Author's Note: I apologize for the absent chapter yesterday, this is the longest bit so far. Also, I think the chapters are going to start getting longer and moving along faster, because I have a lot in mind for Caroline and Dean. So bear with me, and if I am not as consistent about posting chapters, do not fear! They will be worth it.
On a different note, I'd like to thank all of you for reading. However, I know there are a lot of readers, but almost no reviewers! Reviewing would make my day, and also I would love to hear any ideas that you have for Dean and Caroline. Criticism is also welcome too, so review, review, review! I'm not telepathic!
As always, enjoy!
"Well, that was a lovely breakfast, and I appreciate the help last night, but I'd better be going. I have to go pick up my bag from my wasted motel and checkout before leaving town." Dean Winchester stood and adjusted his jacket not long after Klaus had taken the call.
Caroline was worried. Klaus had told her last night strange things had been happening in New Orleans, stranger even than some events in Mystic Falls. In the past week, two humans had lost their short term memories before going insane, claiming that 'the safest thing to do is die' and that 'the angels are out to kill everyone'. While the words sounded typical of mad ramblings, in New Orleans, it was never too impossible that something unnatural might be at the source.
"Are you sure?" Caroline didn't want Dean to go back into New Orleans alone, what with whatever strange stuff might be happening. When Dean nodded, she stood up and rushed around to walk with him to the door. "Let me at least go with you. You might have damage that we can't really see yet." After watching him sleep through the night, she had grown attached to him, like she wanted to protect him and keep him safe.
Dean looked at her curiously, but nodded. "I can't say no to a pretty lady." He grinned, seductively, almost.
Caroline tried to echo his cheery feel, but her smile wasn't nearly as genuine. "I picked your car up from the lot last night after we brought you back here. It's waiting in the covered lot outside." She handed him the keys she had taken from his pocket the night before while opening the front door. "I'll be back soon!" She called into the dining room.
"Take your time, little Barbie. Enjoy your little human." Damon said in a voice only loud enough for Caroline to hear. She raised an eyebrow before following Dean outside to his car.
"Tell me the truth, Princess. And no crap this time. Why do you really want to go with me?" Dean said as he drove down the Mikaelson's long driveway.
"I told you, you're hurt and I'm worried about you." Caroline said in earnest.
"Crap." Dean looked at her pointedly. "Don't give me that."
Caroline sighed and pressed herself back against the seat. "Really. I'm worried about you." She wasn't going to tell him why, however.
"Fine. You want to be difficult? I can do difficult." Dean gripped the wheel of the Impala tighter. "Tell me about yourself. Are you from around here?"
Caroline felt safe about answering that question, at least. "Mystic Falls, Virginia. Pretty small place."
"Never heard of it." Dean sharply turned the Impala to the right, causing Caroline to fall into him. She glared at him, but the expression was missed as he continued to watch the road.
"And how old are you, Caroline?"
Caroline watched his profile closely, wondering why he cared. "Twenty-four." She said slowly, watching him for a reaction, but he gave none.
"And what exactly is the relationship between you all and Klaus?" Caroline shut her mouth, not sure how to explain the fear the Original inspired in her friends, and on occasion, her.
Dean let out a little chuckle. "I mean, it's almost as if any one of you were to step out of line, he'd bite your head off." He shook his head with a little grin on his face, thankfully not facing Caroline.
Caroline froze and stared straight ahead. Dean was too close to the truth. "Why do you ask so many questions, Winchester?" Her voice was cold as she faced the window, concentrating on outside.
Dean whistled. "Last name basis, huh? Did I hit a nerve?"
"Shut up, Winchester." Caroline crossed her arms and continued to watch the lively city pass her by.
Minutes passed in silence, before Dean finally let out a long breath. "Look, Caroline, I'm sorry if I said something wrong, but I just want you to know that…" He paused, and Caroline slowly turned to look at him, though her face was still screw up into a pout. "I've seen some strange things, and you can trust me, you know, if you want to tell me anything."
Caroline was careful this time to not let her face betray her, because she wished she could tell someone human. She wished she could this man, who for all of his rough exterior, seemed to genuinely want to help. But he knew about the supernatural, and that made him dangerous.
"I'm sorry, Dean. I can't." She shook her bouncy curls out into a blonde curtain around her head.
Dean said nothing more, only staring ahead in silence until they reached the motel he had been staying at. Once he parked, he looked over at Caroline, who was busy unbuckling.
