26; Lay Me Down
As the sun began to rise, a stream of sunlight spilled into the motel room, falling on Mackenzie's face and causing her to let out a tired groan. She had no idea what time it was, but could almost swear she had just fallen asleep. She had hung out in the brothers' room for hours the night before they went to the hospital.
If you had asked her why; she would say it was to help them finalize the plan on confronting the old woman at the hospital they were thinking could be the shtriga they were hunting. That excuse was true, but it was also to avoid Quinn a little longer.
She felt a little guilty for that. For the last two years she had searched all over for her sister, not to mention all of her life when she missed having her around and grieved for her, and now she was back in her life, but there was a part of her that felt uneasy around her- like she kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
With a tired moan, Mackenzie slowly opened her eyes, then rolled over, expecting to see her sister lying beside her, but instead was met with an empty bed. Sitting up, she glanced over at the bedside table, checking to see if Quinn left a note, but didn't find one.
Seeing her cell phone flashing with a new text message, she grabbed it and saw it was from Sam- it simply said; 'She's not it', which she took to mean the old woman wasn't the shtriga, meaning they were back at square one. She texted him back, wondering when they would be back and what was the plan now.
Tossing the phone and comforter aside, she knew the main thing to do would be to jump back into researching. As she placed her feet on the bare carpet, she was already thinking of ways to find out who was doing this and the things she needed to look up, when she heard the bathroom door open.
"Oh, hey, you're awake," Quinn stated as she walked out of the bathroom. She had gone into the room to shower and call Meg about meeting up while the water was running so she wouldn't be overheard. Afterward, she had planned to sneak out- now that was going to be harder to do with Mackenzie awake.
"Yeah, just woke up." Mackenzie yawned. Seeing that her sister was already dressed, she lowered her eyebrows. "Where are you going?"
Grabbing her bag from a chair, she said the first thing that popped in her head. "I was going to grab some breakfast."
Nodding her head, Mackenzie looked at her sister closely, misreading the restless expression on her face and thought Quinn could feel her distancing herself from her- making the guilt she felt increase. She needed to put that kiss between Dean and Quinn out of her head and any uneasiness she felt; she needed to make things right with her sister- she was all she had left.
"Give me a minute and I'll go with you," Mackenzie offered. She knew breakfast together wouldn't solve everything, but it was a start.
"Great!" Quinn exclaimed, a huge smile on her face until Mackenzie went into the bathroom. An annoyed look appeared on her face as she jerked the cell phone from her pocket to text Meg to reschedule their meet up. They needed to work on the plan to trap Mackenzie and all the Winchesters; John included. They knew they needed to draw John out somehow, they just weren't sure how yet.
Minutes later, Quinn hid the secret cell phone when Mackenzie walked out of the bathroom after taking a quick shower. Pulling her damp hair up in a messy bun, Mackenzie grabbed her bag, then asked her sister if she was ready to go.
The two made small talk, trying to figure out where they wanted to eat as they walked to the Jeep. Mackenzie reached out to open the driver side door, then stopped when she noticed a young boy sitting outside the office with a down look on his face. Placing a hand over her eyes to shield herself from the sunlight, she got a closer look at him and realized he was the motel owner's son.
"What is it?" Quinn asked when she noticed her looking at something.
Mackenzie held up a finger, telling her sister to wait a minute before she walked over to the boy to check on him- it was clear to see something was bothering him. He looked nothing like the funny and carefree boy when they checked in.
Sitting down beside him, she flashed him a soft smile. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"My brother's sick," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"The little boy that was in there the other day?" she asked, pointing to the office building behind them.
Nodding his head, he said, "Pneumonia. He's in the hospital. It's my fault."
"Why would you think that?" she questioned, feeling bad for the young boy.
"I should have made sure the window was latched. He wouldn't have got pneumonia if the window was latched." He looked down at the ground.
"Hey, look at me," she softly said, then waited until he raised his head. "I can promise you that this is not your fault. Okay?"
"It's my job to look after him," he said, his eyes brimmed with tears.
Mackenzie opened her mouth to comfort him, but before she could utter a word, his mother, Joanna, came outside and called out, "Michael, I want you to turn on the no vacancy sign while I'm gone. I've got Denise covering room service."
"I'm going with you," Michael stated, standing up.
"Not now, Michael," Joanna snapped, then instantly felt bad for it. She didn't mean to take it out on him, but she was out of her mind with worry for her youngest son and just wanted to be by his side.
"But I gotta see Asher!" Michael called out.
"Hey, Michael. I know you're worried, but you gotta go easy on your mom right now, okay?" Mackenzie quietly said, wrapping an arm around his smaller shoulders while he stood beside her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dean pull the car into the parking lot. As the brothers stepped out of the car, they asked Quinn what was going on, but she shrugged her shoulders in response before the three began to walk over to Mackenzie.
