Chapter Seven

Dean stared down at her mouth and he felt the shiver beneath her skin. No, fuck, no, he told himself. You do not wanna go down that road again, Winchester. He licked his lips. Maybe a little? God, he still remembered exactly how she tasted. Dude, her fiancee just died, you fucking horndog! He watched her pink peek of tongue dart across her her lips expectantly. Aw come on! He felt himself stir below the belt and forced himself to stop touching her and looking at her mouth and smelling her and remembering how she felt beneath his hands before his reaction became too apparent.

"Did you really think hiding out in your little apple pie life was gonna stop it?" He asked her softly. "I wish it could. God, baby, you have no idea how much I wish it could." He took a few steps back, coming up against the night table, forcing himself to not look in her eyes. The sadness there was just too much for him to handle right now. "But you are one of us, blood be damned." He insisted firmly. "The only way you will ever be safe is if I can kill whatever the hell is out there. Whatever the hell set that fire. You have to help me out here, Annie. Tell me what you saw." Then he was reaching for her again because she was leaning forward and trembling, her head falling on his chest.

"Oh God, Dean. This is all my fault. I did--" Annie gripped the edges of the white t-shirt he had changed into.

"Hey, knock it off. We are not gonna play that game, got it?" Dean lifted her chin up and forced her to look at him. "You did not do this."

"Oh of course I did! Don't you see?" She wailed, pulling out of his grasp. "I got so used to running away from you and the hunting and the whole Godforsaken life you lead that it never occurred to me that I would bring it with me!" She sagged back onto the bed.

Dean crouched down in front of her. The blame game was a dead end. They were who they were and as long as they went after demons and other supernatural entities, then those fuckers would come after them too. God, her real father should be shot for bringing Annie into this hell, Dean thought, though the selfish part of him couldn't imagine never knowing this beautiful woman. "Annie, we can play the blame game until the cows come home, but it comes down to this: I gotta find whatever torched that church and believe me, I'll kill it.

"There was a woman." Annie explained, closing her eyes. She visibly shuddered. "She seemed so... I don't know. She didn't seem evil, Dean. Annie's hand lifted to the side of her face. "She, uh, she looked like me. Red hair, green eyes, but older, you know?" Then Annie sprung up. "Oh my God, Dean. Do you think she could be--"

"Don't even go there, Annie. Your mother wouldn't have set fire to a church, believe me," he assured her. Not if what his father had told him had been true.

"What does that mean? How do you know that? Do you know about her? Please, Dean, tell me--" Annie asked fiercely, her eyes wide and hopeful and Dean wanted to run his stupid head with his stupid big mouth through a meat grinder.

"Whoa, time out. Hang on." Dean protested when she grabbed his arms. "I'm just saying, your mother wasn't evil, Annie. You just have to look at you to know that."

"Wasn't? That means she's dead?" Annie asked, fresh tears springing to her eyes.

Jesus Christ, Dean. You should not be allowed to talk to people. Ever. "I didn't--I don't know anything about--We're getting off track here. Let's just focus on what happened last night." Dean insisted, wanting to divert her from the path where he'd have to look her in the eye and lie his ass off.

"Okay fine!" Annie burst, shooting to her feet again, nearly knocking Dean on his ass. "Last night, a woman who may or may not have been my mother, who nobody else saw, set fire to the church I was getting married in, killing the man I was going to marry. Did I leave anything out, Dean?"

"Did she say anything to you?" He asked, sliding up onto the bed.

"Say any- No she didn't say anything. Wait! Yes, yes she did." Annie suddenly said, snapping her fingers. "She said, 'Not him.' 'Not him.' "

" 'Not him'? What the hell does that mean. Him who?" Dean asked, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I have no idea. Was she talking about Jack? Is that why she..." Annie bit her lip and shook her head, wiping her damp cheeks. Then she covered her face with her hands and doubled over. "God, Dean, when will it stop? Are they all just gonna take away everyone I love until there's no one left?"

Dean swallowed the lump in his throat and blinked away the tears that threatened. "No." He vowed hoarsely. "I swear to you, Annie. No. Dad's closing in on the thing that killed mom and I am gonna fucking obliterate whatever burned down that church. They won't take one more fucking thing from us. I swear." He vowed, fury churning through his body with the force of a freight train.

"No. I'm gonna be the one to do it, Dean. I'm going to look that woman or whatever the hell she was in the eye and I am going to destroy her. I'm going with you." Annie told him.

The freight train inside of Dean halted. "Say what now?" He asked, hoping that he had heard her wrong.

"I'm gonna help you track that bitch down." She vowed, her eyes burning with the fury that echoed his own.

"Oh no you're not. You're gonna stay right here with Debbie and Daisy and Dharma and whoever else they named with a 'D'," he insisted. The last thing he needed was Annie with him as they traveled across the country tracking down some ghost woman and encountering God knows what in between. The only thing he wanted was Annie with him. No fucking way.

He must have said that last part out loud cause Annie narrowed her eyes at him in that way that preceded a shoe, vase or other projectile of her choice being thrown at his head. Just to be safe, he stood up and held onto her shoulders. "Annie, I can't worry about you while I'm chasing this thing down."

"Are we forgetting that for the better part of a year, I hunted with you, Dad and Sam? I can take care of myself, Dean." Her fists were clenched at her sides, daring him to make another chauvinistic comment.

"Right, sure," He offered. "But it's been a while, Annie. It's too dangerous for you to just jump back in without any preparation." Maybe taking the reasonable approach would help his case.

"So I'm a bit rusty. I'll learn again, train myself again. I'm doing this, Dean."

Okay, maybe not, Dean silently grumbled. "You don't want to do this, Annie. On the road with me--"

"And Sam." She reminded him crossing her arms.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You hate me, remember? Go with that. Stay here. Away from me, who you hate."

"I'm willing to tolerate you as a necessary evil." Annie countered and Dean bit back a smile at her moxie.

God, the girl did things to him even as she was pissing him off.

"You're not coming." He snapped, heading for the door.

"I am coming." Annie insisted.

"I'm leaving now, Annie." He pulled open the doorknob.

"I'm following you, Dean." She said walking out with him into the hallway.

Then he turned and pointed towards her gown. "You planning to smother the big and creepies to death with that?"

She looked down and gave a start, forgetting she was still in wedding dress. "Shit."

"Goodbye Annie." Dean gave a wave and started down the stairs.

"Dean Winchester, you could either wait for me to change or you could take off in that God awful rust bucket of yours after which I will go off and track Ms Torchy all by myself. Your choice." Annie snapped.

He stopped midway down the stairs. "Shit," he groaned and took a seat on the step.

A.N:

Zelinia: (peeks out from behind nekkid Winchester boys) Hope this wasn't too long a wait. Thankie for your lovely feedback. I hope you like this chapter!

Caz: Thankie for your feedback. Alas there is no kissage as of yet. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Jforce: Yep, poor Jack. Hope you like this chapter!