understand each other and what they were thinking. And before Eva or I could say something and ask them to share their secret thoughts with us, Dean talked.

“Well…” He started, looking at the road again then sent a quick glance to his brother on his right.

“There was Bobby.” Sam finished, turning to us a little and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. It was certainly not a name I had expected to hear, I didn’t even know they had met each other, actually.

“Wait, Bobby, the Bobby?” I asked, needing to make sure I was thinking about the right person and Eva soon joined me, a surprise present on her features too.

“As in, Bobby the-man-you-both-admire-and-see-as-a-Dad Bobby?” She completed and the brothers straightened a little, looking at each other again, something in their eyes appeared as though they were intensely thinking about Eva’s last words.

I wanted to know what that look meant but felt my best friend shifting next to me. When I looked at her, Eva looked a bit tense. I knew her face too well and knew that she was worried that she had said the wrong words. I didn’t think that she had and all of us knew what she had meant by that. And from the light smile on Dean’s face, I guessed that she hadn’t said anything untrue either. But before I could try and give her a reassuring gesture to let her know everything was fine, Sam spoke up and ended her thoughts.

“Yes, basically. They both lived in Sioux Falls and she had arrested him a few times through the years. It’s only after her son’s come back that she discovered what he actually did.” He explained and I felt Eva relax next to me, Sam’s words reassuring her.

“Did they work together?” I asked, curious to know more about both of those people who seemed to have such a special place in the Winchesters’s hearts.

“A few times. She helped him get rid of the FBI and he took care of a few monsters in town.” Sam answered, turning around a little to have a better look at me and I felt some tingling on the back of my neck. His hazel eyes looked green from this angle as the sun got through them and my breath got stuck in my chest for a short second, forcing me to look away from him and to find my best friend’s face.

When I did, my blood pressure calmed down a little and she offered me a sweet smile when she caught me looking at her. I gave her one back and ignored the younger brother on my right.

“Is there anything else we should know about her, maybe? So we, I mean, I, don’t make a blunder.” Eva asked the brothers and I couldn’t help but let a laugh out.

She didn’t have to correct herself because both of us could make blunders. I sometimes talked too fast and let out some things I shouldn't have and Eva often talked too much or just said one sentence too many and embarrassed herself.

“Well…” Dean started, thinking about what kind of info he could give us so we didn’t make fools of ourselves in front of Jody.

At least for the first meeting.

After listening to how Jody had welcomed a vampires’ victim, Alex, and Castiel’s vessel’s, Jimmy Novak’s, daughter, Claire, in her house, the brothers talked a little more about the case we were heading to while I stole a few discreet glances at the slightly twisted neck of Sam when he turned his head to properly talk to us. I tried to avoid looking at his skin but the view of his neck muscles in front of me was too close to ignore.

When we stopped talking and I forced myself to look away from the younger Winchester’s body, Dean slowed down the car and parked the Impala in front of a huge white house. Turning the engine off, he slightly turned to us while Sam looked ahead of him, starring at the one-story house, probably waiting to see if Jody was going to meet us outside as her pick-up marked with a ‘sheriff’ sign on it was parked in front of her home.

“Well, here we are.” The older hunter declared and I felt a bit of nervousness about this meeting.

I always worried about meeting new people, but the worry of our presence bothering her slowly came back too and I doubted that our arrival was truly wanted. I knew that she was the one offering but I couldn’t help it, the last thing I wanted was to bother her.

As though she had felt it, Eva put a reassuring hand on my arm and when I turned my head to look at her, she offered me a light smile. I silently thanked her and was glad to see a genuine smile on her face. But I wasn’t forgetting to ask her later what had happened earlier.

My thoughts ended when the car’s doors opened in front and the brothers got out of it. Mimicking their actions, Eva and I got out of the car too, joining the brothers in front of the Impala. As we walked to them, I found myself stopping next to Sam who lowered his gaze to look at me. I felt his eyes on me but decided to ignore them, the feeling of him close to me was enough to make my body warmer. But the tall man didn’t stop and, surprisingly, lowered his head a little more to be closer to mine.

