L is for Leonine

It was odd, what made my mind travel to Dean, and the process it took to get there was even stranger. We were still camping out, after the incident in Mayberry, and no one had woken up quite yet. Sam was curled as close to Rhys' sleeping bag as he could be, and Rhys was as close to him as she could be without touching him. I chuckled. They needed to grow some balls. Because seriously, this unrequited love between them was depressing me.

Lions. I had a National Geographic magazine that I'd picked up at the store, mainly for an article on lions. I liked how they stuck together, like a family. Took care of each other and made sure that one another were okay. A lot like Sam, Rhys, Dean and I. Sam refused to give up until Rhys was out of that burning house, and he almost lost his life for it. And a couple of weeks ago, while on a job at a gala event in Fayetteville, North Carolina, I was almost caught by the cops, because the strap to my shoe broke and I fell to the floor. But Dean? Wouldn't have that. He grabbed me and picked me up, carrying me to safety in the Impala.

We were like a pack of lions, the four of us. If anyone threatened one of the pack, they'd have three angry, growling brothers and sisters on their case. But I found myself mainly needing to defend Dean. Rhys and Sam had one another. I was like a lioness. Protecting and caring for the male lion, making sure that everything he did was safe and that he stayed strong for the hunt (though in lion world, the female did all the hunting, that wasn't the case for us, obviously).

Dean was just as protective of me, though. We couldn't go to any bars until this whole 'arson' incident blew over, since somehow it managed to go nationwide, but…when we did? He always looked out for me when guys forgot the meaning of 'no,' and tried to--well, you get it. I mean, I didn't need to return the favor in that case, since Dean was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but…if the need ever arose, I would do anything in the world for Dean Winchester. Anything.

We really were like a family of lions. I looked upon Dean's sleeping form and sighed. I'd sacrificed normalcy at a young age for that man. And as I look back now, if given the choice, I'd do it all again…