Anything But Normal
Part 9
NOTE: No, this isn't the end. It might feel like it, but it isn't. We're only about half way through the story.
Later that day, Dean and Liz were at the library. "What was the original name of the apartment buildings?" Dean asked.
"Um, something with a C. Carlson, no...Copper, no. Cooper. Yeah, that's it, Cooper. Why?"
"Maybe we should look into Cooper instead of Anderson." Dean suggested.
An hour later, they still hadn't found much that would lead them to believe that Cooper was haunting the apartments. "So far, I've only found that Nathan Cooper was an architect back in the day. He died of a stroke about a month ago. That's it. Nothing suspicious." Liz said.
"I think I might've found something. Cooper ran for mayor the same year Anderson did." Dean said.
"So Cooper's haunting the apartments because not only was his name taken off of them and replaced with Anderson's, but because he lost a stupid election thirty years ago?"
"Some people just really don't know how to let things go."
"Alright, where's he buried?"
"Rowling Cemetery. It's about an hour outside of town."
On the way to the cemetery, they got slightly lost. It took Liz half an hour to get Dean to pull over and ask for directions. They stopped at a small shop. In was the only thing they'd seen in five miles.
The shopkeeper was slightly odd. She was a short elderly woman with her long gray hair braided down her back. Dean asked for directions as Liz eyed a certain necklace.
"Thanks." Dean said after the woman finished giving him directions.
The woman saw Liz checking out the necklace. "It's an ancient Egyptian charm for protection."
Dean was already half way out of the store. "Come on, Lizzie."
"I'm coming." Liz said grabbing the necklace and dropping a ten dollar bill on the counter. "Keep the change."
After they got back in the car, Liz gave Dean the necklace. "Seriously? Jewelry? I'll look like a chick."
"No, you won't. It's a very manly necklace. Plus, it's supposedly used for protection."
"I am perfectly good at protecting myself."
"It wouldn't hurt for you to have a little extra help, and guys who wear jewelry are sexy." Liz said.
Dean gave in and put the necklace on. It actually looked pretty authentic. It was a golden head with horns on a black cord. "Do I look sexier now?" Dean asked.
"Much." Liz smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
That night, Liz and Dean dug up Cooper's grave. As they were digging they talked a bit. "So why aren't your dad and brother here?" Liz asked.
"My dad is on a different hunt. Sam...he's going to college at Stanford."
"Does he still hunt?"
"I don't know. I doubt it. He wants to be Joe College. Nice and normal." Dean dug his shovel into the ground a bit harder than necessary.
"Sound like you don't keep in touch much."
"He doesn't like hunting. That's the life my dad and I are happy with leading. When he told my dad that he got a full ride to Stanford and he was going...he wasn't thrilled."
"You know that you're family is rather odd, right?"
"Sammy turned his back on his family. He abandoned us. He should've stayed with the people who needed him." Dean dug his shovel in way harder than necessary.
Liz hadn't realized what a harsh subject this was for him when she first asked. "Maybe he needs a little time away to realize that he needs you too."
Dean gave a small smile at her attempt to make him feel better. They dug the rest of the grave in silence. They salted and burned the body, and Dean drove her back to her apartment.
They slowly opened the door. The knives that had been spinning the day before were now lying flat on the counter top. All electronics were turned off. Dean did a walk through of her apartment, making sure that it wasn't still haunted. "Congratulations, you're apartment is officially no longer haunted." Dean said.
"Thank you." Liz said, as she finished cleaning up broken glass off the hardwood floor from when the ghost threw a glass at her.
"No problem, Lizzie."
"So, do you have to leave soon?" Liz asked, secretly dreading the answer.
"Yeah, I'm going to head out in the morning." Dean said.
"So I guess this is goodbye." Liz said disappointedly. In the back of her mind, she knew that there could never be anything long term between them. She'd just chosen to ignore that fact.
"Yeah I guess it is." Dean tilted her head up towards him and kissed her.
"You know, you really need a shower," Liz told him as they pulled apart, "and I know that the shower in your room is always cold, so you can shower here if you want."
"Thanks," Dean grinned as he slid his arms around her waist, "You know what I heard recently? That everyone needs to conserve water to help save the earth. So I strongly feel that we should shower together."
"Well if it'll help save the earth, I guess we have no choice." Liz smiled as she led him to the bathroom.
Later that night, Dean had fallen asleep in Liz's queen sized bed. His arm was draped over her waist. That was the first time Liz realized how she felt with Dean. Safe. She hadn't felt safe in a long time. Ever since her father was killed, she'd been afraid of something coming after her. In Dean's arms though, she finally felt safe.
The next morning Liz woke up and didn't see Dean in bed. She had a feeling that he wasn't in the apartment at all. She pulled her blue comforter up around her and checked the apartment anyways. Her feeling was right, as it always was. He was long gone.
Dean was on the road in the middle of Idaho when he started to wonder if he should've said goodbye to Liz. He originally decided not to because he thought that she would make him want to stay. Now he wasn't sure. He put the thought in the back of his mind as he picked up the phone to call John. "Hey, dad. The hunt's done. Where are you?"
"I'm in Palo Alto." John said.
"How is he?" Dean asked, knowing that he was watching Sam.
"He looks happy. I think he has a girlfriend."
"Good, maybe he won't be so uptight." Dean said, "I can make it to Palo Alto by tonight."
"See you then." John said.
A/N: Sorry for the delay. I really meant to post this a few days ago. But then the necklace idea popped up, and then I had to proofread, and then I had to make the graphic (well, if you're reading this on ff. net, you don't get the graphic, but if you guys would like to see them I'll message you with a link). Anyways, I finally got it posted and that's what's important. Now I need to start focusing on Pirate Blood again. I have to finish that story (three years is just too long).
Anyways, feedback is the Adam to my Eve. The Sonny to my Cher. The Ashton to my Demi. The Impala to my Dean. In other words...just tell me what ya think!