“It’s gonna be fine.” He said and I quickly turned my head towards him, surprise widening my eyes when I realized he was actually saying this to me and no one else.

Had he sensed my nervousness?

Sam offered me a reassuring smile and I felt less nervous even though my heart fastened a little at the sight of his dimples and at the idea of him feeling my discomfort. Before I could even try to answer him or give him a hint of a smile, Dean spoke up, breaking the little bubble that had started to form around us.

“Ah! There she is!” He declared, a smile clear in his voice and when I looked at the house again, a pretty tall, short-haired woman was standing in front of the door.

The woman I quickly guessed was Jody smiled when she saw us and we started to walk to her, Eva stepping closer to me and behind the brothers to let them greet her before us. I turned my head to look at her and my best friend gave me a little, slightly awkward smile that made me snort. At least I wasn't the only one nervous.

“Hi, boys.” Jody welcomed Sam and Dean, a warm smile on her face when they were closer to her.

Taking a few steps toward us, she met them in the middle, under the porch of her house. The woman opened her arms widely, offering the free space between them for a hug Dean was the first one to take. Lowering himself a little, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight and warm embrace and she closed her eyes in appreciation. Then, letting him go, she turned to Sam who hesitated a little, slightly tensing under her touch before gently returning her hug.

I had never noticed that kind of movement from him before and started to wonder if he was always tensing during every hug he was receiving. I wondered if he reacted the same way he had with Jody when Eva welcomed him with hugs every time we saw them. From what I remembered, I hadn’t seen him tensing when I gave him one, or at least I hadn’t felt like he did. But before I could think of the answer, the brothers moved away to let Jody see us. 

When she was properly looking at us, she gave us a pleased and huge smile, making us feel welcomed there. Something really motherly emanated from her and this feeling relaxed me a little, making me more comfortable with our staying.

Eva took a step towards her first, a polite and kind smile on her lips and I mentally thanked her for being the first one to go to Jody. And knowing my best friend, she was going to do most of the talking too, saving me from the slightly awkward exchange of banalities we were going to have to make. I didn’t actually hate meeting new people, but I didn’t like the banal small-talk we ought to share, it always made me feel a bit uncomfortable somehow. I’d rather meet someone and immediately get along or simply talk about anything but the common saying.

“Hi.” My best friend started, nervously playing with her hands behind her back as she waited to introduce herself to the sheriff.

“Hello, I’m Jody. And, let me guess…” The older woman stopped her sentence, narrowing her eyes a little before glancing at me and going back to my friend. “You must be Eva!” She finished and I slightly raised my eyebrows, wondering what had made her choose which one was which.

Eva let out a little scoff of pleased surprise and nodded, letting her know she was right.

“Yes, I am.” She declared and I could hear the smile in her voice even if her back was turned to me.

Then Jody moved a bit to the left so she could have a better look at me, her gaze making me nervous for a short second but when she gave me a kind and happy smile, I felt myself relax a little bit.

“And that makes you Emily!” She stated and I nodded, trying to give her a smile back. I only managed to offer her a respectful and polite one but it seemed to satisfy her as she took a step towards us.

“I’m glad to finally meet you both. I heard so much about you two, the girls always on the Winchesters’ minds.” Jody said and I felt myself blushing at her comment even though I was already trying to tell myself she meant this as in ‘friends’. Even if ‘friends’ could be the wrong noun to introduce Dean and Eva, everyone knew that they were more than that, but it surely was the right one to use for Sam and I.

Sam and I were just friends, nothing else. Nothing had ever happened that could make us more than that, nothing at all. No date, no kiss, no sleeping in the same bed. Nothing.

I started to feel a bit hot at the simple memory of all this nothingness, a now familiar tingling in my back at the feeling of the tall hunter slightly on my right, but before I could go any further in my thinking, Sam loudly cleared his throat, preventing Jody from adding anything else. Discreetly looking to my right to look at him without him noticing, the tall brother was rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous gesture as though Jody had said something she shouldn’t have; as though she had revealed a secret she should have had kept to herself. I frowned a little, wondering what he could be nervous about while he gave her a quick smile, one that looked fake but tried to be polite. I tried to understand the meaning behind his almost awkward behavior at that moment but before I could find an interpretation, Dean spoke up.

