Chapter 7

Three Days Ago

Sam

Serra had been planning the hunt for the last five days or so, laying out schematics of the town where the farm and the supposed vampires would be. She had been back and forth before work, after work, on their way to the preschool to pick up the kids, and now, as we were kid-free and heading out for a dinner date together.

It was getting a little annoying.

"Can we talk about something other than vampires?" I asked, turning towards my wife at a stoplight. "I mean; Grace and Dean took the kids so we could actually go out and enjoy our time together, you know, like a couple."

Serra clicked her tongue. "I feel like we're missing an opportunity to chase monsters, since we're kid-free," she muttered, shaking her head and crossing her arms in front of her chest as I stopped at the stoplight.

The El Camino that I had taken from the Men of Letters' garage so many years ago had always performed admirably for me, but over the last six months, Dean had been rebuilding the engine, and I had to admit, it sounded amazing as it idled in place.

I patted the steering wheel absentmindedly, and turned to Serra, sighing heavily, "I feel like we're missing an opportunity to be a couple again," I retorted. "You know how long it's been since we just went to dinner by ourselves? Without having to worry about Delilah or some other shit that has been chasing us?"

My wife sat, still silent and staring out the passenger side window.

"Serendipity," I muttered, getting her attention with her full name. She turned towards me and rolled her eyes. "Look," I continued, ignoring her attitude. "I get why you want to hunt them. You're a protector. It's what you do," the light changed to green and I accelerated again. "But we have all the kids home safe. Our siblings are alive and healthy. Why can't we take the time and enjoy it while it lasts?"

"Because."

"Because why?" I glanced at her and shook my head. "Let someone else handle it. Let the hunters that were at the Big House with the whole Delilah and Everett/Levi thing take over. They would be more than willing, especially for something like a coven of vamps."

Serra was shaking her head before I had even finished my sentence. "I want them," she stated, matter-of-factly.

I stopped at the diner we all loved so much and pulled my keys from the ignition. "Why?" I demanded.

My wife stared long and hard at me before she took a breath to answer. I was surprised when her voice trembled, threatening to show the emotion that she had gotten so good at keeping hidden. "I am their guardian, Samantha. I am supposed to keep everyone safe. It's my job," she took a ragged breath as I rolled my eyes at her mocking nickname for me. "It's my destiny," she continued. "And considering how badly I've fucked it up over the last couple of years…" She paused and wiped her face, staring again out the window. "This is a way I can start making it up to everyone."

"Sere," I sighed, turning my body towards my wife and taking her hand in both of mine. "I don't care how much you think that our safety is only your responsibility; it's not. This family's safety is everyone's responsibility." I smiled lightly, "No one can burden that weight on their own, especially considering what we've been through." I shook my head, chuckling to myself. "You and Dean are so similar, it's insane," I muttered, almost to myself. "Look," I continued, tilting my head at my wife, who was still attempting to sit cross armed in the front seat, refusing to meet my eye. "If it makes you feel better, yeah, we can hunt the vamps, if they're even really there. I'm just saying that we can't go looking for monsters. We need to focus on the kids. You and I need to focus on each other. We're not the immortal ones, here. We're not gonna be around forever and I want to get as much time as humanly possible from you."

Serra's face relaxed and she took a deep breath in through her nose. She smiled and leaned towards me, lifting her hand and reaching for the collar of my shirt. I pursed my lips as I lifted my eyebrow. "You're sayin' all the right stuff, Winchester," she whispered as her face drew closer to mine.

"You better believe it," I answered, my lips dusting hers, teasing.

Slowly, she unfolded her arms and allowed me closer, kissing her neck and pushing her down, towards the seat. I folded my arms behind me and tried taking off my flannel without breaking contact with her but laughed when my arms got stuck. Finally struggling out of my shirt, I lowered myself back towards my wife and brushed her hair out of her face and fumbled with her belt buckle.

A loud knock on the window shattered the mood and gasping, I glanced behind me, trying to see who would be knocking on the driver's side window of my car.

It was a cop.

From under me, Serra laughed out loud. "Oh shit," she giggled. "Busted."

"You know, you're in a public place," he spoke loudly through the window, staring at us from over his sunglasses.

Laughing, I rolled down the window. "Yeah, I'm sorry. We just got caught up in the moment…our kids are home and we've got some time to ourselves," I explained.

The cop didn't smile and kept his lips closed around his teeth, but he lowered his sunglasses further down his nose. "That may be," he commented sternly, barely moving his mouth. "Doesn't mean you need to drop your drawers right here in the diner's parking lot. There are plenty of other private places to do that." His dark eyes flicked to Serra, who grinned unapologetically. "I see the rush, though. Got yourself a beauty."

Serra furrowed her eyebrows. "Ew," she replied.

"All right, all right," I chuckled. "We're coming in to eat. Then we'll find somewhere a little more…private. Thanks, officer." The cop backed away from the car but didn't seem to be moving on. "Have a nice day," I added for good measure.