"Whoa, where are you going?" Dean grabbed her arm as she opened the car door.
Caroline looked simultaneously confused and surprised. "Well, you got here okay, I think you should be fine."
"What are you planning to do, walk home? Bus home?" Dean looked incredulous. "Pretty lady like you shouldn't be taking the bus or walking all the way back to your friend's mansion. Let me drive you back."
Caroline snorted. "What would be the point in that?"
"Look, I'm going to have to go near there anyways to get out of town. I insist."
Caroline sighed. "Fine."
Dean smiled, perhaps the first truly happy smile Caroline had seen in a while. "You get back in here, Forbes. I'll grab my bag and checkout and be right back."
The blonde watched him go, waiting until he was inside to open his compartments and look for anything that might give her a clue as to what exactly he knew about supernatural creatures. But there was nothing. No papers, no weapons, just some tapes. On instinct, she headed around to the trunk, dissapointed to find only a spare tire and various car tools in the boot.
In her disappointment, she leaned forwards, supporting herself on the floor of the trunk. She was going to close it when she realized the sound that had been made. The floor was not solid. Something was underneath. Her eye caught sight of a lock, off to one side, but not knowing the code, she shut the trunk anyways.
On a whim, she lifted the back of the car in order to get a measure of what was in the false bottom. It was surprisingly heavy, heavier than a few files or items should have been.
At that moment, Dean reappeared out of the motel so she vamped back into the passenger seat of the car, thinking. Dean Winchester definitely had a secret of his own, and it wasn't a light burden to carry.
()()()()()
When Dean returned to the car, Caroline was looking awfully shifty for someone who had just been sitting in a car for five minutes. But Dean only gave her a careful glance before tossing his duffle in the backseat and sliding into the car.
Backing out of the lot, he rested his arm behind her and left it there, casually moving closer to her shoulders. Once she realized what he was doing, however, she spun her entire body to face him, a disbelieving expression on her face.
"Really, Dean Winchester? Making the worst pass ever invented on a girl that you'll only see for another ten minutes?" Caroline crossed her arms, an expression so intense on her face that Dean felt almost ashamed. Almost.
After that bit, the car ride passed in silence, Dean keeping his eyes on the road and Caroline keeping her eyes out the window. Neither of them moved until the sound of a police siren started them both.
Dean pulled over for the two police cars, and Caroline sat straighter in her seat, trying to figure out what was going on. Curious, Dean followed the cars, but he only had to turn the corner to see where the cars were going.
"What the—" Dean stopped at the sight in front of his Impala. At least six police cars were parked around a diner, guns drawn, snipers on hold. Now this was Dean's scene. Guns made him feel comfortable, not small talk with women in his car.
He pulled over into an empty parking space. "What are you doing?" Caroline exclaimed as Dean swung himself out of the car and moved around to the trunk.
Dean flipped the lid before peering around one side to face Caroline, who had gotten out of the car as well and was walking towards him. "Helping out."
"You have no idea what you're doing." Caroline crossed her arms and wrinkled her nose. "Obviously, it's dangerous- that's why there are six police cars."
Dean leaned on the false bottom of the boot, not wanting to open it in front of Caroline. She'd think he was nuts, with all the stuff he had down there. "Look, Caroline, I know what I'm doing. Just stay in the car."
Caroline didn't move, watching him closely for a second, eyes trailing his strong arms and torso. "Fine. Let me go with you."
Dean looked at her, incredulous. "Princess, this is no place for a well-dressed woman like yourself. Just stay in the car, okay?"
Caroline shook her head before walking up to him and standing so close that Dean could feel her breath on his cheek. "Listen here, Winchester. You said I could trust you. Well it's a two way street. If you want me to trust you, you've got to trust me. You have the trust that I can take care of myself."
Caroline's blue eyes alone, and the proximity of her body was enough to make Dean want to listen to her. But she was right. And maybe if he trusted her, she would trust him.
So he nodded, and figured that maybe it was time to let someone in. And so he opened the trunk.
As expected, Caroline gasped at his arsenal of weapons, but when he handed her a pistol and took one for himself, she said nothing, only allowing her face to assume a grim expression.
"Come on, Forbes." Dean nodded with his head towards the string of police cars. They approached nonchalantly, Dean walking straight up to what looked like the officer in charge.
"What's going on here?" Dean stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to look like an average citizen for the moment.
