Chapter Two
Annie threw the black dress pants at Dean's head. "Take off your jeans."
Dean winked up at her from the bed. "I didn't think you were that kind of girl."
Sam snorted as he buttoned up the few buttons on his recently purchased polo shirt.
"You're not going in jeans." Annie replied, slipping into her heels. She didn't miss Dean's quick
glance at her legs and felt her cheeks warm at the intense look in his eyes when his gaze lifted back
to hers. She turned back to Sam.
"You look about ready to run for President." Annie said grinning reaching up to brush his shoulder.
"Of Geeks Of America," Dean grumbled.
"You. Jeans. Off. Now," Annie snapped impatiently.
He stomped his foot on the floor loudly and gave her a Nazi salute, then grabbed the pants and
disappeared into the bathroom.
Annie straightened the white linen shirt she wore and made a last minute inspection in the mirror.
She tried to take a deep breath. She bit her lip. They would fit in, she told herself. She was ready to
get back into this world again. "Well," she corrected out loud, blowing stray lock of hair off her
forehead. "At least we'll fit in."
They drove to Highbrook, where Sam managed to change the gate's keypad code and gain them
entrance.
"Geeks of America," Sam said smugly as Dean passed him through the gate.
Annie held her breath as Dean presented the three invitations he had obtained, thanks to a
Highbrook resident named Ashley that he'd managed to hit on the night before. The guy at the door
nodded curtly and stepped aside for them to let them in the house.
'House' was an understatement, Annie marveled, taking in the elegance of the black marbled
hallway. The Winchesters had lived modestly yet comfortably, but holy crap! This place looked like
something out of Mansions Of America. There was a small crowd of twenty-somethings in the living
room. One couple was draped on a red plush couch, groping each other while a few others were
smoking...Annie grimaced at the distinctly non-tobacco scent.
A dark haired guy with a leggy blonde by his side were bent over a glass coffee table with small thin
straws up their noses.
"Geez," Annie swallowed uncomfortably, forcing herself to look away. Pot, she had tried a few times
but coke, well she decided the loss of brain cells wasn't really worth it. She'd stuck a pearl up her
nose once when she was five, the painful experience taught her that nostrils were meant for exit
only.
"Oh my God, Dean!" A high pitched voice jolted Annie from thoughts and the well endowed Ashley
came bouncing towards them. "I'm so glad you could make it. Come on out to the pool. We've got
extra suits if you need them. Oh hello...I'm terrible at names. Dean's sister, right? Amy?" She linked
her arm through Dean's and flashed her white even teeth at Annie and Sam.
"Annie," she corrected, trying to smile and not care that Ashley's ample right breast was pressed
against Dean's elbow.
"Right and you're Sam. You're gonna love my best friend Shirley. She's really hot. Follow me. Annie,
take your pick of the testosterone buffet." Ashley tossed back her blonde mane as she led Dean out
to the backyard. Then she stopped and grinned at Annie before ushering them out through the glass
sliding doors. "Unless you're more of an estrogen girl. We have a few of those too."
"No. Though I'm sure girls would be less trouble." Annie smiled pointedly at Dean who rolled his eyes at her.
"Then you have to meet Randy. He is to fucking die for. Randy!" Ashley called out behind them.
"Oh, no. Really I'm not here to hook up, honestly. I just wanted to hang--" Annie began to protest
earnestly but Ashley held up her hand.
"Relax. Randy's a great guy. Really laid back. Besides, it's his house. You've gotta meet the host.
Hey Randy."
Annie and Sam turned around and she came face to face with a white linen covered chest. Raising
her head, Annie's breath caught. Lordy! This one was a looker. Straight out of GQ with black-as-
midnight-hair and soft brown eyes. Like Jack. Annie thought with a pang of sadness.
"Hi, it's Randall," he corrected taking Annie's hand. His voice was smooth and low and Annie
shivered, not unpleasantly
"Annie," she replied, taking in that very full mouth. "You're house is really something. Beautiful."
"Thank you," he smiled and offered her a glass of what looked like white wine. "I inherited it when
my parents died."
