Chapter Twenty

"Dude. This is the house you bought?" Dean asked as he got out of the car. He was staring at the large house they had pulled up in front of with a look of awe.

Liz stopped on her way to the trunk and looked at the house, too. "Well, I guess, technically, this is the house we bought. Do you like it?"

Dean shrugged but it was obvious that he was excited. "It'll do, I guess."

Liz smiled knowingly. "Right. Well, we have orientation in a few hours, so I suggest we get unpacked and then get ready for that."

"We have orientation? Why?"

"Everyone who moves in here has to go through it. It introduces us to the community and lets us know what is available. There is a party in our honor next weekend at the community center after we have met with the town psychiatrist so that she can 'help us adjust and deal with any moving issues,'" Liz informed him sarcastically, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "We are required to go."

She stopped talking when she noticed a man walking up the sidewalk. He appeared to be in his late forties, with light brown hair and dark eyes. He was wearing khaki pants with a polo shirt.

"Howdy, neighbor," the man said with a big wave.

"Hello," Liz acknowledged, returning his wave reluctantly.

The man came up the drive and shook Dean's hand. He walked back around the car and bowed slightly to Liz. "I'm Richard. You can call me Rick, though. Everyone does. I live at the end of the street with my wife, Nancy. Our house is easy to spot; it's the only one with a white picket fence around it. You should drop by after you get settled."

"Uh…thanks," Liz said. "Maybe we will. Oh, and I'm Liz; this is Dean."

"Liz and Dean. Dean and Liz. Well, great. That's just great. I'll tell the missus to plan a special meal tonight. Come around about seven, okay?"

Liz and Dean exchanged a look. Liz shrugged and nodded at him. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Sounds great, man," he said.

"Wonderful," Rick responded, turning to face Dean. "Do you need help carrying anything, young man?"

"I got it, thanks."

"The movers did most of the heavy lifting for us," Liz explained. "All we really have to unload are our clothes. Thanks for the offer, though."

"Alrighty. I'll see you tonight at seven. Don't be late," he said, waggling his finger at them.

Dean and Liz watched the man walk away and disappear down the street then looked at one another in amusement.

"And I thought your crazy compound was weird," Dean said, popping the trunk and pulling out most of the luggage.

"It's like the Stepford Wives and Village of the Damned all rolled into one big, happy community," Liz agreed, grabbing the bags that were left and heading for the door.

Dean followed her, pausing to take in the hall and living room as he walked into the house. "This place is huge," he commented.

"I know," she agreed. "It took a pretty big bite out of the money my father left me. I hope you weren't planning on me buying too many lap dances for you."

"Depends on how big of a bite we're talking about." He stopped to stare into the kitchen. Food lined the shelves. Another basket of food sat on the table, and a large cake and pie were on the bar. "Wow. What's this?"

Liz craned her head to see over his shoulder. "I don't know."

Dean dropped the bags he was holding and walked to the counter. A card was displayed that said, "Welcome to the Family!" Dean picked it up then carelessly tossed it back on the counter.

"Village of the Damned left us some food. I think I'll pass."

Liz raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You're going to pass up free food? Would you excuse me? The world might be ending, so there are some things I'm gonna go take care of."

"You're hilarious," Dean deadpanned.

Liz smiled and dropped her bag. She watched him thoughtfully. "Hey, do you care which bedroom you get?" she asked after a moment.

"Absolutely. I'll be up in a minute to decide."

She smiled playfully. "In the grand tradition of land runs, I say you gotta stake your claim first, buster." She took off her shoes, laughing, and ran toward the stairs. Dean realized what she meant just as she reached the stairs, and he took off after her. When she looked behind her and saw him closing the gap between them, she squealed and increased her pace. Dean caught her when she was about to enter the master bedroom. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back into the hall, laughing along with her. He pushed her against the wall, still laughing.

Their eyes met, and the laughter died. Dean glanced down at her neck, where the scar from the cut he had made was still a red mar on her otherwise unblemished skin, then stepped back from her, removing his hands from her waist and clearing his throat. "Take whichever room you want," he told her.

