Chapter Six
Relief pulsed through Annie in sharp, shocking beats that sent shivers through every nerve ending. Thank you, God. She struggled to her feet amid too much satin and lace. Dean's face was streaked with soot and blood making his hazel eyes look even larger in his beautifully alive face. Annie threw her arms around him, burying her face in his neck as she felt him take deep gulps of the night air through her long hair. His arms were two tight bars of steel wrapped around her, holding her close to him when the emotions surging through her left her legs weak. "Thank God," She sobbed, digging her nails into his shoulders. "Oh thank God."
Another blast of flame and glass from the church sent a burst of sudden panic and horrified guilt slicing through Annie. Dean pulled her away from the church while she watched two of the firemen rush towards the building when Jack's mother started screaming that her son hadn't come out. Annie pulled back meeting Dean's eyes. Her heart dropped to her feet at the look in his eyes.
"Annie, I'm sorry but--"
"No." She pleaded, her fingers tightening on his shoulders, at his sad look she tore out of his arms "No! No!" She screamed and ran towards the church. Dean easily caught her around the waist, impeded as she was by the large skirt, but his feet got tangled in her train and they went sprawling on the grass.
"Listen to me. Listen! It's too late, okay?" He shouted, grabbing the sides of her face as he straddled her. He pulled in his knees against her thighs to keep her still. "We were on our way down the stairs when the whole fucking thing gave way. He didn't feel a thing. Broke his neck." Dean explained as Jack's mother began to wail and her daughter's closed in around her.
"Oh no." Annie moaned, covering her eyes, trying to shut out Dean's face, his words, this night. She couldn't get any air past the grief and guilt choking her. All she had cared about was Dean. She had prayed for Dean to make it out alive, sparing hardly a moment's thought for the man she was supposed to have married. Jack had gone in to save Dean because Annie couldn't bear to lose him and so she had lost Jack instead. She had prayed for the man who had deceived her and broken heart, instead of the one she had pledged herself to.
"God, Annie. I'm so sorry." Dean whispered sympathetically as he cupped the side of her face.
"Get off of me," she hissed unable to bear his touch. It should be Jack touching her, not Dean. Only Jack.
He blinked in a second of surprise but then sighed and eased off of her, giving a grunt of pain as he got to his feet that she would have cared about if she weren't drowning in a haze of grief and hatred.
She was sitting against one of the two trees that flanked the church, knees drawn up to her chest. Debbie sat next to her on the grass, the older woman's head resting on her shoulder. Both women gave a start when they brought Jack's body out a few minutes after the flames died down. Annie didn't want to look, couldn't bear to see Jack as he was there. She wanted to keep the image of Jack as he had been with her at the altar, smiling, holding her hands so she just sat as Debbie ran to her son's lifeless body as they carried him to the ambulance where the paramedics were treating Dean.
"You want to tell us what happened in there, son?" One of them, the shorter and balder of the two asked.
"Right. Tell them what happened, Dean." She sneered, fury boiling through her veins. Getting to her feet, Annie wondered where she was getting to strength to walk at all when all she wanted was to lie down and never get up again. "Tell them why Jack is dead. Tell them why mom is dead and why Jess is dead and how you brought whatever killed them with you!" Annie screamed.
"Annie I know--" Dean began, his voice soft and so full of regret Annie felt her heart crack just a little.
"Don't say my name!" She shrieked at him, refusing to give in to the part of herself that loved him, the part that had killed Jack. "Don't you say my name." Annie brushed furiously at the tears that never seemed to stop coursing down her cheeks. "It's always around you isn't it? And Sam and Dad. Just waiting to strike and destroy--"
"Miss, if you'll just come with us, we can check you--" the younger paramedic offered sympathetically. Annie jerked out of his gentle grasp.
"I thank God that I'm not one of you." Annie seethed, walking closer to Dean as he sat in the doorway of the ambulance van.
Dean said nothing, just sat, staring at her and taking it all. Letting her heap all her rage and grief on him. He briefly closed his eyes, as if it was too much and part of Annie was glad that she was hurting him, glad that he could feel one shred of the pain she was feeling. The other part of her told her to stop, to stop hurting him with words she didn't mean but his silence infuriated her; his stoic acceptance of the life he led and the hazards he lived with enraged her.
