It was 3am when I got a message on my phone.
It's Dean. I'm Back. Meet me at The Paradise in Des Moines. Number 9.
My heart skipped a beat.
Dean, the guy who was like a big brother to me, the only human to be sent to purgatory, was back.
"I don't know how the hell you do it," I mumbled to myself.
Dean had already spent a year in hell and got out a few years ago and now he was out of purgatory after 6 months.
I knew Dean would love having his baby back, so I jumped behind the wheel and headed off.
Five hours later, I was pulling into the car park of The Paradise Motel.
I walked up to the door marked number 9 and knocked. "Dean, it's me. Open up."
The door opened and I walked into a dark room; when the door closed behind me, I turned around and there was Dean.
Neither of us said anything, we just grabbed each other and threw 6 months into the hug.
"How did you get out?" I asked when we pulled away from each other.
"I'll tell you about it soon. Did you not bring Sammy with you?" Dean answered.
"Sam went his own way. Stopped hunting. Last thing I heard, he's shacked up with some woman and a dog. Changed his numbers or dumped his phones or whatever," I filled him and sat down on a sofa.
"So he just ditched you? What have you been doing while I've been gone?"
"I was looking for you and just, you know?"
"You haven't got any better at dealing with strangers then?" Dean flashed me a smile.
"Shut up. I suppose you will be going out tonight to get some?" I teased.
Before Dean could respond, his phone rang. "Hey . . . How did you get a phone?"
I raised my eyebrows at him and he just shook his head.
"In two hours, maybe three. Yeah I can do that but listen, I've got someone with me . . . Okay, I'll see you soon; hold on Benny."
When Dean hung up the phone, I was looking at him with my eyebrows still raised.
"Who's Benny?"
"Ages ago, years, before we even met you, me and Sam went to hunt down some vampires and there was one there that wasn't like the others-"
"So you left him? Alive . . .kinda?"
"He lives on animals and blood packs from hospitals. He's a gentle giant until he needs to be. Anyway, somehow he got killed and he was in purgatory. He helped get my ass out; I would still be there if it wasn't for him. Once we both got out, we went our separate ways but he needs me for something," Dean explained.
I just nodded. What was I supposed to do? Dean had taught me to be a hunter, to kill vampires but now he seemed to be best friends with one and he knew I was always slightly scared of them.
When he sat next to me, I looked at him.
"Just give him a chance okay? I know you might not like it but trust me, he'll grow on you."
"I doubt it," I muttered.
"But he helped you get back so that deserves a chance." Dean smiled and cuddled me.
"So, what does he need you for?"
"He's got a little roughed up, needs me to come get him. I'll drop you at the nearest motel," Dean stood up, getting ready to leave.
"Okay," I joined him.
In the car, I couldn't resist asking. "Dean, what was it like?"
"Purgatory? It was bloody. Messy.. 31 flavours of bottom-dwelling nasties. Hell, most days felt like 360-degree combat." Dean said all this without taking his eyes off the road, so assuming it was hard for him to talk about, I shut up and stared out of the window.
Two and a half hours later, I felt Dean nudge me.
I opened my eyes to see him crouched beside my open door. "Hey, go into the motel and go back to sleep, okay? I'll ring you when me and Benny are coming back."
I nodded and stretched; Dean helped me out of the car and I sleepily walked toward the motel while he went to get us a double room.
"Two single beds, take your pick and I'll be back as soon as I can," he led me to the room and kissed my forehead before leaving.
I shut the room door and wandered over to the furthest bed; I didn't even bother getting in, I just slumped on to it and fell straight into slumber.

*RING* *RING*
I groaned and rolled onto my back.
*RING* *RING*
"Alright, alright," I mumbled as I got my phone out of my pocket.
"We're coming back."
"I gathered."
"Did I wake you up again?" Dean asked.
"Mmm, how long have you been gone?"
"Two and a half hours."
"Is he okay?" I asked.
"You're concerned?" I could hear Dean laughing.
"It was a shock, okay? I've had time to think about it, so if you say he's safe then I believe you, I believe he's a good guy."
"But you're still gonna be wary."
"It ain't my fault," I sighed.
"I know. We'll be bout half an hour," Dean said and hung up.
I shuffled up the bed and sat against the wall, thinking.
I was really wary with vampires; I was nervous, I wasn't confident and I just couldn't talk to regular people I didn't know so this Benny bloke would probably think I was weird, or know that I didn't like him.
It usually took me about a week to feel comfortable around someone and nearly three weeks to warm up to them so I couldn't imagine how long it would take me to warm to this Benny guy.
I didn't realise I'd been in my own world for a half hour until I heard Dean's voice outside the door.
"Hey, I got you some fries and a chicken burger," Dean headed toward me and handed me the brown paper bag.
I turned to take it off him and seen Benny out of the corner of my eye but didn't look at him, just looked down and started eating.
"Benny, this is Sherrie. She's shyer than shit so she probably won't speak round you for a while," Dean made up an excuse and sat next to me.
"It's fine, really," he replied in his deep south-American voice.
"Once she warms up to you though, you'll wish she'd go back to being shy."
When Dean said this, I elbowed him as hard as I could. "See what I mean?"
I heard Benny laugh and risked a quick look at him.
He was really good looking for a vampire, not that I was gonna admit that to anyone, let alone myself.
When he seen me looking, I quickly looked away, unaware of what he was going through.
He'd been in purgatory for about five years, been a vampire for fifty, so Benny wasn't expecting what had started to happen, and he'd certainly forgot what it felt like.
When he caught me looking at him, and saw my face, properly, for the first time, a rush of feelings spread through him: attraction, lust, arousal. With the arousal, his fangs slid out and when Dean noticed he pointed to the door. "We'll be back in a minute," he told me and pushed Benny out.
When they were outside, Benny leant against a wall, taking deep breaths.
"What the hell just happened? It sure as hell better not be what I think!" Dean hissed.
"I ain't wanting to bite her, don't worry," Benny reassured him.
"Then what's going on?"
"She's . . .beautiful. It's been years since I felt . . .like this."
Dean stared at him in shock as the words sank in and then he snapped out of it.
"You better be joking. She's like a sister to me so keep your hands off her."
"I wouldn't do anything to her, I swear," he held his hands up.
"You better not and anyway, even if I did approve, which I don't, there's still a problem."
"What's that?"
"You gotta get her to talk to you. Good luck," Dean smiled, smugly, and came back into the room.
"Everything okay?" I looked at Dean and looked away when Benny followed.
"Everything's fine. I need to get down; ain't had any sleep since I came back," he said to me and then turned round.
"I trust you."
"You got nothing to worry about, I swear it, Dean."
I shuffled over so Dean could lie down on the same bed and Benny sat down on the other bed.
A few minutes after Dean started dozing, Benny tried to start talking to me. "So are you a hunter like Dean?"
I nodded and when I took a quick look, Benny had a small smile on his face.
"You're uncomfortable with me being . . ." he faded out and when I looked at him again, I nervously nodded my head and smiled a little, which caused more arousal in him but he managed to subdue it.
"I hope I don't make you too uncomfortable; it wouldn't be too bad hearing you talk," he kept trying.
"You're not going to give up are you?" I asked, my eyes focused on the duvet beneath me.
When Benny heard me talk, he leant forward. "See, that wasn't non too hard, was it?"
"I just . . .don't like . . .you know-"
"Vampires?" He cut me off.
"It's not my fault . . .I don't like new people either," I said, quietly.
"I won't be a stranger forever, you know? And you won't be scared of me for long."
I nodded. That was all he got out of me for the rest of the day.