This was pretty fun to write! Sorry it took so long to update, had a few research papers to turn it and FF was being douchey. Authors don't own supernatural characters. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!
Like a Bat out of Hell
Katie heard someone knock at the door. She thought it might be Sam, but she was always cautious when answering the door now. She left the bathroom and crept to the door to look out the peep-hole. She saw no one and opened the door with curiosity. Again, she saw no one besides a crow on the railing, so she went to Sam's door. She raised a fist to knock, but hesitated. She lowered her hand and turned around.
Katie suddenly jumped back and made a startled sound. A man, about her age with black hair seemed to appear out of no where. "Hi," the man said coolly.
"Hi?" Katie replied curiously. Once her heart rate dropped, Katie began observing the man. He was excruciatingly attractive. He was muscular and chiseled, and his eyes seemed as black as his gelled, gently spiked hair. His facial features were sharp but pleasant. He wore jeans, a tight black teeshirt that emphasized his muscles, dress shoes, and a pendant that looked like an eagle.
"Um, I'm looking for room 316," the man said pointing to Katie's door. It read "316."
"I'm sorry you must have the wrong room number."
Just then, having heard Katie's yelp, Sam came out to investigate. "Are you okay?"
The man with the black hair looked worried all of a sudden. "Yah, I just have the wrong room," he replied quickly, "Sorry," he added turning away. He placed his hand on Katie's arm as he turned, and Katie shuddered.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked again.
"Yeah, I'm good," Katie said abruptly, closing the door and returning to the bathroom to wait for Autumn to come back. She thought about the last time she opened a hotel room door to a stranger, with such naivety, and how it would forever haunt her. She sat down in the bath tub and started to cry. She hunted monsters and something as silly as answering a door scared her. She didn't know exactly why she was crying. Maybe it was exhaustion from the trip, the fear that she felt, or maybe even guilt for what she had done.
Autumn started out of the bar, without a word to Dean. "Autumn," Dean called gruffly, going after her. "What?" she said blandly without looking at him.
He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, but she shrugged it off and continued to march. "Just answer one question!" he said cutting in front of her. She stopped and looked away.
"Autumn, why are really in Florida?"
She made a face and said "We're on a job, duh."
Dean looked back at her with incredulity. "What?" she barked brushing past him. She started crossing the street at a jog. She wondered to herself she ran to avoid traffic or the conversation with Dean. Dean followed at a quick pace. "Just, just stop!" Dean called. Autumn obeyed. "What do you want from me?" she cried, breathlessly.
"Why are we here? And don't give me the 'on the job' bull. There's another reason." Autumn started walking away.
"Listen, just 'cus you caught me when I was weak once, doesn't mean you'll get me to pour out the secrets of my soul to you," she complained sarcastically.
"Just, why?" he said raising his voice, chasing her again.
Autumn got to the stairs to the second floor of the motel, stopped and sat down. Dean sat next to her. She sighed and rested her head in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees. "It's stupid. It is. And it's just a rumor..." she paused to laugh a little. Why was she telling him this? "My mom, well, you know... died. But, some other hunters … some other hunters said they saw her, alive … I guess, I guess I just ran away."
The two were quiet for a while. "See it's stupid," Autumn said getting up.
Dean got up and took her by the arm. "It's not stupid. I understand what it's like to have someone close die, and the fear that comes with the job, that you'd have to hunt someone you love."
"Thanks, really," Autumn whispered. She smiled thankfully at him and they walked back to their rooms in quiet reflection. Autumn felt happy now, relieved. She was glad she had told him, particularly him.
Dean knew her pain and fear. It comes with the job, he guessed. He felt closer to her now that he knew. When he got back to the room, he sat on the bed and began to tell Sam about what he just learned from Autumn.
Katie came out of the bathroom and laid down on a bed next Autumn. "Sanchez, I'm sorry," meaning much more than what Autumn thought she meant.
"It's about damn time! We've been waiting forever for you to get out of that frickin' bathroom forever now!"
"Well, I got bored and now I'm hungry. I want chinese!" Katie declared, sensing a change in Autumn's attitude, and jumped up and down on the bed. She jumped over Autumn. "Come on Sanchez, get up! Get up!"
Autumn reached up and hit the back of Tobi's knees, causing her to scream and fall off the bed.
Dean paused mid-explanation, and pressed his ear to the wall. Sam followed suit. They heard the bed on the other side of the wall moving violently. The brothers gave each other a surprised look.
"What the..." Sam started, but Dean shushed him and they pressed their ears against the wall again. Katie screamed, thump, and the bed stopped. "That hurt Sanchez!" Katie whined. "You got what was coming to ya, ya Irish whore!" Autumn said gruffly.
The boys jumped away from the wall. "Dude! Were they just..." Dean cried. Sam looked at his brother and rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you weren't thinking the same thing!" Dean continued.
