This is chapter seven, a lot of stuff going on here. Mainly Tate-stuff. Anyways, its the longest one I've written so far and took me about three hours, of course it was typed in between IM conversations and homework, but still. It took a while and I really like what I got. And as always, in between all the Tate-drama, there's a little tiny smidge of creepy toward the end; its like two sentences, keep an eye open. I hope you guys like this, so I'm done and onto the chapter.


Chapter 7-Always a Woman

Dean sat in the passenger's seat of the Mustang, somewhere between sleep and the cold parking lot outside the door. He had barely slept the night before; he had just laid there starring at Tate the entire time. And now, with only an hour and a half of sleep under his belt, Ben had sent Tate a text message "demanding their presence" at that college. With the hotel room door and Dean's eyes opened just enough he could see in and watched Tate flying from one side of the room to the other; things in her hands, dropping them into different places and then zipping up other bags. She always got this way when Ben was involved; he drove her crazy. Sam, especially when he and Dean fought would always throw in his face that he was always doing whatever John ordered to get his approval, but Tate did what she did to make up for two kids; to get approval for herself and Garrett, in his stead. Sighing, he kicked open the car door, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, walked back into the room and almost got hit with something Tate had taken out of the trunk. But she hadn't thrown it; everything was flying around the room, floating around on a steady jet stream of warm air she had whirling around the place. The breeze carrying everything was frantic, quaking and erratic; much like Tate's breathing. Dean, who nearly got a Latin Bible to the face, ducked away from the "identified flying objects" and pressed a hand to the small of Tate's back. Tate jumped and when she fell back into her skin, everything came down with her; the Bible, her cell phone, pillows, her extra hoodie, Fancy's make-up bag, Sam's boots and the journal. Everything gently tumbled back to where it belonged, Sam's boots touched down with a thud and the journal flipped itself shut.

"What!" Tate snapped her eyes dark and endless.

"You need to calm down."

"Dean, I'm fine and besides, I figured you weren't talking to me after what I said last night. Whatever." She said, putting her lens cap on her camera.

"I am talking to you, not whatever and you're not fine."

"And how am I not fine?"

"Everything was just floating around on a breeze."

"That happened again? Fuck." She muttered as she dropped down onto the bed; Dean quickly followed, gently reaching up and curling a piece of hair around her ear.

"Again?"

"Yeah, earlier after I got his text. De, he's gonna cause me to kill someone."

"Not me, right?"

"I like having you around; you're pretty to look at." She teased, dropping her head onto his shoulder.

"I'm offended."

"You should be."

"I'm not pretty…"

"You're fucking sexy, excuse my slip." She said, kissing his throat.

"See, that's my Tate." He said, leaning over to kiss the side of her face. They sat that way for a few minutes, nothing but silence filling the room, and then Tate's phone went off; another text. Flopping back onto the bed, she grabbed her phone and quickly read it.

"Your dad?"

"He wants to know why we haven't met him yet. I have half a mind to text him back saying we were just in the shower together and I just gave you the best blow…"

"Tatum! Don't finish that sentence!" Dean shouted, trying not to laugh.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" She asked with that all too playing innocent look on her face.

"You can not send that to him."

"Then you do it. I don't care, as long as it gets sent. I'll get Fancy!"

"No you won't! You know what, don't do anything, don't even text him back saying we're on our way. Let's just go."

"Normally, you'd let me do that."

"Yeah well, remember, he's not exactly thrilled that we're back together." Dean said, pushing off the mattress.

"Since when has he stopped us? He can just go f…"

"Tate." And there was the voice, the one that usually meant she was pushing him too far.

"Yeah fine. One question though." She said as he fixed his jacket.

"What?"

"If I were to hit him with a bolt of lightning and then the cops found me standing over him, could I be arrested for murder? Or just get in trouble for not calling 911 fast enough?"

"Probably get a 'stern talking to' for not dialing fast enough. But other than that, you couldn't get arrested, unless they know what you can do."

"Oh, he's so getting it." She said, getting off the bed and following Dean out to the Mustang.

Ten minutes later, Tate pulled the Mustang into a space next to Sam, Fancy and the Impala. Closing her eyes, she let her mind drift and rushed up to another plane, over the atmosphere and could almost touch the inky blackness that made up space. It was a plane that only Wyckers could reach and over the past few hours it had become her hiding place. The area around her fanned out like a map, lighting up in different colors, layers and textures; Sam, Dean and Fancy all gave off bright hot white light up there. She knew what she was looking for and ghosted across the campus. She found her father near the crime scene; he was nothing more than a flare of orange light with a deeper orange flare next to him and on his left was a flare too dark to recognize. Tate let go of the thread like map and dropped back into the Mustang.

"He's over at that damned phone." She rasped; her throat dry from her 'trip' and her mouth was filled with the taste of ozone.

