Dean threw up his hands in frustration as he rose from his stoop at the above ground mosoleum of the late Tara Davvies. He and Sam had been checking it out for any signs of the unusual that would give a clue to what had killed her.
"Nada. You get anything on that thing?" He asked implying the EMF meter in Sam's hand.
Sam shook his head. "Nothing. No electromagnatism at all. It just her in there."
Standing next to his brother Dean once again scanned the large stone box that came to his waist. And then looked down the line of graves to see that every one was just like this one. Thinking back to walking with Sam through the cemetary toward Tara's final resting place, he couldn't remember seeing one grave that wasn't just like these.
"I guess people are really claustophobic here. No one's burried in the dirt at all." He commented.
"It's not that their claustrophobic, Dean." Sam said putting the meter away. "Most of Louisianna is swamp land. The ground is no good for burial so they have to build these above the ground."
Dean looked over and comtemplated his brother. He should have known Sam would know the answer to that like everything else.
"Your just a huge vat of knowledge, huh Sammy?"
"As opposed to you being a giant 'black hole' of knowledge? I'd say it's a good thing." Sam came back.
Dean laughed sarcastically at him and was about to come up with a retort that would shut Sam up when the loud rock music of his cell phone rang out. He fished it from his pocket and saw Rachel's number in the screen. He picked it up, curious to know how her "audition" went.
"Hello?" He said.
"Dean. It's me. You two at the cemetary yet?" She asked.
Dean noted that he liked the way her voice sounded on the phone in that brief sentance. He pushed the thought aside and went to the business at hand.
"Yeah we're here now." He told her.
"Anything?" She asked.
"Nothing. Just a dead girl and a bunch of other dead people in mosoleums." He said.
"Mosoleums?" She said. He could hear the frown in her voice.
"Yeah. Most of Louisianna is swamp land so the people here have to burried above the ground. Didn't you know that?" He asked.
She was silent on the other end.
"Wow. Your just a vat of knowledge huh?" She said with a mocking tone.
Wow. He liked this girl more and more it seemed. Glancing at Sam, who was running a hand over the smooth stone of the grave and not paying attention to the conversation, he spoke to Rachel again.
"Yeah. Something like that. How'd it go at the club?"
She gave a small chuckle on the other end. "I got the job." She answered.
Why am I not surprised? He thought. Then he answered his own question with the realization that only the dumbess ass at a strip club would not hire her.
She was everything exotic with her long black hair, green eyes, full breast and flared hips. Dean could just imagine her long legs smooth and bare as she danced on stage for the scum bag that saw dollar signs at the crowd she would attract.
"Did you check out the place she was found at?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, about an hour ago." He answered. His thoughts comming back from the erotic image. "Nothing there either. You talk to any one in the club about her?"
"The place is closed this early. The owner was the only one there to see me and he had nothing to give." She answered.
"So what now? Check out her apartment?" Dean asked her.
She blew out a frustrated breath on the other end. "No. The owner said she lived with two other girl's who also work at the club on the other side of town. Too risky to sneak in. I start tomorrow night so let's see if I can make friends with them and get any information."
Dean knew that was the smartest thing. So until the situation presented itself, there was nothing left to do but wait. The afternoon had grown long and Dean was getting tired.
"Meet you back at the Motel?" He asked.
"I guess so." She said sounding just as fed up as he did. "Remind me why I do this again?"
He smiled. His thoughts exactly. "What else are you going to do?" Was his answer.
She was silent once again. Then, "See you in a bit."
He ended he call and turned to Sam who was looking at him waiting to hear what the other hunter had said.
"Ok. To sum it up?" He said to Sam. "Trail's cold. We found nothing but there's hope because Rachel is now officially a stripper. Let's go back to the motel and get a bite to eat shall we?"
Rachel reached the motel parking lot a half hour later. She drove up close to the building her room was in and saw the spot she wanted to get into right away. As she approached it slowly she heard the gun of an engine behind her and looked in her rearview mirror in time to catch the last glimps of the black Impala as it swerved around her on the right side then into the spot with screeching tires.
Asshole. She thought but smiled dispite herself. Did she really think that Dean Winchester would be bested with out some retort? No matter how small?
She spotted another space behind the one he'd taken and about 30 yeards down. She took that one and turned the car off. Sam and Dean closed their car doors just as she opened hers.
She stepped out of the car and toward them.
"You feel better now?" She asked Dean when she was close enough.
"Oh yeah." He said but not as an answer to her question. He looked her up and down to take in the clothing she was wearing.
Sam gave a whistle as well.
"You shop at 'Hoochie 'r Us' for that outfit, Rach?"
If it had been anyone else commenting like that she would have punched him in the face. But she knew Sam meant absolutly nothing about the Daisyduke-esque cut-off jeans she wore with high sandles and the tight grey t-shirt that was split from the collar to her breast bone to show off her sweeling cleavage in the most uncomfortable push-up made by man.
"I danced for a job at a strip club today, Sam." She said with a smile. "I couldn't exactly show up in a turtle neck."
