Chapter 1
"We camp here." Dean turned towards me. "Set up the tent while Sam and I do a perimeter check."
"Yes sir!" my mock salute earned me a dirty look from dean. I just rolled my eyes and began opening up the tent. This would be easy, I thought, if the instructions were in actual English and I had four extra arms. The last thing I needed was for the boys to come back and think I was helpless. I started at the sky. Ugh, God please send me a miracle, like instructions in English or maybe a stiff drink.
"Which would you like first?" an accented voice said from behind me.
I'd like to point out I did not scream like a girl, and I especially did not turn around so fast that I tripped over the tent box, and I 100% did not fall on my butt. I got to my feet slowly, wondering where the man in front of me had come from, and was he seriously holding a Mai-tai and a pamphlet in his hands?
"Wendigo got your tongue love?" He winked as he placed the drink and the, oh look instructions in English, into my hands and surveyed the tent. "Since you are so intent on impressing your new friends, how about I…" He gave a quick wave at the tent. I turned around and gasped. The tent was set up, and there was even a nice fire, with firewood stacked neatly.
"Wow!" I turned to thank him, but he was gone. It occurred to me, perhaps a tiny bit too late that I had no idea who or what he was. I heard footsteps, the sound of Sam and Dean approaching.
They stopped when they saw the tent, fire, and firewood. Sam smiled. "Look Dean, still pissed we brought her along?" I smiled. Dean, however, was not smiling. He pointed at the drink. "What the hell is that? And how did you get all this done in under twenty minutes?"
I thought about the blond haired, blue-eyed cutie, and wondered how much I should tell. "Well… I sort of had some help, this guy appeared, and…"
"Guy?!" Dean and Sam said in unison. "What guy?" Dean demanded.
"Uhm, he had blonde hair, blue eyes, grey V-neck shirt, accent, good looking."
I was suddenly a bit afraid when I saw Dean's face. "Balthazar? What did he want? That guy is trouble, he is a self-serving dick, and you need to stay away from him!"
"He seemed really nice though?" Under any other normal circumstances I would have taken Dean's 'words of wisdom' to heart, but this Balthazar didn't seem like a bad guy to me. "Dean, he did set all this up for me. For us. Why is that a bad thing?"
Sammy interjected, before Dean could get too riled up. "Look, Balthazar is an angel, and most of the time when he does something, he uh, he has an ulterior motive in mind. So, what Dean was trying to say is, just be careful around the guy, ok?" I nodded.
"We should all get some rest while it is still daylight." Dean gave me another look before heading into the tent.
I decided letting a perfectly good Mai-tai go to waste would be a shame, so I downed it quickly and went into the tent. I stretched out, and felt something under my head. I sat up, and stifled a giggle. There was a mint on my pillow. I popped the candy into my mouth, closed my eyes, and I definitely did not daydream about Balthazar, not one bit.
The hunt turned out to be a bust, and I was trying to not die of either boredom or Dean's choice of music as I sat in the back of the Impala. At least Sammy had promised we were less than 4 hours away from our hotel, which meant showers, hot steamy, not in the middle of the woods kind of showers.
I was used to doing mainly research at the bunker, and not all this glamorous, life on the road stuff. But because we were never really safe, Sam had convinced Dean it would be good for me. I had practiced martial arts with Cas, basic throw down and dirty fighting with Sam, and Dean had actually almost praised me for my firearms techniques. Dean had also explained it great detail how all the training in the world won't save you if you can't think on your feet, yet we had to beg him to let me come along. Oh that's right, I thought, it's because I have breasts, which make me incapable of taking care of myself.
Shower, check. Teeth, brushed. Nails, done. Knocking on my hotel door, grab gun and look through peephole, check and check. I looked and the hallway was empty, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I looked again, but couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.
"You going to stand there all night love?" I spun on my heel and leveled the gun, right at my blue-eyed angel. "Really? Even after I left you a mint?" He smiled and walked forward, until the gun barrel was against his chest. "Let me guess, good old Dean told you I was possibly dangerous or insane, and for you not to trust me?" I nodded, and kept the gun steady. "Fine then, I was going to ask you out to dinner, but if you would rather sit here alone…"
I tucked the gun in the back of my pants. "Dinner?"
