Helloooo, my lovely readers. Thanks for sticking with me! I know I suck at getting new chpts out! But! I've been looking further into the storyline annnnd it's going to be a wild ride. I promise it's worth it! And please, please review! Enjoy!
Dean was inconsolable.
Sienna, though she'd stayed at Bobby's a few nights a week, hadn't been on a hunt with them in two weeks. She used the demigods and her research of Morrigan as her excuse, but Dean suspected it was because of him. She didn't want to be trapped in a car with him for days.
Over the next two weeks, he'd acted as if he was fine when Sam was around, but his brother could see it. Dean would catch him glancing sideways at him in worry.
It was his own fault anyway.
After a silent car ride, they finally arrived back at Bobby's. Dean's heart leapt to his throat. Sienna's car was parked in his usual spot. He hopped out of the driver's seat, not even looking back at Sam. He pulled open the flimsy screen door and took two steps into the kitchen.
"Bob?" He called.
No one answered him.
He peered around the kitchen table, into the den, and smiled at what he saw.
With open books scattered around her, she had fallen asleep on her side on the floor. Her head was pillowed on her arm and the pages of a Celtic mythological text. When he looked closer, he could see the beginning of the long scar that ran through the center of her chest. It was still healing, splashes of pink on top of gray-gold scar tissue. The color looked as if someone had tossed a load of ashes into a pot of melted gold.
He shook her shoulder lightly, murmuring.
"Sienna?"
She blinked twice, then sat up abruptly. She looked at Dean and blinked again, her fists coming up to rub her eyes. "I didn't mean to do that."
He smiled. He thought she looked like a kitten. "I didn't think so."
She yawned and waved as Sam walked by and up the stairs.
"How'd your hunt go?"
This is how it had been now. Casually polite. Dean felt all the words he wanted to say to her piling up in his throat, more and more added every day.
"Fine, I guess. Something's wrong with Sammy, but…" He shrugged in exhaustion. "Where's Bobby?"
"Canada. Helping someone with something." He raised a brow at her lack of an explanation.
"He wasn't very candid." She defended.
She glanced at him in a meaningful way, then turned back to her book as if uninterested. He narrowed his eyes at her, but didn't comment. Without looking at him, she spoke.
"So, do you have a new hunt already?"
"No, not yet." He furrowed his brow. "Why?"
She turned in a huff, a look of defeat drawing down the corners of her lips.
"I'm bored." She said in a mock-whiny voice.
He laughed at her insistence, then stood and sat at the kitchen table, pulling Bobby's laptop to him.
"Well, then let's find us a hunt and get you out of the house."
….
After Sienna and Dean had searched online and in the newspapers, Sam ended up trotting downstairs and informing them about a hunt Bobby caught wind of from someone in Canada.
Now Sienna was stuffing her duffel in anticipation. It had been almost two weeks since she'd been on an official hunt. Sure, she'd had to go help out a demigod every now and again, but she used to behead three things before Friday. She was itching to get back out there. Her stomach, however, was doing flips.
"Dean!" She called.
She heard thumping feet coming up the steps. Her door knob rattled and then he stuck his head in the door, a small smile on his face.
"Look, we should set some ground rules."
His smile slipped off his face and a line appeared between his brows.
"Rules?"
"Like, I get my own room." She murmured, her expression obstinate.
He stepped into the room fully and leaned against the door, closing it with his back.
"Sienna, I won't do anything you don't ask of me. I promise." He held up a hand. "Scout's honor."
She smiled. He really was sweet, she reminded herself. But that didn't change the hurt she still felt. She was so torn when she was around him. That's why she'd stayed away for so long. She didn't trust herself not to fall for his Dean-ish charm.
They'd be together again eventually. She knew that much. As much as he'd hurt her, she couldn't deny her feelings for Dean. She'd never wanted another man like she did him. She'd certainly never needed one. But just knowing Dean still cared for her as much as she did warmed her chest in a way that frightened her a little.
He gestured to her packed duffel bag, Aegis on top.
"Are you finished packing?" She nodded.
He grabbed it by the handles, hanging Aegis over his shoulder, and walked out, leaving the door open for her behind him. She shook her head in exasperation, but the tips of her lips curled up nonetheless.
They'd made it to the backdoor, and just before Sienna could pass him out the door, he pulled her back. She looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. Dean was staring out the door. She looked up to follow his line of sight. Sam was loading weapons into the Impala's hidden cache. Dean finally met Sienna's gaze.
"Sam's hiding something. Would you, you know...keep an eye on him?"
She blinked. "Of course."
He sighed and smiled at her gratefully. She knew this was one of the things he loved most about her- that she took care of Sammy, too. That it wasn't all on him. She tugged on his hand and they trudged down the wooden steps to the Impala.
….
The three hunters had stuck to their typical routine. It made Sienna feel a little better to go through the motions and begin a new hunt. She'd been preoccupied with research on Morrigan, but she'd been a relatively obscure figure in Celtic mythology and Sienna hadn't had much luck finding anything solid. The one thing she did believe- Morrigan was a Goddess. The wings, the amount of power, the myths...there was no doubt she was a deity. Sienna sighed and shook her head. She needed to get her head in the game.
Standing alone in her motel room, she dressed into a skirt, button up shirt, and a blazer. She squirmed. She hated the business casual clothes they donned to gather information from people. She sighed again and stepped out of her room, looking for the Winchesters.
They were already in the Impala.
She slid in and strapped on her seatbelt. Dean took off without another word.
"Why does the PD keep sending you guys? I already said I didn't want a lawyer."
Sienna narrowed her eyes at the inmate that sat in front of them. Adam Benson had bludgeoned his wife to death only twenty-four hours before. Her lip hiked up in a disgusted sneer.
"They're lining up the firing squad." Dean threatened.
"I'm pleading guilty." The man shot back.
Dean inclined his head superiorly and shrugged. "Alright, look, you don't want us to represent you. That's fine. In fact, it's probably not a bad idea, between you and me."
Sienna stared at the back of his head, confused.
Sam cleared his throat meaningfully.
"We just want to understand what happened. That's all." Sienna chimed in.
People tended to give in when she spoke in her gentle, understanding tone. Benson continued to stare at the table, a glazed look over his face.
"Mr. Benson…" She tried again. He looked up at her, his face the picture of self-loathing. "Please."
The man in front of them took a huge breath, blew it out shakily and began speaking.
"What happened was...I killed my wife. And you want to know why? Because she made plans without asking me."
"When it happened did you feel...disoriented? Out of control?" Sam asked.
"Like something possessed you to do it?" Dean added quietly.
Benson shook his head in misery.
"I knew exactly what I was doing. I was crystal clear."
"Then, why did you do it?" Sienna questioned, pacing the length of the interrogation cell at the jail they were in.
"I don't know." He looked at the table again. "I loved her. We were happy."
The three hunters shared a look, and Sienna nodded. Dean flicked open his suitcase and pulled out a piece of paper, sliding it across the table to Benson. He pointed with his pen at a figure on the paper.
"Nine G's. That's a hefty bill." He raised his brow suspiciously.
The other two hunters turned to stare at him accusingly.
"Where did you get that?" Benson asked, straight-faced.
"Doesn't matter." Sienna observed. "We have it."
Dean leaned forward and smirked.
"See, certain charges- ones you don't want the missus to know- they show up under shady names like M and C Entertainment."
"Yeah, I don't know what you're talking about." Benson's face remained stoic, refusing to give away the information they were asking for.
"Oh, you're dropping plastic at a nudie bar, for instance." Dean sneered.
Sienna put a hand on Dean's shoulder and looked down at him speculatively.
"We just...want to know the truth, Mr. Benson." She added.
He sighed and reluctantly told them the truth.
"Her name was...Jasmine."
"She was a stripper?" Sam asked in response.