The two jumped when they heard banging at their door. The boys scampered to the the door. Autumn stood in front of them. "Katie and I are going out to get chinese food. Want anything?" Autumn asked. Katie hopped into and out of view, behind Autumn, trying to put her sneaker on standing up. A small bruise was forming on Katie's cheek as she looked up after shoving her shoes on. Autumn's hair was a little mussed and she attempted to pull what she could into a ponytail.
The boys took a few seconds to recover, and finally Dean smirked and asked "Mind if we join?".
"Whatever," Autumn said turning. She wore black cargo shorts, converse, and a light turquoise tank top. Maybe the plane ride was worth it, Dean pondered, Autumn was shedding layers of clothing. He would try his best to behave, and maybe he'd see a little more.
"Why the hell is Florida so goddamn busy?" Dean asked grumpily, as he got bumped into for the billionth time.
"Spring break," Autumn replied dryly. She stopped and waited for Dean to catch up. Sam and Katie walked ahead. Most of the beach crowd avoided Sam and Katie, most likely because of Sam's height.
"How long, do ya think, before they..." Dean followed up with an insinuating eyebrow raise towards Sam and Katie.
"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they never do it." Autumn commented casually. Dean stopped in his tracks.
"What?"
"Well, if you haven't noticed, Tobi's a tad oblivious to those kinds of things. She only had one boyfriend that I know of, and she put a knife to his neck 'cus he touched her ass." She paused to observe the couple ahead of her. "Watch their hands." Dean watched Sam make futile attempts of holding Katie's hand. She would point or make gestures while babbling. Her hand finally came down, and Sam put his hand around hers, but hers shot up and pointed.
"Beach!" Katie cried. She took off like a bat out of hell, dodging the crowd. The other three chased after her. Katie started ripping off her sneakers.
"Tobi! What the fuck?" Autumn gasped between breaths.
"Beach!" Tobi said innocently pointing at the water. "I wanna swim!"
"In what bathing suit?" Autumn asked pointedly. "Let's get something to eat and then we'll get you a bathing suit, Dori."
The four walked down the boardwalk, food in hand. Dean stuffed a couple of steamed dumplings in his mouth with a stupid grin. Autumn observed with disgust and awe as she ate her crab-rangoons in a much more civilized fashion. She saw Katie up ahead, picking at her lo main with chopsticks, failing, and proceeding to use a fork with disappointment. Sam watched her, as well, although slightly more entertained by the act. He picked up his chopsticks and worked at the noodles with relative ease. Katie watched him enviously. "How do you that?" she asked pointedly.
"Lets sit down and I'll show you," he returned, as he sat at the closest picnic table. The other three joined him. While Sam taught Katie how to use chopsticks, a job Autumn never had the patience for, Dean continued through his large platter of steamed dumplings. Autumn had finished her crab ragoons and moved on to her eggroll. As she dipped her eggroll in duck sauce, she failed to notice Dean watching her, still eating his steamed dumplings. She picked up her eggroll and licked the sauce off the side. Deans eyes widened with a very, very dirty thought. She opened her mouth wide around the fried good and Deans full mouth began to drop with an even dirtier dirty thought. It was at this time that Autumn notice Dean staring at her, mouth agape and eyes wide, and she knew what he was thinking. She closed her lips around the eggroll and seductively sucked the sauce off. Dean's mouth was so open with astonishment that the pre-chewed steamed dumpling rolled out and down on to the white Styrofoam container. Autumn finished the sauce off, licked her lips, equally seductively as before, opened her mouth around the eggroll again, and bit down savagely, scaring Dean out of his trance, who then slammed his jaw shut.
Sam and Katie had witnessed what had happened, with growing grins. Once Dean closed his mouth they started laughing with a roaring gusto. He looked down ashamedly at his dumplings and started eating again. Autumn chewed her roll with a smirk and stared at him. "Bone appetit!" she laughed once she finished. He looked up like a puppy who had just been scolded. Sam and Katie laughed again until Katie paused to say "Wait, I don't get it."
"Sam, would you explain this one?" Autumn asked, still watching Dean.
"Do I have to?"
Autumn didn't respond, she only watched Deans embarrassment with amusement.
Sam whispered to Katie why it was so funny, "Oooooh! That is funny!" Katie replied scrunching up her nose. Sam scoffed and subtly put an arm around her. She seemed not to notice and continued, "Hey Dean! You missed some dumplings there!"
"Why you want some?" he said defensively with a full mouth and then stuck his tongue out for her to see. It was childish, but it gave him some satisfaction.
"Does it have shrimp in it?" she asked bluntly.
"Yah," he growled taken aback from her bluntness.
"Then, no thank you!" Katie said cheerfully, not registering that his voice was dripping with sarcasm. "I don't eat seafood, it grosses me out."