"All right, let's get the kids and go." Dean said getting out of the car and then walking over to the Impala. A few minutes later, the four walked down the Alumni Green and Tate spotted Ben right away, back in his State Trooper uniform with another man, a rather 'smart' looking man in a suit and then next to him, when Tate's purple eyes fell on him, made her lip curl. Stopping dead in her tracks, she saw him and tried to turn around, only to find Sam right behind her.

"Move Sammy."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Ryan's here and there's no way in hell I'm going to deal with him."

"Who's Ryan?" Fancy asked.

"A pain in my ass that I'd like to forget. Stay away from him, he'll attack you."

"Attack?"

"Let's just say he's very lonely."

"Gross."

"Dean and I can go talk to him."

"NO! Sam, you and Dean can not do that!"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Fancy and I will take care of. You take Dean and go talk to my dad." She said, grabbing Fancy roughly by her elbow and dragging her away from Sam.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I don't need him and Dean talking, that's all."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing!"

"You slept with him, didn't you?"

"Once, I was drunk and it was before I moved away."

"There's something else, I know you."

"It was also before I broke up with Dean."

"You cheated on that with that!" Fancy hissed as Ryan came into view; he was really something Tate shouldn't have done. Greasy slicked back almost black hair, depthless eyes, an okay face with a once gangly now turned into a many an hour spent in the gym body and a vibe about him that just made you want to grind your teeth together.

"Fance, we'll talk more about it later." She said as Ryan spied her, a cocky grin on his face, and crossed the grass between them.

"Tatum King, just like fine wine, you age better with time." He said, coming close to try and pull her into his arms. He smelt like someone had sprayed all of the free tester cologne the women at the 'Fragrance Counter' put out. But before he could even get one arm around her, she had her hand on his chest and was pushing him away.

"Ryan Nole, just like warm beer, you bore and disgust me."

"I gave you a compliment."

"And I decided to keep the liquor metaphor going, but I have no compliments for a weasel looking peon who attached himself to my father like a blood sucking leech." Tate bit out coolly as a ripple of wind breezed across her face.

"You abandoned him."

"I abandoned my father? You have balls Nole, ones I forgot to cut off last time we met."

"I remember that, I still think about it." He said with a sneer.

"You better, you'll never have me again."

"Oh I will, trust me babe." He said, playing with a piece of her hair.

"I know where those hands have been, get off of me!"

"Damn right you know where they've been, last time I checked they were on you." Tate heard Fancy gag a little.

"The only person who's had their hands on me lately is Dean."

"You're back with him when you could've been with me? I'm hurt. If he's still touching you, I think I'll take a stab in the dark and guess you didn't tell him about us."

"There was never an 'us'. You were just a mistake, a passing in the night, a cheap drunk worthless pity fuck!" Tate said, getting so close to him she could breathe in the scent of cheap cologne and burnt coffee. A cruel smile broke out on Ryan's lips.

"Ya know, seeing you after all this time, I excepted you to have changed, but you didn't. You're still that useless little girl that your daddy pawned off on John and replaced with me. And the irony of this whole deal is that when you wanted to pawn Dean off, who did you come to? You came to your replacement and begged like a cheap whore for me to 'make the pain go away'. I can still remember hearing you say that in that tiny whining drunk voice of yours. And I made the pain go away, about three times that night. I hope you enjoyed it, little girl." Ryan hissed, looking Tate right in the eyes the whole time. Nothing had ever stung her so deep and with a shudder, she felt Fancy push her out of the way and stood in her place in front of Ryan.

"Listen up fuck-face, I'm gonna say this once and it better get through all that slime you put in your hair. You have some balls, insulting her like that. Using her father and Dean against her, calling her little girl. I've known her for five years…"

"You don't know her very well then."

"Shut your mouth! You don't speak when I speak. But I've known her for five years and she's a woman that I want to be like; I strive to be like. She will always be the woman I aspire to be. You have no idea the shit she's dealt with. The things she's gone through, what she's seen. You have no right you little shit to say what you just did. What happened between you is in the past, it was a mistake. Hell, she was torn up; look what she was leaving behind! She left the best thing in her life for a shot at normal and she fucking got it, she's won awards in Boston, crawled and fought for what she has. And now, look what happen? She got that best thing back in her life. And you have the nerve to call her on it? You're not even worth my time." Fancy growled; her brown eyes hard and icy. But as she stepped away, Ryan turned back to Tate and smiled.

"First it was Garrett, then Sam and Dean; you still can't fight your own battles huh baby?"

"I can fight my battles just fine."

"Oh yeah, prove it."

"Fine." With the force of a fifty mile an hour wind, Tate slammed her fist into Ryan's nose and smiled when she felt the bone of the bridge snap against her knuckles. The minute her fist retracted, his hands flew to his nose and like a wave crashing against the shore, blood flooded from his nose, seeping through the gaps in between his fingers and down his front. An almost roar like scream ripped from his throat and looked up at the two women in front of him.

"You bitch! You bitch! You broke my nose!"

