So, yeah, not a huge fan of Miley Cyrus but this song I've been wanting to do a one-shot to. So, here it is. An Apple and Dean one-shot. For those of you who have read the Ms Delaney story, note that this set somewhere within the last month before Dean's deal is up. I'm not exactly pleased with the story but it's been sitting here for a while and I've been meaning to finish it, so it's finished. Yeah, end of rambly author's note. Feel free to review.
Disclaimer - The only thing I own is Apple. The character's are Kripke's and the song is 7 Things by Miley Cyrus.
I probably shouldn't say this
But at times I get so scared
When I think about the previous
Relationship we shared
When they talked, it felt like they weren't getting anywhere. Apple couldn't understand how things had gotten so bad. Once minute they were getting along just fine and then they were arguing about some inane thing. Poor Sam, Apple couldn't imagine. Often he had to referee and that just wasn't right.
"Stop walking away and just fucking talk to me," she said as Dean moved farther away from her. Blatantly ignoring her, he kept right on going. Apple looked over her shoulder at Sam who stood up against the Impala watching the on again, off again couple. "You're such a pain," she said under her breath.
This made Dean pause mid-step to turn and face the woman. "Yeah well, sweetheart, I hate to tell you this but you're not all sunshine and sunflowers."
Oh, she really wanted to slap the shit out of him. Who did he think he was? "Oh, yeah? And you're so much better?"
"Actually, yeah, I am 'cause I'm not completely bipolar and insane!" he yelled, hands thrown in the air in frustration.
"Whatever Dean. You're just as bipolar and insane." Apple argued, hands on her hips.
Sam let out a sigh as he opened the passenger door to the Impala and slid in. This was a never ending cycle, really. He missed the days when their relationship was fresh and there were little to no bouts of bickering. Actually no, the bickering Sam could handle. This? This random, pointless fighting? No, this was new and something he couldn't take.
They were staring each other down, blue eyes meeting those of emerald. Neither was going to give up. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I-" Dean cut himself off, not wanting to talk about it. He screwed up and she knew that. He'd apologized and thought they were good. Apparently they were not. "I already covered this Apple. You said we were fine."
"Well, I lied."
It was awesome but we lost it
It's not possible for me not to care
And now we're standing in the rain
But nothing's ever gonna change
Until you hear, my dear
The door slamming behind her was louder then he would have believed it could have been. It sounded like a gunshot piercing the silence which was something Dean could relate to. He'd walked away many times but this was the first time she had ever walked away from him. This frustrated and amazed him all at once. His green eyes stared at the door, the dark blue paint peeling from it. This place was trashy, more so then any place they'd stayed at. Dean looked over at Sam's bed, unfortunately it wasn't occupied. Sam was out as he seemed to be more and more.
Apple wanted to scream her fucking lungs out. Who did he think he was? He couldn't just act like everything was fine. Sure, she hadn't expected him to stay completely faithful to him. Well, alright, she wanted him to even she could admit that. Before they'd even gotten together she'd found he was just a natural flirt, it was in his blood. She couldn't hold this against him. Though, after they'd become a thing, she'd thought maybe he'd be more conscious of her feelings. Apparently that had been too much for him. She leaned against his precious car as the rain poured down on her.
Being in the rain was something Apple had always loved. Standing there, against the Impala, she let herself get lost in the feeling of peace it gave her. For a few minutes she broke away, leaving everyone but herself behind. She lifted her chin to let the rain slide down her face and down to the gravel beneath her feet. She lowered her head, the feeling of suddenly being watched making her stomach give a slight flutter. There was no need to panic because she knew exactly who it was - she always knew who it was.
Dean stood a few feet away from her, observing. She seemed to glow in the moonlight as the rain sliding off of her lightly tanned skin. She'd once been his, before he'd fucked it all up. Of course Apple had known what she was getting into, he was sure even Sam and warned her. He'd been fine after they'd gotten together. He flirted, yes, but kept the real hands on stuff to a minimum. It had been one slip up that had gotten them to this point and Dean often questioned if it was his fault or if Apple were just overreacting. He gave a sigh as his hands slid through his now wet hair.