Dean smirked at him. "Dude, her name was Jasmine."
Sienna flicked him in the back of the head. He shied away, shooting her a guilty side-glance.
"I didn't mean for it to happen." Benson recaptured their attention. "I don't like to go to strip bars. A buddy was having a bachelor party, and… there she was."
"Jasmine?" Sienna asked.
"She came right up to me. And I-I don't know, s-she was just...Perfect."
His eyes had taken on a dreamy quality.
"Anything I wanted."
"Well, you pay enough, anybody will be anything." Dean mocked.
"It wasn't about the money." Benson pleaded. "It wasn't even about the sex. It was- I don't know. I don't know what it was. It's hard to explain."
Sam sat back, thoroughly stumped. "And your wife found out?"
"No, she never had a clue."
"Then why'd you kill her?"
Benson sighed. "For Jasmine. She said we could be together forever if-if only- Vicki was…"
Dean was almost shocked. "Muerte." He grumbled.
"Afterwards, me and Jasmine were supposed to meet, and she never showed. I don't know where she lives. I don't know her last name. I don't even know her real first name. I'm an idiot."
Sienna couldn't help but agree.
"And you didn't think to tell this to the cops?" Sienna pointed out.
He lifted his head from the table. "What for? The stripper didn't do it. I did it and I know what I deserve. Judge doesn't give me a death sentence, I'll just do it myself."
The hunters exchanged uneasy glances.
On the way out the jail, Dean amused Sienna. She'd tried to walk out first, into the hall full of cells and incarcerated men. He yanked her back, an arm around her waist. She staggered back in surprise. "What?"
"Are you crazy?" He whispered.
He stationed Sam on her one side, who looked at him quizzically, and glued himself to her other before reaching for the door.
"What was that about?" She hissed as they walked down the corridor. He half-bent to her ear.
"You're wearing a skirt in front of dozens of locked up thugs. Excuse me for worrying for your safety."
She gave him an exasperated look.
"Yes, as if any of these mortal men are any match for me."
He scowled but remained glued to her side. She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the small smile that tugged up her lips.
….
They'd headed to the coroner's office next to meet with Dr. Cara Roberts, who'd performed the autopsies on all three victims. On the way over, Sienna's phone vibrated insistently. She pulled it out and checked it. A text from Raina.
Got something. Call when you can.
She sighed. She missed the demigods, but she'd been running back and forth between them and the boys and she was exhausted. The boys leaned sideways to get out of the Impala. She stayed where she was.
"Sienna?" Dean called.
"Uh, go on without me. I'll catch up." She insisted, not looking up.
She dialed Raina's number and leaned against the seat. She heard one of the Impala doors open. She leaned forward. Dean. Like she couldn't have guessed.
She motioned him to leave. He smirked and closed the door, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly. She rolled her eyes and continued calling Raina.
"Hey, what's up?"
She could feel Dean's gaze on her through the rearview mirror like a tangible thing.
Morrigan is definitely a Goddess. I just had a casual dream-chat with my mom and she told me Morrigan's presence in this fight is a grim omen. She feeds on chaos.
"Well, then I see why Alex would want her on his side...and why she'd be on his."
But that's the thing. Mom said she doesn't pick sides, not really. If the most chaos she can cause is attacking or betraying Alex, then that's what she'll do.
Sienna groaned. "So she's a wild card. Like we didn't have enough of those in the mix."
Yeah… Raina sighed. Look, there's another reason I'm calling. Zach was supposed to be checking things out around Chicago and he missed his first check-in. If he misses his next, will you check on him for me?
Sienna met Dean's gaze in the mirror. He was still staring. She looked away hastily.
"Yeah. Just let me know."
Thanks, C. You rock.
"Don't mention it." And she hung up the phone.
"Ya done babysitting?" She asked him, stepping out of the vehicle, knowing full well that his gaze was still glued to her face in the mirror. He ducked out after her.
He turned toward her, pressing her into the door of the Impala, as she backed away from the alluring heat of his body.
"I don't think you can call it that unless you let me call you baby." His voice husky and deep.
Sienna felt a sparkle of heat deep in her stomach, but glared at him scathingly anyway, pressing a hand to his chest to push him back.
"Let's go, Winchester."
They walked into the police station together and when they approached Dr. Roberts door, he opened it for her.
"What'd we miss?" She asked settling in the seat next to Sam. Dean was left standing, his hands on the back of her chair. Dr. Roberts was a pale, tall brunette with a huge gleaming smile, aimed for Sam.
"Dr. Roberts, these are my partners, Agents Murdock and Towers."
"Please, agent sounds so formal. You can call me Dean."
He extended a hand towards her. Sienna set her jaw in annoyance. Taking his hand back, he let two of his fingers graze Sienna's back as he gripped her chair again. She leaned back abruptly, hoping to crush his fingers.
"So, anything else I can do to help you?"
Dr. Roberts' full attention was on Sam, who was smiling broadly. Sienna looked between the two, her brows raised. A mischievous smile pulled up her lips.
"Uh, sure...one more thing. This chemical-"
"Oxytocin." The doctor corrected.
"Oxytocin. What would cause those high levels that you found?"
The doctor thought on the question for a moment but eventually shrugged.
"Nothing that I've ever seen."
Sam nodded and looked back up into her gaze, smiling crookedly.
"Thanks, Doc."
The hunters got up, Dean leading the pack, and left the room. Before the door could shut behind them, Sam stuck his head back in.
"Oh, by the way, uh, try a greasy breakfast. Best thing for a hangover."
She grinned back at him. "Watch it, buddy. I'm the only M.D. here."
Sienna nudged Sam's chest with the back of her hand twice.
"Got game, Sammy!" She grinned back at him.
Flustered, he pushed her out the door before she could embarrass him.
Outside the police department, Sienna caught them up on the things she'd found out while researching.
"So, the only nudie bar in town is a place called The Honey Wagon."
"Any strippers named Jasmine?" Dean inquired.
"Well, they don't exactly keep a list."
"Doesn't matter." Sam corrected. "All three guys hooked up with three different chicks."
"So what, all these girls are connected somehow?" Sienna was dumbfounded.
"Well, no, wait." Dean chimed. "The guys all described the strippers in the same way. Like, the exact same way. Perfect and everything that they wanted."
Sienna walked on in thought, listening to the Winchesters.
"Yeah, at least they'll dream Barbie convinced them to murder their wives." Sam scoffed.
"There's that." Dean agreed.
"You know, it's almost like their under some kind of love spell."
"Sure seems that way."
She stopped walking, and Dean bumped her with his chest.
"Love spell?" She asked dazed.
"Which caused them to be totally psychotic." Sam explained.
Sienna just nodded and crawled into the Impala. "Love spell…" She whispered.
….
Sienna sat on Sam's bed, with his laptop, researching. She was almost positive she knew what they were hunting. But she wanted proof before spouting myths. Dean walked out of the bathroom still in his interview suit. He furrowed his brow at Sienna, who was back in her normal attire of jeans and boots.
"What? You're not going with me?"
Wide-eyed, she stared at him, like he'd forgotten something.
"To the strip club...with you?" She chuckled. "I don't think that's your best idea."
His mouth flopped open and closed a few times like a beached fish. Sienna propped her chin on her hand, waiting for his answer.
"Hey, Sammy, you want to go check out the strip club for me?"
Sienna actually sat up in astonishment. Sam dropped the book he was reading.
"What?"
"You heard me." Dean was trying to act nonchalant about his request.
She tilted her head and shook it. "Just go, Dean."
He groaned and bent towards her. "Sienna…"
She cast her eyes to the ceiling. "You're the only one who'd enjoy himself, anyway."
He hung his head, his shoulders drooping. She groaned.
"Dean, I'm not mad at you." She enunciated the words. "Just go."