Though his voice warmed over her like honey, his words were clipped and clear. "Would you care
for a swim?" He pointed towards the pool and when Annie turned back towards the glass doors she
realized Sam, Dean and Ashley were no longer behind her. She felt a moment of panic until Randall
moved his hand up to her elbow. "Or maybe you'd like something to eat? He handed her a cracker
with what looked like caviar."
Annie blinked and fought the puckering of her lips. She'd never had caviar in her life but fish eggs
had never sounded all that appealing despite their association with the rich and famous. But how to
refuse and not offend her handsome host? Well, she usually was up for anything. Demon hunting
demanded an adventurous spirit, after all but...ew. Annie smiled up at Randall and took a deep
breath.
Blackberry jam. Nothing but blackberry jam. Annie tried to trick herself and opened her mouth to
take a bite. Very salty and crunchy. Poor dead fishies! Annie fought a shudder and forced herself to
swallow. Her throat refused.
"Awful isn't it?" He asked, amused with her obviously non-complimentary reaction.
Annie choked on a burst of surprised laughter, some of the caviar going down the wrong pipe and sending her into a small coughing fit.
Randall wrapped an arm around her and drew her close while he patted her back and snuck a linen
handkerchief in between them and raised it under her chin for her to spit out the rest of the caviar.
"Go ahead."
"Oh bad is not even the word!" She hissed with a shudder. Then her cheeks flamed when she
registered how close she was to the guy.
"It's an acquired taste. Or so they tell me." Randall motioned to her wine glass, urging her to take a
sip and wash out her mouth. "I never really acquired the taste for it myself."
"Thank God. I didn't want to have to lie to the host." Annie smiled now that the awful taste was
fading from her tongue.
"Honesty is refreshing. All this pretension gives me indigestion." He pressed a hand into the small of
her back and led her back towards the corridor.
Annie found she didn't really mind that he was probably pulling her away from the crowd to try and
make a move on her. If Dean could be distracted by Ashley BigBoobs, she certainly wasn't going to
stew jealously by herself.
But what about Jack? Annie halted, her stomach plummeting. How could she possibly allow herself
to flirt with this guy when the man she loved was barely cold in his grave. Too soon! Much too soon, she scolded herself.
"What is it?" Randall asked, his fingers caressing her spine slowly, almost as if to soothe her.
She glanced back towards the living room.
"Oh, we'll only be a few minutes. I promise. I only wanted to get away from the noise and talk. That
okay?" He asked with a small boyish grin.
Annie looked among the heads for...Dean. Oh for the love of Pete! Annie bit back a curse of self-
disgust when she realized she was looking for his familiar blonde head. He was off playing tonsil
hockey most likely.
"You'll love the garden. It's quiet. These guys are more interested in the pool and the booze. But it's
within screaming distance of the house if that makes you feel better." Randall grinned at her, dark eyes shining.
Every flower and plant imaginable was spread out in the immaculately tended garden that seemed
to go on forever. Annie was assaulted with the sweetest smells. Roses, lilies, orchids and dozens
more. Orchids were her mother's...Mary Winchester's favorite flower. Annie had brief flashes of
being out in the sun, her hands in the dirt as she 'helped' Mary plant flowers in front of the house.
Her eyes burned at the memory and Annie forced herself to blink back the threatening tears. "It's gorgeous out here."
"It's my favorite place in the whole world. Surrounded by all this beauty, you forget how ugly the
world can be."
Annie realized with a start that she'd completely forgotten her purpose for being here in the first
place. The murders and their possible supernatural nature. Jesus Christ, Winchester! She needed to
focus on something besides this gorgeous man and his pretty flowers.
"It's good to have a place like this to come to. A sanctuary. Keep out all the evil around us."
"One would hope. But it's hard when the evil comes to you. You know about the those poor souls
who were murdered recently?"
"Yeah. It's horrible. The victims were found here. Over by that balcony." He pointed to the middle of
three balconies above them.
Annie stared at the balcony and then back at Randall, a shiver of warning trickled down her back.
"They died here?"
