Replies to reviews:

Ncsupnatfan: Thank you for this review, glad it sparked your interest. I am glad you liked I put in the whole Dick Roman issue, they never dealt with the aftermath of what they did, what happened to his business after he was killed. Sam is a bit depressed and he tried to stay strong for her, and now it might be time for her to try and cheer him up. We'll see.

Blondie20000: Yup, nobody saw Dick coming. Lol. And poor Sam is definitely not getting to old for this, he must be whammied with something that is making him so clumsy. Loved that comment that Chuck took his night vision, made me laugh so hard. Thanks for a great review.

Summer: Aren't you just filled with puns nowadays. I love it, lol. Let's just hope that Sam and Juls don't get sent to Purgatory right before Dean finds them, and he misses them by a few seconds... Oh, how I like to tease. Thanks for the review.

Secretwrittenword: Juls is opening up and they are growing closer by the minute and it is all running smoothly... Well, as smoothly as it can. And yeah, nobody saw that Dick coming, lol. But what if I was to say aside from a few explanations, there won't be any Leviathans involved. Maybe it was just a mere coincidence that the research station belonged to Roman industries. *smirks devilishly* Thanks for the review.

A/N: My sincere apologies to everyone for the hold up on this story, but I was not at blame. No, if you want to blame anyone, start with Summer first and then move on to the story that consumed me called "It's all in the blood" by Becciehill1976 (as written). It is so filled with Dean angst and hurt and pain and it is so sad and it makes you want to punch Mary in the face... Aisha, go read it, you'll love it. It is so up your alley.


Chapter 21: Invisible touch

Dean woke up feeling rested despite the fact that he slept cramped up in the back seat, the itch still bugging him under the cast. He had no idea how he was able to fall asleep, but it was more then welcomed. He remembered grabbing the front seat in order to pull himself up a bit, change position and then gasping feeling her hand on his.

"You should sleep, rest for a while." She had suggested, but he shook his head, saying he was good. Still, strangely he found himself drifting off not ten minutes later, feeling safe and warm all around. And now he was waking up, another of Sarah's cheery songs blasting out of the radio making Dean frown. Not because it was cheesy dance music that was corrupting his Baby, no, it was the lyrics that kinda got to Dean, crawled up his skin and made him wonder if the universe was trying to tell him something.

"She seems to have an invisible touch yeah
She reaches in, grabs right hold of your heart
She seems to have an invisible touch yeah
It takes control and slowly tears you apart.

I don't really know her, I only know her name
But she crawls under your skin, you're never quite the same, and now I know
She's got something you just can trust
It's something mysterious
And now it seems I'm falling, falling for her."

Did he say can or can't trust? – the thought crept up Dean's mind and for a second Dean contemplated if he can indeed trust Sarah? Let's be realistic here, it was all a bit too convenient, and it had a very familiar story to it. A supernatural creature offering her help with promises of rescuing his brother while misleading him into doing something she wanted. Ruby much? But no, Dean dismissed the thought immediately. It was him that came to her. It was him that told her about the supernatural. Despite the fact that it was her that was leading them to the bunker now, Dean still couldn't stop trying to shake off those annoying thoughts of a paranoid hunter. He wanted to trust her, he needed to trust her.

"She don't like losing, to her it's still a game
And though she will mess up your life,
You'll want her just the same..."

No matter what, Dean could see it clearly. He was falling for her and falling hard. And it was those mixed feelings that weight down on him. Even if she wasn't, and in his mind she definitely wasn't the bad guy here, he couldn't see a future with her. Not with his life, not with his luck. Besides, he doesn't deserve someone like her.

"Morning, sunshine... " Sarah said and smiled at the rear view mirror and her smile washed over him like a warm ray of sunshine on a cold winter morning.

"Morning?" Dean questioned. It was late last night that they set off and as Dean looked around it was becoming clear that the sun has risen and high enough to be around eight or nine in the morning. "Have you been driving all night?" Dean wondered. As much as he was eager to reach the bunker and try a locating spell for Sam or crack one of the books that could help him see what happened, he was still concerned.

At Sarah's small nod and "Aham." another thought came to him and this time, he voiced it . "When was the last time you slept?" Between being unconscious at the warehouse, the hospital and now asleep in the car, he has yet to see her sleep or rest in any way. And who can forget being unconscious from being hit with a frying pan? Some hunter he was.