He walked forlornly to the door, looking back at her sullenly every few feet until he was out the door.
"Gods." She complained under her breath.
"Go easy on him, C."
She looked up at Sam's close proximity and smiled ruefully.
"This is being easy."
She scooted over and he sat down next to her, making her body bounce lightly on the mattress.
"Look, I won't bring it up again, I mean, you have every right to be angry at Dean. Every right. But he is crazy about you. Every time you leave, he nearly kills himself every hunt we're on, worrying about whether you've gotten yourself killed." He half-laughed. "I've never even seen my brother around a girl for more than a couple weeks. And he begged you to come with us. I won't pretend I understand the things Dean does, but if there's one thing I know, it's how he feels about you."
He grinned. "And I think you know, too. Just...remember that."
She nodded, but otherwise remained quiet.
The truth was, she knew how Dean felt. He watched her constantly- she could feel his eyes on her everywhere she moved. And her heart broke every time she saw the anguish on his face, the fact that he was the one who caused it eating away at him. She was trying to forgive him. In fact, she was close to giving in.
Her cell phone rang again. Raina. She picked up.
"Hey Ray, I'm just researching...with Sam." She murmured the last two words suggestively.
Shut it, Gold.
She giggled, then quickly sobered when she remembered the reason for Raina's call.
"He still hasn't checked in?"
No. I've tracked his cell and he's somewhere in Peoria, Illinois.
"Alright, give me a second."
Sienna pulled the laptop within her reach and pulled up a few maps- one of Iowa and one of Illinois.
"Oh, that's only like a two-hour drive. I think I can swing it."
Sam was staring at her now, in suspicion.
Thanks babe! Call me as soon as you find him.
The call clicked off. She pulled the phone from her ear and looked up at Sam through her lashes. He sighed.
"You're leaving, aren't you?"
"Just for a few hours this time, I swear!"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Well, you're telling Dean. He gets all pouty and grumpy every time and it's your turn, Gold."
She huffed at him, but it was only for show. She would have stayed until Dean got back, anyways. She knew he'd be hurt and angry if she left without even telling him. She continued researching while she waited anxiously for Dean to come back to the room.
Half an hour later, it was almost sunset and Sienna had an official theory. Dean had finally walked back through the door. "Dean!" She exclaimed nervously.
He shut the door behind him and gave her a suspicious glance. He'd definitely heard the nerves in her voice. "What is it?" His voice was gruff.
"Uh, I think I've got a theory."
"Sienna-" Sam warned, encouraging her to tell Dean the real news. But she wasn't listening to him. She flicked her hand quickly and all the books around him opened, flapping their pages chaotically. Sam exclaimed, falling back in his chair.
"You dick." He grumbled from the ground.
Dean only watched the interaction with amusement.
"Anyway," Sienna sang. "We're hunting a siren."
"Like, greek-myth siren? The Odyssey?"
She raised her brows.
"I read." He scoffed.
She chuckled. "Well then, yes, sirens lure men to their death with a siren's call. It's like an allure they possess- maybe a toxin or venom that they poison their victims with, according to Raina. Thing is, they work by reading their victim. She knows exactly what your perfect person is, and she becomes it."
"So, there's only one woman doing all this?" Dean exclaimed incredulously. Sienna didn't correct him. "How the hell are we going to find her? She could be anybody!"
"Yup." Sienna sighed. "And the only way to kill her is with a bronze dagger dipped in the blood of a current victim- meaning the blood needs to have her venom in it."
Dean was exasperated. "How are we supposed to do that?"
"I think I've got an idea." Sam piped up. "But first, Sienna's got something to tell you."
She shot him a white-hot glare, which Sam met with one of his own. She turned to Dean, fidgeting with the loose threads at the end of her jacket sleeve. She was already wincing.
"Dean...Raina called-"
Her voice cut off at the look on his face. His eyes were on her duffel, packed and resting on his bed behind her. Barely controlled emotion flew across his face- frustration, anger, hurt, complete misery, and anxiety. She cringed, but scooched closer to him, her hands on his crossed arms.
"Just listen to me." She whispered.
He set his jaw angrily, grinding his teeth.
"I'm gonna go get some food. I'll pick you up something, Dean."
Sam ducked out of the room to give them privacy.
She looked up guiltily, pleading with her eyes. But once Sam was out of the room,
Dean's annoyance had turned to disappointment. He frowned, staring at the cover on the bed in sorrow.
"I don't want to leave." She began in a soft wail.
"Then don't." Dean retaliated.
Sienna plopped heavily on the bed, her face in her hands.
"You know it's not that easy, Dean. I don't have a choice."
"We always have choices." His voice was soft. "They're just hard."
She felt the bed shift and looked up to see Dean sitting, despondent, beside her. He still wasn't meeting her gaze, so she pulled his chin with two fingers, forcing him to look her in the eyes. He looked tired, she noted, and she wondered how he'd been sleeping.
"They depend on me." Her voice was apologetic. "Raina, Zach, and I are the only reason no one died in Colorado. If I don't help them, how many will? You can't ask me to abandon them, Dean. I'm all they have."
He gently took her hand in his and stared down at it. Even that innocent touch of skin had her nerves jumping in anticipation.
"You are killing yourself for them." He enunciated. "Have you looked in a mirror lately? I can see how exhausted you are, and you haven't even come on a hunt in weeks."
Sienna grimaced. That part was true, no matter her argument. She was tired enough to sleep for twelve hours at this very moment.
"I do what I have to." She murmured.
Dean bit his bottom lip, keeping his eyes glued to their still-joined hands. His voice was little more than a whisper.
"Well, then maybe you should stay with them."
Her head whipped around to stare at him with wild-eyes.
"What?" She blurted in shock. "You don't want me here?"
He met her gaze then, a look of sarcastic, almost angry, disbelief painted over his features. His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared.
"Don't be ridiculous, Sienna." He snapped. His voice softened at the poorly concealed hurt on her face- her lips slightly pouted and her brows pulled together. "I always want you here. More than almost anything. Almost. Not more than I want your health and safety. You're going to get yourself killed if you keep going at the pace you are."
She blinked.
He was telling her to stay with the half-bloods...because he was worried for her health?
He was staring at her affectionately, but his clenched jaw told of the pain underneath the thin veil. Faced with the real possibility of leaving Dean for good, Sienna's chest tightened and she could feel the blood draining from her face, rushing to her heart to help fuel the quick, hummingbird-like beats.
"I...I don't... want to do that." She breathed.
He let out a breath he'd been holding, the whistle of wind from his lips all she could hear, and met her gaze, the affection in it unquestionably outweighed the hurt.
"You don't?" He confirmed.
She recoiled away from him in shock. Anger pressed her lips together and she shook her head, yelling at him. "No...no. Of course I don't want to! I'm not just going to abandon you and Sam, either!"
When he didn't reply, she stood up facing him, indignant. Her voice shot up an octave- she was working herself into a real tantrum.
"Dean Winchester, how could you think I'd agree to something like that? Like I would just run out on you? Who the hell do you think I am? Just because I'm not sucking your face every five minutes, doesn't mean I don't care about you! What do you think you are to me, Dean? My plaything? I can't believe that you would even think-"
She had been gesturing wildly with her hands, but her tirade was abruptly cut off as Dean stood fluidly, caught her face in both hands, and pulled her lips down on his. She should've been angry or pushed him away, but she couldn't. She gave in immediately, gripping his neck with both hands as he stood to full height. The kiss was gentle, soft lips tugging at soft lips, but their bodies reacted without conscious thought, drawing each other closer, holding tighter, groaning in feverish passion.
As if in sync, they pulled way at the same time. They pressed their foreheads together, not ready to separate yet. Dean's hands stayed holding her face. Sienna studied him, wide-eyed. He was still staring at her lips. When he looked up, she spoke quietly, between pants.
