AN: I told you there would be an actual update! Please keep in mind that this is kind of a warm up chapter for me. I'm happy enough with it to publish it but I know that it's not super amazing. We'll get back to super amazing though :) It has been awhile so I refrained from doing anything too extravagant or dramatic here, I just wanted to make sure that I could ( still ) comfortably write for my lovely OC at the very least. This chapter isn't just filler though. It's going to serve as my bridge from the first part of the story ( chapters 1-34 ) to the second part. The storyline will be picking up shortly as promised. So thank you for reading this. If you want to send me a PM or leave me a review you're more than welcome to.
She rose with the sun the next morning. It took a moment for Allison to figure out why she wasn't wearing a single scrap of clothing or why a man's arm was draped across her torso. She slowly shifted in the bed, catching a glimpse of the sleeping face beside her. As soon as she laid eyes on Castiel the memories from the previous night came flooding back. A rush of heat flooded her body as she looked at his peaceful expression, one she didn't think she had ever seen.
Part of her wanted to go back to sleep. Surely she could get in another hour or two before Chuck reeled her into doing the day's dirty work in the kitchen. Part of her wanted to curl up against his warmth and drift back off. That part confused her. This was Cas, the self designated 'man whore' of the camp. She spent more time fighting with him than anything else. Why did she want to stay with him? What sense did that make?
Allison rebelled against the feeling. She could have stayed. She should have. Instead, she slowly removed herself from the bed. As soon as she was clear of Cas she couldn't get out of there fast enough.
The warmth of the showers did nothing to calm her mind, or wash away the memory of what she'd done the night before. She'd asked him for it, she'd almost begged. There had been something there - a connection of some sort. She'd felt drawn to him, it was a feeling she couldn't have denied. The moment had consumed her and she had let it. Allison told herself she couldn't hold this one against Cas. She had initiated it and to her surprise he had wanted it just as much, if not more.
He was intoxicating. A bomb could have gone off outside of their cabin and she doubted either of them had noticed. Hell, Dean could have shot her again and she wouldn't have so much as flinched, blissfully unaware. Since the world had gone to hell she hadn't been able to put the situation out of her mind, she'd never been at ease. There wasn't a moment where Allison didn't think about her parents or her brother. There wasn't a moment where she didn't think about how they had to scavenge for food like wild animals, where men cut down other men as if it were nothing. Being brought to Dean's camp hadn't helped matters. But the past night...none of it entered her mind. Not her family, not her brother, not the life outside their barbed wire fences. Not even her 'gift'. The only thing that mattered was his lips against her skin, her nails raking at his back as their bodies clashed together.
Needless to say the shower didn't help.
She needed something to do, desperately. She wasn't going back to the cabin. Allison didn't want to face Castiel, not yet. She didn't know what she would say, or how she would act. For now it was easier to retreat and hide. Unfortunately, being locked into a camp and restricted to certain areas didn't provide optimal hiding places. So she went to the only place she knew, to Chuck's side in the kitchen.
He would keep her busy and truth be told, he was a little strange but all around a pretty good guy. Allison didn't mind 'earning her keep' either. Every set of hands helped, and today she would take advantage of that.
She ended up here more often than not. Allison had a sneaking suspicion that on some subconscious level she was actually beginning to enjoy it. As predicted the second she stepped into the dining hall Chuck appeared, almost out of nowhere. Allison helped set the hall for dinner, preparing what food they had. Once she was done with that she was asked to help out with inventory. According to Chuck they were running dangerously low on some things and Dean needed exact numbers for the days run.
So they were going on a run. This was good she thought. That meant Cas would probably go with him, he'd be out of the camp all day; which meant that she would not need to go out of her way to avoid him.
For a few hours her plan had worked out. There was no sign of Cas anywhere. In fact the first visitor she had all day was an unlikely one. When she looked up from Chuck's clipboard to see Dean standing in the doorway, eyes locked on her she wasn't sure what to expect. Only that it probably wasn't going to end well.
"You busy here?" Dean asked gruffly.
Chuck handed over the coveted piece of equipment to him"Just finished inventory. Here are the numbers you wanted."
Dean scanned it and he didn't look happy Then again, when did he ever? "We're going out today, I'll pass this on." then he turned to her. Allison's skin crawled. There was something about Dean. Maybe the fact that they'd gotten off to the wrong start - what with him shooting her and all that. "If he doesn't need you for anything else. I want you packed and in the truck in twenty, we need the extra bodies."
Allison looked at Chuck, and he looked back at her. They were both equally confused. Dean wasn't leaving yet though. He looked as if he was waiting for something from her but Alli wasn't sure what that something was. It wasn't like Dean had left much room for argument. He hadn't asked her if she wanted to go. Sure, he'd said that if Chuck didn't need her...but even if he did he wouldn't make her stay now. Dean was requesting her presence on a run for the second time. That felt more than a little strange to her but what ounce of self-preservation she had left told her not to question it.
"Twenty minutes." He repeated, turning away from the two. Alli and Chuck exchanged glances once more before Allison hesitantly followed the man out of the mess hall. Guns were in the truck, all she needed was a the bag, maybe a coat. Of course there was the Cas issue. He always went on runs, he was Dean's right hand. Maybe if she got to the cars early enough she could ride with someone else. Yeah, that sounded good.
If only it had worked out that way.
After she'd left the cabin she'd gotten distracted by Lisa. It didn't make her late...but by the time she reached the lot most of the people were already packing the vehicles and starting the engines - not even ten minutes after she'd gotten word of the venture. There was only one vehicle which she knew would hold an empty seat.