"And you fucking raped me! We're even! You took advantage of me! Once, shame on you, twice shame on me, three times shame of the sorry ass bar keep who found you the next morning in the parking lot stranded behind the dumpster naked with no car, car keys and nothing between you but the trash bag you were hiding under!"

"I swear to God, you'll pay for this."

"Like hell I will." She said as she watched Sam, Dean and Ben rush over. "Say a word to them and I swear you'll be going home to your shitty father in a body bag." All she got was a grunt and Fancy giggled. When Sam and Dean got there, Ben trailing behind, Tate just rubbed her knuckles and smiled up at them.

"What did you do Tate?" Dean asked, eyes darting back and forth between her and Ryan.

"He…"

"He started saying shit, called her a whore and everything Dean, so she umh…took matters into her own hands, so to speak." Fancy said, keeping an eye on Ryan.

"Wait…you called my daughter a whore Ryan?" Ben went from shocked to pissed off in a matter of seconds, Fancy learned where Tate got it from and watched his eyes wildly glow at the young man he had treated like a son. Dean didn't look much better and before Tate could reach to stop him, Dean had Ryan by the collar.

"I never liked you, even when I was younger. There was something about you I hated and I think I know what it is now."

"Well tell your girlfriend what it is. She didn't have any problems liking me before you two broke up. She came to me before she left! She was with me the night you two had a huge blow out about her leaving. She found me at a bar, the same bar you worked at! She found me! Hell she begged for it! She wanted what she got!" For a guy with a broken nose and with a man twice his weight almost on top of him, he had balls, he was stupid but had balls; Tate gave him that.

"You didn't just say what I think you did." Dean was shaking everywhere; from his voice, to the hand that held Ryan in place and to the one that was balled into a fist.

"I did! Ask her! Ask her! I dare you, ask her!" Ryan shouted and all eyes fell on Tate. Sam dropped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, knowing she'd need it if what Ryan was screaming about was true.

"Tate?" Dean's voice softened, taking on the tone he usually had with her.

"De…I…its true…but, but I didn't ask for it! I would never ask for it! I only went there because I knew you weren't working and knew you wouldn't let me do what I wanted; I got smashed. So smashed any guy I looked at looked like you! Dean, I was so gone. I…I…didn't even know he was…was there! He came to me! I didn't ask for it Dean! I told him no, he didn't stop! I screamed; he took me outside in the alley behind the place. I screamed louder and he punched me. I…I tried De, I…I…tried so hard! I screamed for anyone! Everyone! Frank the bartender, you, Sammy, hell I even tried for Garrett! But no one…no one heard! De…I tried, so hard. Three times! Three…I tried so hard…" She gave up and fell into Sam; sobs matching the newly free falling down pour. From her place burrowed in Sam's shoulder with Fancy hugging her from behind, she heard a loud crack and remembered she didn't summon any lightning. Raising her head up in time, she saw Dean's arm come back and his fist open up, his fingers flexing. Looking over to Ryan she saw that now, not only was his nose on the other side of his face but his eye socket and probably most of his cheek bone had sunken in; the skin limp and already turning a sickly purple green.

Dropping Ryan, letting go of his jacket and letting his body sag back into the grass, Dean stood and walked over to Tate, brushing past a stone still Ben. He pried her off of Sam and away from Fancy, pulling her in to him; wrapping his jacket around her. Dean jumped when he felt her arms wrap around his waist and lock right above the small of his back, she was pulling herself closer. Huge rain drops and too warm tears seeped in through the front of his shirt. Around them, Sam, Fancy and Ben stood in awe, never had any of them actually seen anything other than the raw, need/want/have side of them; this was something new, something they didn't know really existed. Fancy watched Dean rock her back and forth, a slow steady rhythm and felt the wind die down to all of a sudden become in sync with it. A few minutes later, when the wind had finally died, Fancy heard Tate giggle and cocked an eye brow; watching her push off of Dean's chest.

"You're an ass." She choked out in between laughing.

"What did you do Dean?" Sam asked and Fancy heard him roll his eyes.

"Nothing!"

"He was humming!"

"Tell me it wasn't Metallica, Dean." Sam whined.

"AC/DC." He said as Tate spun around, raked a hand through her hair and dried her eyes; looking right at Ben.

"So, do we have work to do or what?" She asked as Dean came up behind her, a hand on each hip and his chin on her shoulder.

"Are you sure…."

"Yeah dad, its better if I work." She said as Ben started walking back down the green; Sam and Fancy followed, leaving the two of them alone with Ryan.

"What do we do with him?"

"Leave him De. We've done enough." She said as she started to walk toward her father.

Up on the fourth floor of Morrison Hall, Kathryn Meekos looked down at the Alumni Green, watching the five walk across it, and then down at the ring engagement Ben had given her.

"Stupid girl, she has no idea what she's getting herself into." She muttered as the shadows swirled behind her.