"Maybe we should go up to Bobby's old place. He's got to have an answer buried in there somewhere." Sam closed the book in front of him. "It's been three weeks and I can't find a damn thing here."
"I've been thinking the same thing." Dean closed the laptop. "He could always find the answer we needed. It's gotta be there."
A few hours later, the boys pulled up in from of Bobby's old house.
"Does this place look - cleaner - than it should?" Sam asked, getting out of the car and looking around. Dean stepped out and walked around the corner of the house. By the side door sat a large, black, very familiar truck, although he had only seen it once before.
"Sammy." Dean called, nodding to the truck. Sam came and stood by his brother's side.
"Maggie."
"I guess she inherited the place. She is his only living relative."
The side door opened and Maggie appeared in a blue long sleeve shirt and denim shorts that Dean couldn't help but admire.
"You boys going to just stand there gawking or what?"
"Oh, uh sorry." Dean stuttered, walking to the door. "We weren't expecting anyone to be here." Dean walked inside behind her, reminding himself that she was Bobby's niece in order to keep his eyes off her ass. He breathed in to calm his nerves and stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh my God, what is that wonderful aroma?"
"Chili. In the kitchen." Maggie laughed returning to a singular empty spot on the living room floor. The boys disappeared, returning a few mintues later with large bowls and chunks of bread.
"So what are you doing here?" Sam asked, taking a seat at the table in the corner.
"Well, all you see before you was left to me. Figured it was time to do something about it."
"Bobby has been gone for a while. Why now?" Maggie glanced up at Sam sideways.
"I have been a little busy." She added a book to one of the many piles. "Now that I have time, I'm turning the place into a little hunter sanctuary. Food, info and rest in a place safe from everything out there." She picked up a pile of papers and started leafing through them.
"So basically you're the new Bobby with better cooking skills." Dean said, shoveling more food into his mouth. "This is the most amazing thing I've ever eaten by the way."
"Basically. So what can I do for the famous Winchester brothers?"
"We need information of a Lycanthrope. The usual tactics aren't working." Sam said swallowing.
"Well, of course not." Maggie stood and started climbing over over piles towards a filing cabinet. "Lycanthropes aren't werewolves. They're older, stronger and bred, not created." She pulled open the top drawer. "Be my guest."
"You have a whole file drawer on the topic?" Sam asked.
"Drawer? No. The whole cabinet, and a whole bookshelf." She pointed to a bookcase in the corner. "And that's just from what I found in this room alone." A phone started ringing in the kitchen. "Help yourselves." Maggie disappeared and a second later the phone stopped ringing.
"You know, we could help her with this." Dean said, staring at where she had gone.
"What, you want to be a librarian now?" Sam asked, starting to go through papers.
"Well no, that's more your thing. But you know how much stuff needs fixing around here. We could give her a hand so she can work on other stuff." Maggie came back into the room, those same boots in her hand and an old blue cap on her head.
"I have to run out for a few hours." She said pulling the boots on. "Make yourselves at home. Most of the bedrooms have been cleaned out and the beds have clean sheets."
"You want some help with whatever you're going to do?" Dean asked, a little too much hope in his voice, judging by the way Sam looked at him. Maggie looked up and smiled.
"Thanks cowboy, but I will be okay.
She gave him a wink, grabbed her keys and was out the door before Dean could say another word. He looked around him. Sam was elbows deep in books and paper, lost in his little book nerd world so Dean began to explore the house.
He came across a room that was mostly empty. The walls showed a fresh coat of paint, the floor was newly sanded and varnished and in the middle of the room stood a pile of bookcases still in their boxes. Dean shrugged and got to work.
He had just finished with the room when he heard the rumble of Maggie's truck pulling up outside.
"I'm back." Maggie called out. She dropped her keys on the table but sleeping Sam didn't even flinch. "Dean?"
"In here," he responded, wiping down the table he had just assembled.
"Wow, this room looks great." She said, leaning against the archway. "You didn't have to do all this."
