Wow, thank you every one who has responded to this so far, the response has been ace and really motivates me!
Hope you enjoy the next chapter :) As always I own nothing x
Like Riding A Bike
The drive to New York took us a couple of days, it would have taken three in my truck. It felt good riding in the Impala again. Even if Dean had relegated me to the 'bitch seat', meaning the back seat, his words not mine. The atmosphere in the car was frosty to say the least.
We stopped at a motel once for a few hours sleep. It was one of the more hideous motels that I'd had to sleep in. The theme for this one was the seventies, well not so much a theme I thought as it hadn't been decorated since the seventies. The walls were a horrible burnt orange with dark ugly green stripes running down them. The duvets on the beds were the same dingy brown as the floor, complete with shudder inducing stains that I didn't want to think too much about.
Sam claimed a bed as did I, Dean for once slow off the mark. He got the couch for a change.
Dean predictably decided to have a drink before going to bed and hit the nearest bar, bitterly I found myself thinking that I hoped a drink was all that he had. Sam and I just crashed out, shattered despite only being in a car for the last few hours. People underestimated how tiring travelling really was.
I felt the nightmare coming before it did, the way you sometimes could before you were grabbed by a terrible dream. I felt my body go rigid, felt my arms flailing and then I was gripped.
Back in the forest, back with Dean and Edward, back to them telling me how little I was worth.
Just as it started to get bad I felt a weight on my bed and a hand stroking my hair. I drifted off further, my nightmare disappearing instantly to be replaced by deep dreamless slumber.
When I woke in the morning again I was alone and Dean was nowhere to be seen. I got up and dressed quickly after taking a record breaking shower.
When I got out of the bathroom Dean and Sam were sat around the table with breakfast. Unhealthy fried foods once again my main diet. Yum. We ate quickly talking about jobs that the brothers had been on since I'd been away. Dean didn't mention the comfort that he leant me last night, so I didn't either. Again we were frosty with each other though not openly hostile much to Sam's relief I'm sure.
We got back on the road quickly Dean turning up the radio loudly so we couldn't talk. After a while one of my all time favourite songs came on. The River Boat Song blasted out and I sang along with a small smile on my face. I was tone deaf but it didn't matter, I didn't care and neither of the brothers could really talk. Dean had a good voice but he didn't keep in tune when he was singing. And Sam was worse than myself.
I looked into the rear-view mirror as I sang, surprised to see that Dean was watching me. I gave him a soft smile and looked away while still belting out the last few lines of the song. The mood got better after that for some reason. Dean and I were more civil towards each other, even at times managing to joke together at Sam's expense. Sam although acting as though he was getting pissed at us was loving every minute, I could tell by the light in his eyes.
We pulled up in front of a cheap motel sometime that night, tired, hungry and eager to start the job. Sam went to check us in, using Steven Taylor as his alias this time. I'd rolled my eyes at that one.
"Bells?" Dean said softly as we leant against the Impala and studied our surroundings.
"Yeah?"
"I am sorry you know. I didn't think that... Well I didn't think really. I just thought you were gonna die and I had to stop it." Dean said his eyes pointed upwards despite the city being much too bright to see any stars. I knew how hard this must be for Dean, talking openly and admitting he was wrong.
"Yeah, well whatever." I said quietly letting him off slightly but not completely. "You know you could just have finished it. I wouldn't have been a bunny boiler or anything." I added almost in a whisper, I didn't want to talk about this but I needed him to know I knew why he'd really done it despite his excuses.
"Sweetheart." Dean said, using his old nickname for me and making me wince slightly. "It was never about finishing it, I don't want... I didn't want us to be over. But I didn't want you to die more. I wanted you safe. Away from this life like you said." Hurt poured from his mouth with his words.
"I wanted a normal life, or I thought I did anyway you're right. But I wanted it with you Dean." I said whispering now. Talking like this was hard for both of us. It would've been easier if we were both drunk, I thought ideally.
