Chapter 10

Sam had been gone for about 40 minutes when the Impala rolled in. Dean parked and looked around. There were plenty of house lights on, but the Camaro was missing. That was unusual and anything unusual put him on guard. He'd learned early in life that it was safer to be suspicious. He got out of the Impala and closed the door quietly.

Maybe Sam ran out for something? No, that didn't feel right. If they'd needed anything, Sam or Stella would have called his cell and detoured him to the store. He looked warily around as he walked up the deck stairs, looking for movements in the shadow and listening for sounds that shouldn't be there. With all of the windows in the front, it was easy to see most of the downstairs and clearly no one was there. He opened the door quietly and slipped inside, putting his keys down on the island. Where were Sam and Stella? Were they gone? Suddenly, for a split second, an evil memory from his confinement in Hell burned through Dean… Sam and Stella… he shook his head to drive the mental images away. No. No, those were all lies. Those were all Alistair's lies. The moment rattled Dean, those were memories he'd locked away and hadn't thought about in a long time.

"Stella? Sam?" Dean called out into the silence of the house. Then he heard her voice, and the pain and fear dissolved, washed away, and he felt the darkness lift.

"I'm upstairs! Everything go okay with Bobby's friend?"

"Yea, he's got all the info he needs." Dean headed up the stairs. "Where's Sammy?"

"Out."

"Out?" asked Dean as he got to the top of the landing.

"Yes, he's out for a night on the town."

That puzzled Dean a little but he shrugged it off. Stella sounded like she was in her room; Dean went to the door so they didn't have to shout the conversation across half the house. "So, this Luke guy. He was looking for information on…"

Dean's voice got soft and trailed away when he walked into the bedroom. Stella was sitting in the middle of the bed, leaning against some pillows. She was wearing one of Dean's light denim button-down shirts and that was apparently all. Dean let his eyes stroll the length of those long tanned legs from the toes all the way up to where they disappeared under the hem of his shirt. She was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. She was smiling and it was that same sexy, sultry smile he remembered from the back seat of the Impala. Dean licked his lips and realized he felt very warm all of a sudden.

She patted the bed next to her. "Sit for a minute?"

He slid onto the bed but before he could say anything Stella leaned in and kissed him, letting her sore arm gently rise so that she could caress his face and neck. Dean didn't hesitate to kiss her back and slowly gathered Stella up in his arms, being careful of her shoulder. He kissed her lips, her cheeks, her neck.

"I miss being with you, Dean," she said softly.

He kissed her again, his breath a little short. "I miss it too, baby." He ran a hand down the length of her bare leg and then back up, savoring the feel of her skin under his fingers. "But you…"

She put a finger to his lips. "I know. I was in no shape to be romping around with you. But I asked the doctor today if it was okay, and she gave us the green light. We have to be pretty plain vanilla for a little bit, no kinky acrobatics, and I can't support a lot of weight on my shoulder yet… but I think there's still plenty we can do to entertain ourselves…" She ran a single finger down the front of his chest, moving it along the contour of the muscles.

Oh, yes please, thought Dean. His hand slid from Stella's leg, under the shirt hem, to her hip and then her waist and he felt her stomach muscles tighten in response. Dean's voice was low and husky in her ear and Stella felt lightheaded having him so close after so long.

"Have I ever told you that vanilla is my very favorite flavor?" he whispered.

He kissed Stella again, leaning forward and pressing her back into the pillows. He started slowly working on the shirt, unbuttoning one button at a time, revealing more and more skin as the halves came apart. Over Stella's heart was a tattoo that matched the one he and Sam both had: a pentagram outlined with flames, a talisman symbol that prevented demonic possession. The Winchesters had gotten theirs shortly after Sam had been possessed, nearly assaulted Jo, and almost killed Dean before Dean and Bobby were able to exorcise it. Stella had seen the wisdom of a permanent symbol and gotten hers shortly after she'd met the boys. He planted a long, lingering kiss on the center of it, and Stella sighed.

Dean stood up and pulled off his shirt. Stella lay back on the bed, her own shirt now unbuttoned and open so Dean could see the lingerie hidden beneath: a lacy black bra and matching boy-short panties. She curled a section of hair slowly around one finger and watched him while he kicked off his boots and divested himself of his jeans. Dean slid onto the bed with her clad only in his own boxer briefs.

He began to kiss his way up her body. He started at the knee, then moved to the thigh. From there he lingered at her hip, kissing the skin along the edge of her panties and listening to the changes in Stella's breathing. He could have never imagined that it would be such a turn-on to know he could make someone breathless. Dean's lips grazed the skin around her navel and moved to where her ribs started to meet in the center. By the time he reached the delicate skin around and under the edge of her bra, Stella's body was starting to move, to tangle with his own, and Dean realized he was covered in a fine sheen of sweat.

