SEVEN
TAKEN – PART ONE
Sam was quick to wake, pushing the covers back. The air in the room was cool against his bare chest but that was not why he shivered. When he glanced to the other double bed, it was empty. The sheets, still perfectly tucked in, had not been moved an inch, meaning Dean had never come to the room.
No wonder he'd slept so well.
He reached for the bedside table, grabbing his mobile and hitting speed dial one. One…two…three…four…he rubbed the back of his neck as his hair stood on end. Five…six…seven…eight. He didn't bother leaving message when he was prompted by Dean's voice. He ended the call and pressed redial, figuring his brother may not have heard his phone the first time, but as the message played again and the beep sounded, he began to worry. It wasn't like Dean to miss a call, let alone two.
Without showering, he pulled his jeans and a plain t-shirt on, not bothering with a jacket as he headed out into the morning sun, going straight to the reception where he found an older woman at the desk, obviously bored as she flicked through a magazine with a cigarette between her fingers. He stared at the precariously hanging ash that clung to the end of the cigarette, wondering how much longer it could defy gravity as he leant against the counter.
'Excuse me.'
The woman looked up. As soon as her eyes fell on his body, her snarl was wiped from her face. Sam rolled his eyes while she leisurely trailed her gaze up his towering body. He tried not to dwell on the knowledge of where her eyes lingered, instead waiting patiently until she asked, 'what can I do for you, sugar?'
He pulled a smile over his lips, trying to ignore her leer. 'Just wondering which room my friend is in,' he said, 'his name is James Hetfield.'
She glanced at the sheet beside her, scanning the names for a second before saying, 'no one under the name of Hetfield here.' She smiled, gaze taking another leisurely wander up and down. 'Is there anything else I can do for you? Anything at all?'
'Ah, yeah, he might have come in with a woman,' he said, stalling for a moment before he could remember Kali's alias, 'Juliette Lewis.'
The woman glanced away again, finally tapping the ash of her cigarette into an ash tray as she scanned the names. 'There's a Lewis here. Checked in last night.' She smiled at Sam again, and the thoughts that swirled in her gaze made his stomach churn as she said, 'room 12.'
He offered a quick thank you before turning on his heel and heading for that room, a couple doors down from the one he had gotten for himself and Dean. If anyone might know where Dean was, it would be Kali, he hoped. He knocked once, but there was no answer. He knocked again, glancing over his shoulder to Kali's car, the white of the Cobra's laser stripe seeming to flash in the sunlight. With a frown, he cast a quick glance around the motel's car park, checking that no one was watching before he reached into the pocket of his jeans and knelt.
It took him little time to pick the lock, standing before he pushed the door open, looked inside. He took one fleeting look around the room, before he turned tail and ran out with a gasp, slamming the door behind him. Sam scrubbed at his eyes, wishing he could bleach the image of his brother – sans clothes – being evicted from the bathroom with the flick of a towel from his mind, but it had been burned deep.
'Sammy, was that you?' called a voice through the door.
Sam didn't move in time; the wood was wrenched away from his back and he fell with a solid thud to his ass, a grimace on his face as he rolled to the side. Again, he regretted having eyes as he looked up to see a still naked Dean, who was only just wrapping a towel around his waist.
'Dude!' he cried, an arm over his eyes even as he pulled himself to his feet. 'Put it away! No one wants to see that.'
'I wasn't complaining.'
Sam didn't open his eyes, just in case Kali had the same mentality as Dean on nudity. 'I don't want to know,' he said, feeling his way out of the door. 'Dean, put some pants on and come outside. I need a word.'
Dean was still laughing, even as he went to Kali, wrapping his arms around her waist. He kissed her neck, the tempting stretch of skin revealed when she swept the wet length over her shoulder to continue braiding it. He was rewarded with a shiver as he pushed the strap of her bra aside to gently nibble on the mark he had left on her skin.
'I think you need to go talk to your brother,' she said, her sentence ending on a gasp as his fingers snuck beneath the lace of her panties, caressing the smooth flesh before his fingers slipped between her delicate folds to tease the tight bud of nerves that sent her knees weak.
'I don't know how you could stand being waxed in such a–' a gasp as he continued to caress her '–sensitive area, but I must say I rather enjoy it.'
Her head fell back on his shoulder, her braiding forgotten as she reached back to grip his thigh, her other hand entwining in his hair. 'When you've been shot, bitten, scratched, stabbed and just generally beaten as much as I have, you get pretty good at handling pain.' It was his turn to gasp as her hips did a wicked twist against him, a smirk appearing on her lips that matched the one he had worn only moments ago. 'Even in sensitive areas.'