"Well Sam was in the zone and I saw the stack of boxes sitting here. Figured I would keep myself busy. Everything is anchored and squared. These things aren't going anywhere anytime soon." Dean came over and leaned next to Maggie. "You know, I think Bobby would be happy with what you're doing here. He wasn't quite people oriented enough to do this type of thing, but he did his best."
"Yeah, he liked his privacy, that's for sure." Maggie laughed. "Hey, do you think you can help me with one more thing before you turn in?"
"Sure. Anything you need." Maggie motioned for him to follow her up the stairs.
"It's my bed frame. They don't tell you it's a two person job when you buy the thing." Maggie opened the door at the end of the hall revealing peices of the bed frame spread around the room.
"You really made a mess of this thing." Dean joked.
"I'm five foot five. I did the best I could." Dean looked down at her.
"You're a hunter. You kill vampires and put angry spirits to rest but a bed frame elludes you?"
"Are you going to help me or not?" Maggie asked, giving him that to-die-for smile.
"You know I can't let a pretty woman sleep on the floor."
An hour later Maggie fell back onto the mattress that was finaly on the captain's bed frame.
"Oh my God, this feels so good." She sighed, stretching her arms above her head. As her arms went up, so did the bottom of her shirt, revealing the beginnings of some very familiar insignias on her hips.
"Are those why the spirit didn't attack you?" Dean asked, sitting down next to her.
"Partly." Maggie answered, pulling her shirt up a little more, exposing her stomach.
"I know that one wards against demon possession." Dean pointed to her left hip. "And that one against angel possession." He pointed to her right hip. "But I don't know that one." He pointed to the tattoo in the middle, just below her navel.
"That one protects me from possession by dieties." Maggie sat back up, pulling her shirt back down, much to Dean's dismay.
"I'm guessing there are more tattoos than just those."
"You would be right," Maggie grinned at him.
"I'd love to see them."
"Maybe one day you will." She tilted her head flirtatiously, letting her bangs fall into her eyes. Dean reached up and gently tucked her hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek. At his touch, Maggie closed her eyes and leaned her face into his hand. She opened her eyes to see him watching her intently. "Dean," she whispered, starting to lean towards him.
They were so close when Dean suddenly pulled back and stood up.
"It's uh, it's getting late." He stammered, putting his hands in him pockets. "I should let you get some rest." Without waiting for a reply, Dean was out the door and heading to the other end of the hall and the room he and Sam were sharing.
Maggie stared at her closed bedroom door. With a sigh, she fell back on her bed, wondering what had just happened.
Dean shut the door to his room and leaned back against it, his eyes closed as he tried to control his heartbeat.
"You okay?" Sam came out of the bathroom and eyes his brother suspiciously. Dean straightened up quickly.
"Yeah. Totally fine. Just need a shower." With a few strides, he was past Sam and in the bathroom. He turned on the shower and pulled off his shirt and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Dean Winchester never turned a girl down. Never walked away from a woman who was asking for him. Was it just because she was related to Bobby? Or was it something else entirely?
The water has warmed up. He finished undressing and stepped in, letting the water run over his body. He just needed sleep. A good night's sleep would allow to him to think clearly again. But his mind kept returning to Maggie. The flat of her stomach as she laid on the bed, her long legs, trim waist, the way she had looked at him just now. He could feel himself growing hard but could not shake the images from his brain. He took hold of himself and let the images drown him into a moment of pleasure.
"Do I smell bacon?" Dean's eyes were still closed, but the smell of breakfast wafted into the room.
"I smell pancakes." Sam answered. The boys jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs, still in their pajamas to find Maggie and another man and woman in the kitchen. Maggie turned to her companions.
"I told you, as soon as they smell food, they come running." Maggie stood and took two mugs from the cabinet. "Sam, Dean, meet Jethro and Amanda. They got in early this morning. These are the Winchesters." Maggie handed the boys mugs of coffee. "Eggs, bacon, pancakes and potatoes are on the stove."
"You're the best." Dean kissed her cheek as he went past her to the food.
"You're welcome." Maggie laughed, hoping she successfully hid here joy at his touch. She and Amanda took their coffee into the dining room, leaving the men alone in the kitchen.