"Well, now that you mention it, I guess I could use a little down time. I slept a bit at the hospital while you were under, and I have been purely going on of this music…" A sound of a very loud yawn interrupted her own words and she flexed her shoulders and her neck, trying to loosen the stiff feeling in them.

"Alright! – Dean said lifting himself upright a bit – Start looking for a motel sign. You need to rest and frankly, I could use a normal bed too." That last part was said more to make her not argue back, because Dean had a feeling she would. She was just too driven and too quiet about the loss of her home. He knew that look in her eyes, he knew it well. He used to see it in the mirror when he felt he had to push forward and not let his feelings weigh him down. They might drown him.

So he faked a yawn of his own and stretched his arms as wide as it was possible, making it seem like he was going stiff in the car. Sarah kept nodding, more and more unconsciously as her mind seemed to be wondering away somewhere far. But then she visibly flinched and put on a bright smile, still nodding. "Yeah, let's do that." She said and paid more attention to the signs by the road.

They were just outside McDonough near Atlanta, Georgia and after just a couple of minutes they came across a bunch of signs for motels, and Sarah chose the closest one called Budget Inn. Dean had to huff a smile at the name, it would most certainly be one of the cheapest ones, but still he hopped that it would be decent.

The parking lot was full, and somehow, Sarah managed to find a parking space right in front of the reception office, so after she helped him out of the car, they went inside to see if there is any vacancy. They were welcomed by an older gentleman with slow motions, but a wide polite smile.

"Good morning and welcome to Budget Inn. My name is Harry Budget and I own the place. What can I do you for?" The old man asked with a slightly cheery voice.

"Hello. We need a room to rest up, got anything available?" Dean asked, not as cheerfully, but with a smile of his own. The old man reminded him of those sweet old geezers that would talk about old times and give out candy.

"Well, sir, you're in luck. As a matter of fact I have just the perfect room for you two love birds, the last one left. One king, a lovely bathroom with a tub and a small kitchenette..." Harry proceeded to say as he turned around to pick up a key from the key cabinet and Dean's face covered in slight shock, before heat rose to his cheeks and he stuttering interrupted the old man.

"I... I'm sorry, Harry... I, um... Do you by any chance have two queens?" He asked and chanced a look at Sarah, who had a small, barely noticeable smile as her head was hung low in a shyly manner. Now, Dean wouldn't normally act like this, no he would either welcome a possibility to share a bed with a beautiful woman such as Sarah, or, and this one was more likely, offer to sleep on the floor. No, the old Dean would have laugh so hard at this Dean's reaction. Why am I acting like a little teenage girl? Dean thought.

But it was much deeper than just simply having a crush and a lot more serious. Dean felt some of his walls crumbling before Sarah, leaving him exposed and vulnerable. And he wasn't sure that was a good thing.

"Oh, sorry. Im afraid that's all we got." The old man spoke, jolting Dean from his thoughts. He looked so sadned and glanced between the pair before he brough his gaze down on the keys in his hand. With a sigh, he turned to put them back when he was startled by a bit louder "No..."

Huffing an awkward smile, Sarah kept going. "No, um... We'll take it." She glanced at Dean and then down at his broken leg and Dean knew she was worried about him. But looking back at her, she could see the slight bags forming under her eyes and the tired expression on her face and he nodded. If she wanted, they would share the bed, they were both adults that can simply share a bed without getting intimate, right? But he would offer to sleep on the floor first, knowing deep down, a girl like Sarah would never allow it.

However, as Harry lead them to the room they paid for, which was right next to the reception office – 1B, Dean was completely taken by surprise by Sarah's offer. "I can sleep on the floor." She said. He did not expect such a scenario, never would have thought she would offer that. Alas, the age of male cavalry has long passed and was nowadays replaced by female independence and their need to be treated the same. Dean didn't mind that, not at all, but to allow her to sleep on the floor?

"Out of the question. I will sleep on the floor." Dean responded.

"Not a chance!" Sarah countered a bit harshly. "Not with that leg you're not!" She said with slight anger directed at Dean. He was the one that was hurt, he was the one that needed to rest properly. She frowned at him, for a second feeling like he must have been doing that most of his life. Putting other's first. That might not have been so bad if not for the fact that he was putting himself last. Every time. "We'll share." Sarah finally added, a bit shyly but with a sort of determination that said she wouldn't take no for an answer. To that, Dean reluctantly nodded.