"I'm coming back."
"I know." His grin was wide. "Good thing. I don't think Sam likes me without you anymore."
She laughed, tilting her head. "I think that has something to do with you being grumpy, not me."
"Doesn't it count if you're the reason I'm grumpy?"
She pouted and glared playfully. He laughed the loudest he had in weeks, and pulled her against his chest, one hand holding her head against him, and the other curling around the small of her back. She wrapped her hands around his waist and squeezed. Eventually, she pushed her head back, tucking her chin in his chest to look up at him without pulling away.
She didn't care about Anna anymore. With his arms around her, she almost couldn't leave. It was as if she'd had her blood drained out of her, little by little, for the last two or three weeks and Dean's kiss was a transfusion. She felt buoyant, her muscles humming with free energy. Dean pressed his forehead to hers. He had to bend to do so. He ran a thumb under one of her eyes, tracing the black shadow there.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" He softly questioned while he knew she was feeling charitable toward him. "Is it all bad news? The future?"
She shook her head back and forth. "It's not just that."
When she didn't elaborate he raised an eyebrow, and tilted his head. He was going to get it out of her eventually. She sighed.
"I...got used to you...being there, too."
His concerned look broke into legitimate joy. Her heart warmed. She hadn't seen that expression since they were back in the seventies hanging around his soon-to-be parents. She smiled begrudgingly at his split grin. Although it embarrassed her to tell him the truth, she was happy to see the smile.
He pressed his lips softly to hers again. She could feel his smile. He pulled back slightly and planted a sweet, fluttery kiss on the tip of her nose. She scrunched it and smiled at him.
"I can fix that. Just say the word." He murmured in response.
She felt blood flood her cheeks. Get a grip!
But she'd lost the fight. She didn't want to walk away from him. She didn't want to sleep in a separate bed. She didn't want any other woman to feel his body against theirs. Dean was hers. And as much as it made her squirm uncomfortably, Sienna was his, too.
Dean chuckled and ran his thumb along her blushing cheek bone. She recognized the look in his eyes and her breath caught. He clutched her body closer suddenly and, letting his nose graze her cheek, he nuzzled his chin from the base of her neck to the sensitive spot behind her earlobe before leaning down and brushing his lips along the same route. Heat surged through her, her thighs tingling. She let out a shaky breath. It had been over a full month since they'd had sex, and her body was starved.
"Dean…" She warned, but her hands were sloping down from his waist and back up under his shirt, mapping the hard planes and stark lines of muscle built over decades.
She felt his lips at her ear, his hot breath forcing the fine hair at the back of her neck to stand on end.
"They don't need you right now, do they?"
"Uh- I...I mean…" She stammered out. Her brain felt like it was full of clouds. She'd tipped her head back and fluttered her eyelids closed. Her mouth opened a fraction and she panted, her nerves prickling. The feeling of his lips against her skin was like hot silk. One of her hands slipped out of his shirt to let her fingers run through his hair. Dean nudged the lapel of her jacket off her shoulder and his lips followed. Every time his teeth grazed her, Sienna made a helpless whimper of pleasure. As his kisses grew hotter and lower, he tugged her shirt down simultaneously.
He kissed along her collar bone, sucking on the sensitive skin beneath it. When he got to her scar, he paused, running a gentle finger down it's length. Sienna flipped her head back to watch him through a heavy-lidded gaze.
"Does it hurt?"
"No."
He leaned forward, tipping her back with the hand on her waist. He kissed along the scar to her shirt line, moved to continue pulling the shirt down, and stopped once he reached the center of her chest, his face settled between her breasts. The hand around her waist traced its way to the front of her body, his fingers playfully fidgeting with the hem of her jeans. He kissed and nibbled the spot on her chest. She gripped his hair with one hand, let her nails dig into the flesh of his back with the other, and half-gasped, goosebumps raising the flesh along the tops of her breasts.
"Dean." She moaned his name.
At that, Dean half-growled and his hands ran down the sides of her body, gripping under her thighs and lifting her to his waist. She could feel how much he wanted her and her desire grew, heat spreading through her pelvis. She locked her ankles behind his back and grabbed at the front of his shirt roughly, pulling him to her. Their bodies collided and as soon as their lips touched, the door flew open.
They broke apart in surprise, though Dean's hold on her never abated.
Sam stood in the doorway, two paper bags in his hand, with a slowly widening grin on his face. Then he noticed their position and held up a hand.
"Oh, God, my eyes!"
"No!" Dean complained. He buried his head in her hair. "Don't you knock?!"
Sienna hugged him tight for another minute. Breathing deeply, she willed herself to calm down. She could forgive Dean later. She had to leave. She unlocked her ankles and jumped down, shaking herself a little. Dean didn't let her go though, his hands only slid up, intentionally brushing the most sensitive parts of her, until he cupped her face again. She smiled as she realized they'd come full circle. She ended up in the position that started the whole thing.
Dean pulled her to him once again, almost roughly, and kissed her hard, biting and smoothing his tongue over her bottom lip lightly. When he pulled back she was panting and her eyelashes fluttered again. She pushed him with one hand, a lovingly-irritated expression narrowing her eyes, and tugging up a grin.
"Quit that! I can hardly think."
He smirked. "Yeah, that was the point."
She cast her eyes to the ceiling, but the stupid love-drunk smile wouldn't stay off her face.
Sam came over and gave her a brisk hug, forcing Dean to release his hold. "Be safe."
"I'll be back in just a few hours." She assured, locking eyes with Dean over Sam's shoulder.
"How you gettin' there?" Dean's mood had somewhat soured at the prospect of her departure.
She shrugged. "Borrow something, probably."
He hunted around in his pocket and pulled out his keys, holding them out to her. She didn't take them. She stared at him, her mouth half-open in shock. He'd never offered her the Impala- he'd stolen a car for her, she remembered with humor, but never given her his. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Dean smirked at her as if offering a challenge.
"You say it's only a few hours, right? You promised you're coming back. Prove it."
He held them out. She stuck her chin out stubbornly and grabbed the keys. As she walked away, he followed her, watching her from the open door frame of his room.
"Make sure my baby doesn't get hurt! And you know...the Impala, too."
She turned and continued walking backwards, facing Dean, a coy smile on her face. He was grinning. He winked and she turned around, biting her lip and shaking her head.
She was so screwed.
….
In two incredibly long hours full of bitten lip-esque daydreams of a certain Winchester, Sienna was pulling up to a seedy motel surrounded by warehouses and bars. She opened her phone to check the name of the motel Raina had given her. This was the right place. She checked her gun on her hip and reached across the backseat of the Impala for her silver sword.
Her celestial bronze sword was locked up in the trunk's arsenal, freshly cleaned of purple blood.
She looked both ways before climbing out of the car. Night had fallen halfway through the drive. The street was dark- all the streetlights for the next few blocks were burnt out. She kept a hand on her gun and stalked towards the door labelled 104. She put her ear to the door. Nothing.
She knocked loudly. "Zach?"
Still nothing. She tried one more time. When there was no response, Sienna stepped back, looked both ways, and kicked at the handle with all her might. The lock burst and the door swung ajar. She slipped out her gun and stepped gingerly into the room. Almost nothing was out of the ordinary. She'd expected blood and broken furniture and-
"Zach!"
He was unconscious, bound to the cheap motel bed by his wrists and ankles. There was a ring of red and black, blistery skin where the thin metal touched him. Someone had trapped him with celestial bronze. She ran to him, dropping on her knees next to his head. She felt for a pulse from the carotid artery in his neck. A slow, healthy rhythm thudded under her fingers.
"Zach!" She shook his shoulder. "Hey, wake up kid, come on."
He moved his head to the other side of the pillow and mumbled something that sounded like 'Raina.' She shook him again, but he didn't wake back up. She growled. How was she going to move an unconscious man, who was almost a whole foot taller than her, she might add, to the Impala?