The cop sniffed loudly and pushed his sunglasses back into place as he forced himself away from the El Camino. I watched as he seemed to redden, clamping his lips together and breathing deeply in through his nose. Serra noticed as well, and I felt her stiffen next to me as adrenaline hit her bloodstream. She opened her door, turned to step out and came around to the hood of my car. I opened my door as well, watching carefully. My entire body was on red alert and I couldn't really figure out why; until the wind picked up.

The cop took another deep breath through his nose and his posture changed as the cold night air pushed past Serra and right towards him. He seemed to be fighting an impulse and as I glanced to my wife, she was already in motion, using the tip of her switchblade to pierce the skin of the palm of her hand. Waiting only seconds, she watched the cop as the wind took hold of the scent of her blood. He went rigid.

"He's one of them," she muttered, reaching for one of her twin silver on black, Colt forty-fives. "He's a vampire." She turned to grin at the cop, completely at ease. "Blew your cover there, didn't you? I just smell too good."

"Not in the open!" I shouted, football tackling the cop to the ground as his fangs descended. I rolled with him, forcing us both behind the El Camino, away from the diner. The woods were only feet away and I did everything I could to get us both across the pavement, towards the tree line.

The cop was stronger than he looked, but I knew that was because of the monster blood coursing through his veins. He fought tooth and nail for me to release my hold, and as I tugged him towards the tree line, he almost got away. Glancing towards the El Camino, I narrowed my eyes towards my wife, watching to see what she was doing.

"Sere?" I shouted, grunting with effort to keep the vampire at bay. "Little help?"

Turning towards me, Serra was holding one of her guns with one hand and attempting to spin a suppressor onto the barrel with the other. "Coming, dear," she replied sarcastically.

"There are people," I groaned. "Don't let the people see you!"

Serra rolled her eyes and followed us as we headed farther towards the trees. "God, worrywart," she sighed, jogging towards us. "You're so dramatic."

The cop-vampire struggled more against my hold and finally managed to loosen my grip by almost biting my hand. I pulled away at the last minute, but then it was too late. My hold had been broken. The vamp turned on me, fanged barred and I did what I could to stay out of his path. Serra raised her gun but hesitated when I was in the line of fire.

"Sammy, move!" she shouted as I ducked out of her way. She took a slow breath as she watched the cop take off into the forest and let her air escape slowly through her nostrils, focusing on the shot in front of her. She squeezed the trigger and fired, one round right after the other, but the vamp was fast and there were too many trees.

She missed.

"Fuck!" she screamed, shaking her head and gesturing into the wilderness. "Look what you made me do! I never miss!"

I lifted my eyebrows, "Made you do?" I asked with my mouth falling open. "You have got to be kidding me. I didn't make you do shit."

"You wouldn't let me shoot him in the parking lot!" Serra argued, stomping after the vampire for five or six steps, and then turning back towards me. "And now here we are, with no dead vamp!"

"That is not my fault!" I reasoned. "You're supposed to be the best shot of the family. What happened there?"

Serra's eyebrows shot up into her hair line and she stared at me with her jaw locked into place. If I wasn't so close to laughing at her, I would have been worried about my own safety.

"Now he has our scent, Samuel," Serra growled, leaning towards me with her free hand and gesturing towards my face. "What are you going to do when he shows up at the ranch, looking for a tasty treat?"

"Serra, come on," I laughed, "after dealing with what we've dealt with, I hardly think a vampire is going to be a problem." She narrowed her eyes at me as I continued. "Can you imagine him coming to the property with Grace there?"

This statement seemed to comfort Serra in the slightest way. "He should be more afraid of me," she muttered, turning back towards the parking lot and taking off the suppressor.

I smiled to myself, shaking my head at Serra's jealousy of her sister's full-blown potential as a Nephilim. "Careful there," I murmured, falling into step next to my wife. "You're starting to get a bit green."

"What, are you saying I'm jealous?" she turned, gesturing with her gun. "I am not jealous of Grace."

I laughed in reply.

"I'm not!" Serra reiterated. "Grace has a lot of fucking cool powers, yeah, but is that something that I wanna be burdened with? Hell, no. I don't need to know what the world is thinking, twenty-four-seven."

I tilted my head, knowing that my wife had a point. "You're not jealous of her other abilities?" I asked, reaching the door of the El Camino and shutting it before turning to wait for her to catch up to me after stowing the suppressor and her spare guns in the car.

"Some of them, maybe," Serra conceded. "Like being able to blow shit up or strangle someone from afar, yeah. But the baggage that comes with it? The mind reading and the Angel Radio thing? Not on your life."

As we reached the door to the diner, I held it open for my bride. "I'm pretty thankful for the part where you can't strangle someone from afar," I commented. "I'm thinking you'd abuse that one a bit."

Serra clicked her tongue as she followed the hostess to our table, "Starting with you," she sighed. "And then probably your brother."

"You're a real treat, Serendipity Adeline," I chuckled, shaking my head.

Serra got herself settled and threw me a wink from across the table. "You know it."