They both stood dumbfounded when Harry unlocked the room and they followed him in. The room was quite nice, clean and simple. But what had them share a confused look and what had Harry scratch his hair and he frowned was the fact that the room actually had two queen beds instead of one king sized one. Harry seemed stuck in a spot, wondering did he lead them to the right room, but it had to be as this one was the only one available. Then, after a minute or so, he seemed to have had an epiphany as he exclaimed "Oh my! I completely forgot!"

It was then that he turned to the pair with an apologetic look and explained "I must apologize, I completely forgot we had this room changed from a single bed to a double." It probably had to do with the fact that a honeymoon type of room was a bad choice to be placed right next to the reception, but Harry did not mention that.

"No, that's great./ That's perfect!" Both Dean and Sarah said at the same time, a bit too eagerly. "We will take it." Dean added and Harry nodded with a polite smile before he left them. Both of them half sighed, half huffed out a smile and glanced at each other.

This way they could keep pretending that neither felt the spark between them. They could keep pretending they aren't drawn to each other.

Sarah insisted she brought in all of their stuff into the room, but "all of the stuff" only turned out to be one big duffle bag that belonged to Dean and a small rucksack that Sarah had on her. It didn't escape Dean how she looked sadly at the last item she owned aside from the clothes on her. But she quickly changed her expression, putting on an assuring smile before speaking.

"I'm gonna go check if there is a gift shop or something, I need new clothes… Might see if there is any food too. I'll be back in a few… Why don't you take the first shower?" Sarah suggested and Dean nodded, not really sure what to say. So badly he wanted to comfort her, but it really did seem like she needed no comforting. Yes, she was sad, but she seemed to be dealing with it, and besides, what could Dean say? He couldn't fix what happened. He couldn't bring that house back, not with all the memories that it had. All he could do is be there when she breaks down, which he suspected will happen eventually.

Saddened by the thought of Sarah falling apart, he averted his eyes to the ground and nodded, and then raised his eyes to watch her leave the room, the ponytail bouncing as she walked away. There was something mesmerizing that made him want to smile upon the sight of that ridiculously funny ponytail bouncing so joyously, and it instantly made him feel a bit better. He will be there for her, no matter what.

Dean took some clean clothes from the duffle and went to the bathroom, but it wasn't until he started stripping that he realized he still had a cast on and that the shower is going to take some maneuvering, as he isn't supposed to get it wet. And since it was a tub and not a shower, he couldn't just stick his leg out of the curtain. The tub was deep and there was a real change that he might slip and fall and…

No, strangely, he didn't think he could hit his head and die. No, Dean's first thought of falling in the tub and getting hurt is that he might not be able to move and he would need help. Considering there was only one person that could help him, his cheeks burned with the image of Sarah coming in and seeing him… Naked.

"Get a grip!" Dean ordered himself, embarrassed and confused as to why, out of a huge pallet of thoughts he could have for falling in the shower, it were these that came to mind. Thoughts of Sarah seeing him naked, reaching out and holding his arm, torso, touching him in order to help him up, her proximity, her soft hands, her warm touch, her worried eyes, her lips…

Yeah, so much for getting a grip on himself.

Shooing all those thoughts, Dean decided it was the best option if he just laid down and took a bath. Or showered while lying in the tub. Yeah, that would work. He took a small chair that was in the bathroom and pulled it closer to the tub before he slowly and carefully lowered himself in the tub. Pulling his leg high, he took it over the rim of the tub and placed his foot on the chair, making sure that the cast was completely out of the reach of the water. It was only then that he opened the tap and gritted his teeth at the cold water. But the temperature soon changed and Dean found himself relaxing in the warm water.

Dean didn't hear when Sarah returned, so the knock on the bathroom door startled him. "Hey, everything ok in there?" Sarah's voice came through and for some reason it made Dean smile.

"All cool. Should be done soon, so you could have the shower to yourself." Dean replied.

"Ok… - she stretched the word a bit sadly for reasons unknown – You just make sure you don't get that cast wet, ok?" Dean responded back affirmatively and wondered why she sounded so sad. He could hear some scuffle that sounded like a bag of chips being opened and he decided to hurry along, to allow Sarah to wash up too. She needed to rest and to sleep and Dean wanted to make sure that happened sooner rather than later.

