Leave a tender moment alone

A home cooked meal… now there was a concept I hadn't even thought of for quite some time. For some reason I had a hard time picturing Annie cooking a meal until now. Yet there she was halfway between the stove and the sink chopping up vegetables, showing me yet another side to her kaleidoscope. There were steaks in mushroom sauce cooking on the stove, and chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. She'd sent Sammy out to pick up a bag of potatoes and was putting together a salad. I felt out of place sitting at the kitchen table with nothing to do. Sam had done the domestic thing with his girlfriend. He had two years experience with this stuff. She probably did this kind of thing for him all the time. Helping out was second nature to him. Me? I was lost.

So I just sat there enjoying the homey kitchen smells and the sight of Annie's back as she worked. I felt more than a little uncomfortable. It must have shown on my face because when she turned to me and caught my eye she smiled. "Not used to just sitting are you?" It was more of a statement than a question. "No. Not really." I answered sheepishly, rising from my chair. "Oh don't get up, I kind of like seeing the warrior at rest." She teased. Warrior? Me? "Well, that's definitely one of the nicer things I've been called over the years. Don't know if it fits, but I'll take it." A flash of mischief in those soulful eyes and her back was to me again. Is this what 'normal' is? I'll never really be sure, but I sure want more.

I found myself gravitating toward her, just wanting to be closer. I leaned down and tucked my chin just above her shoulder to get a better look at what she was doing. "Need any help?" It was a token question since it was pretty obvious that she had everything under control. Not expecting an answer I wasn't surprised by the 'no thanks' I got. What did surprise me was that she stepped back a little to better fit against me. It was the most natural thing in the world for me to wrap an arm around her waist and just hold her as she finished putting the salad together. So far it had been easy to slip back into the kids we once were, but now there was no denying the fact that we weren't that little any more. For the first time in my life I could picture myself twenty years in the future, standing in that same spot holding Annie close as she puttered around the kitchen. For a moment it was easy to forget about werewolves and demons and spirits.

Then she finished what she was doing and turned into me. Our eyes met. My breath caught at the look I found there. Most women get this soft, tender kind of look in their eyes when they want to be kissed. Take my word for it, I've acted on that look often enough to know. Actually come to think of it I don't think I've ever passed up the opportunity to act on that look. That was the look she sent my way.

There were no words, none were necessary. She pulled my hand off the counter next to us and joined it with the other which now rested on the small of her back. Her arms went around my neck and before I knew it she was gently pulling me down to kiss her. I don't think I really believed it was happening until I felt the warm softness of her lips on mine. One touch and my heart stopped. One more and it started again, pounding against the walls of my chest as if it wanted to break free of my body.

I'm not sure how long we stood that way. I remember wishing it would never end. If I had been lost all this time, I found myself again right there in the middle of the kitchen with her.

God only knows I've kissed more than my share of women over time… and then some. Annie though, well she was different. Special.

All my life I've firmly believed that Dad and Sammy were home. As long as I had them I didn't need a house or an address. I always knew what Sammy meant when he talked about there being more to life than hunting, but I never really understood why he wanted to walk away so badly until now. I still believe in it, all of it… only now that belief includes one more person. I found home again in Annie's arms.

A pleasant surprise

He absolutely amazes me. I couldn't have been gone more than fifteen minutes, running out to get potatoes to go with the steaks. It's the least I could do since Annie was going to all that trouble just to give us a home cooked meal. And when I got back… well.

The last home cooked meal I had… Jess cooked it the day before Dean showed up at Stanford. Hard to believe it's barely been a year. Now this stuff about Dean having nightmares… and Annie who we're sending away in the morning for her safety. The least I could do was give them a few minutes alone. Maybe he'd actually say something to her about how he feels. Ha, yeah right. What am I thinking? This is Dean, right?

So this is what I'm thinking of while I'm picking up potatoes of all things. Not chips, actual real potatoes. I still had Jess, and Dean's journal entries on my mind as I walked back into the house. I swear… fifteen minutes later at the most. I might have noticed how quiet the house had become compared to when I left, but that's not what caught my attention and pulled me out of my thoughts. I'm just assuming about the quiet because when I finally dragged myself back to earth… well I was met with the sight of Dean and Annie practically devouring each other right in the middle of the kitchen.

It's not that I've never walked in on him doing that kind of thing before. Let's face it, Dean has three main priorities in life: family, hunting and women. Family always comes first, then the other two tie for second. If he can mix them all the better. The thing is he always does that kind of thing on a one-night, no-strings basis. The only exception he ever made had been Cassie. Even with her, when it was all over and it was time to leave there had been no question that he would go. Dad and I needed him, there was evil out there to fight, people to save and he was going to do it. That's just all there was to it. At least that was his official story.

At the time I suspected he left because he knew it would hurt her less that way. Watching him go once would be easier, rather than watching him come and go all the time. I don't think he wanted her to wait and worry that he might not come back, hunt after hunt. Now I suspect it probably had more to do with his memories of the Morgans.

So for him to make that step… with all the history that was between them. He may not even have realized it yet, but he was in this one for the long haul.

To say that walking in on them was a shock would be the understatement of the century.

Still, being the sensitive one about these kinds of things I kind of coughed quietly from the doorway to let them know I was back. Dean turned around so fast I thought for sure he'd fall over. He didn't though. Instead he stood tall, tucking Annie safely behind him. He was ready to fight if whatever it was that had distracted him turned out to be unfriendly. He relaxed right away when he saw it was just me… at least until he realized what I had just walked in on. I'm twenty-two years old and I've never once see Dean blush… I couldn't help it. "What a delightful shade of red Dean. That color man, it really suits you." Oh, if looks could kill.

Annie was able to see the humor in it. She was laughing too until she saw the look on his face. When she saw how upset he was she pointed an oven-mitted hand at me to lighten the mood "That's enough of that now, or there'll be no cookies for you." The new distraction worked perfectly. Dean often listens to his stomach, a whole lot more often than he listens to his 'downstairs brain' and that's saying an awful lot.

Like a big kid, the mention of cookies was enough to change his mood completely. "Cookies? Does that mean they're ready?" he asked as she pulled the steaming tray out of the oven. "They are." She answered, deftly swatting away the hand that reached passed her to try and steal one. "and they are for after supper. Dean Winchester I am not cooking all this food just so you can fill up on cookies." It was too much. My brother was being scolded. He tried his best wounded puppy look and found no sympathy. Well, that's not entirely true. She did kiss him again.

"Getting a little rusty there Dean?" I asked him, enjoying the fact that I could be the one poking fun at him for a change. "I am not getting rusty. She kissed me didn't she?" "Sure, but did you get the cookie?" I asked innocently. "What can I say Sam? The woman enjoys torturing me. I mean, why else would she bake cookies right under my nose and then refuse to let me eat them?" he grumbled.

I still don't believe it. Dean: demon hunter, skirt chaser, unshakable older brother, destroyer of all that is evil daring to cross his path, etc…etc…had become domesticated on me literally overnight. It was nice to see the hard shell he'd built up around himself over the years melt a little like that.