Deserved Rest
The road back was mostly quiet, but it was peaceful. There was a lot of sleeping, planning how they're going to rest and take it easy. There was some music and awful singing, but it was refreshing to have nothing to worry about for a while. They all knew something else would come around the corner, but for now, they just wanted to enjoy their victory and relaxation.
When they reached Castiel, Crowley stood next to him outside of that old abandoned place. Castiel looked like he needed a month of rest. There was still some blood on his clothing and he seemed slightly dazed after having Crowley screwing things into his head. Crowley reassured them their feathered friend was alright, but Dean was convinced.
Crowley vanished without saying anything else and the road to relaxation began.
Dean drove to a motel and rented two rooms. He gave Sam one pair of keys and kept the other, taking Valkyrie by the hand and unlocking the door for her. His brothers watched with slight smiles as Dean and Valkyrie walked into their motel room and closed the door behind them.
The first thing Dean and Valkyrie did was collapse on a bed. He removed his jacket and nearly face-planted on the bed. Valkyrie lay beside him and they just stared at each other, happy to be alone together.
"I don't think these beds are big enough for the two of us." She said and he gave a tired smile as he closed his eyes. "Even if we push both together." She added and watched as Dean's smile grew wider. "I know how you sleep. You can sprawl out and hog the bed. I might just fall off and by that, I mean pushed off." Valkyrie concluded and laughed when Dean wrapped an arm around her and attempted to pull her closer. She had to move closer to make it easier for him.
Dean was clearly ready for sleep, but she couldn't help but tenderly stroking his cheek, admiring his strong handsome features. There was a time that she felt an attraction for him and tried to ignore it. Valkyrie had become her own person, but still felt so deeply connected to Dean. If anything, she felt like his sister. However, love has a way of changing your mind. If she wasn't soulless, she'd go as far as to say they were soul mates.
They lay close together until they fell asleep, not having to worry about someone knocking on the door or a cell phone ringing, since Dean put his on silence. If his brothers had an emergency, it would have to wait. Best of all, there wasn't a hunt on their minds or some big bad looming over them. They could sleep for as long as they wanted because they deserved it. Taking down six Princes of Hell earned them the right to sleep and ignore the world.
After hours of sleeping, Valkyrie didn't have to worry about Dean pushing her off the bed; they were so exhausted that they didn't move a muscle until they cracked their eyes opened and realized that the sky had turned black. Dean quickly grabbed his silent cell phone from his pocket and checked the time. It was well past midnight. They had been asleep for several hours. Then, as if on cue, his stomach growled, protesting. His body got rest, now his stomach wanted food.
"We should grab something to bite." Dean said, rubbing the sleep off his face.
"I'm guessing your brothers are still sleeping." Valkyrie replied, also wondering how Castiel was holding up after having Crowley tinkering in his head. "We should let them know we're going out." she added and Dean glanced at her with a blank expression, as if not fully awake.
"They didn't wake us and I'm not waking them." He said and she rolled her eyes as she sighed.
"Text message." She said and Dean just passed her his cell phone as if he'd rather not attempt something he couldn't do right. Valkyrie took his cell phone and texted Sam that they were going to get something for them to eat and if they got back before him and Adam were up, the food would be with them in their motel room. She promised to keep their share safe from Dean.
Dean got up and put on his jacket, grabbing his car keys, and then checking his wallet to make sure he had enough money. Once the text message was sent, Valkyrie got up, stretched, and walked over to Dean, hooking her thumbs in her jean pockets.
"Alright. Any suggestions?" he asked as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer with a charming smile with a hint of fatigue lingering. Valkyrie could feel a kiss coming, but it seemed Dean just wanted to have her close. Or maybe he wanted her to kiss him…
"Great taste, great deal, loads of chicken and delicious fries." She replied with a smile that had Dean smiling too. She decided to go with it and place a loving kiss on his cheek, then head for the door. Dean followed as if there was nothing awkward that had occurred and they got in the Impala. The engine roared to life, purring nicely, and Valkyrie turned up the radio, playing the familiar classic rock tunes that were the soundtrack to their lives.
