Title: Ticks
Disclaimer: The characters belong to their respective owners.
Summary: I'll keep you safe, you wait and see. The only thing allowed to crawl all over you when we get there is me.
Author's Note: The moment I heard 'Ticks' by Brad Paisley I envisioned this.
She was just passing through. He was sure of it. Most of the customers were entirely different from her. She looked like she belonged in a big city with lights to accentuate her presumable innocence. She didn't belong in a smoky bar with older, shabby men licking their lips with every look they shot her. Either she didn't notice the wanton stares she was receiving or she did a fine job ignoring them.
He watched her carefully; trying not to be too obvious but enough that if she should turn around it showed she had caught his eye. She was sitting at the bar with a beer in her hand looking at a small stage were some country singer was performing a song. Long blonde, wavy hair cascaded past her shoulders, almost to the middle of her back. Her dark denim sat just low enough to make out a tattoo on her lower back. A dragonfly, Sam guessed. He doubted she was much of a drinker; she was still on her first beer.
Taking a glance around the bar he saw Dean chatting up a pretty bleach blonde girl in a corner. His older brother had tried to chat up the young woman that had caught his eye but she had shot him down without even looking at him. That was the main reason he hadn't gone over and talked to the honey blonde just yet. He wasn't as slick as his brother when it came to girls but he wasn't interested in being a player like Dean either.
Discovering that his beer was gone he stood up instead of flagging a waitress over. He took a breath and walked over to where the woman was seated. He leaned on the counter and motioned for the bartender to give him a beer. The woman was still watching the real life cowboy on stage. Just as he thought it was no use to even begin a conversation the woman turned in her seat, placing her empty bottle in front of her.
"Aren't you going to offer me a drink?" the woman asked turning her head slightly to look at Sam. He chuckled warmly. He couldn't believe his luck. This woman rejected every male that had come over to talk to her in the past hour and now she was shooting him a smile that sent blood rushing through his veins.
"That depends." he responded, his brown eyes staring into her green ones. She cocked an eyebrow at his words and waited for him to continue. "A drink for your name." Sam took a small swig from his beer smiling softly when she let out a breathless chuckle. She sat up straighter and tossed her hair over her shoulder.
"Buffy."
"Buffy." He repeated with a grin and motioned for the bartender to bring her another beer. "I'm Sam." He replied turning in his place, putting his elbows on the counter as he leaned against it with his beer still firmly in one hand. Buffy turned on her barstool so that her legs were aimed in Sam's direction.
"I was wondering when you were going to come over." She cocked her head a little to the side. Sam turned his head to look at her and shot her a crooked smile. Maybe subtlety wasn't his forte or maybe Sam had caught her eye as well. Sam couldn't decide which one it was but couldn't care at the moment either.
"I was working up the courage to get shot down." Sam replied causing Buffy to let out a laugh and shake her head. "You're not like most girls I've seen in a place like this." Sam admitted, his curiosity of her business in a bar like this getting the better of him. He wondered if he could get a straight answer from him. There was some air of mystery that surrounded this beautiful blonde.
"You pick up a lot of girls in bars?" Buffy asked with a small twinkle in her eyes. Sam rolled his eyes mentally. She didn't create the air of mystery for nothing; of course she wasn't going to give him a straight answer. That would've been too easy and Sam wasn't looking for an easy girl. There was no challenge to it.
"No, not really." Sam answered truthfully. That really was Dean's thing. Normally he didn't go out with his brother to some dank hole where his big brother could pick up his next conquest but after their last hunt he needed some relaxation. If he played his card right Buffy might just be the one to help him relax.
"Good answer." Buffy said with a small nod taking a drink from her beer.
The next hour they started talking about the most random things but things that Sam stored away in his mind. Buffy was apparently looking for someone in this area, a girl to enroll in the boarding school in Cleveland where she taught self-defense classes. When asked why she went herself Buffy had changed the subject and Sam didn't inquiry any further. He had told her about his brother Dean and how she had shot him down without even looking and she had the decency of looking a little embarrassed but after assuring her that it was a great laugh she felt better knowing that she rejected the playboy of the two brothers.
"You know, it's a great night." Sam said when Buffy finished the last of her beer. "You feel like taking a walk?" He offered shooting Buffy his sweetest smile completed with puppy dog eyes. He may not be like his brother but he did know that with his puppy eyes he usually ended up getting what he wanted and right now he wanted to take a walk with Buffy.
"There's nothing but woods here." Buffy answered laughing but held her hand out for Sam to take. The brown-haired hunter grinned and took it, gently pulling her off her barstool. Not expecting the gentle pull Buffy fell forward but her amazing reflexes kept her from crashing into him. She ended up with one hand still firmly in his and her other hand on his chest while Sam had his unoccupied hand resting on her lower back.
"I'll protect you." Sam whispered just loud enough for the blonde to hear. She looked up from where her hand on his chest into his eyes. Now that they were both standing Sam really saw the difference in height but it only added to his list why he found himself being attracted to Buffy. Releasing the blonde's hand he carefully moved his other hand on her left side just above her hip.
"What if some nasty critters find their way down my shirt or up my pants?" Buffy questioned innocently with a light grin. Sam's lips curled up into a smirk as he leaned closer to her ear, feeling how his breath made Buffy shiver in his arms.
"Guess I'll just have to check you then."