First, she called Raina.
Have you found him?
"Yeah, I've got him. How I'm getting him in the car, I'm not sure, but he's alive and safe."
Raina let out a heavy breath. Sienna smiled coyly.
"Wow, you were really worried, huh?"
Raina stammered- utterly bizarre behavior for her. Sienna's smile grew.
I worry about all the demigods!
"Mm-hmm. Yeah, well, I'll get your boyfriend back to you safely."
Raina laughed. Sometimes I don't know why you're my friend. She joked.
"So that you can make snide comments about Dean." She reminded her pleasantly.
Oh, right, that. Give loverboy my regards.
She hung up. Sienna laughed into the empty receiver.
Now the hard part. Zach.
She strolled over, wondering the best way to unchain him. She surveyed the room for anything she could use. She could use her sword to get him unstuck from the bed, but he'd still be burned by the celestial bronze- so would she for that matter. Her gaze was caught by a pile of papers on the ratty desk in the corner. She strode to it.
"Yes!" She hissed under her breath. She slid the paper clip holding the papers together into her hand and clambered to the bed. She shook the pillowcase off the one free pillow and wrapped it around her left land.
She unbent the paperclip and kneeled at Zach's right ankle. Holding the manacle in her covered left hand, she shoved the thin piece of metal through the lock. She pushed and twisted- click. The manacle clattered to the floor.
She exhaled an excited breath. At least she had a plan...until he was free. Then, her best idea was to drag him by the shoulders and haul him into the Impala. This was a bad idea for a multitude of reasons, but she couldn't think of anything else and she wasn't waiting for him to wake up. She promised Dean only a couple of hours.
She tried one more time, futilely, to wake Zach up. He only mumbled more unrecognizable words and slumped back to the pillow.
"Goddammit, okay." She complained under her breath.
She positioned herself at the head of the bed and carefully pulled his shoulders in her direction. Once he was almost horizontal, she gripped under his armpits and dragged him off the bed. He was even heavier than he looked.
"Good gods!" She exclaimed.
Carrying him when he was unconscious was a whole different story than when she'd carried him back at the canyon in Colorado. After a solid five minutes of dragging the six foot tall Zach, she had reached the door and was sweating. She laid him on the ground, dragging a hand to wipe her wet forehead. She stepped out of the room, the slight wind raised goosebumps on her sweaty skin. No one was on the street, and no other motel room lights blazed in the darkness.
It was the best she could do.
She ducked back into the room, bent to grab Zach again, and drug him to the Impala. She opened the back door with significant difficulty and then crawled in, her arms still around him, and pulled him after her. She bumped the door handle on the other side and reached behind her to prop it open. She gasped, disgruntled, when she fell out, landing smack on her butt on the asphalt.
Wearily, she carefully shut that door, avoiding his head, and sluggishly walked around the back of the Impala, shoved Zach's feet onto the seat, and shut the other passenger door.
She sat in the front seat of the Impala, panting, and started the car. Her phone began buzzing. She pulled it out- Dean.
"Hey." She sighed.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm... totally... fine." She was still panting.
"Really? Because you sound like you just ran a marathon."
She laughed. "I had to drag someone as big as Sam about seventy feet."
He snorted. "What a feat." He sighed suddenly. She could feel the stretched nerves in his voice. He was trying to sound controlled, but Sienna could hear the effort it took him. She wished he would just drop the act.
"Dean, what's wrong?"
She had started driving. She took the exit to take her to the freeway, and eventually, Iowa.
"I think Sam's in trouble with the siren." He confided, obviously trying to keep his anger with Sam under control.
She actually took the phone away from her ear to look at it in surprise. She didn't mean to be crass, but Sam wasn't usually the type to pull random chicks. That was more typical of Dean's behavior. Before her, that was. She hastily put the phone back to her ear.
"Explain."
So, he did. He told her about the real FBI agent they met after she'd left, Nick, and the hyacinth flowers he'd found at every crime scene. She nodded. That made sense- Hyacinth was originally from the Greek Islands.
"Wait...didn't we see a hyacinth in-"
"Dr. Robert's office. Yeah. And when I told Sam about it…"
"What?" Anxiety gripped her stomach. It flipped and gurgled uncomfortably.
"He had already slept with her."
Her jaw dropped. "Wha- how? I've literally only been gone for two and a half hours! And you were with him for like half of that."
"Yeah, well, apparently he doesn't like to take his time like m- some people."
She closed her eyes for only a second and held back her laugh. She was blushing and biting her top lip. Dean was making her crazy. All she wanted was to get back to him, solve this case, and push him into her bed.
"Nice save, Winchester."
He chuckled and his voice became deeper and huskier. "What can I say? I'm a giver."
Her lips turned up mischievously. "That you are. I'll see you in an hour and a half."
She made a kissing noise into the phone and hung it up. She wanted the last word after the turn the conversation had taken. Her stomach flipped in a thrill. He was like a drug- irresistible. She was biting her lip, thinking of her relationship with Dean and how she thought she should proceed. Leaving him wasn't an option she wanted to explore anymore. Being friends wasn't working, clearly. She sighed.
She knew from the beginning she would wind up back in his arms. Ever since he'd convinced her to stay at Bobby's that first night.
But was it that bad of a thing? She'd been able to rely on Dean since they'd been together and that was something she hadn't had since her mom was killed. And Dean needed her, too. They were facing the apocalypse- maybe they should grab and hold on while they still could. And he was sorry for what he did...he wouldn't have done it under any normal circumstances and she knew that. She didn't want to-
"Wow, considering the glazed stare in your eyes and the soppy smile, I'd guess that was the human boyfriend?"
She nearly jumped out of her skin.
She whipped her head around, looking between Zach and the road. He was sitting up now, his head tilted, staring at her in the rearview mirror with a smirk.
"Well, you're alive." She huffed.
"Looks like it."
He clambered up gingerly beside her until he was seated in the front passenger seat.
"Gods, I feel like I've been run over by a bus."
"You remember what happened then?" She asked.
He pursed his lips, looking sheepish. Sienna lifted a brow, but decided to keep her eye on the road rather than stare him down.
"Soooo…" She led.
"I was in Chicago looking for signs of Alex. I didn't find any so I was back on my way to St. Louis, where Raina is right now, but I stopped here to rest."
She gestured that he should keep going. He cleared his throat nervously.
"I-I went to a bar to get a drink, and...I met the most incredible woman there…"
His voice and expression had become glazed and dreamy. Sienna opened her mouth and then closed it. The siren? Zach? But he was miles from her hunting zone why would she go all the way over here…
"Zach." She snapped her fingers in front of his nose. "I need you to explain this woman to me."
He shook his head.
"I don't know how… it was like Raina in a supermodel body. She was...perfect."
"Until she strapped you to a bed with burning metal and left you to rot, of course."
Zach set his jaw angrily, crossed his arms, and looked out the window.
"How would you know? You weren't there. Maybe you're just jealous."
Sienna raised an eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously.
"Did she ask you to do anything?"
"Just...sex." He answered uncomfortably. "And my love. That's what it is."
Sienna stared out the windshield. Zach was still under her spell.
"I believe you." She lied.
She grabbed her phone off the dash and hit Dean's speed dial. It rang and rang but he never answered. A small flower of apprehension bloomed beneath her ribs. She redialed.
"Dean…" She worried under her breath.
He didn't answer. She checked the time. She was forty minutes away. Glancing in her mirrors first, she stomped on the gas. The Impala roared and surged forward. Zach grabbed for the bottom of the seat.
He looked around him.
"You know, this is a nice ass car, Gold."
She laughed.
"It's Dean's."
"And he let you drive it? He must be crazy."
A line creased her forehead.
"What does that mean?"