"So Dean Winchester, huh?" Amanda gave Maggie a knowing look.
"Yes, Dean and Sam Winchester." Maggie responded, busying herself with the creamer.
"I want to talk about Dean."
"There's nothing to talk about." Maggie shrugged. "He's just a hunter, passing through."
"By the look on his face, I don't think he's just going to be 'passing through'."
"It's never going to happen, Amanda. Not with Dean and not with anyone." Maggie sat back in her chair. "It's not possible."
"After all you've been through, you deserve a little happiness. You're still human." Amanda told her.
"Technically."
"There is no technically." Amanda put her hand on Maggie's. "You still have feelings and no matter what happened in your past, you're a good person. You can't spend your time afraid to be happy."
"It's hard to think about something like that when I know what my future holds."
"That is what makes it so important. Never deny yourself a good thing."
"What's a good thing?" Dean asked coming into the room, still munching on bacon.
"That breakfast apparently." Maggie said, taking a sip of her coffee.
"It was amazing. Perfect way to start the day." Dean stretched and scratched his head, allowing Maggie and Amanda to admire the way his pajama pants hung around his hips. "Well I should go get dressed. The Impala needs an oil change."
"I've got some work outside myself." Maggie said standing and collecting dishes. "Bobby wasn't exactly a yard person."
Amanda helped Maggie load the dishwasher and when Dean walked by in jeeans and a black tank, she gave Maggie a nudge.
"Go do your work. I'll finish up here."
"Oh gee, thanks." Maggie rolled her eyes and pulled on an old pair of sneakers. Outside, she grabbed a garbage can and surveyed the front yard.
"How's your truck?" Dean asked, coming out of the garage, tucking a rag into his back pocket. "It need a fluids check?"
"It wouldn't hurt, if you're going to be getting greasy anyway." Maggie tossed him her keys. "Thanks."
"Anything for you." Dean winked and her and got to work.
While Dean worked on the vehicles, Maggie purged the yard of garbage and cleaned out the gardens that had long been dead. Gardening had been one thing she had always enjoyed, even as a young girl. There was something special about watching something grow to be beautiful to everyone who saw it.
Dean slid out from under the truck and sat up iin time to see Maggie stretched over the one garden, planting some sort of purple flower. Her shirt rode up her back, showing off the bottom of another tattoo.
"How many tats does that girl have?" Dean muttered to himself, finding himself getting turned on at the thought. He adjusted himself before going over to finish work on the Impala.
Later that day, Maggie stood and wiped the sweat from her forehead, checking out her day's work.
"Looks good." Dean was sitting on the steps. He was covered in dirt and grease and Maggie couldn't help but think how incredibly sexy he looked. He held out a beer to her which she took appreciatively.
"This place looked amazing a long time ago. I'm hoping over time I can restore some of its former glory."
"Well, you're off to a good start."
"Thanks. How's my baby doing?"
"New oil, new fluids, purrs like a kitten." Dean smiled. "I'm not a truck guy, but you've got a pretty sweet ride there."
"Bobby gave it to me. Although, I might have added some upgrades over the years."
"I took a peek at your arsenal. You've got some pretty impressive stuff in there." Dean took a swig of his beer.
"It's not the typical hunter's stash, that's for sure. A lot of it comes straight from Rome. Holy water blessed by the pope, silver smelted in the heart of the Vatican, that type of thing."
"How did you get your hands on that stuff?" Maggie shrugged.
"I have my contacts. Where's Sam? I haven't seen him since breakfast."
"He's buried in books. Totally obsessed with this Lycanthrope thing even though it's gone underground again. He just can't let it go."
"We all have our obsessions now and then." Maggie drained the last of her beer. "I need a shower before I start dinner. Thanks for the drink." As she passed Dean, she let her hand fall over his shoulder. Dean turned his head so that his lips barely gr?azed her skin, hating the idea of her walking away.