Despite everything she knew that if Dean asked she would forgive him. She was in way over her head with him. She was too into him to let him go, and this was what she really hated. Apple had seen a change in him, but it was the drinking too much and that one time that had been the last straw. Lowering her gaze, she shook her head and moved past him into the hotel room.
Dean let out a sigh before following behind her.
The 7 things I hate about you!
The 7 things I hate about you, oh you
You're vain, your game, you're insecure
You love me, you like her
You make me laugh, you make me cry
I don't know which side to buy
Apple leaned against the door frame, watching as Dean ran gel through his close cropped hair. Sometimes she wondered if he had been a girl in a past life. He spent some time primping himself; it was kind of amusing.
"What?" he asked, catching her eye in the mirror.
The woman shook her head, laughing as he went back to his hair. "Just wondering when I can take a shower is all."
"Well, you can go ahead now. I don't mind sharing," he said, giving her that patented Dean Winchester grin.
"I know you don't, Dean." Apple turned from him, going back out into the room. She crashed on the bed next to Sam, her blue eyes going to some show about sharks on the Discovery Channel. "Shark week?" she asked with a smile.
Sam gave a nod and laughed. "Yep. Want to stay and watch it with me?"
"Oh, you know it." She sat up, letting her back rest against the headboard. She guessed her shower could wait until a little bit later.
It was a few minutes later that Dean emerged from the bathroom, finally ready to go.
"I'm gone. Bring you two something back?" he asked, shrugging into his jacket. Sam and Apple nodded, not really paying attention. Dean huffed and grabbed his keys, "Geeks," he muttered before leaving them behind.
"You think he'll ever get it?" Apple asked sometime later as Sam flipped off the television while she gathered her things to finally take her shower.
"Get what? That he's a blind dick?"
"Yeah," Apple said, laughing. "Something like that."
"Eventually but Dean just has a weird way of working through things."
This, Apple knew. Would she be around long enough for him to finally work through it and give her his verdict? Did she even want to wait? The answer, sadly, was a resounding yes.
Your friends, they're jerks
When you act like them, just know it hurts
I wanna be with the one I know
And the seventh thing I hate the most that you do
You make me love you
Another night, another bar. So far, their recent case - which they believed had something to do with a poltergeist - was going nowhere. It was apparently 'resting' in a frat house, which was a load of fun for the small group of Sam, Dean, and Apple. Apple hated fraternities and sororities; she thought they were immature and lame. Then again, look what she did for a living. Could she really be blamed?
"Dude, that girl is smokin'. Are you doing that?" One of the rowdy frat boys, Jackson, asked Dean. Of course, the young twenty something male was overly drunk and standing not too far from said smoking girl.
Dean gave a grin and nodded. "Couple of times," he said, not looking at Apple. He was being an ass and he knew it. He could always blame it on needing to blend in. Yep, he'd go with that. Though, his hand did tighten on his beer slightly at the lewd question.
Apple gripped the amber bottle of alcohol in her fist as she looked over Sam's shoulder at the research he was currently scanning over. "Don't listen to him," Sam said softly, turning his head to catch her gaze.
"I wish he'd just stop being so damned two-faced, you know?" she said, resting her chin on his shoulder.
Sam nodded. He knew she wished that, but Apple knew what she was walking into and had agreed to it. As much as he hated this for her, this was all of her own doing. "Just give him time," he offered, small smile on his lips.
With a sigh, she nodded. "I'm going back to the motel. I'll see you guys later."
The walk back to the motel felt longer then it was. By the time she reached the door and unlocked it, she was ready to pass out as soon as her feet hit the carpet. Apple double checked the salt lines knowing that she would get chewed out if she didn't. Kicking her shoes off she sat down on the bed. Her chin rested in the hands as she looked around the dark, empty room.
She couldn't remember falling asleep. What she could remember though, was staring at the paisley wallpaper, thinking things sucked and how much she hated being a girl. Opening her eyes, she noticed Sam was asleep. It was then that she noticed an arm thrown around her waist, fingers spread out on her lower abdomen. Dean.
"Go back to sleep," his gruff voice said, breath ghosting along the back of her neck.
Ignoring his words, the woman turned in his embrace and blue eyes met those of green. "Why?" she asked.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
Her heart hammered in her chest at his words, wondering just how true they were. This was Dean; he didn't say sorry and not mean it. She smiled slightly as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.