"I mean you are crazy and impulsive! If I was your boyfriend, you'd never lay your hands on a car this nice."
She smiled pleasantly at him.
"And that's why you're not my boyfriend."
He frowned.
"Speaking of boyfriends…"
She didn't say anything. What could he possibly have to say about her life?
"I'm just surprised to see you with a human."
She smirked, good-naturedly. "He's not your average human."
She thought about her situation for a moment. She had just left Dean to go save another guy...a big, attractive one at that. She tilted her head towards him.
"By the way...probably don't touch me or look at me any weird way or anything when we get back to the boys okay?"
"Because you'll sick your rottweiler on me?" He ventured, obviously confused by the scrunched forehead and pouty lips.
She laughed.
"I mean... it's the same sentiment. Only it's not me."
"Ohhhh, boyfriend a jealous freak, huh?"
She snorted. "Please. He's the only man whose ever convinced Zeus' daughter into a relationship." She looked at him meaningfully. "I mean, my father is Zeus. That's more than enough to reassure him. But we did just go through a little rough patch and we're just getting back to normal and…" She finished in a rush. "I feel like he may be quick to...you know, kick your ass."
He scoffed. "Right. As if he could."
"Exactly. And then I'd have to get involved."
He froze, his mouth slightly open. He pressed his lips into a flat line.
"You'd do that?"
She met his gaze seriously. He had to understand her- if she was forced to take sides, it would be Dean. It would always be Dean. She shot a narrowed side glance at him.
"No one lays a hand on my Dean."
He raised his eyebrow, a cocky half-grin lifting one side of his mouth.
"Wow." He mocked. She clenched her jaw and drew her own trump card.
"So, you and Raina, hmm?"
He turned abruptly, fully facing her. A small smile pulled her lips up but she remained calmly facing the road.
"H-How did you…Did she say something?"
"She didn't, actually. But you just confirmed it for me. You gonna ask her out?"
"Well, no, it doesn't matter anymore...not after Merida."
Sienna just stared blankly at him. She finally saw the lights of the city. Her heart sped up. Dean and Sam could be in trouble.
"Right." She agreed with him.
She tapped her fingers anxiously as she drove through the city at twenty-five miles per hour. She wanted to speed, but getting pulled over by the cops would only hurt her situation more.
Finally, they pulled up to the motel she recognized. She couldn't even tell if the boys were here or not- she had the Impala. She wanted to dart out of the car and check immediately, but she had something more important to handle.
She looked both ways and pointed to the stairs. "My room is upstairs. I have some godly nectar up there. That should get you all healed up and you can look for the Raina-like supermodel. Okay?"
He nodded once and bent to climb out of the vehicle.
Sienna followed his example nonchalantly.
"One second, I'll grab you another weapon for your trip. Go ahead."
He walked in front of the Impala, going slowly to wait for her. She popped the trunk and hunted through the arsenal- finally, a bronze blade. She held it lightly in her hand, letting it hang down by her leg. Gesturing to the stairs again, they climbed to her room. The door shut behind her.
He stretched and yawned.
"Where's that nectar? I'm beat."
"Oh, over in the bedside drawer."
Sienna's head was bent over a book about Greek myths she'd been studying before she left, trying to appear as if she weren't paying him any attention. Zach strolled over to the far side of the room, humming in relief. She sighed.
"Zach?" Her voice was innocent, as if only getting his attention to tell him something trivial. He turned to face her, an easy smile pulling his lips up- she thrust a hand up and shoved his back against the wall, his hair flapping wildly in the wind. All the books in the room fluttered, making small wispy sounds around them. The dark-haired demigod gasped, wild-eyed. She approached him, brandishing the bronze sword.
"Sienna, what the hell?!"
She grimaced and roughly grabbed up his left hand. She knew he was right-handed. At least, she'd try to minimize the damage done to him.
"I'm sorry. I really am. You'll understand soon."
She crouched and sliced his palm with the bronze.
"Ow! Shit!"
As the blood pooled, she dipped the tip of the sword in it, coating all sides.
She met his gaze. "The nectar really is in that drawer. There's first aid supplies in my duffel. You can even sleep here tonight. I promise," she assured. "You'll be grateful soon."
Zach sputtered incredulously.
She stood fully and strode to the door in three huge steps, listening to the man she was leaving screaming for her to release him.
"I will." She promised. "Once I'm out of the room."
She needed to find the boys. There was only one reason for the siren to go so far as to attacking Zach- to get her away from the Winchesters. Hopefully, they were next door and she could stop the siren from wreaking any more havoc.
….
She sprinted down the short length of the hallway to their door. She covered her mouth with a hand to keep from breathing loudly, giving away her position, and pressed an ear to the door. She needed some idea of what was going on before she went barreling in.
She could hear Dean and Sam speaking, the words muffled by the wooden door.
"Too weak…" She thought she heard Sam say. "...Souls in Hell...boo-hoo."
She heard a wicked thump and the scuffling that could only mean physical combat. She grabbed for the handle and found it locked against her.
"Dean!" She yelled for him, hoping her voice would snap him out of the spell he was under. That they were both under, she was sure. She backed up and attempted to kick at the door and bust the lock open. Her efforts didn't even leave a mark. There had to be some kind of magic. She wasn't getting in that room unless someone opened the door for her.
She gulped. What she was about to do felt wrong. Very wrong. She didn't want to exploit the connection between herself and Dean, but there was no other way. If there was anyway to momentarily break the spell over him, it would be because he needed to protect her.
She could hear grunts of pain from both boys, the crunch of furniture and bone breaking. She screamed internally with frustration.
She ran up to the door, letting her body crash against it and made a groan of fake-pain. She bit her lip- she was fighting against her moral instinct.
"Dean, help me!" She cried.
She felt the door vibrate and heard the crash of one of their bodies against it.
She let out another gasp of pain and a small squeal and bumped against the door again, as if someone threw her against it. She thought she heard a weary 'C?' but couldn't be sure if it was real or a figment of her imagination. Another hard thump and the wood shook under her fingers. There was silence.
Her heart pounded, loud enough she was sure it could be heard.
She screamed again, this time letting the anguish of what she could only imagine was happening in the room wash over her and through her voice.
"Dean, please!" She cried. "He's hurting me!"
She'd only called for Dean like this one other time, as she was strapped down to a table, seconds from having her eyes harvested, and he'd shown and saved her like a white knight.
The silence remained.
"Dean!" She cried one more time. "Please, I need you!"
The door was shoved open roughly, Sienna only had time to take a couple steps back before he was there. Dean, a glazed look in his eye, looked around the hall suspiciously. She knew this wasn't the time, but she had been imagining the worst, so she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him as hard as she could. His hands immediately pulled her into his body, as if he couldn't help it.
She pulled back, peering into the room behind him. Sam was on the ground, just barely stirring, his nose dripping blood. She froze, remembering what she was there to do. With a shaky breath, she pulled back and kissed Dean gently on the lips. He set her back on her feet before pulling away from her.
"Dean." Sam called, malice seething from his voice.
Sienna stepped out of his arms. "I'm so sorry about this."
And then she thrust one hand up, throwing Dean halfway down the halfway and thrust the other at Sam, pinning him to the closest wall. He drew a breath in through clenched teeth.
"Sienna, this isn't about you!"
She ignored him, facing the only person left in the room- the siren. She had the blood-tipped sword resting in her scabbard so the creature wouldn't know how easily she could kill it. The siren, currently showing itself as a man in what looked to be his early thirties, stood from the bed smiling at her entry to the fight.
He began walking around her, and she shifted her position with his so that they were circling each other. Dean emerged back into the room, his eyes on Sam, an ax in his hand. Sienna's eyes popped wide in horror and she, momentarily distracted, stood in between the brothers. The siren smirked again. "Heroes." He sneered.