As she spoke she was very aware of Dean. She could feel his eyes on her. Could almost sense the clench of his jaw at the sight of her in the skimpy clothes that showed off her body cheaply but sensously.
She looked toward him and cought his eyes just as he was tearing them away from her legs.
"I'm starving. Wanna get a bite?" She asked him.
His gaze intense he smiled slightly. "I could do that."
I know you could sweet heart. She thought. So could I.
"Sam?" She asked looking over at the younger Winchester.
"Actually, I'm not feeling too good. This heat takes alot out of you." Sam said. Indeed he was right. The sweltering Luisiana heat made it hard to believe it was only the end of Febuary. "I think I'm gonna crank the air and relax. Maby I could find some thing about Tara's family in New York."
"Good luck." Rachel said. "I researched as much as I could about them and found nothing interesting. But I'm not as big a computer hacker as you are, so maby you'll have better luck."
It hit her then. She and Dean had sort of just agreed to go out to eat together, with out Sam. Who had very much become the buffer between them.
She looked back at Dean. They would be alone. Kind of like a date. She wasn't sure she was ok with being one on one with him like that, but she didn't know how she could back out of it now.
"Just us then?" He asked, staring at her with what she knew must be the same thought.
She hated herself for the fact that she didn't completely hate the idea. She wanted to keep her distance from him, but the thought of his company with his quick wit and lazy smile was not unapealing.
"Just us then." She repeated. "I'm going to go change. I'll knock on your door in 10 minuets."
"Don't on my account." He said with a cocked eyebrow.
She laughed even though her belly gave a little flutter at the fact that he liked what he saw.
"I've been hassled by every seedy guy in Louisianna today. So unless your in the mood for a barroom brawl I'm gonna go change." She said as she walked passed then toward the stairwell to the second floor.
"Your so sure I'm going defend you if a guy hits on you?" He called after her.
She turned back with a hand on her hip and smile on her face.
"What makes you think I meant you? I throw my own punches darling and I'm just not in the mood."
She climbed the stairs fully aware of him watching her ass move in the shorts.
Rachel and Dean leaned back in their chair at the round table in the dim bar as the waitress cleared their dinner plates and set down two fresh beers for the both of them.
"Thank God." Rachel said reaching for her bottle. "My lips are on fire from those fries."
"Tell me about it. I can feel the heartburn settleing in already." Dean said rubbing a hand over his chest and taking a long swallow from his own beer.
"They where really good though. I've always loved Cajun food." Rachel said.
"It doesn't get more Cajun than that." He said. "We ARE in Louisiana after all."
Rachel smiled and agreed. Her thought's went back to the initial uncertainty of being alone with him when Sam said he was gonna sit this one out and was happy to find she'd been very wrong. She had been surprisingly comfortable in his presence all night.
The conversation had been light and easy for the most part. They joked about the hillbillies that danced some form of line dance to the very southern, up-beat music the band played from a raised platform in the corner befor a small dance floor.
They laughed when he made fun of her adventurous palletupon her ordering the house 'Surf 'n Turf' buger which was topped with crawfish tails. She rubutted that Sam was probably at the motel with the air turned all the way up, sprawled out naked on Dean's bed. He laughed when she told him to get THAT image out of his head as he tried to fall alseep that night.
She also found that as she sat there with him she felt somewhat protected. She knew she was a good looking girl and for most of her adult life she had been fending off unwanted solicitations from creepy guys. Alot of those guys where in the bar tonight and she took notice at one point that a few of them would take a bit too long to walk by their table and look just a bit too long at her. She saw Dean several time's give the tiniest glare out of the corner of his eye to those guys and they would immediatly turn away. She was silently very flattered and thanks ful to him.
All in all she was having a good time. The smiles where plentiful.
He thought's swayed to Kelly several time during the night with the familiar pang of guilt that haunted her always. To Rachel's dismay she found herself destracted from her pain by Dean's company. His easy smile and handsome features where hard to ignore. She hated that her thought's where all she would have later. She knew she'd make herself pay for her momentary relief when she was alone.
"So you really ok with getting naked on a stage tomorrow?" Dean asked befor taking a drink of his beer. Taking her once again from her thoughts of misery.
She realized what he had asked and after a moment to take in the awkward question she shrugged.
"C'mon Dean. You never did anything beyond the call of duty for a case? Especially when it's gone cold like this one?" She asked.
"Never anything that required me to take my clothes off." He answered with a shrug. "But I suppose I would if I had to."
She shook off the images that that sentance put into her head. She knew that Chip & Dales would take him in a second.
"It's not fully nude." She said. "It's illegal in that part of town. So the girls just go down to bra's and panties."
He seemed to think about that for a moment. No doubt picturing her in sexy loungiere.
"I suppose that if your going to do something like that that's the lesser of the evil's" He said.
"Well, yes and no. It's not illegal for the girls to go topless in the private lapdance rooms in the back." She said and took a drink from her own bottle.
She saw his expression change. The only word she could have used for this darkened features was: Desire.
Was he imagining her dancing on some guys lap wearing nothing but a g-string? Was he imagining that it was him she would dance slowly for? Rubbing her body up against him? With dismay she realized that she was the one doing just that.
