Chapter 9

Come Away With Me

(Season 1 - Hook Man)

"And you saw him, too? The man with the hook?" the officer asked Dean and Sarah.

Sarah nodded, but Dean answered aloud. "Yes, I told you. We all saw him. We all fought him off, and then he ran."

"And that's all?"

"Yeah, that's all."

The cop was silent, hardly believing their story. "Listen, you, your brother and your girl-"

Dean shifted his weight, annoyed. "Oh, don't worry. We're leaving town." He put his hand on Sarah's shoulder and led her away.

Once she was positive they were far enough away, she commented, "I wish people would stop calling me your girl."

He giggled. "That was our story."

"No, the story was we were together. I don't belong to you. I don't belong to anyone. I'm my own person."

"That's pretty, uh, that's interesting."

Sarah knew what he was thinking. "It was something my father told me," she admitted. "We were watching The Sound Of Music one day and there was a line saying the woman was going to belong to her husband. He turned to me and said, 'That is bull. A husband and wife don't "belong" to each other. They're partners in life. No one owns you.' It was just something that always stuck with me."

"Hm." I never thought of it that way. "You're father sounds like a smart man."

She smiled thinking about her dad. "He is."

Okay. So her father is still alive. Add that to the list of things I discovered about this girl. And musicals. Really? "The Sound Of Music? Seriously?"

"What? It's a great movie."

Dean nodded quickly and shoved his hands in his pockets. His voice was a higher pitch. "Yeah, it is."

Sarah caught on pretty quick. "You've never seen it, have you?"

"No, never," he admitted.

She laughed and so did he. "You're not going to impress me by saying you liked a movie you've never seen," she said sarcastically.

He tilted his head and grinned. "It was worth a shot."

She nudged his arm and he nudged back. Both of them stared at Sam while he was getting patched up by the ambulance. Lori came over to him to say goodbye.

Ask her. Just ask her. The worst she can say is no, again. Dean looked down at his feet. "You want a ride to the bus stop?"

Sarah turned her attention to Dean's face. She knew what he really wanted to ask, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth. Her heart wanted to drive across the United States with him and his little brother, but her brain kept telling her it was a bad idea. The logical thing to do would be to leave and never look back. But what would happen if I ran into them again? Who am I kidding? I am definitely going to run into them. We're just going to end up right back here again. She gulped hard afraid to answer, to take the next step. "Yeah, I'll take that ride."

Inside, Dean was ecstatic and relieved she'll be with them for just a little bit longer. It wasn't much, but it was still more than he originally thought he would have had. "Great." Dean opened the back door for her. "After you," he smiled.

"Why thank you kind, sir." She slide into the back, feeling like she fit.

Dean opened his door and jumped behind the wheel. Another case in the bag and a new friend. This was a successful day. His hand hugged the steering wheel. "Sarah?"

"Yeah?"

He twisted his back to look into her eyes. "Are you sure you're all right?"

It's so nice that he cares so much. "I'm fine, Dean. Thank you. Seriously."

Trusting her words, he turned to face the front windshield again. "All right."

At that moment, Sam opened the passenger side door and sat next to his brother in the beloved vehicle. He hugged his arm that was cut by the hook man. He stared at the passenger mirror at Lori.

"We could stay," Dean suggested.

Sam only shook his head.

Knowing he wasn't going to get more out of him, Dean started the engine and pulled away from the scene, leaving Lori and the town behind. He drove for awhile, not wanting to stop. Stopping meant her getting out and leaving and not knowing when he was going to see her again.

Dean turned on the radio and sang along to any rock song that came on. Sarah nodded along to a few and even sang quietly to others, but Sam sat silent. He wasn't in the mood for a jam session.

She liked the way Dean sang. It was horrible, but that's what made it so good. He didn't care what anyone thought. He sang his heart out because he loved the song, not to impress anyone.

Sarah understood why he kept driving away. The cops wanted them out of that town and he didn't want to leave her there with them on her tail. She just didn't think he would drive her so far. They were in the next state. "Dean."

His eyes averted to his mirror. "Yeah?"

"I think we're far enough."

His heart burst. She wanted to get out. Dean shifted his eyes back to the road, not wanting her to see the hurt in them. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Let me just find a bus station."

She half smiled. "Okay."

It took about ten minutes to find a bus station. The lights seemed to dim Dean's hope that she would stay. He parked the car and looked down. This was it.

She got out of the car, a bit disappointed that she was leaving these boys behind. Sam and Dean met her by the trunk so she could grab her bags.

Dean handed her her things. "Where are you going to go?"

Sarah inhaled deeply. "I don't know. Wherever the first bus is going I guess."

"Thanks for your help, Sarah." Sam was still sad about leaving the last case so he faked a smile.

"Anytime." She stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say next. She ran her fingers through her hair. "So, this is goodbye then?" It killed her inside to ask, but that's where this was headed. There was no way to avoid it.

Dean breath got caught in his throat. "I guess it is."

"Okay then," Sarah nodded. She ran her fingers through her hair again. "Goodbye, boys." She turned quickly and started to walk away, not wanting to hear them say it.

I can't do this again. She can't go. "Unless," Dean called to her, stopping her in her tracks. She slowly turned to see Dean's eyes pleading for her. "Unless you want to come along, for the next case at least."

Sarah's shoulders dropped. "Do you even have another case?"

Dean moved his arms away from his side. "I'll find one. You're welcome to join us. We could be partners."

He used her words and she was surprised he even remembered what she said. Sarah only stared at him. She didn't know what to say. She told them 'no' once, but could she do it again? She could see it in his eyes. Dean really wanted her to tag along. She didn't have it in her soul to crush his spirit. She puckered her lips and moved them to the lips, contemplating her options. "One more case?"

He nodded once at her. That's not what he wanted exactly, but he'll take it. "One more case."

Sarah's mouth transformed into a wide smile. "Okay then, Mr. Winchester. One more case." She lifted her bags and ran back to the car. I don't care if this is a mistake. It is going to be so worth it.

Dean took the bags from her and tossed them into his trunk. She was staying and he couldn't have been happier.

A/N: This chapter was named after Come Away With Me by Norah Jones. I hope you enjoyed.