While Joanna ran back into the office building to make sure she didn't forget anything; Mackenzie stepped away from Michael for a moment to quietly fill the others in on what was going on. As Joanna fled the building and walked over to her car, her purse slipped out of her hands, causing her to mumble out a curse word.
"I got it." Quinn bent down to pick up the purse near her feet.
"Thank you." Joanna flashed her a grateful smile as she took the purse from her hand.
"I don't think you are in any condition to drive," Sam pointed out. "Why don't you let me give you a lift to the hospital."
"No, I couldn't possibly." She shook her head. The last thing she wanted to do was put her problems on her guest.
"No, I insist. It's no trouble," Sam said with a friendly smile as he took the keys from her hands.
"I agree with Sam, and if you don't mind, I'll like to tag along and help any way I can," Quinn added with a smile of her own. She figured while Sam was busy helping the woman with her child, she could sneak off and meet up with Meg after all.
"Thanks," Joanna said with a small smile, then glanced over at her son. "Be good."
"Don't worry, I'll watch over him," Mackenzie offered, hoping to put the mother at ease knowing he would be in good hands.
"Thank you," she breathed out as she sat down in the car. She was suddenly glad this group had checked into her motel days ago. It wasn't every day you came across such a friendly group of young adults.
Standing behind Michael, Mackenzie rested her hands on his shoulders for comfort as they watched Sam drive out of the parking lot. She glanced over at Dean, seeing an array of emotions on his face- the one that stood out the most was guilt.
"Dean..." She tried to say, but he ignored her as he shook his head and began to walk away. She had no doubt he was going to his motel room and research. He was desperate to find the shtriga and now that they knew it wasn't the old woman- it meant he had even more work to do to find the damn thing before he could even kill it.
She wanted to go after him, but she knew he wanted to be alone. She figured she would leave him be for now, then check on him after she tended to Michael like she promised she would. She led the young boy into the office and tried to get him to eat something, but he said he wasn't hungry.
She tried to distract him by turning on the television, but that didn't really help either. She tried to talk to him, give him some hope to hang on to, but she wasn't even sure if he was listening or not. All he basically wanted to do was lay in bed and be alone, which she agreed to do if he would at least eat a sandwich.
After a quick lunch, she left him alone in his room, hearing him sniff and knew he was trying to hold back tears. Minutes later, she peeked in on him again and saw he was asleep. She left him a note, telling him she would be back in a few minutes, then after making sure the windows were shut and locked, she left the office and headed for Dean's motel room.
•••
Mackenzie had a million things on her mind as she made her way toward the motel room. With the look on Dean's face earlier when he found out Michael's little brother was sick, she knew deep down something bad happened back when John had hunted for the shtriga all those years ago.
She knew how Dean was and knew he didn't like opening up much- it was hard getting past his walls; she knew this because she was the same way, but she hated the thought of him carrying all of that pain alone. She was determined to get the whole story from him and she felt confident she could because regardless of what was going on between them, she couldn't deny they had a connection- there was still a strong pull between them after all these years.
Blowing out a breath, she raised her fist to knock on the motel door. While she waited, she glanced down at her shoes as she wondered if he would even open the door. He had to know she would come knocking and wanted to know what was going through his mind when he walked away earlier.
When she heard the door crack open, her head jerked up as she flashed him a soft smile. He didn't say anything as he left the door open then turned and walked to the middle of the room. Taking that as an invitation, she walked inside then closed the door.
"Hey," she breathed out, slipping her hands into the front pockets of the blue jean she was wearing.
"Hey," his voice gruff as he turned away from her. He knew why she was there, he knew she wanted to talk about his past, but he couldn't do it- he was feeling too raw, too vulnerable, to get into it now.
"Where are you going?" she asked confused when she saw him grab his leather jacket and keys.
"Library. Research," Dean simply said, slipping his jacket on. He figured the fewer words he said to her the better.
"Dean, don't." Mackenzie grabbed his arm to stop him when he walked past her.
"Don't what?" he asked, refusing to look at her- just one look in her dark eyes and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep his pain bottled up any longer.
"Don't leave, don't shut me out. Talk to me," she pleaded with him.
"Okay." He nodded. Turning to look at her, but still refusing to look into her eyes, he decided to put her in the hot seat. "Let's talk about us then."
"No." She shook her head. "That's not what I mean and you know it, Dean."
"It's not easy to talk about something when you don't want to, is it?" he questioned.
"Come on, Dean, don't be like this," she softly said, running a hand up and down his arm, trying to comfort him.
"Don't do that," his voice low as he pulled away from her and lowered his head.
"Don't do what?" she asked confused.
"Don't do that...don't comfort me, not with this." He shook his head. "Just, don't..."
"Dean, what happened?" she asked when his voice trailed off. "What happened when your dad hunted the shtriga?"
Turning away from her, he tossed the keys back onto the table and blew out a breath. He didn't want to go back to that time- to the time he screwed up and went against what his father told him, in that one moment of selfishness he almost got Sam killed.