"It's fine," she said, a trace of amusement still on her face. "I assumed you would get the master bedroom."

They stood in the hall for a moment, both waiting for the other to break the uncomfortable silence. "Well, whatever you want," Dean finally said.

"You can have the master bedroom."

"Okay."

"Good. Then it's settled."

"It is."

"Good. I'm gonna go unpack now."

"Okay. I'm gonna go do...something else," Dean told her then headed toward the stairs.

"Have fun," Liz called after him. She waited for him to disappear down the stairs then followed behind him to collect her bags.

XXX

"Aw, Liz. Dean. You are here," Rick said as he answered the door. "The party can begin."

"Party?" Dean repeated. "Finally something I can appreciate about this place."

Liz and Dean followed Rick through his house to the patio. Fifteen to twenty people were milling around his backyard, drinking wine and laughing. Liz sighed unhappily and looked at Dean just as his face fell.

"This is not a party," he observed.

"Tell me about it," she agreed. "We are about to be fed to the hyenas."

"Guys, I want you to meet Dean and Liz," Rick said to the crowd.

Liz waved slightly, and Dean nodded his head in acknowledgment. They stood awkwardly in the center of attention until Rick motioned for them to follow. He walked around to one of the tables. "This here is my Nancy," he explained. "She is just delighted to meet you."

Nancy smiled blissfully at them. "I am so happy to meet you. Pull up a chair and tell us about yourselves."

Rick pulled out Liz's chair, and she begrudgingly sat down beside Nancy. Rick maneuvered Dean into the chair beside Liz.

"So, Liz," Nancy began. "Where did you go to school?"

"Uh," Liz said, flustered, "Yale."

"Wonderful. And Dean, where did you go?"

"I didn't go to college."

"Oh," Nancy answered uncomfortably. Her face had a slight look of panic on it. "Well, there's no shame in that, I suppose. Not having an education did not keep you from landing Liz here." She shook Liz's arm and smiled brightly.

"I'm very blessed," Dean agreed dryly.

"So, why are there no children yet?" Nancy asked in a chipper voice. "Don't you agree, Liz, that a woman is not whole until she has brought a child into the world?"

Dean watched as every muscle in Liz's body tightened and a fake smile slid onto her face. She forced out a nod. When Nancy turned away to talk to the couple on her other side, Dean leaned over, grabbing the back of Liz's neck and pulling her to him so that he could speak directly into her ear. "Liz, you are the one who told me not to do anything stupid, so don't you screw this up."

"Circumstances change," she replied through gritted teeth.

"Liz," Dean said warningly.

"What? I'll be good."

Dean slowly turned away from her, distrust in his gaze. "Do you have any beer?" he asked Nancy.

She started and turned back to Liz and Dean. "Beer?" she asked. "Are you sure you don't want to try the wine? We had it imported from Germany."

"I'm really more of a beer guy."

"I'm so sorry. I was not aware that you did not like wine. I'll be more prepared next time."

"It's not a big deal," Dean assured her, taking the wine that was offered to him. He handed a glass to Liz. "Cheers," he told her, holding his glass out.

"Cheers," Liz repeated and clanked her glass against his unhappily before taking a drink.

XXX

"Those people give me a headache," Dean complained when they got home. He flopped on the couch with a sigh.

"Tell me about it," Liz agreed. "I haven't felt that belittled since the last time I saw my dad."

Dean smiled slightly. "This TV is awesome, by the way," he told her. It was a wide-screen plasma television that took up a significant portion of the living room wall. He grabbed the remote and turned it on.

"I thought you might like it," Liz answered blithely, taking her earrings off and leaning down to remove her shoes. "I subscribed to the most expensive cable package, so you should be able to find something you like."

"Did it come with Playboy?" Dean asked.

"Ugh. I hope not," Liz answered, lip curling in distaste.

"I can always do pay-per-view, I guess," he mused, ignoring her look of disgust.

"You are not watching porn," she objected.

