For Dean it was hard to believe it had been so long. Six months. Half a year. He still missed his brother. He would give anything to have him back. Well almost anything. Circumstances change. Priorities change.
Six months and one day ago he would have traded his soul again to have even just one more day with Sam. He would have marched into Hell and single handedly dragged him out. Dean would have killed every monster, demon, ghost, and person that stood in his way. Circumstances change. Priorities change.
That night he knocked on Lisa's door was the night his priorities changed. He was walking away from the one thing he had always known. There was nothing left for him anymore in that world. Everything he was fighting for was gone. When her eyes lit up at the sight of him on her doorstep he knew where he belonged. She didn't care that he was a hunter of things from fairytales and myths. She loved him just the same as she did the first time they met. He was standing on her doorstep a broken man, alone in the world. He had nothing to lose and nothing to win. Lisa could see his eyes were dead, his spirit crushed. The tears in his eyes were the tears of someone who lost their way. But with all that she knew she loved him. She always had.
That was six months ago. The nightmares had all but stopped. Dean no longer woke up in the night covered in sweat and tears. He smiled more in the past six months then he had in over 25 years. It wasn't because his life was perfect. Far from it. There were the arguments all couples had. The worry over what bill was going to get paid and which was just going to have to wait until the next time around. He smiled more because he was truly happy.
Dean quickly fell into a routine and so did his new family. Every morning Monday through Friday he was up at 5:00 am and off to work at 6:00am. After work he would stop at the local bar and have a drink or two with a friend. By 5:30pm he was coasting into his spot in the drive way. No sooner was the truck was off would Ben be out the door telling Dean and his mom about his day. At 6:45pm it was dinner. And at exactly 7:15pm the argument would start with Ben as to why he had to do the dishes and his homework. Ben was in bed by 8:30pm on school nights and the lights were out and TV. off by 9:30pm. Nothing ever changed. He slept in the same bed every night with the woman he loved lying right next to him. The lack of change was surprisingly comforting.
Dean was lying on his back thinking of all this when he was supposed to be asleep. He should be asleep. Something was wrong. He knew it. He could feel it in his bones. Over the years he had learned to trust his instincts above all else. Every hunter that was still alive and planned on staying that way trusted their instinct. Most times it was their only friend and ally. He rolled over and looked at Lisa. Her soft features were enhanced by the silver moon light shining in from between the cracks in the curtains. Her hair was strewn all over the pillows. Her makeup gone. She was the most beautiful at this time of night. He ran his calloused hand over her soft skin. So peaceful. It almost felt like a dream. Almost.
Someone like him who had done so many things wrong in his life didn't deserve someone like her. He stopped. Why didn't he? He had given so much of himself so didn't he deserve a little bit of happiness? To finally be normal. He scoffed. Well as normal as any Winchester could be. A smiled stretched across his face. Not only did he deserve her, she also loved him for some strange reason he couldn't understand.
His eyes fixed on her as he saw the signs of her coming out of her slumber. Her eyes started to flutter open. Still heavy with sleep she mumbled something only a drunk man could have understood. Dean sure didn't. She drifted back into sleep.
His deep voice broke the silence of the night. "I love you," he took a deep breath. "Go back to sleep." She was already sleeping. She would never remember that moment but he always would.
Giving up on sleep at the moment he decided to get up. He gently rose out of the bed so as not to wake the sleeping beauty again and walked to the window. The moon was full in the sky. One of the biggest moons he had ever seen. It seemed to be sitting right on top of the house across the way. He decided that was enough of the blinding white moon and was just about to plod off to watch some late night TV with Mr. No Name host when he saw it. A tall dark shadow. No sooner had he seen it was it gone.
The TV was never turned on that night. The years of training and hunting kicked in. Unknown objective meant all the stops had to be pulled. His shoulders squared. His blood pounded quickly in his veins. His breaths were deeper but calm. He heard every noise in the house. The soft breathing of Ben in his room at the end of the hallway. The sound of the clock in the kitchen downstairs ticking in the night. The light from the alarm clock showing like a beacon in the night. All his senses were on high alert.
His dad called it his business walk. Dean walked quickly and efficiently to the closet at the end of the bedroom and opened it. With military precision he started to work. He pulled an old tattered piece of luggage from under the piles of clothes in the corner, opened it and started to pull out its contents. This was his family. He had to protect them. No one and nothing was going to take it away. Not this time.