Upstairs, Maggie stripped out of her dirty clothes and eyed her reflection in the mirror. Sumbols covered her torse and arms, each one protecting her from the dangers of the supernatural and herself. VanHelsing had done an artistic job of placing each one, but they still only reminded her of the future that she had no control over and a past that haunted her. She stepped into the warm spray, relishing in the feeling of the day's hard work washing away, wishing it was more than just sweat and dirt that left her.
Once done, she picked out a long sleeved pajama shirt and an old pair of cotton short shorts. She was just about to go down to start cooking when there was a knock on the door.
"Can I come in?" It was Dean.
"Sure, what's up?" Maggie asked, sitting cross-legged on her bed. Dean closed the door and turned to look at her. Bad idea. Every thing he had rehearsed saying left his mind when he saw her sitting there, her wet hair falling around her face, the length of her legs under her shorts. "Dean?"
"Maggie, I -" he stuttered. He took a step forward. "It's just -"
"Dean," she stood and closed the space between them, reaching up and touching his cheek. That touch was all it took. Dean's hands went to her hips, pulling her against him, his lips on hers. A warmth spread through his body as she kissed him back, her arms going around his neck. He picked her up, pullling her legs around him and carried her to the bed, laying her gently on her back. His hands carressed her stomach, urging her shirt higher.
"Dean, wait." He stopped instantly. Pulling back he saw the troubled look in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" He asked, retreating to his knees and helping Maggie to sit up.
"There are things you need to know about me. About my past, about now, about my future."
"We all have a past." Dean said quietly.
"Not like this, Dean. I did things that I'm not proud of, all to please my father. I was in hell," Maggie held up her hand to stop Dean from interrupting. "My father sold me to the devil." Dean's face registered shock.
"How did you..." he trailed off. Maggie shook her head.
"It was all done to please my father. I allowed him to sell my soul to the devil, to give him more power. I allowed so much to happen. I did so much to please him that, that I lost who I was. I allowed a demon to possess me. I allowed it to do as it pleased with my body, to kill and torture and do unspeakable acts. Then one day, I realized that no matter what I did, my father would never approve of me, or care for me in the slightest. I was his pawn to power and that was all. That was the day I began to fight the demon. I searched out VanHelsing. I told him where he could find my father, and in exchange he rid me of my sins. But I had penance to do. I confessed, and VanHelsing gave me my tattoos and taught me to save lost souls. That is my penance, to save the lost and forgotten until the powers that be decide I am done."
"Your sins? They aren't your sins. The demon did all of that." Dean protested, sitting down next to Maggie.
"The demon may have been in control, but I allowed it to happen. I didn't stop it. In fact I welcomed it into my body. The damage that I did, the souls that I tortured, they number well into the thousands."
"What if you die before you fulfill your penance?" Maggie shook her head.
"I've been marked with the blood of Christ." Dean looked confused. "THE blood of Christ. I can't die. I won't age, I won't change, not until I fulfill my penance be it tomorrow, next year or a hundred years from now." Dean was quiet, just studying her silently. "Say something."
With all the crap I've been through, I've learned one thing, and that's what you do to survive, or to please family, does not make you who you are. You did what you thought you had to do for your father. I would have done anything in the world to please my father. But that doesn't make you a bad person. The person you are now, now that your father is gone, is what matters. The person who worries about other hunters, wants to give them a safe place to rest. That's the person," he paused. "That's the person I've fallen for." Dean reached up and caressed her cheek as he leaned in and kissed her. This time when his hands found the hem of her shirt, she allowed him to pull it over her head and his hands to trail down her back, laying her on the bed. Dean sat up and pulled his own teeshirt off, tossing it somewhere on the floor. Maggie's fingers traced the muscles of his chest and abdomen, gripping the top of his pants and pulling him back to her.
Their lips had just barely reunited when there was a pounding on the door.
"Dean!" Sam yelled. "Dean, I know you're in there! We have to go!" Dean dropped his head with a growl.
"Don't move." He told her then stood and pulled the door open. "What the hell is so important?"
"The Lycanthrope is back, and this time, I know how to kill it. We have to go before it disappears again." Sam started to walk away.
"This can't wait til morning?"
"No, it can't Dean. It could be gone by then!" Sam yelled from the stairway.
"Give me fifteen minutes."