He clicked several buttons and a naked woman appeared on the screen. Liz turned away in revulsion.

"Wouldn't you rather play video games?" she asked, shifting uncomfortably as the woman on screen started moaning. "I got you a gaming system."

Dean turned his attention away from the TV and looked at Liz. "Which one?"

"I don't know. All of them, I think."

"Hm. Porn or video games? Porn or video games? It's a dilemma."

Liz stared at him in horrified disbelief. "You are seriously going to watch this?"

"The female body is a beautiful thing, Liz."

"I...whatever. Could you just go to bed at a decent hour? You have to go to work tomorrow."

"What? You never said anything about me working."

"I believe I did and you just weren't paying attention."

"Where am I supposed to be working?"

"I know someone in one of the brokerage firms in Chicago. He's agreed to find you something to do."

"So, I'm supposed to leave you home alone all day and just trust that you are researching and investigating?"

"When I bought this house, I had to list what you would be doing. You have to work to live here."

"So, where are you going to be working?"

"Silly goose," she told him in an overly chipper voice, "don't you know that the women are for having the babies, and the men are for making the money?"

Dean glared at her. "So you get to sit around the house all day while I do...What am I going to be doing?"

"I'm not sure. Jason said that he would come up with something."

"Jason? As in jealous Jason? As in 'I'm totally hot for the wrong girl' Jason?"

"No, Jason, as in 'I'm doing a big ol' favor for Dean so he should shut his stupid mouth' Jason."

"He's not going to try to harvest my liver or something, is he?"

"Harvest your liver? Now you're just being ridiculous. If he was going to harvest something of yours, I'm sure he would choose something that is still fully functioning." She paused and pretended to think. "I was going to say your heart, but..."

"Ha. Ha. Have I mentioned how unfunny you are?" he asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"I'm a little funny."

"No, you're not," he insisted, turning up the television just as two women started rubbing one another's breasts and moaning.

Liz grabbed the remote away from him and turned the TV off. "I'm not sure what you are going to be doing, but he assured me that it would be appropriate. I am going to bed now. Could you keep your disgusting porn down to a decent decibel level? We do have neighbors."

She tossed the remote to him and started to walk away when he called after her.

"What?" she asked shortly, hands on her hips as she rounded on him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked, pulling the ruby bracelet out of his jacket pocket and dangling it from his fingers.

She looked at the bracelet and then at him before walking over to him and holding her wrist out unhappily. He snapped it on her and turned away dismissively. She stood beside the couch for a moment staring at the bracelet, then went to bed without comment.

XXX

"I can't believe she called you," Dean told Jason, looking behind him at the view he had of the city.

"Well, she usually does call me when she needs someone she can count on," Jason replied with a satisfied smirk.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Whatever, dude. She said you have a job for me."

"I do," Jason agreed smugly. He reached into his desk and pulled out an envelope. "Take this to Manuel and tell him that I sent you. I've briefed him on what would be appropriate labor for you."

Dean took the envelope from Jason and walked out without comment. He realized halfway out of the office that he did not know where in the building to find Manuel. He waited until he reached Jason's secretary's desk before he asked, though.

"Hello, dear," he said, putting on his most charming smile. "Do you know where I can find Manuel?"

The lady looked at his expensive suit and then at him. "Well," she said slowly, "His office is in the basement." She looked at him sympathetically. "Did you bring a change of clothes?"

Dean looked down at himself. "Is this not good enough for Manuel?" he asked.

"Oh, no, it's not that, it's just–" Her phone beeped, interrupting her. "I'm sorry," she told Dean. "I have to go back to work now."

Dean nodded and took the elevator down to the basement. When the doors slid open, he was met with a large sign that announced, "Janitorial Services."

"That's just great," he said to himself and loosened his tie. He hit the button to go back up to the first floor and waited for the doors to slide shut.

Jason met him before he left the building. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Somewhere besides here," Dean replied without breaking stride. "I can't believe that I let Liz talk me in to coming here in the first place."