“Maybe we should go inside, Jody. Don’t you think?” The older brother tried to change the subject and for once I was glad about him talking. He, too, seemed a bit uncomfortable as he asked to enter the sheriff’s house and when I turned my head to the left, Eva was looking at the ground, a light pink covering her cheeks.

“Sure, come on in.” She said, gesturing to the door with an arm before turning around to open the door of her house and welcoming us into her home.

Dean and Eva were the first ones to enter the place, following the sheriff inside and I waited for Sam to go inside too so I could be the last one to enter. But the tall man didn’t move, opening the path with his arm for me to follow the rest of them. I raised my head to look at him and when my blue eyes met his hazel ones, I saw something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Like he was both trying to make me understand something, like he was trying to give me a message I clearly wasn’t getting but was also trying to hide something. Not being able to hold his gaze any longer, I looked away, watching my best friend walk into the house.

“Right after you, Em’.” Sam said by my side and my legs quickly made me walk to the door. The desire and need to leave his proximity to be able to breathe again and the use of my nickname for the second time slightly warming my belly and freezing my brain in panic.

I stepped into the house, finding the familiar shape of my best friend and I tried to swallow when Sam placed himself next to me, Jody sending us a look I didn't want to see. I slightly stepped away from the tall hunter, putting some safe distance between us and Eva turned around, slightly frowning at me.

I was starting to think that I wasn’t ready for this weekend and what it was going to bring, already making a mental note to avoid being alone with Jody at all cost.

I hope you liked it ! Let me know if you did !

Tags : @emilielbls @roonyxx @awkward-and-indecisive @thoughts-and-funnies @deans-spinster-witch  @avanatural @waynes-multiverse @akshi8278 @snowlovespie @inlovewithfictionalcharacters666

[angelsdean]

i'll be honest, i truly do not understand when people get all up in arms whenever anyone involved with spn describes cas's love for dean as beyond the human understanding of love, as if there haven't been posts made on here for years by fans literally describing cas's love for dean / destiel's love as akin to worship, a powerful force greater than god, cosmic, all encompassing, profound, etc etc. i thought the outrage was silly when jensen expressed the idea of cas's love being more than romantic back in denver con 2021 and i think it's silly now with these bedlund tweets. not to mention being more than and beyond something imo means it encompasses the romantic AND more. it's romantic, it's platonic, it's cosmic, it's worship, it's everything. and i think that's beautiful. and yes, it's exactly what their love is. a huge profound force that changed the narrative, that wasn't meant to be there, that kept breaking through anyway.

and i understand what people are saying about this language being used for a queer ship etc etc, but like, there's nothing inherently wrong or negating their love in saying that it's a greater love. if anything i think it's saying, hey, see these two? yea their love is bigger than what we can even comprehend. idk i'm just going to continue to take these statements in good faith. and also, until the reboot happens, they can't really say more about destiel beyond the bounds of the confession. jensen, bedlund, misha, etc can't speak to dean's feelings, for instance, or confirm anything one way or another, because if those feelings are a major plot point to be explored and acknowledged in the continuation then to speak about them now with any kind of definitive statement would be spoiling / jumping the gun, and it's not their place to make those statements yet, if we are indeed going to see more of dean and cas's story in the future (which i mean, at this point based on their statements about the reboot it's really a When not If situation).

[deancasforcutie]

listening to Journey's Wheel in the Sky because it was on the spn s2 soundtrack and still getting my destiel worms all over it... fuck yeah that wheel in the sky keeps him yearning

[heymeowmao]

YNGS Crew visits Sina Headquarters!

[morganthefey]

Dean’s little comforting “okay, okay” when Cas hugs him at the end of season 11 thinking he’s saying goodbye forever, reblog if you agree

[lightofraye]

Watching Supernatural episode, The Heroes' Journey, and I cannot--seriously, cannot--stop laughing.

I love it. It is definitely one of the best episodes!