September 22, 2005

Light was streaming through the windows, waking the girl in the bed. She sat up holding her head, it was the worst headache ever. After all, she was hung up.

"Great! Just how much did I drink last night?" she asked herself.

She stretched her body, relieving the tense muscles; and looked around her bedroom. That was when she noticed the sleeping man beside her. She quickly jumped out of the bed and away from him, but regretted it, as it made her head throb painfully.

'There is no time for a stupid headache,' she thought. 'Focus on the stranger.'

She looked down at herself and noticed that she was still wearing her clothes from last night. Next, she looked over at the man to check if his clothes were on too or not.

She sighed in relief, 'at least we are not naked.'

She tried to remember the events of the previous night but couldn't get much success. She remembered going to the bar, meeting the man in her room, having a couple or more drinks with him and coming out really drunk but after that it was all a blur. She would eventually remember if she concentrated enough but the pounding in her head stopped her. She raked her brain for the man's name and came up with Dean.

'Now, it's time to wake him up and ask him who he is and what the hell is he doing in my bedroom?' she thought.

As she moved towards his side of the bed, something touched her feet. She picked up the piece of paper and read it. It was a certificate. A marriage certificate to be exact. She couldn't believe her eyes; it had her name on it: Lyra Rose Auden and it said she was now legally married to Dean Ross Winchester. She dropped the certificate in shock.

"This is impossible! I must be dreaming. This can't happen. No! How can this be?" she rambled loudly, staring off into space.

Her little rant had woken Dean and now he was sitting up on the bed, looking around confusedly. His eyes swept the whole room, analyzing and memorizing it. He finally focused on the girl standing in front of him at the foot of the bed. She was around 5'6" tall, dark brown hair with natural blond highlights reaching her mid back, lightly tanned skin and athletic build. Feeling his scrutiny, Lyra turned towards him, still trying to recover from the shock. And now Dean saw the color of her eyes, emerald green.

"Please tell me this is a dream," she pleaded him.

But Dean didn't know how to answer. He was the one now trying to remember the last night. Nothing had happened between them, he was sure of it. He remembered her name, the bar, some pretty strong drinks but that was all. This was unexpected of him as he was good at handling liquor and rarely was he that drunk to forget the night afterwards. He too had a massive headache and Dean knew that he got really drunk this time.

"I don't know," he replied.

"Oh God! I screwed up real big this time," she said. "Do you remember what happened last night after we left the bar?"

"No. Do you?" he asked in reply.

She didn't answer him, just picked up the certificate and handed it to him. His eyes grew large and his expression changed into one of horror.

He looked up at her, "you knew about this?"

"No, I just found out."

"Look, this is a mistake. I don't know what happened but this certainly wasn't meant to happen."

"I know."

"We should get an annulment. Fast."

"We can't."

"What? What do you mean we can't?"

"There is a problem. I'll explain everything but first let me fix my headache."

Dean nodded and she left to go to the bathroom. After a few minutes she came in the room holding a water bottle and some pain meds.

"Here, take these," she said handing the meds and water to him.

He took them with a Thanks. She grabbed a chair from nearby and sat on it facing Dean who was still on the bed.

"Explain." He said.

"Okay. This may sound crazy, insane, but hear me out completely first and then react. Alright?"

He merely nodded so she continued "my great great grandmother, Margaret, lived in a huge mansion with her husband, William. They of course had servants, and one of them was the Oliver couple: James and Julia Oliver. Margaret suspected that her husband was having an affair with Julia, and she would never allow that, no wife would. So, one day she took Julia with her to the small pond behind the mansion and seeking the right opportunity Margaret pushed her in the pond. Julia didn't know how to swim. Margaret left her there and went back to the mansion. She was halfway through when she saw James coming her way. He was searching for his wife and she guessed that much. She stopped him and ordered him to do some work far away from the pond. By the time he finished it and went back to the pond to find Julia, half an hour had passed. All he found was her dead body and he knew that Margaret had done this. He stormed back to her and William and cursed her right there. He was actually an old witch and was living there as a servant to be with Julia, his only love. They had recently married and he was planning on taking her away with him. He said to Margaret that she separated him from his wife which led to her death, and so in the same way, if Margaret got separated from her husband for more than half an hour, she would die too. And the curse would run in the family affecting the daughters. It would break only if the daughter has a son as her first born. So far the first born have always been a daughter. Once the daughter marries someone, she has to live with him 24X7 or else half an hour without him would lead to her death."

"And now I am your husband," Dean said more to himself.

"Yeah."

"That means, if I leave you for more than half an hour, you'll die?"

"Unfortunately, yes," she replied wondering why he wasn't questioning her sanity."You believe me?"

"Sadly yes, I do."

"Wow, mom told me she had a hard time convincing dad. Never thought it'd be this easy," Lyra mused out loud.

"Oh. I was easy because of the things I've seen in my life," Dean said to her.