Jason stepped in front of him to keep him from walking through the front doors. "I don't get you. You're really just going to walk out of here and disappoint Liz. I don't know how you can look at yourself," Jason said.

Dean stopped with a roll of his eyes. "Right, because I'm the one letting down Liz right now."

"You haven't even slept with her. Of course, you're letting her down. Liz is a firecracker, a gorgeous Amazonian princess, and you haven't even hit that. What is wrong with you?"

"Hit that? Are you wanting me to kick your ass?" Dean asked with genuine confusion.

Jason pointed at Dean's wrist. "Actually, I'm wondering why you haven't gotten between Liz's thighs yet. Unless you're gay, she's gotta tempt you."

Dean looked at him with something akin to horror on his face. "I thought you were supposed to be her best friend."

"I am her best friend."

"You know, that explains a lot, actually."

"I love Liz," Jason said defensively.

"Riiiight."

"Oh, please, like you care about Liz."

"I never said I did."

"I love her," Jason insisted.

Dean snorted. "I don't think you know what love is."

"Get out of my building," Jason demanded.

"Gladly."

XXX

"I'm not going back there," Dean informed Liz when he got home. Liz was in the middle of preparing dinner but stopped at his announcement.

"Yes, you are," she insisted.

"No, I'm not."

"You need a job that fits with this place."

"Fits with this place? He gave me a job as a janitor. Oh, and in case you hadn't noticed, he thinks he's in love with you and tried to start some pissing contest with me over you."

"Thanks for that brilliant insight, Dean," Liz replied sarcastically. "I know that he's in love with me. He's been that way since we were eleven. He was also my best friend for the past twenty years, so don't think I don't know how Jason is. He was the first boy I kissed, and when I was eighteen, he tried to get me to run away with him. When I didn't go with him, he tried to make me jealous with every two-bit whore he could get to screw him. He's never forgiven me for not loving him back. He made you a janitor? Well, of course he did: he is an asshole, and he also happens to strongly dislike you. It took a lot for me to call and ask this favor of him, so you are going back tomorrow if I have to drag you back there."

"He was the first boy you kissed? He was the best you could do?"

Liz sat down at the table with a heavy sigh. "I'm not proud of it. I was thirteen. When I got home, my father was waiting for me. He made me run ten miles barefoot that night, then woke me up at three in the morning to run another twenty. When I was finished, he beat me bloody and told me to go to school." She looked up at Dean, who was staring at her with a mixture of shock and pity.

"He did that to you for kissing someone?"

"I'm not sure why you're so shocked," Liz said. "I was literally branded an adulterous whore for kissing you." She took a deep breath. "You know, all I could think then was that I would do it a hundred more times just to see that look on my father's face again. Even right now, a part of me wants to screw you just to piss him off. But, there is an even bigger part of me that doesn't want the first time I have sex to be about him. There's a part of me that wants it to mean something. I mean, I know that you would sleep with me, but only because you like sex, not because you like me."

"Liz, I—"

"You don't have to say anything. I don't expect you to fall in love with me. It's just…I don't even need two hands to count the number of times that I've kissed a boy, and I have no idea how many new appendages you would need to be able to count the number of women you've slept with."

"Honestly," Dean told her, "Neither do I. I have no idea how many women I've slept with in the last year, much less during my life."

An awkward silence descended upon the room. Liz finally broke it. "So, yeah, I don't know why I just told you all of that," she said.

"I wish you hadn't. I kind of feel the need to defend your honor or something."

Liz laughed. "That's really not necessary. Thanks, though."

"I'm still not going back there."

"That's fine. I guess it was a stupid idea to begin with. We'll just say that the job didn't work out and that you are looking for something else."

"Okay," Dean replied.

Liz walked back to the stove and started stirring the contents of the pots. She blushed when she looked up and realized that Dean was staring at her.

"Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes, so you still have a few minutes if you want to play some videogames," she informed him. "I'll call you when it's done."

Dean looked her up and down. "Okay. Let me know when you're ready for me."

Liz smiled tightly, unsure if he was only talking about dinner. "Will do," she promised.