Met His Match

Chapter One

Sam slowly opened the Road House's door. Loud rock music blared out to greet him. Dean's head shot up from the trunk of the Impala. "Someone's got good taste!" he announced with a smile. "Real good taste!"

Dean grabbed the bag and closed the trunk. He and Sam slowly entered the Road House and instantly saw Ellen serving behind the bar. There were very few people in the Road House at this time of day, too few to warrant the music being so loud in Sam's impression. Sam followed Dean to the bar and Ellen greeted them with a warm smile and a free beer. "Mind and pay for the rest, now." she added as they took their first mouthfuls.

Nickleback's 'Rockstar' started playing and Dean grinned. He really liked that band. Glancing around the bar, Dean saw Jo serving a couple at a nearby table, a few regulars drinking their usual poison, Ash was in the far corner where some computers had been set up. The sign above them read 'Internet Access. Pay at bar.' It wasn't the sign or even the computers that caught Dean's attention though, it was the woman Ash was talking to. She was the most beautiful woman Dean had ever seen. Her raven hair framed her slender face, Her blue eyes shone in the dim light of the bar room and her figure was so perfectly curved that Dean felt the God's were teasing him, daring him to talk to her. She was laughing with Ash and tenderly touching his shoulder.

"Hey Ellen," called Dean, lowering his voice without meaning to. "Who's that?" he asked motioning over to the woman that was clearly way out of Ash's league.

"Who?" asked Ellen, looking slowly over in Ash's direction. "Oh! Her! I wouldn't try anything with her if I were you, Dean. She's too high on the food chain for you to handle!" Ellen laughed, "Besides, she looks busy with Ash right now!"

Dean cursed Ash under his breath. He wondered if they had only been earlier, if Sam hadn't demanded that last pit stop, would he have beaten Ash to her.

"Hey you!" said Jo, suddenly appearing beside Dean. "Long time no see!"

Dean had to fight to stop himself from moving, Jo had just blocked his view of his dream woman. "Oh, Hey Jo!" he replied finally. "How's tricks?"

"Things are good, better now you're back though!" smiled Jo.

"Hey Jo!" said Sam appearing beside them. He had seen Deans reaction to the mystery woman and knew he would be getting annoyed by the obvious competition Ash seemed to be. Jo choosing that moment to show up and block his view would just be making him worse. Sam had decided to intervene before things turned ugly. Although he wasn't sure who he was really rescuing, Ash from Dean, The mystery woman from being watched or Dean from Jo.

Sam managed to engage Jo in small talk about their last hunt and how her life was going long enough for Dean to make his move. Sam just hoped that it would be the right move. Dean couldn't be sure what the right move in this situation would be.

If he made a move on the woman in front of Ash, or Jo for that matter, things could get ugly or even worse, complicated. If he tried to ignore her, she might think he wasn't interested and choose someone else. The latter made Dean feel very uncomfortable.

Jo's hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his mental dilemma. "So, you coming or not?" Jo was flashing him her best 'please say yes' look. Sam was grinning. For the life of him, Dean couldn't figure out why or what was going on. "Where?"

Jo turned to Sam and laughed. "Jeez, you weren't kiddin' were you!"

"Pardon?" asked Dean, he hated being out of the loop, especially since they had obviously been discussing him.

"Mom's throwing a big party tonight! Road House's ten year anniversary!"

"Oh! That!" stated Dean, finally understanding. "Yeah, we're going! That's why we're here!" He gave Jo his second best grin, he was saving his very best for someone else. Even if she was still talking with Ash.

"Yo! Ellen!" came a voice from the back. "Ready when you are!"

Dean's eyes widened and he even felt his heart racing. That was the sexiest voice he had ever heard and it came from the mystery woman he had been mentally drooling over.

Ash and the woman had a large box between them and were pulling decorations out of it. They were obviously going to glam up the Road House for the celebrations. Ash grabbed a few small boxes of lights from the larger one and moved toward the bar to put them up. Sam beat Dean to the punch. "Hey, Ash!" he said. "How's you? And who's your friend?"

Ash looked a little surprised by Sam's question. "I'm good thanks, Sam!" He turned slightly and glanced over at the gorgeous woman pulling a large banner out of the box. "Yeah, she's gorgeous ain't she!"

Dean coughed loudly. Sam just grinned. "Yeah! She is!"

Ash grinned too. "She's a hunter! Been doing it all her life, just like you guys!"

Dean tried to join the conversation but he was having trouble tearing his eyes away from the woman. She had just dropped the banner and was bending over to pick it up.

"Hey, Sam. You wanna gimme a hand sticking these up outside?" asked Ash.

Dean couldn't believe his luck. Ash and Sam were heading outside with boxes of lights. Jo had gone back to serving and was busy dealing with a large order. Ellen was still behind the bar and would have that large order to deal with any minute and the gorgeous woman was having trouble with the banner. He wasted no time in going to her rescue. Dean walked right up to her and smiled. "Want some help?"

The woman smiled at him so beautifully he thought he had died and gone to heaven. "Yes please!" she said.

"I'm Dean, by the way."

"Pleased to meet you Dean." she smiled. "Could you grab the other end of this thing? It's driving me crazy already!"