"Dean!"
"I said fifteen minutes!" Dean yelled, closing the door. He turned back to Maggie who had propped herself up on her elbows.
"Fifteen minutes, huh?" She asked with a sly smile that made Dean laugh. He sat down on the bed and pulled Maggie onto his lap.
"I'm not going to do that to you. When we get to that point, I want to take my time. I want to remember every last second of it." Dean kissed her and snuggled into her neck, breathing in her scent. "I just wanted a few more minutes with you." The two sat quietly, taking each other in.
"DEAN!"
"Oh my God." Dean muttered. Maggie laughed and stood, pulling Dean to his feet.
"Go pack. I'll meet you downstairs." She gave him another kiss and pushed him out the door. Once her shirt was back on, she made her way to the kitchen where she found Sam waiting. "He'lll be down in a minute." She told him, starting to grab things for dinner.
"Then that will give us a minute to talk." Maggie glanced at Sam sideways, waiting quietly for him to continue. "Dean is a hunter, and a damn good one. He doesn't need distractions. He needs to be able to concentrate on the job." Sam paused, waiting to see if Maggie would say anything, but she continued to silently prepare dinner. "You need to back off."
"Do you not think your brother is old enough to manage his own life?"
"You don't know him like I do."
"You're right, I don't." Maggie turned away from the counter to look Sam straight on. "But I do know that he needs someone he can connect to, someone outside of his family. We all need that, you and I included."
Dean came into the kitchen at that moment, tossing his bag at Sam.
"Pack that in the car. I'm gonna grab some stuff for the road." Sam gave Maggie a nod and walked out. Dean slid his arms around Maggie's waist and kissed her. Maggie revelled in the feeling of him against her, wondering how long it would be until she felt it again.
"Be safe. Check in. Get the job done." Maggie told him, holding his face in her hands.
"I will. I'll call every night." He gave her one last, long kiss as a car horn sounded from outside. Reluctantly, they let each other go and Dean disappeared out the door.
The next few days were quiet. Amanda and Jethro left the next morning for their own hunt, so Maggie took the time to finish organzing the library. This cleaned up a lot of room in the rest of the house and she was finally able to get a clear idea of what needed to be done.
She was sitting in the kitchen three days after the boys had left, working on her computer. She was building a check in program for the hunters. Once a day they would have to call in and the program would log their last location in the computer. That way if a hunter got into trouble and didn't call, Maggie would know their last whereabouts in order to send help. She was just finishing the program when one of the phones started to ring. It was the one marked CIA.
"Director Buyers," she answered in her official voice, the one that masked the most of her accent.
"Yes, Director," it was Dean. "We've got a bit of an issue out here if you wouldn't mind helping to clear it up?"
"Put them on."
"May I ask who I'm talking to?" It was an authoritative, female voice. Maggie was willing to bet a new sheriff was trying to win a pissing contest.
"You are speaking to Director Buyers of the CIA. Who are you?"
"Sheriff Kim Reynolds. I thought I was going to be talking to Director Mathison."
"Director Mathison was put on emergency medical leave this morning and I've taken his caseload. Now are you going to tell me what the problem is, or are you just going to continue to waste my time?" Maggie made a note to make up new business cards.
"I'm - I'm sorry," the sheriff stuttered. "It's just we never called the CIA."
"We don't wait to be called. We aren't the damn FBI. Now you have two choices - you can either cooperate with my agents or with one phone call I can have your entire department taken over. Your choice."
"We would be happy to work with them."
"Good, now put my agent back on." There was a shuffle as the phone was passed.
"Yes, Director?" Dean was back.
"Is she scared?" Maggie asked.
"Absolutely, Director."
"Good, call if you need anything else."
"Will do. You have a good day, Director." He hung up, leaving Maggie with a smile. Maybe she could handle some of Bobby's old rolls.
During the course of the day, Maggie recieved a few more calls. Amanda and Jethro called to check in - they were thinking they had a witch to deal with. A couple other hunters called looking for information and jobs. Maggie found them all what they were looking for, glad to be able to help out, while waiting for her own call to come in.