"I'm sorry, I wanted to be with you too Bells. I wanted all the things you did. But we couldn't both leave. And I needed you safe. I needed you alive. I couldn't carry on doing this shit if you..." Dean stopped abruptly as Sam came out of the reception with a key in his hand. I wondered where the conversation would have gone if we weren't interrupted, what admissions could have been made.
"Two doubles this time!" Sam said happily raising the key high for us to see. Normally we got a couple of singles or a single and a double, and while a bed for the night was luxurious it wasn't quiet as good as a night where you could spread out.
We went to put our things in the room. Sam, Dean and I stood awkwardly as we took in the two pale pink beds. How the hell would we be sleeping now? "I'll take the couch." Dean muttered slinging his bag down on the pink sofa with anger, a pink room, oh the joy.
Sam and I exchanged a look before putting our bags onto the beds. "Right the last victim was Ronald Johnson, he was killed a day ago. Drowned in a glass of water." Sam said eliciting confused looks from Dean and me.
"Dude how the hell do you drown in a glass of water?" Dean asked exactly what I was thinking.
"Well you drink the water and instead of it going down like normal it goes into your lungs and you drown." Sam said simply. Wow, that was possibly one of the worse ways to go I'd heard in a while, think you were having a refreshing glass of water then bang, you're dead.
"So what now then? It's a bit late for a house visit." I pointed out the time which was just after ten.
"We'll get an early night and start first thing in the morning with the morgue." Sam said with authority. Great, morgues, I'd forgot some of the worse aspects of this life.
"Or we could go out and have that thing called fun? All work and no play makes Sam a dull boy." Dean said with a cocky smile, one that made my heart race and my breath catch. He shot a wink at me after that. "What you think Bells you're up for a night out aren't ya?" I found myself smiling vaguely and nodding, not really sure what I was nodding too. I was dazed. And I use to think Edward could dazzle people, he had nothing on Dean. Luckily Dean had never realised the effect he had on me unlike Edward, and I was going to keep it that way. He'd win way more arguments than I wanted him to if not.
"Fine but we're not going to be out all night Dean! We've got work to do here!" Sam said in a strict voice. Dude needed to relax a bit.
"Got it man, don't drink so much that you end up dead on the job. I've had that one memorised since I was eighteen." Dean said back while rolling his eyes at his little brother.
"Ok, if you two are gonna argue I'm gonna take the first shower." I said with a smirk while picking up my bag and heading to the bathroom. When I'd finished showering and opened my bag I realised my problem. I'd been dressing like an eighteen year old shy girl for the last seven months, those were the only clothes I had. Crap.
I rooted round for a while till I came to a few things that might be passable, all brought for me by Alice, and all shoved to the back of my closet and forgot about till now. Gotta love the annoying pixie. She sure was a life saver now. And surprisingly knew exactly what would suit me and what I would like, maybe she'd been tapping into the real me and not the fake Bella all those months ago?
I stepped out of the bathroom twenty minutes later with my clothes on, my hair done and even with a little bit of make-up on. This would be the first time that I'd gone out in months and I wanted to make a night of it despite what Sam had warned Dean.
"You took your sweet time... Wow Bells you look... Hot." Dean said to me stuttering over his words as I walked out. I didn't know if hot was the right word. But I'd do, and Deans reaction sent a warm flush to the pit of my stomach. "Some boy's gonna be very happy tonight." He teased me stressing the word boy. I chucked my brush at him but he'd already dodged into the bathroom. The dick.
I checked myself in the mirror once more, yeah I'd do. I was wearing skinny jeans with the blue heels that Alice had made me wear for prom, on top I was wearing a deep blue tight-fitting tank top that stopped just above my belly button. I topped it off with a black leather jacket. My eyes were lined lightly with kohl and I had a couple of layers of dark black mascara on, nothing too fancy but way more than I'd usually wear. My hair was left loose and fell in soft waves down my back. Not too bad considering I didn't have much to work with.
Half an hour later and we hit the bar. Dean and I were on beer with tequila chasers. Sammy was just drinking the beer, one to our two. We sat joking and laughing, light and open for the first time since I'd rejoined the brothers. For a while it felt as though nothing had ever changed between us, and that felt amazing. Like I'd finally come home again. Like everything was now right with the world.
