A/N: This is not my first account...however, it is the first story of this account which is cool. I wish I owned Supernatural. That would just be great. I don't...but my birthday's coming up soon. (I'm looking at you, Kripke.)
Natalie had been on the road for days now. She was bleary-eyed and hoping to find a place to stay the night...maybe get a few hours of sleep if she was lucky. Everything had been stressful lately, whether it was a difficult hunt, hours of research, or driving cross country every few days, Natalie felt as though she had been stretched to breaking point. She found a cheap-looking motel right off the interstate and parked outside the motel office.
"Room please." Natalie yawned, pulling out her wallet and rifling through it for enough cash to buy her a night in the sleazy motel.
"$60, sweetheart." The guy behind the counter said, holding out a hand for the money.
Natalie rolled her eyes at the pet name and frowned at the price but she wasn't in the mood to argue. She just wanted a good shower and a place to sleep. She slapped the money on the counter and snatched the key from the man's hand. She trudged back out to the parking lot to get her bag when she saw an extremely familiar car pull up. She hadn't seen that car in months. It was a black 1967 Chevy Impala and it could only belong to one person: Dean Winchester.
"Well, well. Look who it is. Sam and Dean Winchester." She smiled slightly as she looked through the open window of the driver's side door. "Haven't seen you two in months."
"Hey, Nat!" Sam got out of the car and walked around to hug her. "How are you?" He asked, smiling.
Natalie laughed humorlessly. "Fantastic." She said sarcastically.
"You mind if we bunk with you tonight?" Dean asked.
"What? No 'hello, how ya doin', real glad you're not dead'? Thanks Dean." She smiled though and bumped his shoulder with her own. "Sure." She could tell they were just as tired as she was and there was room.
oOo
As soon as they were all unpacked, Sam flopped down on the bed closest to the door and within minutes was asleep and breathing heavily. Natalie sat down on the couch and stared at the tacky patterned carpet. Dean sat down next to her.
"I'll take the couch. Go on." He said wearily.
"No, you need the rest. You take the bed, I'll take the couch." Natalie said punctuating her sentence with a silent yawn.
Dean looked at her carefully, the dark circles under her eyes made her look much older than she was. Her skin was covered in a thin film of sweat and dirt and her light brown hair was tangled and unwashed. She looked like hell. Dean lifted her onto his lap and hugged her like a small child. She was a little surprised but was too tired to argue. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him back, breathing in the smell of worn leather, sweat, and a soft musky smell that was strangely comforting. She pressed her face into the side of his neck. She was shaking slightly. Dean rubbed her back gently. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened to her but she had clearly been through a lot.
"You wanna talk about it?" He asked quietly.
Natalie shook her head and wiped her eyes on her sleeve consequently smearing dirt across her cheek. She was more comfortable here than she had been in weeks. She felt protected and safe and for just one night she could let her guard down a bit. She was eternally grateful she had found the Winchesters here. She felt her eyes slipping shut as she drifted into inevitable sleep, still wrapped in Dean's arms.
She woke up on the bed, on top of the blankets with a soft, cotton button-down draped over her. The sheets were kind of looked dirty so she was glad she wasn't under them. She looked across the room to see Dean sprawled out on the couch, his leather jacket folded up under his head. She slipped off the bed and crossed the room silently. She sat next to him on the couch and sighed.
"You know...I haven't actually slept in days. I've been stressed and scared and I haven't talked to anyone in weeks. I thought I was going to go crazy. Dean...I got some people killed. Good people. I've been on the run. It probably won't be long before he finds me. I hated myself for getting those people killed but I couldn't stop it. It was a whole nest of vampires...I was stupid to take the job by myself." Natalie closed her eyes and tried to blink away the tears that rolled slowly down her cheeks. "It's this guys called Gordon...he's a hunter I guess but he's been following me."
Dean had been listening the whole time. He had never really been asleep. Gordon that son of a bitch. Natalie stroked Dean's hair gently. "Goodbye, Dean."
He was not going to let her sacrifice herself to Gordon. "Natalie, if you leave, I'll come after you."
Natalie jumped. She hadn't realized he had been awake this whole time. "I'm tired, Dean. Tired of running and fighting and sleeping in my car. I can't do this anymore."
"I thought the same thing. Nat, it gets better. We'll take care of Gordon for you. He's got hell coming for him from both of us. We hate him just as much as you do, maybe more." Dean explained. "It's not worth the suicide mission, you understand?" Natalie nodded quickly.
"Ok good." Dean whispered as he hugged her. "You need to get some rest." He pressed his back to the back of the couch to make room for her.
"Nat, you're safe with me, okay?"
"Thank you." Natalie whispered as she drifted back to sleep.
A/N: Reviews are so helpful especially if there's concrit and stuff! Or you know, fangirling over Dean is perfectly acceptable cos that's what i do. ;)