He unplugged the tub and waited till the small amount of water drained before attempting to get up. He needed both feet securely inside the tub before he could try and get out, and for that there couldn't be any water in it. Once the tub was empty, he slowly pulled the other leg in and carefully got up, shifting his weight to the other leg and holding himself on a towel rack. Just as he was about to set the injured foot down, the rack broke, making him stumble and slip, but he was able to stay on his feet. It did require him to put some weight on the broken leg, and it hurt like a sonofabitch, but at least he didn't fall.

Slowly exiting the tub, a bad feeling arose inside of him and he gasped when he realized what it was. The sound of the rack breaking and his grunts should have alarmed Sarah that something might have happened, and knowing her, she would have made sure Dean was alright. Whether it would be her pounding on the door, demanding to know what happened or storming in on high alert and… But she didn't. In fact there was no sound coming from the room, which made Dean really uneasy. Without a second to loose, he wrapped a towel around his waist and stumbled out of the bathroom, forgetting the crutches.

A sigh of utter relief escaped him when he saw her curled up on a bed, sound asleep. She must have fallen asleep while waiting for him to finish. He limped over to her and a small smile flashed upon his face as he watched her relaxed expression while she was sound asleep. God she looked so beautiful right now. Her breath even making her chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm, her round face half buried right under the pillow, her luscious lips half parted and a string of her blond hair falling over her eyes and nose. He reached out and put it away as gently as he could, but she still steered in her sleep. He held a breath as he covered her with a blanket and watched her steer some more, but luckily she didn't wake.

After managing to get dressed back in the bathroom, Dean took a bag of chips that was on the small table in the kitchenette and ate it while watching Sarah sleep. Yeah, not creepy at all, Dean. He thought to himself and decided to pull on the curtains and catch some more shut eye. He laid on the other bed, but couldn't help glancing over at Sarah a couple of times. Eventually, he decided to turn so that she was in his view constantly and with thoughts of worry for her, he drifted off.


Another Michael drowning nightmare came to Dean's dream that night, but he smiled it away, knowing it would turn into an amazing day on the beach. So when that didn't work, nightmares of hell attacked his mind next, but it didn't matter as long as he knew Sarah was right there, her sleeping figure just at the arms length. Alastair first mocked and then tried the physical abuse, but none of the knives seem to be able to cut into Dean. The demon had to call for reinforcements.

Azazel smirked as he let the fires of hell consume Dean before showing him his mother on the ceiling first and then Sam's Jess. The reminder of Sam stung and Dean was filled with worry for his brother, but not fear as he was certain they will find him. Sarah was so sure that their bunker held the key, she felt some connection there and Dean knew, he believed with all his heart that she was not wrong.

In one last attempt to torment him, Azazel left the fire going, but changed the scenary.

Dean's breath hitched as he stood outside Sarah's house that was engulfed in flames and fear finally filled his mind as he saw - Sarah was nowhere to be found. A loud scream cut right through his chest and without thinking Dean ran inside the flaming building. He searched and called out to Sarah between coughs. Azazel was successful this time and Dean's heart shattered into million of pieces when he finally found Sarah, in a long white nightgown, her abdomen bleeding, her long blond hair spread out around her as she was pinned to the ceiling while fire consumed her.

Dean cried out and fell to his knees and as he watched Sarah perish into the flames, he felt himself consumed by it too and he welcomed the warm embrace of the fire. It felt so soothing. It felt so peaceful. It felt so safe.

And then Dean looked up. He looked up into those two piercing blue orbs, those bright loving eyes and he found himself being embraced by Sarah as she rocked them back and forth, humming something familiar. It was then that Dean realized that he was in a sitting position, while she was kneeling on his bed, and he figured he must have tossed and turned, probably even shout while having the nightmare.

The images of fire and Sarah dying still vivid in his mind, he remained in her arms, breathing on and out and not moving for a few minutes. She had such a soothing effect it was almost intoxicating. And soon it wasn't just his mind that was calm, but his heart was beating strong and dared he say happy. His ear was pressed to her chest and he could hear her breathe and humm and he raised his head up at her once more.

Their eyes met, and her humming quieted down slowly as he gazed up at her. There was slight confusion in her eyes that seem to say she wasn't sure if she was reading his look right. But Dean did infact watch her with a plea, with hope of having her soft pink lips brush against his and he waited, waited for her to either move away or let it happen.

He waited and waited until he couldn't wait any longer and he lifted his hand up to her neck and touched it gently, slowly pulling her closer and closer. He could hear her breathing pick up, but she allowed herself to be lead down and when their lips finally met, the world around them exploded.