Dean backed out of the parking spot and left the motel, searching for signs down the main road of the small community for a restaurant of any kind. Valkyrie was simply enjoying the ride, glancing at Dean with a grin. Every inch of him was handsome and now she can feel as attracted to him as desired. He wanted her just as badly, so she no longer cared.
Or was it knowing she had no soul the real contribution to her lack of care?
Valkyrie glanced at Dean, wondering if her hypothesis was correct. Had he noticed anything different? Probably not, he appeared to think and feel the same way about her as before.
"Do you think I changed after finding out that I don't have a soul?" Valkyrie simply blurted out, watching him as he paid attention to the empty road like there might be a car coming out of nowhere at any time. Not only was he keeping an eye open for the non-existent traffic, he was looking out for restaurants that looked appealing. In other words, something that was open. At this hour, everything seemed to be closed. In a small community, who would have thought?
"Where's this coming from?" Dean asked, frowning at every building. "Screw this, we're driving to the next town over. There has to be something open." He added, deciding drive the extra fifteen to thirty minutes to silence his protesting stomach.
"Have I been consistent or have I been all over the map of personalities?" she asked and he finally glanced her way with an arched eyebrow.
"A little, but isn't that a woman thing?" he asked and she frowned at him in response. "Okay, so maybe a little. But you're the same Valkyrie, just a little bolder." He concluded and she continued to stare at him, not sure if he answered her question or just settled for something in the middle of "no" and "hell yes".
Dean glanced at her one more time, checking to see if that satisfied her, but according to her expression, he was missing something.
"Soul or no soul, you're my Valkyrie." He said, giving himself a few more seconds before casting a look at her again. When he did, she smiled softly at him. Finally he nailed it. "Happy?" he asked her and she nodded, placing a hand on his thigh as if promising that wouldn't be the only thing he nailed.
They drove on, listening to the radio, talking about what two of the Princes had done; push Death into Lucifer's cage after helping him and Sariel pulled out Sam and Adam. All to keep Valkyrie safe. Why? If she was a threat, which she was coupled with Dean, why safe her? She didn't have a soul. Wouldn't that make her invaluable?
However, Dean didn't find it important. Death was locked up and she was alive; that's all the mattered.
Once they approached the next town, it was pretty much the same thing. The only difference was a convenience store open twenty-four hours. It looked like Valkyrie had to lower her standards on everything she wanted. She might have to settle for a chicken burrito.
Dean stopped in front of the store, cutting the engine and glancing at Valkyrie with a slight grin.
"Hope you're hungry." He said and Valkyrie shot him a frown.
"Junk food. How delicious." She replied and they got out of the car, ready to walk in and choose between a bag of kettle chips and a package of sugared cookies. When they did walk in, the guy behind the counter was on his phone and didn't bother to look up. They could have the intention of robbing the place and he'd still be texting or playing some stupid game.
Dean picked up a basket by the counter and they went to the back where the freezers seemed promising. There were T.V. dinners where Valkyrie might just get her loads of chicken after all, only it's microwavable. They looked at all their options and began placing some in the basket. Valkyrie changed her mind about the chicken when she was all the types of fettuccini alfredo that could please her disappointed heart.
On their way to the counter to pay, they slipped into the basket some various snacks like chips and beef jerky, and beverages from water to 7Up. Valkyrie even slipped some chocolate while Dean wasn't looking. If they were getting junk food, might as well get that delicious smooth milk chocolate.
They got up to the counter, placed everything out and the guy finally put down his cell phone. He looked like he just hit his early twenties and already life was crap, with a crap job and a crappy pay. As Dean was finished unloading their basket, putting it back with the others and pulling out his wad of money, Valkyrie glanced out the large windows to the Impala outside, staring at them. However, her eyes were being drawn to something else.
She scanned the whole view of the parking lot, but there was nothing there. She left Dean's side, approaching the windows, certain that something was out there, drawing her attention. Valkyrie just couldn't shake off that feeling no matter how her eyes told her there was nothing out there.