The officer turned, a little surprised. "A crazy woman's got hostages in there with a gun, claiming some angels told her to do it. Typical crazy stuff." The officer turned back to his men, and Dean watched Caroline freeze up beside him, something he was coming to recognize as a sign she knew more than she was letting on. However, he had no time to deliberate on that, as at the word 'angels' he knew this was worth looking into.
"Huh. Really." Was all he said, but he was wondering what kind of angel would cause a human to do something like this. Maybe all of them- he didn't know much about angels, or even if they existed.
The officer turned back to Dean when he saw that he hadn't left. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you, as a civilian, to leave. We have people's lives to save."
Dean shrugged, before reaching into his jacket and pulling out a badge. "FBI, Agent Harrison."
The officer's formerly annoyed face contorted into one much more surprised and flustered. "What are you doing here, Sir? We didn't call for FBI."
"Naw, I'm just off-duty. But I think you'd better leave this situation to me." Dean shrugged, returning the badge to his pocket. He loved the one-eighty reactions he got in these situations.
"Yes, sir. Right this way, Agent Harrison." The officer lead him under the police tape roping off the diner, and Dean only took a minute to pivot and give Caroline a grin before ducking under the tape.
"I didn't know you were with the FBI." Caroline whispered to Dean, drawing up next to him.
Dean cracked a half-grin, almost a smirk. "That's because I'm not, Forbes."
Caroline looked scandalized.
Dean didn't have time to stop and reason with her. If this situation truly involved angels, he was needed. He couldn't waste time explaining to Caroline that sometimes, in his line of work, lying and cheating was necessary.
"Okay, everyone behind the police cars. I'm going in." Dean motioned for the officers to hide behind the cars.
"But sir-" The head officer said.
"No buts, officer. We're doing this my way." Dean swiveled into a crouch position behind a car himself. "No one is going to get hurt."
The officer just looked at him, a look that Dean was used to in these situations. These police officers. They always thought they knew what they were doing. He chuckled before turning to Caroline.
"Okay Forbes, you and I are going to come in from the back, as inconspicuous as possible, try to get a head on the situation. Officer," He turned back to the policeman. "You need to try to talk to the person, just talk and listen to what they have to say. Don't call them crazy, don't mention the hostages, just keep them distracted." The officer nodded, so Dean took off, Caroline following him.
When they got around to the back of the diner, Dean took out a lock pick. It only took him moments to pick the lock. Caroline was about to step forwards, but Dean stopped her. "Have you ever fired a gun before, Princess?"
Caroline nodded. "Yes." And although her face betrayed how uncomfortable she felt, Dean saw in her eyes that she would help him protect these strangers.
"Okay. Let's go. Quiet now." Dean crept forward into what appeared to be the storage unit of the kitchen. After making it to the kitchen door, he stopped, not hearing the sound of Caroline following him. With a glance behind him, he immediately became much more confident that this strange woman knew what she was doing. She had managed to keep up with him without making a sound, which was impressive to stay the least.
The hunter listened carefully before opening the kitchen door and looking around. Seeing no one, he waved Caroline into the room. He continued towards the typical double doors of the kitchen, crouching in front of one, motioning Caroline to do the same.
Slowly, he moved his head into a position so that he could see out of the wide windows. He couldn't see much from this position, other than several people lying face down on the floor, hands covering their heads. Luckily, most of them seemed to be squirming, so Dean assumed they were okay. At least until he saw the blood.
"Shit." He ducked back down. Caroline gave him a questioning stare. "There are people hurt. Blood." Caroline froze up at that, and Dean wondered why she volunteered to help if she was squeamish around blood.
"There's a bar, we need to duck down and creep by it to get a better view. Are you going to be okay?" Dean whispered to his companion. She nodded, but she looked pale.
Glancing at the hinges of the door, Dean hoped they were oiled enough to not make a sound. Crossing his fingers mentally, he gently pushed a door open and crawled through, holding it open for Caroline to follow him. He avoided a blood puddle, and crept along quietly, hoping none of the hostages would raise their heads and catch a glimpse of him.
Reaching the edge of the bar, he peeked around it before swiveling with his back against the wall, almost knocking into Caroline.
"What?" She whispered, almost a breath.
"She's just strolling around, gun out, watching the hostages." Dean bit his inner lip. "Follow my lead, okay?"
Caroline reached out to grab his arm, but he was already gone.