As Dean ran for Sam, she blasted him as hard as she thought he could handle with wind. He lost his footing and tripped hard, landing on his back in a puff of dust from the carpet, the ax rolling out of his hand. In mixed fury and desperation, she looked back at the doorway. The siren was a third of the way down the hallway, making his escape. Sienna's blood boiled. He'd pinned her boys against each other- when they were already having issues- and then tried to run away?
"You coward!" She screeched and with one swift movement, she unsheathed the bronze blade and let if fly, hand over hand, until it sunk half the blade into its back. The siren screamed and shuddered, holding itself up along the wall. A mirror hung behind the monster, and when it turned to look in the glass, Sienna saw it's true form.
From the shoulders up, the mirror revealed a human-shaped, ghastly gray-skinned beast, it's mouth a ripped hole in its face, covered with sinews of gray-black tissue, like a whirlpool. There were holes for its ears and nostrils, but not the organs themselves. It's skin pocked with grimy holes, like burnt plastic.
A lip drawn up in disgust, she took a step toward it. She stopped only because the siren fell to the ground, a trickle of blood escaping its mouth with it's last breath.
Sienna was panting. She still had a hand up between the Winchesters. She slowly lowered it, casting a gaze between the two, who were also panting- and looking around in shock and horror.
Before anyone could get a word out, her door was shoved open and Zach came barreling toward her until he'd caught her up in a strong hug, pulling her feet off the ground. She was thrown- what was he doing? Did she not tell him, specifically, not to do this? She didn't hug him back out of pure astonishment.
He pulled her back. "Thank you."
"No...problem?" She said, uncertain what it was he was thanking her for.
Zach still had his hands on her shoulders. Dean had finally stood and his clenched jaw and fists were not a promising sign. She shook herself, trying, nonchalantly to shake his grip loose.
"She was making me think horrible things about Raina."
Sienna stopped trying to get away and smiled a sad smile, her eyes wide.
"That must have been awful."
"It was-"
Dean had reached them. He narrowed his eyes at Zach, a vein pulsing in his neck. Dean was shorter than Zach, but it didn't matter. He'd kicked Sam's ass multiple times- she knew the real difference was Zach's power. But that still didn't stop the Winchester brother from standing behind him and prying his hands off Sienna's shoulders, savagely throwing his hands toward the ground.
Zach looked down and then turned around. He cocked his head at Dean, and gave Sienna a side glance. Then he laughed. Sienna bit her lip and cringed. Laughing at Dean's jealousy would not have been her move.
"Right." He turned back around to her and pointed at Dean over his shoulder with a thumb. "The rottweiler."
She immediately jumped between them, a soft hand on Dean's chest.
"Dean, this is Zach."
"The reason you had to leave." He replied gruffly, glaring at him with his nostrils flared. The rigid cords in his neck made her anxious. She turned her back on Zach, almost leaning against Dean's strong chest- if it wasn't moving so rapidly she would've already fallen against it. She had to calm him down.
A shiver of apprehension forked down her spine. Sam hadn't said a thing. Neither Dean or Sam even acknowledged the fact that they'd almost killed each other. Dean was still glaring at a sheepish-looking Zach over her head.
"Hey." She murmured, her hands burying themselves in his jacket pockets, pulling him another step toward her.
Reluctantly, he looked down at her, one hand brushing through her hair and the other trapping her to his body for only a quick, stolen moment. She grumbled when he pulled away because she'd just felt his heartbeat, and now it was gone. He looked her over once, twice. And then his brow furrowed and he squinted.
She looked down at herself, looking for whatever he was.
"So, you're...not hurt?" He asked.
She lightly rocked her head back in a lack of comprehension. Then she remembered the words she screamed to persuade Dean to open the door while he was under the spell. Understanding flooded her, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Tenderness for Dean warmed her chest and she barreled back into his arms, clutching the back of his neck.
Dean, clearly surprised, didn't grab her at once, afraid to hurt her. She held on tighter and his hands came up to hold her, his fingers softly caressing her skin.
"There wasn't anyone." She admitted, her face buried in the crook of his neck. "I couldn't get the door open, and I thought if anything could…"
He snorted. "It would be me, trying to protect you."
He squeezed her tighter, nuzzling the top of her head, which rested just below his chin. His chest rumbled beneath her when he spoke.
Sienna giggled and pulled out of their embrace. She watched Zach raise his brows at Dean's blatant affection. She was standing directly in front of him, her body snug against Dean's. He had tugged her back almost as soon as her feet touched the ground. Sienna beamed at Zach, happy all three of them were safe.
But, when she looked down at Dean's hands on her waist, she was reminded of the grim fight that took place only moments before. She turned in Dean's arms, her hands prodding the cuts and bruises on his face, chest, and hands. She sighed and made her way to Sam, who was sitting silent and forlorn in the far corner.
He had close to the same injuries, only a little bloodier. Dean was always harder on him than Sam usually was to Dean. She sighed.
"You guys need first aid."
She grabbed the kit from Sam's duffel and made to walk to Dean. He shook his head and motioned to Sam with his chin. She pursed her lips at him, hesitating between the two.
Please. He mouthed.
She sighed, and looking over her shoulder at him, walked to Sam. She knelt beside him, taking one of his giant hands into both of hers.
"I can do this myself, C." He murmured. He didn't speak to her angrily. Instead, she thought she could see guilt lining his face with creases on his forehead and around his mouth.
He didn't take his hand back, so she continued cleaning it, until the majority of the blood was gone and she could see the real damage underneath. They were in a little world all their own. Dean and Zach had taken to conversing, sitting on either side of Sam's bed. She could only hear the murmur of words, the words themselves lost from their distance.
"Sam…are you guys okay?" She began, but he closed his eyes, shaking his head.
"I don't wanna talk about it, C."
She peeked at Dean over her shoulder. He was talking to Zach, but his eyes were glued to her. She'd felt them there. She smiled gently and turned back to Sam.
"Well, you're going to have to eventually. Neither of you can go on like nothing happened. It's gonna come out, Sam."
He kept his gaze on his bleeding hand.
Sienna sighed but stopped. Sam usually talked himself into doing the right thing. She was more worried about Dean- he was stubborn as a mule. She was worried he'd back himself into a corner with Sam and their relationship would never be the same.
She had already wrapped his first hand and had moved on to the other. Once she was done wrapping that one, she pulled herself closer and dabbed an alcohol-soaked cotton ball against the bloody slice along his throat.
Sam was staring at the ceiling. "Sienna, you'll...stay with my brother...even if I'm not here, right?"
She froze, her hand halfway between his neck and the floor. "Sam…"
"You don't-" He sighed in exhaustion. "I just want to know." He reassured in a defeated voice.
"I'll always be here for Dean." She murmured nervously.
"Thank you." He murmured. "For you know, watching over him. Even when he doesn't deserve it."
She nodded, not trusting her voice. Dean would be so torn up without Sam. She prayed to the Gods he wasn't going to leave them.
"Sienna, I'm going to go steal your shower." Zach stood up, making for the door. She barely spared a glance for him. She was throwing out all the bloodied rags and grabbing new ones for Dean. She had them all and sat at the edge of his bed. He was still on Sam's side, but Sienna wanted to give Sam an excuse to go straight to bed.
She crooked a finger at him, gesturing him to come to her. He did.
He plopped onto the comforter beside her and held out his hands. She began cleaning them wordlessly. She heard the bathroom door closed and assumed Sam had locked himself in there gratefully to shower off the sweat and blood.
Sienna glanced up at Dean. She could see the pain etched on his face. She took more care with his hands, her touch gentle and light.
"What happened?" She questioned as gently as she could.
Dean bit the inside of his bottom lip, his gaze trained on her hands, working over his body.
"Sam's working with Ruby to go after Lilith."