When the guy told Dean that the total came out to a little over fifty dollars, it didn't take Valkyrie's attention away from whatever was possibly out there. That gut instinct insisted that it was correct; just because you couldn't see something, didn't mean it wasn't there. That was the slogan of her job!
When Dean walked up beside her with their meal in plastic bags, he looked down at her and followed her gaze outside.
"What is it?" he asked her, lowering his voice so that the cell phone guy wouldn't hear.
"I feel something's out there, but I don't see it." Valkyrie replied and before Dean could say anything, she pushed through the door and stepped outside, scanning the parking lot and everything beyond it as if expecting something to pop out. Dean joined her, scanning too, just not feeling something lingering in the shadows.
He glanced down at Valkyrie, ready to call it nerves and suggest they get back in the car, when something did emerge from the shadows, making Valkyrie stand on guard like a cat; eyes narrowed and piercing, claws out, lips curling back to reveal a menacing snarl and a hiss escaping as a warning.
"You suck at hiding." Valkyrie said and a woman approached. Dean wasn't sure what she was, but she was definitely supernatural.
"My boss was thrown in the cage just for you." The woman said, revealing her identity; she was a reaper. Dean immediately stood next to Valkyrie in a protective manner, ready to fight for her.
"He had it coming." Dean said in a hard tone of voice, revealing his intention to protect no matter the consequence.
"No soulless thing has the rights to walk around." The woman said, crossing her arms over her chest, glaring at Valkyrie.
"Funny, you're here." She replied with a grin, despite her aggressive expression. The reaper didn't find that so funny.
"When you die, there'll be nothing. Just a void. No one will be there because there's nothing to collect. You're just an empty shell. There'll be nothing left of you and when Dean dies, if he can ever go to Heaven, you'll never be there." The reaper said with a smug smile of her average pretty face which looked pretty ugly now.
Valkyrie took a step forward, standing tall, giving her most wicked grin.
"When you die, bitch, by my own hand I can promise you that, the same awaits you. So, fuck you and the scythe up your ass." Valkyrie said and the reaper disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared, after giving an angry glare. She was really gone and Valkyrie turned to Dean, relaxing her tensed muscles, grinning at Dean.
"Yeah, definitely bolder." He said, staring at her, trying not to think of what the reaper had said.
Valkyrie grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a deep kiss that sucked the breath out of him. Yeah, he liked her boldness, and her soft lips, her hungry kisses, her arms now exploring his shoulders, her chest pressed hard against him, her thighs rubbing against his. He also enjoyed feeling the curve of her back down to her ass. She didn't seem to mind, just made it even better.
When Valkyrie released her hold on Dean, he could see a seductive glimmer in her eyes and a slight grin on her face. When she pulled away, he felt a slight tug from his jacket pocket and the jingle of small metallic things. When she lifted up his car keys, he knew she was teasing him. Valkyrie was walking backwards to the car, smiling at him, tangling the keys.
"What are you doing?" Dean finally asked and her smile only grew wider.
"How about we go somewhere quiet." She said, opening the driver's door, standing there in a pose you'd see in a Playboy magazine, emphasizing her curves and her sexy feminine shape. He knew exactly where this was going, not that the kiss and teenage body grinding wasn't a hint.
The closer he approached, the more she inched into the driver's seat, until she hopped into the seat, closed the door and started the engine faster than Dean was expecting. He quickly made it to the other side with the bags filled with the food they were supposed to bring back to the motel. He was about to put the bags in the back seat, but they were going to be using that space pretty soon, so he left the bags on the floor of the passenger seat once he jumped in.
Valkyrie backed out and then sped out of the parking lot. If what the reaper said affected her, apparently it made her feel like she let herself be more impulsive; that was alright with Dean. As long as Crowley stayed away…
Dean glanced over at Valkyrie as she drove the Impala with such fierce speeding, and he couldn't help but notice how hot she seemed while driving his car. A few strands of her blond wavy hair sitting on her shoulders, her chest rising with adrenaline, goosebumps appearing on her chest like this was nothing but a pure rush. Her left leg was arched up slightly, as if yet again she was posing for a fashion shoot. Then, when she glanced over and met his gaze, her facial features so sharp and feminine, drawing his attention to her eyes and screamed seduction.