"Ma'am, you need to let these people go." Dean aimed his gun at the woman as Caroline echoed the motion to his left.
The woman was facing away from them, a gun in her right hand. All Dean could really see was masses of unruly blonde hair, and a fairly slim figure that was dressed in a long coat and jeans. However, when she turned around, her face betrayed that she couldn't have been much older than he was.
"And why should I do that?" The woman's voice sounded hoarse and dull, a description that accurately fit her eyes as well.
"They never did anything to hurt you." Caroline said. "Tell us why you're doing this. We can help."
The woman laughed, a bloodcurdling laugh that Dean so often heard from ghosts and people possessed. "Help me? Or find help for me? As in the psycho ward?"
Neither Dean nor Caroline answered.
"That's what I thought." The woman said, twirling the gun in her hand. "Well, I'm not crazy. Don't need no psychiatric help." She stepped closer to the pair of them. "I know what I saw."
"And what did you see?" Dean was curious to extract as much information as possible.
"I saw an angel." When the woman saw that Dean and Caroline did not speak against her words, she raised an eyebrow, but continued. "And it took my memories away. And it will do the same to everyone else. It warned me. Unless I kill them. Give them a better death."
Dean shifted his weight. On one hand, the talk sounded utterly crazy. But on the other hand- he'd seen a lot of crazy things in his life. Just not angels.
"And what did the angel look like?" Dean lowered the point of the gun just slightly.
The woman stepped closer, slowly, just barely a step. "Like pure light. I couldn't see it. My eyes were closed, it warned me to close them, otherwise I'd lose my sight. But behind my eyelids, the light was still blinding."
As the woman grew closer to Dean, he began to believe her. He could smell a strange odor, partially sulfuric, something often associated with supernatural creatures, and not humans.
Thankfully, Caroline hadn't said anything, only screwing up her face into a skeptical expression. Dean was worried that should the woman actually be insane, saying something to offend her could set her off.
"Look, I can help you. And I don't mean psychiatrically. I believe you. I've seen some strange things in my life." Dean paused. "Supernatural things." At those words, Caroline and the woman both eyed him incredulously, but Dean had no time to worry about what either of them thought about him.
The woman twirled her gun, shifting it to her other hand, her face thoughtful. "What have you seen?"
The last thing Dean wanted was to talk about this in front of Caroline, but there were people's lives at stake. "Lots of things. Ghosts, demons, angry spirits. You name it, I've probably seen it."
The woman continued to look at him sideways, shifting her gun back to her right hand. "And how did you survive?"
"I killed everything I encountered. All of it."
The woman still watched him, and a long time passed, minutes probably. Finally, she seemed to make a decision. "Fine. If you're not pulling my leg, put the gun down."
"Don't, Dean." Caroline's voice was low.
"You don't, I'll shoot." The woman aimed her gun at a man face down on the floor, only a few feet away.
"Okay, okay." Dean raised his left hand and used his right hand to crouch and drop the gun.
"You too, Blondie." The woman waved her gun in Caroline's general direction.
Dean glanced at her and gave her a reassuring smile, and although Caroline looked uncomfortable, she crouched and dropped her gun as well.
"Good. Now, tell me how I can prevent the angels from doing to these people what they did to me." The woman stepped back from the pair of them, circling another limp body on the floor.
"I don't know. I haven't come across angels before. But I'll figure something out." Dean felt vulnerable with this crazy woman and no weapon. He was never good at convincing people to listen to him.
The woman's head snapped up. "Lies. All lies. You're just a police man doing his job, talking to the crazy nut holding innocents hostage."
"No!" Dean protested, raising his arms and shaking his head.
"You have no idea what to do with this angel. So I'll have to do it myself. I'm going to save these people. They'll be free from this Earth. They'll be free from the glamour angels."
"No, please don't!" Caroline's voice was high-pitched, and she stepped forward. Dean grabbed her arm. He wouldn't let her get hurt. And in that moment that Caroline attempting to disentangle herself from Dean's grip, the woman shot. Once, twice.
And when Dean and Caroline looked in the direction of the gunshot, they saw two limp bodies, both shot straight through the head.
What happened next happened so fast. Dean stepped forward, barely a millimeter; he was going to tackle the woman. Obviously reasoning would do no good. And as he stepped, an angry expression on his face, the woman swung her arm around and fired, straight at his heart.