A song came on and I jumped up from my chair. "This is my song!" I yelled drunkenly happy. "Come dance with me!" I asked the guys knowing the answers before they were given. Not once in all the years that I'd known them had I ever seen either Sam or Dean dance. I always tried though and they always shook their heads like they were doing now.
I shrugged and went to the dance floor dancing along to back in black by AC/DC, one of my all time favourite songs ever. I shook my hips, wiggled my bum and danced along with a big smile on my face. This was life, or what life should be like anyway, not shut up in a dingy room doing homework and being depressed about your life in general.
I felt two hands encircle my waist and a brief smile lit my face. Maybe Dean had decided to join me for once after all. No he can't have done he didn't want me any more. My smile dropped, if it was him then he was only after one thing for one night and I wouldn't let myself be hurt like that.
I spun around a little unsteadily in my heels. Maybe that last shot was a bad idea?
It wasn't Dean stood behind me, the guy was tall and he was at least as muscled as the hunter but that's where the similarities ended. He had blonde hair that was roughly cut and a shaggy beard. He looked like a homeless biker, and stank like one too. I stepped away from the guy and started walking away towards the Winchesters. There was no point getting in an argument, dude just probably thought I was good to go.
As I walked away the guy caught my arm and spun me to face him. I held my hands up and shouted that I was with someone. With a wry smile I started to walk away again. I may have played it up to piss Dean off if the dude had been hot but he wasn't so I'd rejoin my men.
Again the guy grabbed my arm and spun me towards him, ok now I was getting pissed off. "Dude I'm with someone, back off!" I shouted out over the music trying to shake myself free of his grasp.
"Didn't look like that to me. You were shaking your ass into my dick. You want it." The guy said with a leer while forcing me backwards to a dark spot in the club. Dude did so not wanna do that.
"Look, I thought you were my date, now back off before I make you." I said calmly, anger coursing through my veins. Who did this douche think he was pushing me around?
The guy didn't listen and my back hit a wall. He came in closer, his hands going for my waist. I stomped hard on his foot and as he bent from the pain I kneed him in the gut, I then threw an uppercut at his chin as it was almost level with my face. He fell to the floor with a bang.
I stepped over him and casually walked over to Dean and Sam who had come over, their faces were pure fury.
"You alright Bells?" Sam asked me tightly his eyes never leaving the dick on the floor.
"I'm good thanks, could do with another drink though." I said brightly, I was happier now I knew I could still take care of myself. It was like riding a bike; you never forgot how to throw a decent uppercut. Plus a good old bar fight never failed to put you in a good mood.
"Come on I'll get ya a whiskey." Dean said, his eyes hadn't left me, and the anger hadn't left him yet. He placed an arm around my shoulders and I leant into him, feeling safer already. And after a bar brawl, even if I had kicked butt, I didn't feel exactly safe as houses. But this was our lives, fights, morgues, dead bodies and putting fear aside during the worst moments of your lives, and I had to get use to it again.
We walked towards the exit, heading for another bar where hopefully we'd be a bit more inconspicuous. Screams ripped through the bar making the three of us whip around.
The biker douche who'd been unconscious less than two minutes ago had come round. And he was stood ten feet away pointing a gun at me.
Instinctively I pulled my gun out, the guys pulled out there's at exactly the same time, making even more people scream. The three of us stood with hard faces guns all pointed at the dick. He visibly gulped before dropping his piece and holding up his hands.
Dean put his gun away and walked up to the guy. As soon as he reached him Dean hit him, hard. The guy went down, knocked out for the second time in ten minutes. Hopefully he'd now learn his lesson I thought as we left silently, guns now stowed away. Deans arm remained firmly locked around my shoulders as we walked out. Sam stood next to us his face hard looking every bit like a bodyguard.
Bit of a normal hunting night out for the guys then, what did you think? Questions, comments, good, bad let me know :)
Love always Tametiger x