"I think about being with you every day," he whispered as he hooked her panties with his fingers, sliding them slowly down her legs. He took a moment to stare at her, appreciative and unabashed; Stella had, as far as he was concerned, a magnificent body. Lithe and athletic, she had well-defined muscles but enough womanly curves to make her a real woman not some underweight stick figure. He moved and rolled so that Stella was pinned beneath him but he froze when she winced; he'd bumped her shoulder

"I don't want to put too much weight on you…" Wrapped up in his desire, Dean was nearly panting but he'd seen the wince and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. But with Stella so close, her legs now tangled with his, Dean was starting to feel out of control. Stella, who was in much the same state, pushed at him with her good arm.

"Lie back," she ordered softly. Dean rolled onto his back and Stella threw her leg over, straddling him. He couldn't help but smile as he looked up at her. Stella supported herself with her good arm and leaned down, kissing his chest and neck. Dean groaned and twisted his fingers into the sheets before he finally pulled Stella's face down and kissed her passionately.

"I love you so much," said Stella.

"I love you, too," said Dean. "You're everything to me." He slid his hands up Stella's waist and belly, up until he traced the tattoo over her heart and—ever-so-gently—caressed her shoulders and neck. Stella kissed the palm of his hand.

"You ready, lover?" she asked, sitting up straighter.

Dean ran his palms up Stella's thighs. "I've been ready for the past six… Oh… God… weeks… Oh, Stella…" He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, his eyes rolled back in his head as the sensation of becoming part of Stella coursed through him. He called Stella's name repeatedly and dug his fingers into her thighs; Stella didn't even notice his grip - she was only paying attention to Dean's voice as she moved slowly, deliberately, relishing every last sensation. Dean reached for Stella and he laced his fingers through hers.

"Dean…" She sounded breathless.

"I'm right here, Stella." He kept his fingers entwined with hers.

"Kiss me…"

Dean let go of her hands and pushed himself up to a sitting position. He wrapped one arm around Stella's waist, keep her as close as possible. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, he slid his hands up her back to her shoulders and she leaned her head down into his waiting embrace. Stella threw her head back and gasped as Dean shuddered and cried out one more time. After, he kept his arms wrapped around Stella, continuing to kiss her.

He looked up into Stella's eyes. "You are… just… how did I get so lucky?"

"Because you're you," she answered. "And you are everything I've ever wanted."

Later, sated and drowsy, Dean and Stella relaxed on the bed. Stella settled onto her left side and Dean lay down behind her. She shut her eyes. It felt so good to feel him next to her in the bed again. Until he'd started sleeping in the other room, she hadn't realized how warm and safe she felt with Dean near her; it scared Stella a little. As a hunter, she'd learned never to depend on anyone but herself but in the past few years, she'd come to count on the Winchester brothers.

"Are you going to be comfortable?" Dean asked. "I could…"

"You aren't going anywhere, mister. You are staying right here with me."

He smiled, and as he slid his arm around Stella's middle he whispered in her ear. "Starlight, Starbright… You're the only star I see tonight. You're the only star I ever see. My StellaLuna."

Stella smiled at the words and pushed back into him a little; she sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. She dropped off to sleep feeling Dean's arms around her and his breath on her shoulder.

It was nearly two o'clock in the morning when Sam got home. It was silent inside, so he knew that Stella and Dean were asleep. He crept through the house as quietly as he could and shut off the downstairs lights after he locked up. Stepping gingerly, he headed up the stairs and once he got to the top of the landing he paused. Instead of going right to his own room, Sam went to the master bedroom. The door was partly open and he pushed it wider, hoping the hinges wouldn't squeak too loudly. It was a risk, not knowing what he might see inside, but he had to know.

Light spilled in from the hall and Sam smiled.

Stella and Dean were both sound asleep; practically in the same position they'd been in when the satisfied drowsiness first overtook them. On his left side, Dean had one arm tucked under his head and the other resting protectively on Stella's hip. Stella, also on her left side, had her back pressed right up against Dean. The sheet covered enough of them so that Sam didn't feel like some voyeur, but it was apparent to him that both Stella and Dean were naked. They both looked peaceful and happy.

Sam smiled again and closed the door behind him.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for reading. I would absolutely love to get feedback on this chapter if you are so inclined. As a writer, I have always been pretty insecure about writing sex scenes (those of you who may have read my other work will be familiar with this neurosis of mine). I don't want them to sound like a really flowery romance-writer type of thing, but I don't want to be so graphic that it seems like, well, porn. But I do want a balance of romance and realism. I think I'm doing okay with it, but if you have thoughts about what works and what doesn't, I'd really welcome them.

I'll try to update soon – but now I'm really into my chapters that only have outline notes, so I've got to get a little writing done!