Begrudgingly she shuffled around the back of the beaten up pick up truck. She lowered her bag off of her shoulder as she opened the passengers side door, tossing it onto the seat before hauling herself in. Allison instantly felt on edge. From the corner of her eye she could see Castiel looking at her. By the look of it, he didn't seem angry...or like there was any real emotion coursing through his veins at that moment. He just looked like Cas. "You left early." He remarked casually, leaning back against his seat.
Allison's body went rigid. When was the last time she'd done this? Years ago...even longer. Was there another meaning behind his remark or was she just being paranoid? Was it too late to get out of the truck?
"I couldn't sleep." The words were muffled as she bowed her head, feigning interest in the belt buckle that she was currently 'attempting' to snap into place.
Castiel shrugged, shifting in his seat. "You could have woken me up."
"You were asleep." Allison's words were colder, almost callous. She sounded defensive and Cas hadn't missed it. The near carefree air about him change slowly. A smirk formed on his face and he laughed. He actually laughed. Why the hell was he laughing?
"So that's how it's going to be." At that moment she just wanted to disappear. In fact, she was hoping she could just fade back into the seat. If she pressed herself hard enough against it who knew, maybe God would help her out just this once. "Do you want to talk about it?" He offered.
She looked at him incredulously. Was he offering to talk or was he mocking her? "I don't know, do you usually talk about it with your girls?" If she'd sounded defensive before, now she sounded as if he'd backed her up against a wall entirely. It was cold, mean. The words had just come out that way. All rushed and jumbled, she hadn't really meant it.
The smile disappeared instantly. Castiel's face turned expressionless. No laughter, no nothing. Now she'd done it. Alli had been so wound up, so freaked out...she'd offended him. No one ever referred to Castiel's groupies in a way that wasn't negative or wildly inappropriate. Any hope of the car ride being even a little normal were gone after that crushing blow. They sat in silence for a few moments, she didn't dare look at him. He wasn't happy now, she'd struck a nerve. She wasn't sure if it was her tone or her remark about his 'girls'.
Whatever it was it kept them silent for a few minutes. All around them engines roared to life. As he started the truck all she wanted to do was jump out and run away. It was stupid, this was stupid. She knew it but at this point Allison gathered that she didn't have much reign over her thoughts or her feelings. There was a sinking feeling that she had just single handedly set the tone for the entire trip.
As they rolled out of the gates he looked over at her. His blue eyes seemed darker, like a storm was raging within them. "I've never thought of you as one of 'my girls'" Now the same bitterness that had encroached in her words began to seep into his.
In that moment, Allison couldn't have felt worse. It was going to be a long ride. A very long ride.
The trip only took about an hour, but that hour was painful. Allison hadn't expected them to stay so close to the camp but perhaps this was what they did, cycle through towns in case they missed something. People passed through all the time, or they got stuck in one place...At the very least she was thankful that this wasn't the day where they would partake in one of the days long runs she'd heard about from Lisa. During that hour neither of them spoke. Allison felt too bad and she had far too much on her mind to even try. It was obvious that she'd offended him in some way. She hadn't meant to at all, it had just happened. It felt way too late to apologize. On top of that, what had he meant when he said he'd never thought of her as one of his girls? Allison wasn't sure what made her different. Was it the fact that she had some sort of mystical power? She wasn't entirely sure what else it could have been. If you were to put her in a line up with most of the women that Castiel had regularly preached to, and then picked the prettiest ones...Allison knew she wasn't horrible looking but she wasn't a beauty queen - she was average. There was nothing remarkable about her. She'd spent most of her time in the camp arguing with Cas. The only time they weren't arguing was when they were asleep or kissing.
That seemed to happen a lot lately.
She shoved the door open rather unceremoniously. Her bag was slung over her shoulder as she rounded to the back of the old pick up, waiting with two other to get their weapons. Dean allowed some in the camp to carry, but Allison wasn't exactly one of the privileged few yet. Cas appeared, pulling down the back gate and reaching for the guns.
Allison's equipment was much the same as it had been the first time. She still had a feeling that she was lucky to have anything in her hands at all. The gun was placed in her hands without so much as a word or a look, which she found very unsettling. Even when mad he had a remark for everything. She'd never seen him so quiet before. She hadn't known him long, but still. Most of her time in the camp had been spent around him so far - when she wasn't cooped up in the kitchen.
"Alright, everybody listen up!" Dean called the small group to attention. "This is just going to be a quick sweep. We'll do it in pairs, no buildings unless there's signs of life. You find any people, you bring them to me. You find anything else - kill it." Alli wasn't sure what she'd expected from him but that seemed very in character for the Winchester. She didn't have time to worry about the speech now though. They were sweeping the area in pairs...last time she had been with Cas. She couldn't do that today. Right now he wouldn't even look at her.
Of course, this reminded her that she barely knew anyone else at the camp. Chuck and Lisa stayed behind, and most of the guys here she'd barely even spoken to. As if he'd sensed her plight Dean made his way over. At first she thought that he was going to speak to Castiel but instead he came right up to her.
"You're coming with me." He said gruffly. Allison looked around, but it wasn't as if someone would rush to her aid. Suddenly an uncomfortable hour with Castiel seemed like a great idea.
Dean made her uneasy. Even if he hadn't shot and almost killed her. There was something about him that made her skin crawl. He was so cold, so severe. Half the people in the camp were afraid of him. If the stories she'd heard were even a little true, Allison couldn't say that she blamed them. "I am?" Allison was cautious with her words now,
The dark hair man grunted in response. She assumed that was meant to be a yes. Further questioning this decision didn't seem smart, so Allison reluctantly followed Dean past the row of vehicles, where an abandoned main street stood beyond. What she didn't see while she was walking away was Castiel and the worried expression in his eyes.