It was official, Apple Delaney hated Dean Winchester. And as Sam pulled a pillow over his head, he determined he hated them both.
It's awkward and silent
As I wait for you to say
What I need to hear now
Your sincere apology
Apple still maintained she did nothing wrong. The problem was Dean disagreed. Both were sure that they were over Dean cheating on Apple, and for the most part they were. There was peace for a while but that was until the poltergeist and what Apple had done.
"You could have been killed!" Dean yelled, stalking toward the brunette.
Sam watched from the edge of his bed half pissed off, half amused. It was kind of weird and entertaining how mad Dean was and protective he was being. Sam knew his brother cared about Apple, as she cared about him and to see how far their relationship had come was kind of awesome. Never did he think his brother would be in a serious relationship, maybe there were still thinks about Dean Sam didn't know.
"I knew what I was doing," she argued stubbornly.
"Like hell you did! You were winging it. Again, you could have been killed, Apple," the older man went on, shaking his head.
The woman bit her lip, trying not to laugh purely at how hypocritical his statement was. "Don't start, Dean. You and Sam do the same thing all the time."
"That's different. We know what we're doing."
"Like hell you do," she muttered under her breath, inadvertently repeating his words.
"Sorry, what was that?"
"I said, like hell you do. Something goes wrong, you and Sam have to improvise, and I've seen it done. Furthermore, I'm not a baby, Dean." She leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. It was the truth. "Besides, you and Sam were both dealing with getting your shit together, you needed it to be distracted."
Sam nodded, the woman did have a point.
"Shut up, Sam," Dean said, barely sparing his brother a glance. "We had our shit together. Where the hell were you? Throwing yourself at the mercy of that thing was not a smart plan Apple."
"I didn't say it was smart, Dean. But it worked, didn't it?"
The room went silent as the pair watched each other, fire in their eyes. Finally, Apple lowered her gaze. Dean was right. It was stupid, but what other choice did she have? Dean had been hurt, having previously been thrown into a wall rather hard by the being. Then the poltergeist had thrown a television at Sam. Was she just supposed to sit by and watch?
After a few more minutes Apple finally looked up at Dean. She walked slowly to him and tilted her head up as he lowered his. "I'm sorry."
"You should be."
When you mean it, I'll believe it
If you text it, I'll delete it
Let's be clear
Oh, I'm not coming back
You're taking seven steps here
"Where did she go?"
Sam shrugged, picking up his mobile. He looked through the recent calls and text messages and still there was nothing. "I thought things were fine."
"I thought so too." Dean shook his head. Damn it. He picked up his phone and did the same, only to stumble upon three words, eight letters. I love you, sent from his phone. He paced around the room as he tried to figure out what had happened.
"What did you do?" Sam asked. Something bad must have happened if Apple just packed up and left. Everything had been fine, or at least he had thought it was.
Dean settled on the edge of his bed, trying to recall just what had happened last night. They were taking a week off and had decided to celebrate by getting completely wasted. Alright, so maybe that had just been him and Apple. They'd gone back to the motel before Sam, determined to get some alone time. Then it dawned on him. His eyes focused on the ground, not able to meet Sam's curious gaze. "I told her I loved her." Twice.
The seven things I hate about you!
The seven things I hate about you, oh you
You're vain, your game, you're insecure
You love me, you like her
You make me laugh, you make me cry
I don't know which side to buy
He'd said it. Twice. To her. Fuck. Once was in a text message, something she immediately deleted on her phone. She didn't believe in asking someone out, breaking up with someone, or telling someone you love them for the first time through a text message. That was too junior high for her. The second time was after a few too many beers and two rounds of sex.
Around four that morning she'd packed up and hit the road. Truthfully, she hadn't gotten that far considering she was on foot. Apple still couldn't believe she'd left, especially after what he'd said to her. Despite the situations they were in, she couldn't help but believe he meant those words. Dean wasn't the type to say something and not mean it. Why had she left?
Apple put her bag down and sat on the green grass, looking up at the dark grey sky. Rain was coming. Awesome. Maybe she deserved that. Christ, she was so stupid. He'd said he loved her and she ran away like a little frightened child. As her fingers pulled through her hair, she began to think about herself and Dean. Maybe all this time it had been her with the issues, not Dean.