By the end of the conversation, all four were done eating. Autumn got up to throw her trash out. As she walked by Dean she ruffled his hair with one hand, "Perv," she mumbled, "And Sam!" she called back, "I saw that little move! Watch yourself!"
As the other three followed her she called behind her, "Yo, Tobs! Let's get some bathing suits!" and fell back to where the three were walking to hand Katie some money. Katie squealed and unexpectedly grabbed Sam's hand. He looked down in shock and pleasure but was yanked back to awareness as Katie began running towards a store. "Sam!" Autumn yelled. He looked back still jogging slightly behind Katie. Autumn made the "I'm watching you" signal. He smiled and turned back to Katie.
"You," Autumn said, turning to Dean, "are not allowed in the store without adult supervision!" She laughed and pushed him as she started jogging after Katie and Sam. Dean stood a moment, dazed and finally decided to chase after them. He pondered his feelings for Autumn as he caught up to her, just as Autumn did for him, until he caught up to her. Once he pulled along side her, she went into race mode. She paused, yanked off her all-star converse and sprinted, full speed ahead pushing him into a trash can on her way. She dodged a biker and a few pedestrians and continued on. Dean got up and sprinted up to her. They passed the other two together. They got to the door of "Hot Spot Bathing Suites" and Autumn cut Dean off, only to trip him and send both of them tumbling into the closest store rack. Sam and Katie rolled into the store and found Autumn and Dean on the sprawled across the floor together, covered in bathing suits, and laughing.
Dean got up and lent a hand to Autumn. She took it without a thought and smiled at him. "Looks like you're finally warming up to each other!" Katie giggled, browsing through the bikinis.
"Are not!" both growled, and let go off each others hands like they were too hot to hold.
The boys grabbed their swim trunks practically without looking. The girls, however, took much longer.
"Hey Sanchez, like this one?" Katie asked holding an extremely skimpy bikini up to her and did a shimmy, then laughing.
"Only if I can get this one," Autumn said and held up an equally skimpy one and mimicked Katie's movements. They put the bathing suits back and continued looking. The two grabbed a few different bathing suits to try on.
"Who are these suits made for, Mary-Kate and freakin' Ashley? Jeeze!" Autumn called throwing a bathing suit from behind the changing room door. "I guess this'll do," she declared coming out with a black one piece with her capris still on. Dean looked slightly disappointed. "You were expecting a bikini?" she mocked.
Katie came out in a blue polka-dot bikini top and a girl's version of swim trunks. Sam looked at her longingly, only to get punched by Autumn who gave him the evil eye. "How does it look?" Katie asked twisting and turning in the mirror trying to get a better look. "Great!" Autumn and Sam said simultaneously. Sam got another evil glance from Autumn. Katie and Autumn ripped of the tags and gave it to the cashier to check out.
The boys changed into their bathing suits and all four threw their clothes and shoes into a plastic bag that Autumn carried. They headed over to the beach, closer back to their motel. Autumn and Katie ushered the boys ahead of them. They watched the boys' muscles flex with every step. "I could serve coffee on that ass!" Katie said a little too loudly to Autumn. Autumn laughed at the quote from one of their favorite movies. The boys turned around with a little shocked. Sam looked at his butt with embarrassment and Katie giggled. "Do you have to be so vulgar about men? Like they're pieces of meat?" Dean asked in an effeminate fashion. "After CENTURIES of men looking at my tits instead of my eyes and pinching my ass instead of shaking my hand, I now have the DIVINE right to stare at a man's BACKSIDE with vulgar, cheap appreciation if I want to!" Autumn spat.
"You just come up with that?" Dean asked, a little in awe.
"No, it's a quote from P.S. I love you." Autumn admitted.
"They both were!" Katie chimed in rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, trying to make up for what she said about Sam.
The boys shook their heads. Sam smiled at Katie, and she looked up at him with a sheepish grin. Dean stopped abruptly and sprinted to the closest trash barrel just in time to blow chunks.
"And that's why I don't eat shrimp," Katie declared. Dean collapsed after a minute or two of throwing up. "Aw man, now we can't go swimming!" Katie complained.
"You to go ahead. I'll get Regan MacNeil here back to the room. I'll get some work done on the case." Autumn grumbled. Katie squealed with joy, grabbed Sam and headed to the beach. "Remember we have work to do here today!" Autumn called after the love birds. She turned back to Dean to help him up.
"Am I dying?" he said jokingly, still on his back.
"Probably food poisoning. Let' s get you up, now," she said matter-of-factly returning the favor of helping him up. She swung his bare arm over her shoulder and carried a little of the weakened hunters weight. On the way to the room, they would stop periodically for him to throw up again. They finally got back to the tacky-decor of the boys room and Autumn led Dean to the bathroom. He slumped over the toilet and threw up, again. "You want me to hold your hair up?" Autumn mocked.