As Dean looked at her, she couldn't help but notice he was like a love-struck teen. He stared at her like he couldn't wait another minute, yet he seemed so relaxed. His posture and his body language seemed to summon her attention to his groin, like it was inviting her. Oh, she was definitely going there as soon as she could find a nice secluded place.
Once Valkyrie found it, she quickly pulled in, cut the engine and locked her door. Dean thought she was going to scoot over to him for a kiss, but he found her crawling into the back seat.
"Really?" he asked her, then he couldn't complain when her ass was up, nearly in his face.
"Shut up. Get back here before I grab you by the collar and pull you in." Valkyrie said as she was managing to get her legs over the seat. Dean had to help push her leg over as it appeared she was sort of stuck, however that happened. When she reached the back, he took off his jacket and attempted to crawl over the seat. He had done this a few times, but that was a while ago. But, Valkyrie grabbed him by the collar and pulled him over; apparently he wasn't moving fast enough.
Before he could make it, Valkyrie was peeling off her shirt, revealing a sexy black laced bra. He almost stopped for a moment to stare, but once his feet made it over the front seat. He removed his shoes and then, surprisingly, Valkyrie moved onto stripping him of his shirt.
Removing their jeans seemed to be a difficult task, as she nearly kicking him in the face and he sat on her foot. It was very confusing, but as soon as they were down to their undergarments, Valkyrie crawled over him, saddling him, kissing him deeply and passionately. His hands found her hips while hers combed through his hair.
His hands travelled up her back to her bra, trying to unclip it without fumbling like an idiot on prom night. When he didn't succeed fast enough, Valkyrie undid it herself in one second, without breaking their kiss.
They weren't even completely naked and Valkyrie was already grinding against him. He had to admire her enthusiasm.
He held her tightly against him, rose out of the back seat and flipped her to the side, on her back as he hovered over her. She grinned up at him, stroking his face, hands gently feeling his neck and his shoulders as he removed the last of his clothing, admittedly with some struggle.
Valkyrie then slipped hers off and sling-shot it over the seat where it sort of dangled off the review mirror. Her grin grew brighter as he glanced at his review mirror. She grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him down, meeting him with another deep kiss as she rose her pelvis to him, rubbing, teasing.
"I wouldn't dare say this if I didn't know you were capable of returning it." Valkyrie said in such a soft whisper that it only added to her beauty. Dean listened attentively, even if he knew what she was about to say. He wanted to hear it and, at the same time, he wondered if he really could return those words. However, his relationship with Valkyrie was unlike any other. She knew him better than he knew himself and he wasn't afraid of that. If she believed he could repeat those words, then he could.
As he processed this, she only smiled up at him, stroking his face.
"I love you." She said so sweetly. From any other woman, Dean would have hesitated, not sure love was safe in his line of work, in his life, even if part of him yearn for it. When Valkyrie said those words, he warmed him, like a fire ignited within him, making him feel whole.
"I love you, Val." Dean said with ease, not feeling any of the past emotions he would have in this situation. He felt no hesitation, worry, fear, shame or regret. Nothing but that warmth. Valkyrie's eyes glimmered like she was looking up at the stars and her smile was bright. She was beautiful.
They moved together in a soft rhythm, slowly mounting to a tender thrusting, deepening with pleasure and satisfaction. Dean lowered down to her, returning her breath-sucking kisses. Valkyrie's arms wrapped around his shoulders, feeling every muscle, tracing her fingers along them as if she was automatically committing their shape to memory. His hands lingered on the curve of her waist down to her hips, until she arched her right leg up and his left hand followed it all to the thigh.