"What things?" she questioned, trying to guess where this was going.

"You believe in witches and their curses?" he asked to which she nodded."Okay, so believe in the other supernatural things too; because they are real. And I hunt them."

"Other supernatural things as in ghosts, demons, vampires, werewolves and the likes?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, though I am not too sure about the vampires," he replied.

"And you hunt them?"

"Yes."

"You're insane." She searched his face for any hidden mockery but only found truthful seriousness. He wasn't lying or teasing.

"Why is it so hard to believe when you are cursed by a witch yourself?" he retaliated.

"I believe you. How can I of all people be a skeptical? It's just too much to take in right now." She was still trying to absorb the information. Not only was the mythical supernatural world real but her husband hunted the evil things. 'Great! Just what I needed,' she thought sarcastically. 'But at least he believes me.'

"So what now?" she asked him.

"A cup of coffee," Dean said smiling innocently.

She laughed,"Alright then come on." She stood up and went downstairs to the kitchen with Dean following right behind. "How do you take it?"

"Black. No sugar or cream."

"Sure." And she went on to make a 'good morning' coffee. She was done in no time. She set Dean's coffee in front of him at the dining table and sat across from him.

"So Dean, I would have to move with you, right?"

"Yes. I can't stay here; I have a job to do. But let me tell you that a hunter's life is not the best one. You'll be on the road mostly, staying in motels, eating diner food, breaking laws now and then, and above all hunting creatures that may kill you. So I'll have to train you, otherwise you won't survive with me."

"I won't survive without you either," she muttered rolling her eyes.

"Yeah. You'll have to learn everything starting from the basics. And you'll do exactly as I say." Dean said sternly, looking right in her eyes.

But she wasn't intimidated," Oh no, I won't."

"Yes. You will. Otherwise you'll get both of us killed," he replied not so sweetly, sipping his daily dose of caffeine.

"Fine. But only during hunts," she said defeated. "When are we leaving?"

"ASAP."

"I have things to do before I leave. Like selling this house," she said thinking what else she needed to do in order to leave.

"Okay. We'll stay for another day," he agreed. "Hey, do you have any proof to support your curse story?" Dean asked her suddenly.

"You don't believe me."

"No it's just for measures."

"I understand. Wait here," she went to her parents' room and retrieved an old, fragile looking piece of paper. "This is the letter Margaret wrote to her daughter to tell her about the curse."

Dean took it and examined it. The paper and ink both were very dry and old looking. The letter was not fake. "The curse is surely real," Dean said under his breath.

"Satisfied?" she asked and he nodded in response.

Both of them were silent for some time, just thinking, when suddenly Dean exclaimed, "My car!"

She jumped in surprise, "what happened?"

"Where's my car?" he asked frantically, running to the door. He opened it roughly and looked out but the Impala wasn't there. "Oh my God! Where's my baby?"

"You probably left it at the bar; considering you were drunk, you wouldn't have driven it," she said coming out of the house.

He looked at her horrified and panicked. "I have to get my baby back."

"The bar is not far from here. Just 10 minutes walk," she locked the door behind her and put the keys in her pocket. "Come on, I'll show you."

They walked to the bar silently. With Dean on the verge of a panic attack. Lyra found it amusing that a tough guy like him would react like this on losing his car. 'He must really love it,' she thought.

When they got to the bar, Dean ran at top speed to his beloved Impala. He checked it over for any damage and sighed in relief when he found none. "I missed you baby," he said, stroking it.

"A '67 Impala. I am impressed," Lyra commented on seeing the car.

"Why won't you be? It's the best damn car in the world."

"Of course it is," she chuckled at the proud expression on his face.

"Get in."

Dean was driving the car towards her house when he spotted a diner. "You hungry?"

"Hell yes."

They were sitting at a table in the diner, waiting for their order to arrive when Lyra spoke up, "So Dean, you got any family?"

"Father and a li'l brother."

"Hunters?"

"Just my Dad."

"And your brother?"

"He quit. He is in a college."

"How old?"

"22 years."

"And you?"

"26"

"Does your Dad hunt with you?"

"Usually. But sometimes we hunt alone."

"Like right now?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been hunting?"

"My whole life. And what is this? 20 questions?" he asked irritated.

"Kind of."

"So now it's my turn. What about your family?"

"Dad died this April and Mom followed because of the curse. I am an only child. Not close to other relatives."

"Your birthday?"

"21st March."

"How old are you?"

"18."

"Have you graduated?"

"Yes. This year."

"Future plans?"

"A honeymoon with my husband," she replied with amusement in her eyes. And Dean didn't fail her. He choked on the water he was drinking and his expression was priceless. She couldn't help it, she burst out laughing. Everyone in the diner turned to look at them but Lyra didn't care. She continued laughing so hard that her sides were hurting and she was almost out of her seat. Dean just sat there staring at her.

"This is not funny," he said annoyed.