The basic cell phone he had kept was plugged in, charging and on in 30 seconds. His old life was staring at him in the face. Almost mocking him. There was the sawed off shotgun filled with salt rounds. A metal can filled to the brim with salt. The biggest bottle of lighter fluid one could buy along with his trusty Zippo and a book of matches you get at the gas station. Holy water ready to use. Wooden stakes if needed. Everything. At the bottom of the bag and the last thing he pulled out was his fathers journal. Dean was ready. Anything that tried to even make it through the front lawn would surely not make it very far.
He started to assess the situation. A shadow. Only solid things make shadows. It moved quickly. Could be a demon. But why? He kept his nose down and lived a normal life. It could be human. A well conditioned human. Maybe a hunter checking up on him? Not likely. He was halfway through when he stopped. Something was moving in the room.
Grabbing nothing he went to the closet door and waited. There was a child in the house. He had to be careful. So wait he did. He sure could use back up right about now. Where was Sam or Bobby when you needed them. Well he knew where Sam was and cringed. He hadn't heard hide nor hair of Bobby in six long months. He did this on his own before, he would do it again if need be. But the stakes were higher this time. So he waited.
The bedroom light turned on. Immediately he was just Dean again. Not Dean Winchester the hunter. No idiot, no matter how fast or fit or other worldly it was would turn on the light then murder. It was Lisa. His shoulders slumped ever so slightly, his breathing was calmer and his blood pressure lowered. His guard wasn't down, just on reserve.
She didn't knock. With her forehead leaning against the door she said "is everything thing ok Dean?" She was definitely wide awake this time much to the dismay of both parties.
He was just about to open up the door and lie when he saw it. No one could see that until the time was just right. Quickly tucking it away in the same torn luggage it fell out of he opened the door ever so slightly and tried to squeeze out without her seeing the contents of his bag all over the floor in the closet. Success, or so he thought. She knew what he was doing. Something got him moving. It had to be the shadow. She had seen it several times over the past few months. But she knew better then to ask. They all did.
"Oh. Hey. Yeah Just can't sleep.?he gave her the smile she loved, a slightly crooked grin that showed his teeth and squinted his eyes ever so slightly at the edges.
"Want to talk about it?She didn't really want to, and neither did he. He just shook his head no and grabbed her hand. When in doubt, distract was the motto he lived by.
Lisa, still a bit sleepy, let him lead. It was something they found they both enjoyed. Dancing slowly to no music. Sure it was one in the morning but she loved the feel of his strong body pressed up against hers. Whatever had scared him had made him sweat. She didn't mind. In fact she liked it even more. Every time Dean would move his hand on her back she could feel his body react. His muscles rippled. His heart would beat a bit faster each time. His soft touch on hers. Her delicate fingers intertwined with his. Her other hand placed on his neck she pressed on his head and he looked down.
Slowly she broke the hold he had on her. Gently she grabbed his jaw and pulled him to her level. No words were spoken, but looking into each others eyes, everything was understood. He was scared but ready. She was worried but safe.
Without warning Dean lowered his lips to hers and kissed with a deeper passion then ever before. He finally surrendered himself wholly to her. The last bit of what he was holding onto was gone. He was going to stay with her. He was going to marry her. Together they were going to grow old together. He was going die with her. In that late night kiss he pledged to himself to be hers forever. Nothing would change that. In that kiss all concept of time was lost. It was just them. They moved even closer together then what was once thought to be possible. The kiss was broken but the passion flamed.
Blood pulsed through their bodies faster then it ever had before. Not when it was just to get laid all those years ago. Not like the first time they made love six months ago. This was pure passion and love. There hands were moving quickly over each others body. Both were panting. Nothing could ruin this moment. Except one thing.
A cell phone started to ring. Who calls at 1:30 in the morning? No sane person! When he realized it was his phone it was too late. He missed the call. Holding the cell phone in his sweaty palm he was confused. No one had called this phone. Lisa had a devastated look on her face. So much for some alone time with her man. She was reaching for the phone because she knew the look on his face. It wasn't his. His head snapped up, shoulders straight. He marched to the closet door and ripped it open.
There was his old crappy cell phone charging still. The little red indicator light blinking. Quickly he snapped open the little black flip phone and stared at it in disbelief. It couldn't be.
1 MISSED CALL