'Kali,' he said in warning, the hand that wasn't occupied moving to wrap around her waist, pressing her tight against his chest, 'if we don't stop now, I will pin you to a wall, and by the time we're finished, we'll need another shower.'
'Then you had better put some pants on before you get too carried away,' she said, releasing her hold on him. She touched his arm, coaxing his hand from her panties even though she wanted nothing more than for him to continue his wicked caress. She pulled from his arms, trying to keep herself from pinning him to a wall as she said, 'pants. Now.' Her gaze wandered to his towel, and she reached to continue braiding her hair, knowing that if she didn't occupy her hands, she'd strip the fluffy white fabric straight from his hips.
Fire burned in his gaze, and he made to step forward, but she put her hand up. 'Pants,' she said, pointing to the jeans that he'd kicked aside last night just before he had– 'On. Now.'
He gritted his teeth, turning from her before he went to his bag, rummaging around in it for a clean pair of underwear before he dropped the towel and dressed. He was just pulling a t-shirt over his head when he allowed himself a glance at her; she was still braiding her hair, standing in nothing but her bra and panties, the black lace taunting him.
He went for the door, wrenching it open and throwing himself through it before he ravaged her. Sam was waiting near by, leaning on the Impala, still rubbing his eyes at the images that had been burned into them, never to be erased. Dean smiled as he sat beside his brother. 'Good morning.'
'Can't say I can agree,' Sam said, finally meeting Dean's gaze. 'Seriously, what the hell are you doing?'
'What do you mean?' Dean asked, a smile quirking his lips.
'No, really, what are you doing? Why were you naked in Kali's room, because I know you're not stupid enough to get involved with her?'
The smile disappeared. 'What's that supposed to mean?'
'Remember that little conversation we said about you using your upstairs brain? Well, obviously you ignored it,' Sam said, standing up, towering over Dean. 'Really, could you be any more of an idiot?'
Even though he was inches shorter when he straightened, the glare in Dean's gaze could have sent even the bravest of men running with their tails tucked between their legs. 'What do you want to say to me Sam?' he asked, standing so close to his brother that the tension between them was almost a physical being. 'Why don't you just spit it out, rather than dancing around it?'
Sam narrowed his gaze. 'Keep it in your pants, Dean. She's trouble and you know it. You can't let her distract you, not with all the shit that's going down,' he said, voice low, nearly vicious. 'If you keep letting her fuck with your head – sorry, heads – then you're just helping Death kill as many people as he can.'
Dean's fingers curled into fists, his hands at his sides one moment, and then one was flying towards Sam in the next. A solid row of knuckles hit home, Sam's head jerking to the side as Dean's fist connected with his jaw. Sam stumbled, and for a moment he saw stars. That unfortunately familiar taste of blood rolled down his tongue as he regained his balance, a hand on his jaw as he looked at Dean.
'Whether you do or not, I trust her,' Dean said, his blue gaze piercing as it fell on Sam. 'Dad trusted her, so you should too.'
Sam's jaw slackened slightly at the words, spurring Dean on. 'That's right,' he continued, 'Dad hunted with her once. They both went after an Ōkami while you were off having a grand old time studying. They fought together, and he saved her. She's not trouble; you just want her to be so that you don't have to face up to the fact that you're jealous over seeing me happy after you lost Jess.'
Neither looked away, their gazes set as their chests heaved with the laboured breaths of anger. They didn't move, both absorbing the words that still seemed to echo in the parking lot of the motel. For so long, they stood locked in place before, finally, Sam's hand dropped from his jaw. He glanced down, unable to hold the stare any longer, not with the guilt that crashed down on his shoulders. Even Dean's set brow relaxed, his eyes softening, both realising that they were tearing each other apart inside.
'Sammy,' Dean started, but his younger brother held a hand up.
'It's fine,' he said, his voice holding none of the viciousness of before, 'you're right, and…and I've got no place to be jealous of you, not when I had Jess while you were hunting with dad, but I…I can't help it.'
Dean dropped his head. 'Sammy, I'm so sorry,' he said, 'but I just…I know how hard it's been lately, but I can't let her go.'
'I just don't understand why,' Sam said, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. 'How is she different from all the other girls?'
His lip quirked as he met Sam's gaze again, the pale blue softer this time. 'How was Jess different from all the other girls?'
Sam opened his mouth, closed it, before finally he said, 'she just was. Even from the first time I met her, I knew that she was, and it wasn't long before I was in too deep to turn back.' A smile found its way onto his lips. 'Not that I ever wanted to.'