While it was true they weren't a normal couple she found she really didn't care. She loved Dean. She'd take him no matter how he was. She really was a bitch. It was her that didn't deserve him. She was so stupid.
Your friends, they're jerks
When you act like them, just know it hurts
I wanna be with the one I know
And the seventh thing I hate the most that you do
You make me love you
Not only had Dean said he loved her and had her walk way, but he'd found her. In a bar. Flirting. That was backwards, ass backwards in fact. He watched from a distance, seated a booth near the back of the dimly lit place. She looked happy, glowing even. Maybe that was just the alcohol. Jesus, he hoped so. He took a swig from his beer.
It was then that she looked over, their eyes connecting for a split second before she went back to the small group of two girls and three guys she was with. Maybe they were more alike the Dean had realized.
Not too much longer after that, Apple excused herself from her 'friends' and walked across the bar to meet him. "How did you find me?"
"I know you."
Apple shook her head as if it wasn't true. "You think you do," she said softly as she sat in the booth across from him. "Who are we kidding Dean?" Apple asked.
"You're giving up?"
She paused at his question, confused. Giving up on what? Him? Was he serious? She fucking loved him. Giving up was not in the cards, it had never been. She had run, this was true but it had only served to make her realize that she loved him and couldn't really live without him. "I'm giving in."
"Knew you couldn't resist." He said as his fingers somehow found their way to the back of her neck, tangling in her hair.
"Cocky bastard," she breathed out.
"You love it."
And compared to all the great things
That would take too long to write
I probably should mention the seven that I like
Sam had seen a change since Apple had returned, not only in her but in Dean as well. It made him wonder just how much of a normal life Dean wanted. He didn't speak about it but as time went on and the couple spent more time together, he could see it in his brother's eyes.
It reminded him of the time he had spent with Jess and how close to having a normal family he had been. If Sam were to be honest, he was a bit jealous and a bit saddened. He missed Jess still and it had been three years. Sam was confident, thought, in the fact that normalcy wasn't for it. He'd strived for it constantly in the past and every time he thought he was going to get it, it would shoot just out of his grasp.
He turned over on his bed, away from the image of Apple wrapped in Dean's arm. He was thankful Dean had finally found something like what he had once had but the more cynical side of him wondered just how much longer it would all last. Dean didn't have much more time and how would Apple cope when Dean was finally gone? If they didn't find a way out of his deal, that was.
His fingers brushed through his hair, everything would be okay. He had to believe that it would all be alright.
The 7 things I like about you!
Your hair, your eyes, your old Levi's
When we kiss I'm hypnotized
You make me laugh, you make me cry
But I guess that's both I'll have to buy
As they drove down a deserted back road, Apple caught Dean's reflection in the rearview mirror. His green eyes brightened as he caught her grin. Things were finally okay and despite the fact there was only a month left, everyone was trying to say upbeat. At least, to each other's faces. Sam was working harder than ever to find a way out for Dean and Apple was hanging on as solidly to the man as she possibly could.
Needing to stop for a restroom break, Dean pulled off of the road and all three slid out of the Impala to stretch. Sam took off for the woods and Apple leaned against the black beauty of a car. Dean turned to face her, smiling.
"What?" she asked, eyebrow raised.
"You look tired," he commented easily.
Apple chuckled, tired wasn't the only thing she was feeling. "So do you." Her blue eyes watched with apprehension as he moved from her side to stand in front of her. His arms rested on the top of the Impala, trapping the brunette between himself and the car.
He lowered his face to meet her and she met him the rest of the way, lips pressed together and both closed their eyes. It was if they were in a world of their own; a welcome relief from their dangerous everyday lives. Once the broke for air, he pressed his forehead to hers and both sets of eyes closed once more.
Sam hated to break the intimate moment but he knew he needed to. Clearing his throat he chuckled slightly at the couple broke apart rather hastily. "Ready to go?" he asked.
Dean and Apple both nodded as they got back into their respective places. Apple sighed as she leaned her head against the cool glass of the window.
There were many things about Dean Winchester that annoyed Apple Delaney. Then again, there were just as many things about him that she loved. And Dean? Well, Dean could say the same for her as well.
Fin.