Dean smiled and carefully picked up the other end of the banner.

Once fully stretched out, Dean found himself ten feet from the woman, which in his opinion was ten feet too far. The woman smiled over at him as they each climbed a small step ladder and held it up against the back wall. "Yo, Ellen!" called the woman. "How's that look?"

"Perfect!" replied Ellen from the bar. "Don't forget the roof!"

********************

Dean had never worked on a roof before but more alone time with this beautiful woman was worth it, or at least, Dean hoped it would be.

"So, what's your name?" he asked as the woman nailed another tile back into place. "Pardon?" she asked, taking the last nail out of her mouth.

"Your name?" Dean asked again.

"Oh! Sorry." she smiled. "I'm Rayna. Rayna Valkire"

Dean almost slipped. "Valkire?" he asked, eyes and mouth wider than ever before.

"You've heard of us then?"

"Who hasn't?!" Dean added. "My Dad only told me about a few hunters but he made damn sure I knew about you guys! Made you sound famous in the hunter world!"

"Don't believe everything you hear!" smiled Rayna. "Who's your Dad? Maybe I've met him."

"John." said Dean. Then realising his mistake, he added. "Winchester."

"Winchester, eh? Not too shabby! Lots of people have heard of you guys too! Guess that makes us both celebrities!"

Dean had never thought of himself that way before but he liked Rayna saying it. "You now what they say about celebrities, don't you?"

"That they are full of themselves?"

"No! Well, yeah but that's not the thing I meant."

"What did you mean then?" she asked, her soft blue eyes shining in the sunlight. "Hold that thought." she said suddenly.

Rayna reached over to where she had dumped her jacket after coming up on to the roof and pulled an I-pod and speakers out of the pocket. "Sorry." she said, setting it up on the edge of the chimney. "I need my tunes when I'm working."

After turning it on, she quickly flicked through her music and suddenly, to Dean's great delight, Smoke on the water began to play.

"You like?" she asked, noticing Deans growing smile and slow nodding of his head.

"I do indeed!"

"So, you were saying?" Rayna revived the conversation. "Something about celebrities?"

"Yeah, It's safer for everyone else when they stick together!"

"Really?"

"Don't you think?"

"I think you're trying too hard to impress me!" smiled Rayna.

Dean was gob-smacked. He knew women could see through his lines but that normally only happened the morning after. He had never been caught in the open by one before. Dean realised that Rayna was a hunter after all, she'd probably used lines similar to his before herself.

"I should have known better." he said.

"Yip!" replied Rayna.

"Just couldn't help myself, I guess!"

"And why would that be?"

"Have you seen yourself?"

"All over!" Rayna said with a devilish grin.

Dean was gob-smacked again. Beauty, excellent taste in music, obvious brains and a naughty streak a mile wide. He grinned back at Rayna and nodded.

********************

"So, you like Rayna?" asked Ash as he hung another light on the rear of the Road House.

"Pardon?" Sam was stunned by the question.

"Oh come on, man! She's hot!"

"So I noticed!" replied Sam. "But I ain't the one you need to worry about!"

It was Ash's turn to be stunned. "What?"

"Dean's here! And he's definitely noticed her!"

"What do you mean, 'worry about'? I ain't with Rayna!"

"You're not?"

"I wish!" stated Ash. "She's way outta my league! And if Dean's on her scent, I ain't gotta hope!"

The two regarded each other and what had just been said for a moment. Then they burst out laughing and finished hanging the last of the lights.

"You wanna beer?" asked Ash. "I'm buying."

Sam smiled and nodded. They laughed again and headed inside.

********************

"You like that car or something?" asked Rayna.

Dean had spotted a Shelby GT500, a car almost as beautiful as Rayna parked at the front of the bar and had trouble taking his eyes off it.

"Yeah! It's almost as beautiful as you!" he said before he could stop himself.

Rayna smiled. "Thanks! From me and my car!"

"That's your car?!"

"Sure is!" stated Rayna proudly. "Eats gas like a son of a bitch but I wouldn't trade her for the world!"

Rayna moved closer to the edge, and closer to Dean than he thought he could stand. She looked at the other cars in the car park. "WOW!" she said. "Now, there's a thing of beauty!"

"Which one?" asked Dean hoping she wasn't meaning one of the broken down and rust covers junk heaps in the car park.

"Fifty-Seven Chevy Impala!" beamed Rayna. "Don't see many in such great condition these days. People should be shot for letting such a gorgeous car go to rust! Whoever owns that one obvious knows what their doing and takes real good care of that beauty!"

"Thanks." said Dean. "From me and my car!"

Dean leaned back on to the roof tiles. Wow! he thought. Beauty, brains, excellent taste in music, naughty streak a mile wide AND great taste in cars! Marry me!

"Marry me!" said Dean, letting his thoughts slip out his mouth again.

"Maybe later!" smiled Rayna, not wanting to embarrass her new found friend.

"Sorry!" said Dean, blushing slightly. "I… I didn't mean to say that!"

"Oh, break a girl's heart why don't you!" said Rayna putting on an obviously fake hurt look. It didn't last long though. She quickly burst out laughing and Dean couldn't help but join her.