Part 3
Diana slept for about an hour after collapsing in exhaustion, waking to Dean twitching and mumbling in his sleep. She turned to face him, found him lying on his back, chest bare down to his waist, where his right hand clenched and unclenched in a fist around the sheet. She snuggled into his side and his left arm wrapped around her, pulling her close.
"Shh…" she whispered soothingly, caressing his cheek. His face was twisted into a grimace of pain.
Suddenly his right hand flew up and caught hers. Diana gasped and watched his eyes open and focus on her. With his grip on her wrist he drew her on top of him and went in for a rough and frantic kiss that left her panting. Dean didn't pause or slow down in his handling of her and soon they were both very involved.
"Where the hell…" Dean groaned, reflexively patting where his pockets would have been if he had pants on. Besides, his cell was in the Impala.
Dean glanced around and lunged for the phone on the nightstand. "What?" he practically growled.
"Goo—good morning? This is the front deck with Ms. Jones' wake up call. It's ten am. Check out is at eleven," said a girl's voice.
"Ten am?" Dean rubbed at his eyes and sat up.
"Yes sir. Is Ms. Jones-"
He could hear the shower running now that he was coherent. "I'll tell her."
As he hung up Dean did the math in his head. It had been around eleven thirty when they'd left the bar. The sex had probably been two hours. So, one thirty. No, he remembers seeing the clock read two something. Had he woken up? Oh yes, they had both been awake for a bit. So, three to ten, seven hours of solid sleep.
He stretched and thought, 'If it's been months since I had sex, it's been at least a year since I slept that long.'
The shower shut off and Diana came out wrapped in a towel, wet hair twisted up into a bun. "Was that the phone?"
"Yeah, ten am wakeup call?"
"Sorry," she smiled and pulled on underwear, a black silk set today, before toweling her hair. "I always do that so I don't over sleep, get charged another day. You sleep okay?"
"Better than I have in a long time."
"Well, that's good. You remember waking up in the middle of the night?" She grinned at him in the mirror as she brushed out her hair.
"Parts."
"The part where you fucked me like a jack hammer for twenty minutes straight?"
His face split into a grin. Besides last night he hadn't smiled like that in… who cares. Dean was up in a flash, snatching her around the waist and tossing her back onto the bed. He willingly and enthusiastically gave her a repeat performance.
Even though he was pleasantly tired Dean resisted the urge to curl up around her and go back to sleep, thinking he'd gladly pay for the extra day. Instead, he left her on the bed, recollecting herself, to shower and shave.
Dean was waiting outside as she checked out. He was admiring the black and chrome motorcycle parked next to the Impala when she walked up and began loading the sidesaddle bags. "This is yours?"
Diana smiled at him and pulled out her helmet. "My baby."
"So you really meant a ride, huh?"
"You want to grab some breakfast?"
Actually, Dean was starving. He hadn't thought about food in a while, which spoke to the level of his depression. He followed her east out of town to a little diner. After ordering their food and receiving their coffees, there was a moment of silence when Dean was trying to think of something to say.
Diana beat him to it. "So, do you know where you're off to now?"
Dean frowned down into his coffee.
"Well. Listen, I know we just met, but how would you like to visit Florida? I just… it seems to me like you've been wandering. If so, and it's aimlessly, you're more than welcome to mossy on down south with me. This weekend is going to be a blast."
Dean still said nothing, not sure exactly how to respond to such an offer. He had thoroughly enjoyed himself last night, but usually that's where things ended. Usually he and Sam would be off to hunt something else…
Diana continued self-consciously, "Uhm, but if its not aimless, or you'd really rather not, please don't feel obligated to say yes just because the sex was incredible."
Dean gave a chuckle at that and looked up at her finally, "What exactly would we be doing this weekend?"
"Well," Diana perked up. There food arrived before she could say anymore and she waited for the waitress to finish fussing over them. "It's the first weekend of summer! Friday nights the older kids go out and the grownups hang out, kinda a movie night. Saturday we visit the springs. Swimming, fishing… That night we're having a shindig at our place with some of the locals. It's kinda an annual thing now; lots of food and drink and music. Then, Sunday morning is the usual…."
"Church?"
"No way!" Diana said, appalled. " Paintball!"
A few hours later Dean followed her down a drive way and was truly impressed with his first glimpse of her home. Three stories of pale green gleamed in the sun. A large circular area had been cleared around the place. The bottom floor had a deep porch that had been screened in. It followed the building as it formed and inverted L. To the left was a barn-like structure. Next to that was one of those large metal canopy 'instant garage' set ups covering an RV and a pontoon boat. There were three cars present, an open jeep, a large Chevy truck and a newer model caddy.
