Dean opened the trunk of his beloved car and pulled out a spare shirt that had been safely tucked into an unpacked bag. He slipped the shirt on with ease and, after shutting the trunk, resumed his sacred place in the drivers seat.
"We ready to get out of here?"
It took about two hours of silence and driving before they drove into Austin.
"There is my store and apartment. I shall like to be dropped off now." Emmiliano pointed outside his window to an ice cream store with an upstairs apartment. Once the car stopped, Emmiliano stepped out and ran to the store, his long hair flailing as he ran.
"What ice cream store has an apartment above it?" Dean wondered aloud.
Vanesse replied with a passive shrug.
After about ten minutes of driving and ariving, Vanesse unlocked her apartment door and threw her keys on the kitchen counter. She clutched her hands to her stomach and groaned as she weakly collapsed her arm on the nearest surface.
"Let me look at it." Dean insisted. He took Vanesse and guided her to a near-by couch. She took her hands away from her stomach, revealing her blood-streaked shirt hovering over an open wound. "Do you have a first aid kit anywhere?"
"In that cabinet, I think." She pointed to a cabinet on the far left side of the small kitchen. "There is not a lot in it, though."
Dean stood and went to the kitchen. He took a bowl sitting out on the counter and filled it with warm tap water. Dean shuffled to the other side of the kitchen to open the cabinet door. He pulled out a white box that read 'FIRST AID' in pretty curling handwriting. He walked back to Vanesse and opened the box. As Vanesse said, there wasn't much: a few band-aids, two large gauze pads and an ace bandage.
"This'll do." Dean walked back into the main room carrying the first aid kit, the bowl of water, and a washcloth. Dean drenched the cloth with the warm water and pulled aside her shirt before he pressed it against Vanesse's stomach. He could feel her flinch every time the wet rag touched her skin. "Does it hurt?"
"Just a bit..." She replied.
"I'll be gentle."
"Dean?"
"Yeah?" He glanced up at her for a brief moment before he began to gauze and bandage her stomach.
"What now?"
"I don't know yet." Dean fastened the bandage in place so it wouldn't come apart. "You're finished."
"Thank you." She smiled at him sweetly.
He stood up slowly before heading to the door. "Take care." He said as he reached for the doorknob.
"Dean, wait." Vanesse shouted.
He abided and walked back towards her.
"Um, tomorrow. You are going to take me with you whenever you go after these Vampires, right?" She stood so they were facing each other.
"Ness, you can't come."
"Why not?"
"It's too dangerous."
"I'm not going to get hurt." She persisted.
"You were stabbed today."
"I lived, did I not?"
"You're not going."
"Dean." Vanesse whined.
"We already pissed those them off today, tomorrow they'll want to kill us. Trust me, I know."
"Holly and Nathan are my life. I can't let them slip away from me."
Dean looked at her softly for a moment. "I'll do whatever it take to bring back Holly, Sam and Nathan."
She shook her head, "It's not that simple, Dean. I need to come with you."
"Vanesse. Sam and I do this for a living, we find creatures and we hunt them down. It's kind of the family business. These things kill."
"I can handle it. I'm stronger than I look." She pleaded.
"Fine." Dean caved; he knew how she was feeling. "You can come, but you have to promise to stay safe."
Vanesse smiled brightly. "I promise."
He wasn't quite sure why she was smiling. Being able to go gamble your life away with a few psycho vampires wasn't exactly something to shout joyously about, but her smile was precious. She was very sexy in a strange mysterious way. His lips curved into a smile to match hers as they stood in silence for a minute. It was one of those moments. The kind of moment that makes you feel weightless, and makes your stomach churn with an unexplainable feeling. Before he knew it Vanesse's arms were wrapped around his neck and their lips were embraced in a sweet kiss.
Dean pulled away and rested his forehead on hers, so that their noses touched. "I have to go."
"Okay." Normally she would have insisted that he stayed, but she was very tired.
"Be safe." He swiftly kissed her forehead before heading for the door once again.