"Look, Dean, I know you, and I know whatever happened it's haunting you. I can tell by the look on your face." She took a few steps, coming to a stop beside him. Laying a hand on the side of his face, she turned it toward her- forcing him to look at her.
While she spoke, he closed his eyes, leaning against her touch as he flashback to the night they were together. They had both opened up to each other that night and had bonded in a way he never had with a girl before- which made the sex afterward even more enjoyable since it was more than just physical. That night his feelings went from puppy love to something real.
"I know it's painful, but I'm here- I'm here for you, Dean. Just talk to me, okay?" she whispered while taking a step to stand in front of him.
"I don't want to talk," he mumbled, keeping his eyes closed. There was something he wanted from her- something that would heal his soul, but it wasn't conversation.
"What?" she questioned, not hearing what he had said.
When his eyes popped open and slammed into her eyes, she gasped in surprise- not expecting the intensity of his lust-filled stare. Before she realized what was happening, he had grabbed her hips and pulled her toward him, her chest flushed against his.
"I said...I don't want to talk."
"Dean..." She began to say, but before she could say another word, his lips were pressed against hers for a heated kiss.
He pulled back for a moment to look at her, her breathing labored as she bit her bottom lip in thought. She looked between his eyes and lips, thinking about how confusing this made things, but she didn't care right now- for now, all she could think about was being with him just like that night two years ago.
Flashing him a dimpled smile, she laid a hand on the back of his neck and pulled him down toward her before she captured his lips. She had been fighting her feelings for a while, going back and forth in her mind about what they should do, but maybe it was time to stop thinking.
He let her set the pace as her lips moved hungrily against his, but that didn't stop him from running his hands down her back until he reached her butt. When he pulled her closer to him and squeezed her butt, her mouth opened wider as a moan escaped- he took that opportunity to slip his tongue in her mouth.
Gripping both sides of his jacket, she quickly jerked it off and heard it fall to the floor. Next, she grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt, planning to pull it off, until she realized he had an opened button-down shirt on over it, causing her to let out an irritated grunt.
"God, you wear too many layers," she joked, hearing him chuckle against her lips. While the two began to kiss again, she pulled the button-down shirt off, followed by the t-shirt, then dropped them both on to the floor like the jacket earlier.
"And you're wearing too many clothes," he pointed out.
"Well, do something about it," she teased as she pulled her swollen bottom lip between her teeth and shot him a playful look.
After a nod, he gave her another kiss as he slipped his hands under her shirt and began to lift it up. She raised her arms, then broke the kiss to watch him as he removed it from her body and added it to the growing pile on the floor.
Laying a hand on the side of her face, he softly caressed her cheek as he whispered, "God, I missed you, Kenz."
"I've missed you too, Dean," she said, her tone matching his. Wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingers in his hair. "You don't know how much I missed you."
He ran a hand down her bare side, then moved it to her back to unclip her bra, while her chest was flushed against his. As he removed the lace material from her body, she pressed her lips against his neck, then kissed down to his chest, leaving soft kisses and little nibbles where ever her mouth touched.
One by one, the rest of their clothes were discarded and the two made their way to the bed with their lips attached. After a few more kisses, he pulled back to look at her, brushing a lock of hair that has escaped from the hair tie on top of her head out her face.
He swallowed hard, suddenly feeling exposed. "I don't want to lose any more time with you, Kenz."
"Me either, Dean," she said, her voice low.
"No more years apart, no more fighting..." he added, his voice trailing off. He softly caressed the side of her face, his voice barely above a whisper, "Just this...spending our time a little differently."
"Do you think..." She breathed out as his lips pressed against the side of her neck. Getting back to her train of thought, she questioned, "Do you think time can mend? That we can forget the pain and the hurt?"
Lifting his head from her neck, he nodded his head. "Yeah, I do." Lowering his eyebrows in thought, he added, "Or at least I hope so. I'm willing to try."
A dimpled smile appeared on her face from his words and he tried to take that as a good sign. He was itching to ask her if she was willing to try as well, but his mouth went dry and he couldn't utter a word. He was too scared of what her answer would be- so for now, he held hope on a smile.
No other words were said between the two as he did what he said he would; he took his time exploring her body and showering her with kisses- trying to make up for years of pain and hurt between them. He knew they still had a lot to figure out and still had a case to solve, but for now, he was going to lose track of time with her.
•••
A/N; If anyone is curious, the song I always imagined playing while they are together is Lay Me Down by The Wreckers- which is where the title for this chapter came from. You're welcomed to imagine whatever song you want and you can even tell me your song ideas in the review!
Thank you to everyone reading and/or adding. Also big thanks to Sunnymuffins, Winchestergirl5, BlackBloodRose64, Deangirl93, Carver Edlund, adaddario, Coffee to go and Sage Londyn for reviewing.
Happy reading!
xx