"I am not a witch." No matter how many times Lauren said it, still people insisted on calling her that. "Witches call on the powers of darkness to aid them in their work. I just know what I'm doing." And she did, from healing poultices to simple herbal remedies, her work was highly respected by those she shared it with. Lauren's back yard was a flourishing herb garden and there was a greenhouse window in her kitchen for herbs that were more fragile and required special attention. Everything she knew had been handed down to her from her grandmother who had also had a gift for healing. Along with the knowledge, Lauren's grandmother had made certain to impress upon her that this ability was feared by many people and often associated with dangerous witches, and as such should only be shared with those that would truly appreciate it. Only they would keep her secret and keep her safe. While Lauren might slip sometimes and give a healing concoction to a neighborhood child she'd become fond of, the only ones who knew her secret were those used to keeping their own secrets. And no one kept a secret better than supernatural hunters.
It made for an interesting life in her otherwise sleepy small town to see hunters. Lauren's home was rural enough that her visitors could easily slip in unnoticed, but not so far out of the way to make it difficult to get to in a hurry if there was an emergency. She rarely knew ahead of time that they were coming and they often presented interesting challenges. Sometimes the hunters just needed a safe place to stay for the night, and Lauren had plenty of room for them to crash.
One evening she was watching tv when her dog suddenly picked his head up off her lap and started growling. Lauren frowned as she studied him. It wasn't normal for Bear to get agitated by visitors. He greeted most hunters at the door with an excited, wiggling dance. The only time he acted unwelcoming was with solicitors. How he knew the difference, Lauren couldn't guess, but she trusted that if Bear was anxious that she should be on her guard.
As she rose from her seat, a stranger burst in her front door, slamming it shut behind him and looking out the window beside it. "Keep that dog quiet!" He shouted at Lauren, pointing a knife towards her and Bear, who had begun barking angrily. She heard the man swear as she heard someone else charging onto her porch. In an instant the man had come into the living room and grabbed her arm, kicking at Bear when he tried to bite him. Two other men burst through the door and a shouting match ensued. Lauren was too stunned to really catch anything they were saying as the man behind her used her as a shield. Bear finally found an opening and bit the man's leg. In hurt and anger the man pushed Lauren towards Bear so hard that she fell, hitting her head against a table and falling into darkness.
Sometime much later, Lauren woke with a terrible headache. "Take it easy." A soft voice said from her left side. She didn't dare to open her eyes at first but she could tell that she was lying on a bed and she felt a heaviness on her head that could only be bandages. Surprisingly someone was holding tightly to her right hand. From that side she head a voice asking fearfully, "Do you think she'll be okay?"
"For the hundredth time, yes Dean." Came the voice on her left a little impatiently. "I don't know why you're so worked up about this, we've seen way worse injuries! Heck we've had way worse injuries!"
Lauren opened her eyes then, and raised her free hand to feel her head. "Good thing you keep a generous supply of medical supplies. We were able to avoid taking you to the hospital and all the questions there would have been." The man on her left explained. He was interrupted by Bear who put his front paws on the man's lap in an effort to get closer to his mistress. Lauren smiled and patted the dog's head. "See I told you I'd take good care of her." The man ruffled the dog's fur and then looked back at Lauren. "I'm Sam, and this is Dean." Lauren looked over at the other man who was giving her the dopiest smile as Sam continued talking. "We're with the FBI and the man who attacked you…"
"You're hunters." Lauren corrected him and then looked back at his started face. "And I'm a healer. My name is Lauren, and I know what you are because Bear has a special knack for hunters. And I really don't want to know about whatever you were chasing last night."
"Oh." Sam took a moment to reply as he took in this knowledge. "Cool."
"It is so great that you know the truth." Dean said happily.
Lauren studied him for a minute and then sighed. "Did you drink from a bottle in the back of the fridge?"
"Yeah, that was the worst pink lemonade I've ever had!" Dean shook his head. "It must have been back there for ages!"
With an eyeroll, Lauren looked at Sam. "And you didn't have any, I take it?"
"Just water, why?" Sam asked warily.
Lauren smiled at Dean and squeezed his hand. "Never drink anything in the fridge without asking me first, okay?" After he nodded, she asked, "Could you go get me some water, please?" After he left, she turned to Sam. "It won't hurt him, but he drank a love potion. I made it on a dare from some hunters I met a while ago."
Sam shook his head and chuckled. "That explains why he's being so weird. How long will it last?"
"I only made a few bottles. It's been different for each person that tried it, but the longest lasted two weeks. I'll have a better idea as he goes through the different stages. Right now he's firmly in stage one, which is complete adoration. It can get a little awkward." She stopped as Dean came back into the room with her water. "Thank you." She said as struggled to sit up. The room spun a bit as she raised her head and she groaned.
Dean was instantly beside her, with an arm around her shoulders, supporting her. He handed the glass of water to Sam. "I think you'd be more comfortable in the recliner." He gently lifted Lauren and carefully carried her into the living room and got her settled. "Better sweetheart?" Dean stared into her eyes as he asked.
"Yes thank you." Lauren smiled back, thinking that she was going to have a hard time not falling in love with this handsome man with such beautiful eyes as he cared for her constantly.