"You're not a man, Dean. You're a disease." Annie spat.
His eyes glistened and his jaw clenched, but otherwise remained immovable.
Annie jumped at him with an angry scream and would have gladly torn his eyes out if Tall Paramedic Guy hadn't grabbed her and pulled her away.
"I hate you!" She screamed at Dean as the man dragged her away from the ambulance. "I fucking hate you!"
They gave her something to knock her out.
When Annie next opened her eyes and she immediately recognized the water-lily wallpaper of Debbie Kennedy's bedroom. For a brief blissful moment, Annie thought maybe the fire had been some too-much-pizza-and beer-dinner-induced nightmare, until she felt and heard the crinkle of her wedding dress. She buried her face in the comforting smell of Debbie's pillow as her grief threatened to choke her. When she could breathe again, Annie sat up and the black tuxedo jacket wrapped around her shoulders slid off of her. Dean's, she wondered? Her mouth felt fuzzy, like her mind and she reached for the glass and water jug on the night table. Catching sight of her engagement ring, heartache threatened to cripple her and she sucked in her breath, watching the single diamond catch the sunlight filtering through the blinds. Her eyes filled with fresh tears when she remembered the joy on Jack's face when he gave it to her. She was distracted from her train of thought by a knock on the door.
She groaned as she got to her feet, her limbs felt heavy with the after effects of whatever drug the paramedic had given her. Opening the door and seeing Dean's face, Annie immediately tried to shut it again but he pushed against it before she could.
"All right, enough of that." He insisted, pushing his way into the room.
"Get the hell out," she demanded.
"Look, I know I'm the last person you wanna see right now, But I really couldn't give a shit at this point so you're gonna sit your ass down and tell me exactly what you saw right before the fire started." Dean snapped pointing to the bed.
"What I s--Dean, why can't you just leave me alone? What are you even still doing here?"
"I saw the look on your face right before the 'I do's' You saw something. Something was in that church. Now I just caught a brief flash of it after the candle tipped over--"
"Oh God, just stop. Just stop!" Annie pleaded, tiredly dropping on the mattress. "I was supposed to be married by now. On my honeymoon and you come in here talking about spirits and hunting. I can't do this, Dean. Not today. So just go. You're services are no longer required."
He stiffened. "I'm not leaving you here."
"Oh, killing my fiance wasn't enough for you? When are you gonna get it through your head? I don't want you here. I don't anything to do with you or the life you lead," she said dropping her head into her hands.
"Right, I get that but we have to figure out what this thing is so we can kill it. I'm not leaving you here alone as bait for whatever is out there."
"I was perfectly fine before you got here."
"Fine. Fine?" He reached out and grabbed her arm, lifting it to expose her bandaged wrist. "What the fuck is this?"
Annie wondered distantly what the medic must have wondered when he treated her wrists. "I didn't do this, you moron. Do you really think I'd try to kill myself when I was about to get married? I had everything I ever wanted. A good life, good friends and a man who is...was--" she corrected, choking on a sob, "open and honest and wasn't some emotionally crippled daddy's boy."
Dean's eyes flashed at that and he took a threatening step towards her. Annie got to her feet and met his angry stare with her own.
"He never lied to me. He never decided what was best for me and believe me, he never treated me like his kid sister," She shot knowing the jab hit home when he looked like he was about to deck her. Instead, he grabbed the sides of her face for one crazy second, Annie thought Dean was gonna kiss her. Somewhere deep inside of her, underneath all her rage, a lick of desire flamed and grew until she shamefully realized she wanted him to.
A.N:
Zelinia: Thankie for your feedback! Yep, poor Jack. (sniffles) We'll definitely learn more about the ghost woman.
Dex1: Thankie for your feedback. Hope you enjoy this chapter too! Poor Jack had to bite it so I could send Annie off with Dean and Sam.
Jj2629: (huggies) I'm glad you're enjoying this story so far. Hope you like this chapter!
Renni: (laughs) yep, the BSG references were intentional. I was just being cute. Hope you like this chapter!