18
Kya woke sometime a few hours later and found herself wrapped in Dean's arms. The tile floor beneath her had grown warm from their body heat and the candles produced a soft glow around the room. She had to admit that in this room alone she felt safe, but it she felt even safer in Dean's arms. Her body was turned to the side, melding with his, and her head on his shoulder. He had one arm wrapped around her neck, resting across her shoulder and the other crossed over his chest to keep hold of her arm. She raised her own hand up from his chest the few inches and took his hand gently. His grip suggested that he was afraid to let her go again.
When they had arrived back in the foyer he had been distant and brooding; she guessed he was blaming himself for what had happened to her. She knew that it wasn't his fault but it would take him time to realize the same thing. He was sleeping now and she didn't want to wake him. They had decided that they all needed to rest, give their bodies time to heal and recharge before they had another go at the house. Across the way Sam and Heather were sleeping. They were facing the same direction, Sam's arm under her head and his arm wrapped protectively around her waist. One of her small hands was laced with the one around her waist and they were both sleeping soundly.
Kya eased herself out carefully from Dean's grip and stood slowly, stretching her aching muscles. A dull pain shot through her legs where the needles had been buried and her hands ached beneath the white bandages wound tightly around them. Her lips were sore, slightly swollen, and she could feel the bruise on her face throbbing dully. She turned around and spotted Elizabeth's ghost, looking toward the stairs as she hovered off the ground. She must have stayed to watch over them.
"Hey," Kya said gently, coming up beside her cousin.
"Hi," Elizabeth said sadly. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been run over by a truck," she replied.
Elizabeth nodded. "I guess that sounds about right."
"Look, Elly," Kya started, her voice on the verge of breaking. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't save you."
Elizabeth finally turned to face the older girl. "It's not your fault, Kya. I guess this was my destiny."
"No," Kya said firmly. "It couldn't have been. You had so much left. . . ."
"If it wasn't meant to be, then it wouldn't have happened. I'm okay with that, as long as you get me out of here so I can go wherever I'm supposed to be." Her cousin ended with a smile and Kya felt her heart breaking.
She reached a hand up and touched Elizabeth's face, but her hand passed right through. A single tear trailed down her face and she bit back the sob threatening to break forth. She stared hard at the floor when a gentle hand touched her face. She looked up through shimmering eyes to see Elizabeth standing there, shy and beautiful. Without questioning how her cousin had corporealized she let out a choked sob and drew the girl into her arms. Elizabeth closed her arms tightly around Kya and they stood there together under the lights of a thousand candles, both their tears mingling together as they cried.
Dean rolled over slightly, feeling the warmth of Kya's body gone, and opened his eyes to see her standing near the foot of the stairs, wrapped in her cousin's arms. A small smile crossed his face as he watched the two girls. He could see how much they had loved each other as more than cousins, more like sisters, evident in everything they did. It was obvious to him that Kya had downplayed the loss of Elizabeth in front of him and Sam. Dean took in her appearance, the way her blonde hair was lit in a dozen places by the candlelight. Her jeans were torn and dirty, bloodstained and frayed, her black halter top was still in one piece and the leather jacket she wore over it was torn on the shoulders from the Hellhound's claws. Even bruised and broken she stood strong, taller than she should have appeared even in her heeled boots. Somehow the tears staining her face, the moment of weakness she displayed for Elizabeth, made him think of her as all the more strong and all the more beautiful.
His thought process caught him by surprise. He had never really had deep feelings for any girl, just a passing desire to ease loneliness. Dean had never thought about finding a girl of his own as Sam had done. The light in which he was seeing Kya had nothing to do with the candles.
"I get to be an angel," Elizabeth whispered, her mouth pressed against Kya's hair.
"Yeah," Kya said. "You do."
Ever since they were kids Elizabeth had been fascinated with angels. It had been her dream to be one, a guardian angel in particular, and the thought had given her comfort concerning death. Kya knew that her cousin was looking forward to fulfilling her childhood dream, but Kya wasn't ready to let her cousin go anywhere, including to get wings. She didn't want to let go even though she knew that she had to.
"It's okay," Elizabeth said. "I want to go. I want wings."
Kya laughed and pulled away. "You'll look beautiful in them."
"You think?" Elizabeth asked. "I hope so. I want to do good with them. Save somebody else that can do good in the world."
Kya smile was sad through the tears still sliding down her face. "Well you're off to a good start. You saved me."
Elizabeth laughed. "I did, huh? I guess I did. That's new."
It was Kya's turn to laugh and swipe at the tears blurring her vision. "A good kind of new. I could learn to get used to it."
Elizabeth took her hand for the last time. "I'll watch over you. I promise. When I get out of here, I'll stay with you. If you can stand to have me around for the rest of your life."
Kya squeezed the girl's hand before it turned incorporeal again. She looked at her cousin and saw the wall behind her. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
A few minutes later Kya came back to Dean, sliding easily back into position as though she had never left. As her head touched his chest and the curtain of blonde locks brushed his face he smiled and wrapped his arms around her. It felt natural to have her lying in his arms in a way that no other woman had come close to feeling. Even Cassie, for all of their passion and heat, had never felt the way that holding Kya did. She turned her face up to look at him, sensing that he was no longer sleeping.
"You were watching us," she said with mock accusation.
"Guilty," he admitted. "And how does the jury find the defendant?"
She wrinkled her nose and stifled a laugh. "Guilty as charged. With a verdict of time served."
Dean nodded, as if mulling over the decision. "I guess that's not so bad."
Kya wrapped an arm around his waist, feeling the muscles beneath his shirt that remained firm even though he was relaxed. "Not so bad at all."
Dean sat up on one elbow suddenly and she rested her head on his bicep as he leaned over her. His eyes searched hers, staring at her directly for the first time since he had found her in the chair. There was still guilt shrouded in those green orbs, but it was diminishing.
"Kya?" he asked softly.
"Yes, Dean?" she replied.
He bent low and encased her mouth with his, words lost on him. He had meant to tell her how he felt but Dean had always been a man of action instead of words. She seemed surprised by the sudden kiss, but reciprocated it with equal care and passion. He was mindful of the condition of her lips, being gentle because he wasn't aware that at that very moment, Kya cared very little about her pain. His strong arms wrapped around her small frame and she pressed herself to him, lost in the deep and passionate kiss. Her thoughts blurred until she felt nothing but him and the kiss deepened, became more passion filled and hungry.
Elizabeth turned away with a smile on her ghostly features, her cousin the firestarter and the demon hunter locked in each other's embrace.