"Bite me!" Dean managed between wretches.
"In your dreams."
After a half hour Dean rinsed his mouth and crawled out of the bathroom. "I feel like shit," he moaned.
Autumn got up from the bed to help him up. "Well, that's what happens when you eat shit."
She got Dean to a bed, where he almost instantaneously fell asleep. Autumn turned on the hot water in the bath tub and went out to the vending machine for a ginger ale. She stopped at her room to pick up some healing herbs. When she got back he was still asleep in his bathing suit. She watched his abs as he breathed and gently sat on the bed next to him.
She did like him. She could admit it to herself, now, but never out loud. She turned the water off, dropped some of the herbs in, and put the ginger ale on the edge of the tub. She went back to where Dean lay with a warm damp cloth and placed it gently on his forehead, holding it down. She gingerly sat next to him on the edge of the bed. She placed a shaky hand on his chest, which was heaving with every breath. She traced the protection tattoo with her finger and Dean, still asleep, flattened her hand with his to stop the irritation. Autumn's hand holding the damp cloth slid down his jaw line. On a whim, Autumn leaned down and enveloped Deans lips with her own. She pulled away after a few seconds and found Dean awake, staring at her. He didn't question her as he sat up, or as he pulled her in. Autumn gave in to his touch and they kissed again. It was passionate and heated, until Dean abruptly pushed Autumn to the floor and ran to the bathroom. Autumn found him slumped over the toilet again. She handed the ginger ale to him and helped him to take a sip. "Let's get you in," she sighed.
"That's what she said," Dean mumbled with a smirk. Autumn pushed him into the tub, sending water spilling across the floor. "Oh, that's great. Trying to drown a dying man," he grumbled.
"You're not dying; and you deserved it you pig," Autumn shot getting a towel to mop up the floor.
Dean reached a damp hand out to her cheek as she crawled on the floor with a towel. She took it and took a deep breath with her eyes closed.
"You wanna finish where we were?" Dean said, a little weak.
Autumn laughed, "Not if you're gonna puke on me!" And she walked out of the bathroom.
"How long to I have to stay in here? I hate baths they make ya all pruney!" he called after her.
"As long as it takes for you to not puke mid-kiss!" she called back.
"Does that mean I get another one?"
"Not a chance!"
He huffed and slid down in the water. He knew where she stood on their relationship, now, and he knew he liked her, a lot. So, where was this going? He'd have to wait to find out though, because he fell asleep in the hot water and began dreaming sweet, dirty dreams.
Katie and Sam walked side by side, finally alone. Katie had calmed down a little bit, but was still bubbly. Sam tried one last time to hold her hand. He did it a little more obviously. This time she didn't move her hand away, instead she looked up at Sam. She looked unsure and a little scared but Sam smiled down at her reassuringly and squeezed her hand. She smiled back.
"Do you think Autumn and Dean are going to be killing one another when we get back?" Katie asked.
"Maybe, maybe not. They seemed to have warmed up to each other." They walked down the shore along the water line. Katie tried to teasingly push Sam into the water. He staggered a little but quickly regained his balance. He ran toward her, picked her up and ran into the ocean. Katie screamed as he picked her up.
"Put me down! Put me down!" She squealed happily, thrashing about.
"Okay, you asked for it!" Sam dropped her into the ocean. He waited for her to resurface. She didn't. Starting to panic he called for her and felt through the water.
"Gotcha!" Katie screamed jumping on his back. Sam stumbled and fell face first into an oncoming wave. Katie held on to him as he swam through. They resurfaced together only to be pounded back down by a massive wave. Katie went tumbling without control of her body. Katie popped her head out of the water and realized something was wrong. She called for Sam.
Sam exploded out of the water in front of her grabbing her and pulling her in. He laughed, "Gotcha." He stopped laughing once he noticed Katie didn't return the humor. It took sam a second to realize that there wasn't a knot where he arms wrapped around her back, where one should be, nor was there any cloth that separated his arms from Katie's bare chest.
"Um, Katie, where's your top?" he asked turning to face the shore, with Katie's back to the shore trying to protect her from the viewers on the beach.
"I don't know," she whispered curling her arms between her breasts and Sam's abdomen. She buried her face in her hands. Sam placed a reassuring hand on the back of her head.
"Hey, it's okay, I think I see it, a wave must've pulled it to the beach," he said in an encouraging voice. Katie slipped down into the water and swam behind a near by rock, peaking over to watch Sam's muscles ripple with the water.
A few rocks away, a crow sat watching her. It cawed a few times and it almost sounded like it was laughing at Katie.
"Shut up!" Katie yelled at it splashing water at it. It fluttered away.
She looked back at the shore; Sam was heading her way, smiling, and holding the blue bikini top.