In that split second, Dean thought that was it, that was the end. But in the next moment, he was on the ground, and Caroline was on top of him. Stunned from falling to the ground, he could only watch as Caroline picked up his gun from the ground, and in one clean motion, swiveled to shoot the woman straight through the chest.
"Are you okay?" Caroline leaned over Dean, and Dean didn't respond for a moment as his body and mind caught up and processed what had just happened.
He blinked, looking down at his body. "Yeah. Not a scratch." He was marveling at how neither of them had been shot- he had been sure they would- when he saw the blue of Caroline's jean jacket arm stained red.
"You're hurt!" Dean jerked up, pulling off her jacket to see the wound clearly.
"I'm okay, really. Just a scratch." Caroline said, trying to pull her jacket back on.
Dean looked at the blood on his hands, then at the wound. The bullet had only grazed her, but the wound was still bleeding heavily. "No, you're not. We need to stop the blood flow."
As Caroline protested, Dean shed his flannel and leather jacket, not hesitating as he pulled off his shirt and ripping it in half. Tying half above the wound, and half around the wound, Dean helped Caroline stand.
"We better get you out of here." He led her towards the front door, away from the woman's dead body.
"Okay, everyone up! If you're hurt, get help from someone!" Dean called, swinging the front entrance open into the sunlight. When he opened the door, police officers streamed in, helping the hostages that were hurt, and those that weren't.
For someone with an arm injury, Caroline seemed very nonchalant- she strolled to the car as easily as anyone else, and wouldn't allow Dean to help her along. She wouldn't even let him carry her bloody jacket- the only thing she did allow him to do was carry both guns, claiming she never wanted to touch a gun again.
"How did you do that?" Dean called to Caroline as he opened the boot of the Impala to put the guns away.
"Do what?" The blonde said as she slipped into the passenger seat.
"You stopped me from being shot. I thought I was gone for sure."
"Just fast reflexes, I guess." Even Caroline's voice sounded like she was lying, although Dean couldn't see her. This woman was really a terrible liar.
He swung around into the front seat. "We'd better get you to the hospital."
"No, no, look." Caroline grabbed Dean's arm before peeling back the bit of his shirt around the wound. Now that the blood was wiped away, the wound looked much smaller than Dean had thought. Small enough that she was right. She didn't need the hospital.
He shrugged, although he was sure the wound had been bigger. Regardless, going to the hospital was an unnecessary plan.
He drove, continuing towards Klaus' mansion, thinking about the events that had just transpired. Two people and the woman were dead, that he knew of. He hadn't been able to save everyone. The sorrowful expression on Caroline's face betrayed the same thing.
And what had the woman meant about glamour angels? He'd never encountered an angel, and his father had never told him of such creatures even existing. His mother used to tell him bedtime stories about angels, but never once had a glamour angel been mentioned.
He had a lot to do, and he couldn't do it alone. He needed his father, he needed Sam. And maybe, just a little bit, he needed Caroline.
"What did you mean when you said you had seen supernatural things?" Caroline's voice was timid.
Dean swallowed, and long moments passed before he responded. Caroline had proved herself. Maybe it was time to trust her, let her in. People he had known less than her knew his secret.
"You're gonna think I'm crazy." He chuckled. "There are supernatural things out there, Princess. Things that go bump in the night. And you might not believe me, but you should, because I've been hunting them all my life."
Caroline said nothing, only staring down at her hands. Dean kept his eyes on the road. He couldn't bear to look into Caroline's eyes if all he would see would be disbelief.
"I believe you."
Dean was so taken aback, he had to replay her words in his head to make sure he had heard her right. "Really? You don't think I'm crazy?"
"No."
"Well, that's a first."
A long pause followed. Dean knew he should take advantage of the moment. If Caroline believed him, he should ask for her help. Any allies in this town would be an advantage. And she had already proved she could take care of herself.
"I don't normally pull people into this…" Dean trailed off and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "But, would you be willing to help me?"
Caroline didn't respond, only a simple nod, not even meeting his gaze.
Dean let out a long breath, a smile starting to grow on his face as he pulled up the driveway to Klaus' mansion. "So what do you think Forbes? Does your friend Klaus have room for another houseguest?"
Caroline faced him, tilting her head to one side as she ran her eyes over his face. "He has a million rooms he won't miss."
Dean grinned as he parked the car, the kind of smile he grinned when faced with a particularly intriguing hunt. "Good. Because I think I'm going to stay awhile."
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