Dean shouldn't have desired this moment; Valkyrie was once his subconscious mind projecting itself because his experience in Hell broke him. Then Zachariah had to stick his nose in and make her a real woman. Admittedly, she was annoying, but there was also a comfort of having her around. Naturally, ever since then, she was so important to him; he couldn't lose her and when he did, a part within him died. Having her with him, he spoke the truth when he said it, makes him feel whole.
Valkyrie and Dean lost track of time, lying in the back seat with each other. They hadn't noticed that it was raining; it was a light drizzle. They watched the drops sliding off the windows, listening in silence to the rain. Dean's arms were wrapped tightly around Valkyrie. It was peaceful to forget time and forget the world around them.
Until Dean's cell phone began buzzing. They tried to ignore it the first time, but by the second time, they knew the world was calling them back in. Dean tore through all the clothing to find his phone, and again Valkyrie helped him as if he wasn't doing it fast enough. Sure enough, she found his phone and passed it to him, then grabbed her clothes to get dressed, despite the restrictions of the back seat.
"Hey Sam." Dean said, listening to his brother accuse them of getting food from the next state over. It had been going on two hours after him and Valkyrie had sent the text message. They were thinking of sending out a search party, but he knew what they were up to. Just hurry up, he said. "Yeah, whatever." Dean said and hung up, glancing over to see Valkyrie half dressed; jeans and shoes, just now putting on her bra.
"So, a couple of hours?" Valkyrie asked as she pulled on her shirt. She grinned up at Dean and then glanced down at his groin with a smug smile like she was impressed.
"Stop objectifying me." Dean said and she smiled, playfully punch him in the shoulder.
"Get dressed. I'll start the car." She said and climbed back over the seat. Once again, her ass nearly in his face and he had to help push her legs over. Dean got dressed as quickly as he could and decided not to crawl over, but open the door and get in the passenger seat. That was a lot easier.
They drove back to the motel, taking some more time, but Sam and Adam weren't starving and Castiel didn't need to eat anyway.
"You know what would be great?" Valkyrie asked as they left that town, passing the convenience store and going back to that sleepy town where hungry brothers awaited.
"Keeping your underwear on the review mirror?" Dean asked, pointing to her black laced panties that matched her black laces bra. Valkyrie looked at them and let out a small laugh.
"A ring." She replied, holding up her left.
"You're kidding." Dean said, watching to see if she was serious. She looked at him, smiled, and wiggled her fingers. "You're not kidding." He said and she laughed.
"Yeah, I'm kidding. Shaking up is one thing, but getting married? I know that's not you. You know that's not you. Sam knows that's not you." She said and Dean grimaced and held up his hand, telling her to stop.
"Yeah, I got the point." He said and she just smiled as she drove down the highway. Although she was joking, just maybe she was the exception. Dean knew there'd be no other woman after Valkyrie, so why not get her that ring?
"I'm thinking of leaving my underwear there." She said, drawing his attention away from his thoughts and back to her panties dangling on his review mirror. "I want to see Sam's expression when he sees my underwear." She added and Dean couldn't help laughing a little.
When they fell into silence, into serenity, Dean went back to his thoughts. After everything they'd been through, Valkyrie was worth a ring. The only problem would be whether one day he end up like Bobby; lost his wife and was alone ever since. Then, what the reaper had said; Valkyrie dying and having no soul, no chance at being with Dean if they ever get the chance to go to Heaven. It was pain. But, the life of a hunter is filled with pain regardless. Marrying Valkyrie or not marrying her, they would always be together and that day of losing her again would come. Would not marrying her save him from that pain? No, so why not get her that ring?
Dean glanced over at Valkyrie and smiled as she began talking again. He wasn't really paying attention as he made up his mind; she's getting that ring, joking or not, and screw that reaper. Together, they'll figure something out.
The End
Oh, this story had been my problem child. I mean, I worked on this story for years, always cutting this and adding that. It took this long to fix it and to finish it. I would have given up, but this was my first best Supernatural fanfiction (my actual first fanfiction has been buried for years, with good reason). And having new people subscribing to this story helped to find just what I needed to continue writing.
Finally, the end, and I thank everyone for reading.