A/N: This also takes place during chapter 13 of Caught in the Crossfire. Kelly's POV.

Chapter 13: Around the Firepit

"I'll never be your beast of burden
My back is broad but it's a-hurting
All I want for you to make love to me
I'll never be your beast of burden
I've walked for miles, my feet are hurting
All I want for you to make love to me"
- Beast of Burden by The Rolling Stones

It was our second night in the new house when Dean declared that we had earned ourselves a campfire, complete with s'mores. While clearing the yard, we had found an old fire pit and Jane had taken it upon herself to set it up, complete with a fully stocked woodpile and log seating. She had said we needed to learn to rely less on "silly" things like electricity in the house and was adamant the fire pit was a sign from the goddess. While Michelle and I both disagreed on her definition of silly, we loved the idea of a fire pit, even if it meant we lost Jane's much-needed help inside the house for a few hours.

oOo

All of us had started out at the beginning of the night around the fire, excited for an excuse to take a break from the never-ending work in and around the house. As the night stretched on, Giles and Chloe were the first to head in to sleep. Michelle had been fighting exhaustion, and after some gentle prodding from myself and Sam, admitted defeat and went to bed shortly after. By midnight I was left with Jane, Spike, Sam, and Dean, drinking beers and swapping stories under the stars. More accurately, everyone else was swapping stories. I was listening. My life, prior to being a ghost, did not lend itself to stories that could compete with any of those of my current company.

When Michelle went to bed, I had been left sitting alone on the log. Dean had kept his distance, but now he moved over to sit with me, legs stretched out, relaxed. It was a side of him I had yet to see. He wrapped an arm around my back and I leaned into him resting my head against his chest. I caught Sam smiling at us from across the fire.

"Wait a bloody minute, you're with this wanker?"

Spike jolted me out of my happy state and I felt Dean tense up. Although he and Spike had found some common ground, they were far off from trust. Dean started to sit up, "who are you calling a wank-"

I put a hand on Dean's chest stopping him, "Spike, can you keep it down. You're going to wake up the whole house!"

Spike shot me a withering look, "oh no, mustn't wake the sleeping babes!"

"Yeah, let's not wake the people who are doing all the work while all you do is sleep and bitch." Dean shot back angrily, but I could feel him relaxing, probably not wanting to let Spike ruin an otherwise good night.

Spike glared, clearly trying to come up with a retort, before landing on shifting blame, "hard to help when I'm blocked out of most the damned place."

He had a point. We'd convinced Michelle to remove some of the devil's traps, but they still severely limited Spike's movement through the house.

"I'm happy to buy you a shed blondie," Dean smirked before drinking more beer.

Spike started muttering, but Jane cut in, "enough. This is why the company of men bores me. Spike, I will assign you duties you can do overnight. And while I don't know what a 'wanker' is exactly, Kelly assures me Dean is adequate."

We all stared at Jane at that, Sam stifled a laugh and Spike broke out laughing.

"Adequate?" Dean turned to me, and I could feel my cheeks blazing.

"Jane's words, guys. Not mine!" I looked back at Spike trying to move the conversation, "Michelle, doesn't know yet, so can you please not be the worst in telling her before I can?"

"Bloody hell. You assume I actually care? Maybe I will take you up on that shed offer boy. Get me away from you lot."

"Sure, I'll take you in the morning." Dean shot back with a grin. Spike responded with a middle finger.

"Pissing contest over guys?" Sam spoke up, distracting all of us. "Can I finish my story?"

We all settled back in, and I closed my eyes as Sam continued telling his story about the not-so-lucky rabbit's foot they'd found.

oOo

Between the warmth of the fire and the muted conversations around me, I must have dozed off. Dean's voice was close at my ear, waking me gently.

"Hey, sleeping beauty. I think it's bedtime."

I slowly opened my eyes and saw that everyone else was gone. I heard the porch door close softly behind us. I lifted my head off his chest and wiped the sleep from my eyes. "What time is it?"

Dean checked his watch, "just after 1 am."

He stood up, offering a hand and pulling me up to stand with him. I felt like I'd been out for hours, it was the best sleep I'd gotten since Bobby's. I smiled sleepily up at Dean, "you make a good pillow."

"I think you mean an adequate pillow." He grinned down at me but it didn't seem to reach his eyes.

I smacked his chest. "Not my words!"

He moved a hand up, cupping my face, rubbing a thumb over my cheek. "I'd offer to sleep in the car since it would be more comfortable than us sleeping on the floor in there. But, I figure you don't want to risk Michelle questioning where you are in the middle of the night?"

I wanted to take him up on his offer, and definitely not just because sleeping on the floor was uncomfortable, but he was right. If Michelle found me missing in the night, she would freak out. That was not the way she should find out about whatever this was. I pushed back the guilt that had been lingering since my conversation with Jane earlier. I reached up, wrapping my arms around Dean's neck, "raincheck?"

He responded with a long kiss that made me seriously reconsider relocating to the Impala. He finally broke it, and I pouted. He kissed the top of my head.

"I'll deal with putting out the fire. You go off to bed."

I couldn't figure out his expression, he was smiling, but there was more there. I paused, but when he didn't continue, I wished him a goodnight and headed in. When I looked back out and he was still standing by the fire finishing his beer. I really needed to tell Michelle.