"Oh yes it is," she gasped out. She controlled herself and sat upright still smiling widely. The waitress served their order, all the while throwing flirty glances and sexy smiles at Dean. And Dean didn't disappoint her, he smirked at her hotly. Lyra rolled her eyes and kicked Dean in the shin. He glared at her and then continued to stare at the waitress' retreating form.

"So, anything else I need to know about you?" Dean asked resuming their previous conversation.

"No, there's nothing important unless you want to know your wife's hobbies," she said innocently.

Dean cringed at the wife word and Lyra started laughing again.

"You are so easy to tease," she said chuckling.

"Shut up."

After they reached home, Lyra started her work. She called her family lawyer, property agent to tell them she wanted to sell her house ASAP. She made a list of bills she had to pay. Meanwhile, Dean took a shower and watched TV. They had picked up his bag and checked out of the motel after breakfast.

"I am going to Mrs. Hudson, our next door neighbor. She had said that her daughter wants a car, so I'll offer her my parents' car," Lyra said as went to the door. "I won't take long."

"Okay."

Lyra talked to the 55 something woman; she had a son and a daughter. Her daughter, Kate, married with a child was luckily there and she agreed to buy the car. To Lyra's surprise she also wanted a house and Lyra happily offered to sell her house to her. Everything was set, Lyra had called her lawyer and he said that the papers would be ready to sign tomorrow.

While Lyra was gone Dean called his Dad who surprisingly picked up.

"Hello," John's gruff voice said.

"Hey Dad it's me Dean."

"What happened?" John asked.

"Dad… I uh… I got married yesterday," Dean hesitantly said into the phone. Silence was all he got. So he explained further, "It was a mistake Dad, we were both drunk."

"Get an annulment," John said finally.

"That's the problem Dad, we can't. Her family is cursed."

"Cursed? How?" John asked with little curiosity.

"The daughters of her family, once they marry someone, they can't leave him. If the wife gets separated from the husband for more than 30 mins, she would die," Dean told his Dad dreading his reaction.

"And so you can't leave her." John sighed. "I am disappointed Dean. You got so drunk that you married someone unknowingly. Too much drinking is suicide in our business and you know that!"

"I know Dad, I am sorry. I didn't mean this to happen," Dean apologized to his father.

"Did you cross check her story?" John asked.

"Yes Sir. She showed me a letter that her great great grandmother had written to her daughter telling her about the curse. It's very old and genuine," Dean replied.

"Hm. Alright. You have no choice but to take her with you. But she is your responsibility Dean, you must look after her," John said sternly.

"Yes Sir."

"Is that all?" John questioned.

"Yes, that'll be all," Dean said and heard the ending click of his father's phone. "Well, that went okay."

Lyra returned 20 mins later after she stepped out of the house. "Hey, I got a buyer for the car as well as the house. I just need to pack everything now."

"Need any help?" Dean offered, standing up.

"Sure, why not?" And with that they both got to work. They had breaks for lunch and dinner but other than that they worked non-stop. It was bed time now.

"About the sleeping arrangement," Lyra started but Dean cut her off.

"I'll take the guest room."

"No, uh I mean… don't get me wrong but we'd have to share a room," she said embarrassed. "Mom once said that walls were a kind of separation."

"Okay, then I'll take the floor," Dean suggested.

"No. You don't have to sleep on the floor. We can share if you have no problem," she said shyly.

"Uh okay. I'll stay on my side and you stay on yours."

"Deal," she agreed with a small shy smile.

The next day came too soon but they were all ready and packed. Lyra had kept only the necessary and her favorite belongings as Dean had instructed her. The rest was going to charity or to Mrs. Hudson if she wanted to keep anything. They signed the contract after breakfast; the cheque was to be submitted into her bank account by her trustworthy lawyer.

Lyra, Dean and the Hudson family were currently standing on the drive way. Lyra had introduced Dean as a close family friend who was there to take her to her uncle i.e. Dean's father. Lyra didn't socialize much. She had a few friends here but they were all busy so she thought why bother them. Mrs. Hudson was a sweet neighbor who had helped her when her parents died. Her parents were good friends with the widowed lady so she at least deserved a proper goodbye.

"We'll miss you Lyra," Mrs. Hudson said giving Lyra a hug.

"I'll miss you all too. But I need to go," Lyra hugged the lady back.

"Don't be a stranger. Okay?"

"I won't. I'll keep in touch," Lyra said sincerely. She and Dean got in the car.

"Okay then. Take care of yourself sweetheart. Bye," the old lady said waving at them.

"You too. Bye." Lyra waved back at her now ex-neighbors.

"Now where are we going?" Lyra asked Dean, toying with her silver wedding ring. She was slowly trying to get used to it. The ring was simple but elegant; probably given by the priest to them. A similar but masculine ring was on Dean's left ring finger. He too was adjusting to it. The fact that they were married felt surreal to them.

"Hunting," was Dean's answer.