Diana parked behind the caddy and had her helmet off in a flash, motioning him to park behind the truck. He got out of the Impala and said to her over the roof, "This place is huge!"
She gave him a heart-warming smile and said, "Its home. You're more than welcome anytime, for however long. Believe me, there's room!"
She led him toward the front porch entrance, but they had barely cleared the cars when a small figure came racing out the double doors of the house. Through the screened doors and down the front steps the kid flew before crying out; "Dean!"
His feet froze in place and he looked over, catching a guilty expression on Diana's face.
"Jesse," she admonished, "why aren't you at school?"
"I had a fever," he answered quickly. Giving Dean a huge smile, he rushed on, "I knew she'd find you! Did she tell you? We're gonna help you get Sam!"
"What?" he asked in a rough voice. "Jesse? This is where you disappeared to?"
"No, I—"
"Jesse!" It came out like a yelp. "Please go inside. If you had a fever this morning you should be in bed."
"I didn't have a fever for real! I wanted to see Dean!"
"Jesse! Go inside!" she snapped. Closing her eyes she gave a sigh and tried again. "I hadn't told him, yet. Remember our conversation about consequences?"
"Yeah!" he responded indignantly then took a moment to accesses them both. He noted Dean's tense posture as her words truly sank in. "Oh. I'm sorry."
"I know. Just let me talk to Dean alone, please."
"Okay," Jesse dutifully trudged back into the house.
Dean turned away from the house, staring down the driveway. She had lied to him, or at the very least omitted some facts. Who the hell was she? How had she found him? He hadn't even known where he was going to end up. His mind was circling the drain of that dark hopeless pit he'd so recently and unexpectedly escaped. Questions kept coming at him, but mostly fear: fear that just hearing Jesse say Sam's name would ignite the hopes that always got crushed. He wasn't meant to get Sam back. "What does he mean?"
"Dean, I'm—"
"Sorry. Okay. Explain."
Diana moved to stand in front of him, making him to look at her. The heat of his stare made her wilt for a moment and she had to look away first. "Watch the ground," she said quietly then closed her eyes. All he could see at first was the patches of weeds that pass for grass in Florida.
After a few seconds he saw more popping up around her, growing at an impossible speed. Eventually it formed a circle around her that then filled with the star and symbols of a devil's trap. When he looked up in shock, she went on blandly, "Plants are easiest for me to work with. I can pull salt from the earth, too. Once I was able to pull iron but that takes a lot more out of me. I can affect the weather, also."
"You're a witch?" How could he have been so off? Had she put a spell on him?
"No. Well, that depends on your definition. I don't worship the devil or summon demons. Some of the ways I practice are pagan, but I've never called on any of their gods. I just believe in energy. Never mind. Listen, the point is, I have been exploring and training for over a decade now. I can create shields around myself, around certain places. Get a demon inside my shield, their powers don't work."
"Ah.. what?" Why couldn't he fucking read her?
"Their powers don't work on me, and if I have an area covered, once they come into range, their powers don't work at all. With that and Jesse's abilities, we want to help you."
"How?" Then Dean gripped her upper arm tight, "Wait, why can't Jesse just flash him here?"
"We tried that."
Dean stared at her blankly before he managed to utter, "And?"
"And nothing. After trying to think of and cover every possible outcome, nothing happened!" Diana threw her hands up in a shrug and then raked her fingers through her hair when his grip fell away. "So, I prayed. All the energy I had been holding, I sent into a prayer, Dean. Our next option isn't as easy. I wasn't convinced I should risk it. I prayed that if this were the right path to take, somehow I'd get some sign. Then I ran into you at that bar."
"You think because you prayed, that's why I ended up there?" he asked in a disbelieving tone. Inside, though, beneath all the roiling confusion, Dean wondered if it had been three nights ago, when he'd woken up from a fitful sleep with the urge to move.
"Or a huge fucking coincidence! Either way, I'm committed to doing what I can now."
"Which is what, exactly?" He crossed his arms over his chest, holding the worst of the emotions back.
"We'll have to open the devil's gate and go into Hell. I can set up a shield and a devil's trap so no demons get out. You, Jesse and I will go in. Hopefully, his powers can take us to Sam."
"Okay. Are you hearing yourself? Hopefully? Hopefully his powers will work? We're not walking into hell on a hope that something will work!" Dean began to walk back to the Impala, definitely not retreating.