'And neither do I,' Dean said, his voice dropping low, 'no matter what, neither do I. She's so strong, so fierce, but when she touches me…' he closed his eyes, feeling her hands on his back, feeling her fingers caress his shoulder though she were still inside the motel room. 'She's so much better than I am, and though I know that I don't deserve her, I can't even think about letting her go. I mean, to think that I could have met her all those years ago, when she fought the Ōkami with dad…' He met Dean's gaze. 'If I had, I would have run away from this life just like you did if it meant being with her, and I never would have looked back.'
For a moment they just stared at each other again, but there was no ice in their gazes, only understanding. Dean was the first to look away, reaching into the pocket of his jeans to retrieve his ringing phone. He answered, standing beside Sam, tilting the receiver so that both could hear the voice on the other end of the line.
'What's up, Bobby?' Dean asked, casting a quick glance to Sam.
'Oh, you know, just out for a stroll,' he said before adding, 'you idjit, why do you think I'm calling you? There are some serious thunderclouds about to roll over Kansas, about an hour away and moving way too fast to be a regular storm.'
'What a coincidence,' Dean said, this time sharing a glance with Sam, 'we just happened to make it to Kansas yesterday.'
'You mean you're ahead of him?'
'Actually, I think he must have gone through Arkansas and Oklahoma. There haven't been any unusual deaths reported in Kansas.'
'Yet.'
Dean had hoped to leave that word out, but Bobby had never been one to cloud the truth with false hope. 'We'll be ready for him.'
'As ready as we can be,' Sam added.
They said their goodbyes, knowing this conversation would likely be their last. After all, it wasn't like many had chased Death and lived to hunt another day. Well, not that many would ever chase Death…
Dean tucked the phone back in his pocket, reaching up to rub a hand over his face and hair before he met his brother's gaze. A tense moment passed before Dean said, 'We better tell Kali.'
'I'll go get our stuff,' Sam said, 'you fill her in. After what I just said, I–'
He shook his head, turning back to his room, leaving Dean standing in the car park with a frown on his lips. To think that he had been happy this morning, that he'd actually smiled when he had woken up with Kali tucked against his chest. Her back had been to him, but her fingers had been woven with his, tucking his arm more securely around that tiny little waist. With slivers of sun shining through the blinds, her porcelain skin had seemed to glow, a hint of a flush still dusting her cheeks, a reminder of the glorious hours they had shared.
He grasped that memory with all his might, holding onto it for dear life. It gave him strength, even as the knowledge that they would never share in the other's love – that's right, he thought love – again, tore his heart in two.
He knocked and Kali opened the door, her smile instantly disappearing when she saw the look in his eyes. She reached out, caressing his cheeks with her finger tips before she cupped his face in her hands. 'It's time for us to go, isn't it?'
He reached for her hands, cradling them against his skin. Her touch was tender, and as she wrapped her arms around his neck and his arms slid around her waist, he lifted her to her toes. He never wanted to let go, not when he so desperately wanted the moment to last, forever and a day and then some.
'I don't ever want to let you go,' he said as he gently placed her on her feet. It was his turn to cup her face in his hands – her delicate cheek bones, her beautiful skin – to bring that pale gaze to his.
'I know,' she said, taking his hands in hers, 'but you'll have to. Let's just pray that we have another chance, even if it is useless.'
She packed up the few things she had, and they headed out to their cars. Sam was already waiting in the Impala, a tortured look on his face as he stared through the window at nothing. She was about to pull away from him when he tightened his grip on her hand, pulling her back to claim her lips. He willed his emotions through that kiss, one filled with more passion than any they had previously shared; when they broke apart, both were breathless.
It took all his strength to pull away from her and to walk to his car, but somehow he managed to put one foot in front of the other and make his way to the driver's side door. The hinges squeaked as he flung it open and climbed in beside Sam. They glanced to each other in a look filled with so many silent words, before Dean started the engine. He and Kali were about to reverse out when a car cut them off, parking behind them.
Dean cursed, glancing to see that Kali was doing the same, before he climbed back out of his beloved car, so glad he had stopped before he backed into the shining vehicle. He was about to tell the driver to open his eyes when the words were stolen from his lips, his throat drying as the air was dragged from his lungs. He dropped to his knees, looking up as two figures walked towards him. As hands gripped his arms and he was pulled roughly to his feet, he saw that Kali and Sam were still in their cars, both fighting for breath as he was. Despite the ache in his lungs as he desperately tried to breathe, he struggled, kicking the car that they tried to force him into. He managed to free an arm and elbow one of his kidnappers, but they barely flinched and pushed Dean's head down and through the open door.
He tried to kick at the hands that forced him into the car, but his vision was wavering, the lack of oxygen taking its toll. He managed one good kick at the stomach of one of the kidnappers before the door closed. A voice sounded in the front seat, drawing his last few seconds of awareness to the rear-view mirror where a wrinkled face smiled back.
Next update: Saturday the 28th of May.