He said the words in a rush. She wasn't sure she'd heard him right, but when she met his gaze, she knew it must have been true. Only something that horrible could cause a look so black.
She let out a breath. She didn't know what to say. How would they stop this situation?
Before she could get a word out though, Dean pulled her into his body, his hands gripping her waist so tight that if she were a human, she would've had bruises. She let herself relax against his muscled chest and traced the outline of his shoulder muscles with a hand.
"Your knuckles should be wrapped." She whispered, but she didn't pull out of his arms.
"We'll do it in a minute." He murmured against his hair. "Trust me, this is much better for my health."
She snorted, and let him pull her in closer.
….
Sienna laid, half-propped up in bed in her motel room. She could hear Zach snoring quietly from the couch. She took another sip of whiskey, sighing. This is how it had been. She'd sleep for about an hour, watch something truly horrifying, and wake up too wired to go back to sleep. She let her mind wander back to the dream.
It couldn't be the same as her other dreams of the future. Those had made some sense- but this...this was insanity. It couldn't be her future. She couldn't imagine a thread of fate that burnt and twisted that did not break.
She remembered Sam's words earlier… "You'll stay with my brother...even if I'm not here, right?"
She hoped she could keep the promise.
Finally, she huffed and crawled to drop out of bed. She still had her glass in her hand, and pushing on her fuzzy plaid slippers, marched to the door with sheepishness.
She pushed it open quietly, trying to keep from waking Zach.
She was only wearing one of Dean's long-sleeved shirts over boy-short underwear, so she looked both ways before stepping out into the drafty, poorly-lit hall. It was deserted.
She strolled to the door she was looking for, reluctant to stop. Raising her hand in the air to knock, Sienna froze.
She felt so stupid, coming to him in the middle of the night because she couldn't sleep. Isn't this what kids do? Go running to mommy and daddy when they were unhappy? She should just go back to her room and wait it out. Eventually the liquor would take over and she'd sleep for another couple hours.
But...with Dean, she may sleep the whole night... The temptation was too great and, sighing in defeat, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.
….
Dean wasn't sleeping. He couldn't. He stared at the TV screen watching some late night talk show without actually seeing it. The things Sam had said while under the siren's spell played in his head on a loop. He knew deep down that Sam was walking a path he couldn't follow him down and that scared him almost as much as losing Sienna had.
A loud knock reverberated from the door across the room.
Dean's thoughts ground to a halt. He raised his upper body from the bed with an arm, glancing at Sam. His brother was still peacefully sleeping. Dean's hunter instincts had him rolling out of bed, darting across the room, and grabbing the gun slung across the top of the dresser. He peeked through the peephole.
His heart stuttered.
Sienna stood there, gripping her elbows with her hands, shivering, and looking up and down the hall furtively. Her suspicious glances reminded him of the gun in his hand. He yanked the door open, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her into the room behind his body. She made a muffled noise of surprise, but didn't fight him.
Once she was safe, he pointed the gun out in the hall. He felt Sienna's hands on his arms, tugging his arms, and the gun, back into the room and slamming the door with her hand.
"What are you doing?!" She whispered.
He turned to her in confusion. "What was out there?"
She stared at him blankly, a brow raised and her mouth slightly open. "Nothing?"
He stammered. "But I saw you, and you were looking up and down the hall as if-"
"I didn't want a stranger to see me in my underwear?"
His brows were furrowed, as if he hadn't heard her words, but then his brows shot up and he stepped back to gaze at her bare legs. His shirt hung to the middle of her thighs and her feet were nestled in plaid fluffy slippers. He furrowed his brow one more time.
"Wait, but then why are you-"
He cut off at the low blush that stained her cheeks, one he could barely see by the dull light cast by the television. His eyes studied the dark shadows under her eyes and the strong whiskey aroma that filled his nostrils. He took a step closer to her. She didn't back away.
"You can't sleep." He whispered.
She met his searching gaze from under her eyelashes, clearly embarrassed, but Dean wouldn't let anything take the wind out of his sails now.
She needed him. That was the gist of her appearance.
Dean's heart was thumping loudly in his chest. He wrapped her in his arms and pressed her to his chest. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. He pried the whiskey out of her hand, and dragged her to his bed, keeping his hold tight the entire time.
Dean let her go as she climbed into bed, and he rounded the corner, crawling into his side. He didn't touch her at first. He didn't want to make her feel obligated to anything. But it hadn't even been thirty seconds after his head hit the pillow when she was scooching towards him, her feet tangled in his legs. He extended an arm and pulled her all the way to his body.
She sighed and laid her head against his chest, one arm slung over his chest, gripping his shoulder. He sighed too, closing his eyes and pulling the comforter around them both.
Dean just enjoyed the moment. The feeling of her skin on his, surrounded by the flowery scent of her that always reminded him of dawn and sunlight.
Then his stupid mouth opened and tried to ruin it.
"Are we back together?" He asked, unsure why he'd even asked it.
He felt her head move, felt her gaze on his face, but he didn't open his eyes. He didn't want to mess himself up by getting enraptured by her close proximity.
"I...I don't know." She whispered.
He felt her breath brush along his collarbone and he let out a shaky breath.
"It's okay, you don't have to know right now." He whispered back.
His eyes opened as his hand came up to hold her head to his chest. She was tracing patterns along his chest with a finger.
"I miss you." He blurted.
She chuckled. He thought she could tell he didn't mean to say the things he did, but that he couldn't help it. It was something he did often. She smiled blissfully at him, propping herself up with a hand against her face.
"I miss you, too."
His heart leapt and her smile widened as she felt his chaotic heartbeats under her body. He grabbed her under the armpits and hauled her up until she was face to face with him, her body laying on top of his.
She leaned down, and their lips grazed. With her body pressed so close to his, Dean couldn't help himself. He pulled her lips down on his, the kiss sparking immediate heat. Sienna scooched closer, her legs spreading until she straddled him, both knees on either side of his waist. Dean groaned against her mouth.
Her fingers played with the edge of his shirt until they slid up, slowly, against the hard muscles of his abdomen. He leaned forward, his hands clutching at her waist, where they crept down along her butt, until he found the edge of the shirt she was wearing. Her bare legs were soft against the thin material of his pajama pants.
His hands slowly caressed along her thighs. She stuttered out a shaky breath against his lips. He smirked, his hands still slowly running up her legs, closer and closer to the most sensitive part of her. She moaned again and his hands halted, inches from her.
He pulled back and nuzzled her neck, his lips looking for her ear.
"You wanna know what Zach and I were talking about while you were with Sam?"
She swallowed hard. "What?"
Another surge of pleasure shot through his body at the sound of her breathy voice. His lips grazed her neck.
"He wondered why the siren didn't look like you. He figured if Sam had made a move on you, I would have destroyed him in a moment."
"He was right." She murmured back, her lips against his shoulder.
He chuckled and his breath forced goosebumps to pepper her skin, raising the hair on her neck.
"The siren has to show you something better than what you already have." He pulled back, running a thumb down her cheekbone. "But, you're as perfect as I could possibly imagine."
Something fractured behind her eyes and, with a small cry, she threw herself at him. Their lips locked passionately. Dean felt whole for the first time in weeks.
He almost cried out when she pulled away. But she stayed close enough for his lips to transfer to her neck, her shoulder, her collar bone. She leaned her head back,sighing, before pulling her lips to his ear.
"We have no empty rooms." She complained. He laughed at her sullen tone.
"We have an empty bathtub." He whispered back.
When she pulled away, the gold had already bloomed in her eyes. He hadn't moved yet, anxious that he'd ruin any of what he'd built back up with Sienna. She smirked and wrapped her hands around his neck.
"Do you want me or not, Winchester?"
He half-growled and threw the covers back. She locked her ankles behind his waist and he lifted her, making a bee-line for the bathroom.