"Dean," Diana quickly yanked him to a stop by grabbing his forearm. "You and your brother just saved the world. Stop, please, listen?" she pleaded as he shook her off. "Have you ever seen anything like him?"
Dean knew she meant Jesse and he paused. At the shake of his head she continued, "Think of what he could do when he hits puberty, adolescence? Normal teenagers are bad enough! Jesse feels like he owes you two. Everyone alive owes you! But Jesse and I, we have abilities and I am trying to teach him to maintain a balance by using them only for important things. If no one teaches him now, he'll just run amuck. I want to help the kid, and if that means risking my life to teach him, so be it. You and Sam are important to him. I told him we'd try if we came up with a workable plan."
"That plan isn't exactly what I'd call workable."
"Well, you have a better idea? Jesse and I are in; whatever the plan is. You know more than us, is there something else we can try?"
"No."
"Okay, so, we work with—"
"No," Dean said a little more forcefully and stepped away again. "I promised Sam I wouldn't come after him."
"Really? Because I was under the impression you've been down a lot of dead end leads in the last two months."
Dean turned to look at her quizzically.
"I did some recon. I wasn't about to walk into this blind. I wanted to find out who you were before I trusted you with all this."
"So you pick up the gossip about me then seduced me?"
"I think that's the quickest way to learn who a person really is: sex."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes!" Now her temper finally flared. "That three am wake up fuck said it all, Dean. You're running, frantic and desperate. Scared to live because all that's left is a gaping chasm inside that you don't think will ever be filled."
Dean couldn't hide the wince as that comment hit its mark.
"The only problem with this plan is the possibility of casualties. You'd take a plausible suicide mission in a heartbeat!"
"I can't say you're wrong there, sweetheart," and the walls were trying to close in again, the false bravado a tried and true protection.
"Well, consider this; Jesse and I are going, with or without you."
"You need the colt."
"And you think Bobby wouldn't hand it over for this? Hell, he'd be on board for the whole thing, I bet!" That got him on the offensive and he was suddenly much closer. Diana looked as if she was fighting the urge to step back. "But, if you get it for us, Bobby doesn't have to know. He'll be safe."
She reached up slowly and placed her hand on his chest in a placating manner. "I don't want to play games like this. I was torn up trying to figure out how to explain everything to you now. I guess maybe for once the whole sex first idea wasn't my best option." She gave him a smirk and Dean tried to control his face. He had no idea what would show if he let it slip now.
"Please, just think about it for a while. I guess if you're still opposed to the idea, maybe you could help me talk Jesse into letting it go?"
Dean nodded but didn't verbalize anything. Truthfully, he had a lot to think about and he wasn't quite sure where to begin.
The house seemed larger on the inside somehow. The bottom floor was open plan; there were columns and archways around areas, but no walls. Immediately to the right of the foyer was a fancy sitting area, the only room in the house with carpet. Everything else was hardwood or tile. She led Dean in this direction to the main staircase.
On the wall at the foot of the stairs was a large photo. It showed the front of the house and it seemed everyone was in it. When he stopped, Diana supplied names. "There's me. That's Brian and his boyfriend Gray. Crazy red hair is Emma, she's been with us seven years. Twenty-one now. Donna is nineteen, we've had her and Justin eight years, he's 17. Ryan and Lyla we've had for five; he's 16, she's 12. The youngest there is Kasey; she's 6 now. Been living with us for two years. Time to get a new one, I guess, put Jesse in it. He showed up about 6 months ago."
"Yeah, just how exactly did that go down?" he asked, but it was to distract himself from the longing the simple photo had evoked.
Diana turned away and continued up the stairs as she replied, "You should ask him yourself. Not my story to tell."
When they reached the third floor, it opened into a more casual seating area. Around it were doorways leading to the various rooms. There were two master suites with en suite bathrooms; one for Brian and Gray, the other Diana's. Two nicely appointed guest rooms, one with a queen the other with two doubles, and a full bathroom for them right next to the stairs.
She pointed out her bedroom door and opened the door closest, which was the queen bed guest room. "I know that was a lot of information and you probably want time to think. I'm afraid the kids are about to come home, though, and all hell is gonna break loose when they do. Last day of school and all, they'll be a little wound. If you want to talk to Jesse, the kid's rooms are on the second floor. His is the first on the right when you come off the stairs."
"Okay. Thanks." Dean set his small bag of stuff on the foot of the bed.
Diana stood awkwardly at the door for a moment, as if she wanted to say more, but not being able to find the words, she simply nodded and turned to enter her own room. She left the door open in case he wanted to come in. He shut the door to the guest room.