"How you gonna be able to handle that one?" He asked. His eyes still smoky.
"Oh that's a little far out of the park for me. It's only for a day or two so I'll have to just find some way to aviod that." She answered. "What's interesting is that I actually have a job."
"Yeah, I know how weird that can be. I had one once." Dean said. "At a gas station when I was 17."
"Really?" She said with a surprised frown. "I can't see you pumping gas for some reason."
"Didn't last long. Couldn't exactly tell the owner the reason I was always late was because I had to hunt down an imp that was feeding off of the people in the old age home. Could I?" He asked and took another drink of beer.
She was about to respond when the lead singer of the band spoke out over the microphone.
"Ok, everyone. we're going to take a 5 minuet break, but we ain't gona leave you nice folks with nothin'" He said in a very heavy creole accent. "We're gonna play something nice n' slow from the juke and it's lady's choice. So if any of you guys are sitting while this song is playing, sorry your such a looooser."
A few people laughed and Rachel's heart began to thud as she saw girls pulling their boyfriends or husbands the by hands to the dance floor.
Feeling awkward she turned to see Dean's eyes on her. He had an expectant smile painted on his lips.
"Get lost." She said with a grin of her own.
Instantly she wished she hadn't spoken those words. She realized it would be kind of nice and regretted her rebuke. Thankfully, Dean Winchester would not be denied.
"Oh no you don't." He said sliding his chair back.
Rachel's heart fluttered at the thought of being close enough to slow dance with him. It was emphasized by the haunting melody that filled the air.
'Take My Breath Away.' from the movie 'Top Gun.' drummed out of the juke box. One of her favorite movies from her Tom Cruise worshiping days. The song was powerful and sweet.
"Your not going to make me the only loser in this bar." He said and stood.
She didn't want to, but the sudden burst of intense shyness that came over her made her denounce him again.
"That guy is sitting down." She said as she looked up at Dean who was now standing by her chair with his hand held out for her to take.
He looked over in the direction she'd motioned to and saw the guy she meant. A tall lanky pockmarked man in a 10 gallon hat by the bar.
"I'm much better looking than him and besides, he'd still be a loser even if he was dancing." He said.
She laughed but still didn't give him her hand.
"Come on. If you do this to me I'm going to get pissed off, leave you here with the bill and go back to the motel." He threatened.
"I drove, remember?" She said with a raised eyebrown.
"And I'll hot wire your car."
With one more laugh she gave in and took his hand. "Well, how can I refuse then."
He lead her to the dance floor and she had to swallow the lump in ther throat.
"... Watching I keep waiting Still anticipating love..."
The soprano sang as Dean slid his hand around her waist. He took her hand and pulled her close to him, she slid her arm around his neck as they began to sway gently to the rythm of the haunting song.
His hand was warm as it wrapped around hers, she could feel the heat of the other one where it rested on the small of her back. Pressed against him she was very aware of the hard wall of his chest and the wide expanse of his shoulders.
"...Never hesitating To became the fated ones..."
She tried to hide the catch in her breath when she looked up into his hazel eyes to see his gaze intensly trained on her. She wondered if he could feel the pounding heart that threatened to explode from her.
Slowly they moved with eachother and she actually began to calm as she grew more comfortable in his arms.
"Is this so bad?" He asked, smiling down at her.
She smiled back up at him.
"No not so bad at all." She admitted. "I'm still finding it hard to believe that your the same guy who hated my guts in Toledo and here I am dancing with you, though."
"I was an idiot." Was all he said.
"...If only for today, I am unafraid...Take My Breath Away..."
Silently they moved, the dim lights cast shadows on his face and for a moment she wondered if she'd beable to see him if she wasn't so close to him.
His expression as he looked down at her was one of dizzying intensity. She could feel how he wanted her, but could also see his restraint. And for that she was thankful. She had no idea what her reaction would be if he'd come on strongly. She wasn't ready for that. None the less she saw that their closness had a effect on him as well. His beautiful features made no move to hide that as his eyes took her in.
He changed the position of his hand on hers so that his palm was on the back of her hand. Pulling her even closer, he rested both their hands on his chest below his collar bone.
She felt her breast press to him slightly as they got as close as they could and she found that his embrace was very comforting. She inhaled the spicy scent of his after shave and found that her head swam slightly with the aroma.
God, he felt good.
"...Watching every motion In this foolish lover's game..."
She caught sight of the gold amulet that hung from the black cloth string around his neck and an instant later she was reminded of the identical one she had owned once. The same one that now hung from her sister's neck in her casket. A shot of sadness ran through her.
What am I doing? She thought. The moment fleeted by a second later when she realized that she so comforted by this human contact with a man she found so appealing. The contact that she denied herself for the last 8 months since her sisters death. She let could let herself have this sencond, couldn't she? Just this one, tiny second?
She felt Dean lower his head to the crook of her neck and with out thinking about it, she did the same. Letting her eyes close and the music fill her head, she held him close, let the sadness go and danced with him.
"...Watching in slow motion As you turn around and say...Take My Breath Away..."
Everything else around her faded away. She wondered if he felt the same.