"Yes, as in real food, not that diner crap that you've been ingesting since your friends decided to bring you along on their little field trip." He held out his hand. "Shall we?"
Of course I told him no, right? That's what any sane person would have done. They wouldn't be sitting somewhere in Paris, with an amazing view, eating the best food they'd ever tasted, in a dress that probably cost a small fortune. They also wouldn't be staring dreamily at him while ordered more wine in perfect French.
"How is your meal?" He asked, all smiles.
"It's amazing, and wow, Paris? This doesn't even feel real." I felt my face flush, I hoped I didn't sound too excited, even though I really was. I was in Paris, having dinner with an angel! A very attractive angel. I needed someone to pinch me.
"I'm so very pleased to hear that. I was a bit worried you might actually tell me no, then who would I take mini golfing with me after dinner?"
I almost choked on my wine. "Mini golfing?" I giggled. "I love mini golf! But you do realize I am totally going to kick your butt at it!"
He leaned across the table and gently took my hand. "Care to bet on that love?"
I couldn't answer at first, with his thumb doing slow circles on the back of my hand and his accent sending shivers through me. "Uhm, sure? What are we wagering exactly?" I didn't have an excess of money lying around to wager.
"The movie we will be watching on our next date. Whoever wins gets to decide, and the loser doesn't get to complain. Sound like a deal?"
I nodded, because all I really heard him say was next date. As in second date, like plural. I was having dates, with an angel. I had to hold I a giggle, because like it or not, I was such a girl at times.
I was back in regular clothes, and he was paying for our mini golf. We headed out onto the course, me clutching the scorecard and a putter. He had his hand in the small of my back as we walked, which was probably why I had a death grip on the putter.
"Lady's first." He smiled and winked as he took the scorecard.
I was a pro at mini golf, but I was also acutely aware that my angel of hotness was watching, and I had to remind myself to breathe normally. Deep breath, and putt! I grinned gleefully as I got a hole in one. I winked at him and grabbed the scorecard. "Your turn!"
We putted and putted, and were down to the last hole, and I looked at the card. We were tied. And this one looked a bit difficult, with a windmill and some other weird contraption attached. I handed off the scorecard, and stepped up. Deep breath, and putt! My face fell as the ball caught the edge of the windmill and came rolling back at me. Damn! But it was all suddenly worth it when he gave my shoulder a squeeze.
"How about a mulligan on that first shot?" he asked as he grabbed my ball and replaced it to the starting point. I blushed and smiled, ugh, could he be any sweeter?
I lined up my shot, deep breath, and putt! It went in and through, and I happily took the scorecard and watched him putt. His shot went straight through, now we were both facing the contraption that just occasionally knocks your ball back at you. I found myself squinting at it, hoping I could determine something. I sighed, and took the shot, and jumped and laughed when it went through, so close to the hole in that back. He laughed and squeezed my shoulder again. "Excellent shot love."
He lined up his shot and it went through, hard, and I held my breath as it came flying out the backside, ricocheted, and tapped my ball, which gave my ball just enough momentum to fall into the hole. I put my hand over my mouth to stifle my giggle, but his laughter was infectious, and we were soon leaning into each other in hysterics. As we finally calmed down, I realized his arm was draped across my shoulder, and it felt really nice. He was looking down at me smiling, and my brain may have lost function for a second, because I swear he was leaning down to kiss me. I closed my eyes as his lips grazed my forehead.
"We should really be getting you back now, we wouldn't want the Winchester search party breathing down our necks, now would we?" I nodded, not because I actually wanted to go anywhere, but because I really didn't want to explain to Dean about why I had 'disobeyed a direct order' to stay away from Balthazar.
Back in the hotel, and I really didn't want the night to be over. He reached over and took my hand. "Don't forget to send me a text when you know what movie you've decided upon." He kissed the back of my hand, his eyes never leaving mine. "Until we meet again love." And just like that, he was gone.
