She kissed him on the lips, held out the sports bag and gave a small smile. It was look in her eyes that made him understand why he told her about his past. Most of his past. Some things...she was to bright, to innocent to know. Sam should have told Jess about their family curse when it came to love.
Samantha knew what he needed. When he wanted space and when he had to be near somebody. She never pushed him into talking to her...
"See you when you're ready" which meant something totally different. Come back once you get out what you need to get out.
And with another smile she went back into the house. Mary waved from the window.
He didn't have to look back...he was coming back.
Michael was staring in front of the car, out the windshield.
Dean opened the pick up's doors, threw the bag at the back seat and sat down.
FLASHBACK
Michael was staring at him - observing - and Dean had a sudden vision of his brother in front of him.
"What is going on?"
Green-brown eyes stared back.
"If you're my friend you wouldn't ask or speak about this ever again"
End
His friend didn't speak when the doors closed, the engine only came to life and exited the street.
They were going to - by now - a familiar place.
"What if it's a affair?"
Samantha glanced at her friend. Dead serious, a wife protecting her husband in spite the fact that there were no evidences for the cons or pros.
But Tess didn't have the whole picture. She knew the Dean who was working as a mechanic. Not the Dean who taught her how to shoot.
But still somebody was talking about - against - her husband.
She couldn't, wouldn't let it slide.
"Don't talk about things you know nothing about Tess"
The motor came to a halt, Dean took a deep breath, grabbed the duffel bag from the back seat and opened the doors.
Michael glanced at him" I'm over at Joe's"
Dean nodded and closed the doors the engine of the truck coming back to life in a instant and leaving him behind.
Samantha kissed Mary on the head as the little girl ran to Tess.
"Be good! Daddy will be back in a few days"
Mary gave her a full blown child smile" Bye mommy!"
Samantha smiled and waved at her.
Then, when the little girl was gone, she turned to the now empty house, knowing full well what to do.
This was after all a tradition now, a tradition that repeated two times a year.
Clean it from basement to attic.
Michael took the offered beer from Joe. Joe was a old 64 year old man without a family. Dean always said he used to think he would end up like that.
Alone.
Joe observed him.
"How long will you two be staying this time?"
"If you're my friend you wouldn't ask or speak about this ever again"
Michael emptied the bottle in two gulps.
"If you're my friend you wouldn't ask or speak about this ever again"
"As long as it takes" he slammed the empty bottle down" As long as it takes"
"If you're my friend you wouldn't ask or speak about this ever again"
Feeling the same anger consume him. He let it take over only when he was like this. Alone and working out. Away from Samantha and Mary. They were to naive on the true ways of the world in the dark.
He usually practiced alone. Avoided other people.
Except this time he was working with a spare partner.
A person that was even more arrogant than him and currently calling him a chicken. The fucking biker called him a chicken.
Nobody called Dean Winchester a chicken and survived with injuries. He saw few people that recognized him from last time steep back. Evidently sensing the bloodshed coming. And with good reason.
But he also let anger for every other things join in.
"Even if we do find the thing that killed her, mom's gone, and she isn't coming back."
His fist connected with the face. The man hardly had time to blink.
"What did you see in my heart?"
His other fist slammed into the other side his protected face.
"A young man with an important purpose. A job to do. And it isn't finished."
The anger grew.
"Hey, and Dean, why don't you touch up your car before you get rust? I wouldn't have given you the damn thing if I thought you were gonna ruin it."
His movements became faster, his strikes stronger and his hits more and more precise.
"I'm not gonna live this life forever. Dean, when this is all over, you're gonna have to let me go my own way."
He froze for a moment, his eyes on the floor. The man he was sparing with him staggered but still snarled at him. Dean didn't see it but heard it loud and clear. The demon in his ears.
"You know, you fight, and you fight for this family. But the truth is, they don't need you. Not like you need them."
His palm turned into a iron fist.
"Sam? He's clearly John's favorite. Even when they fight, it's more concern than he's ever shown you."
His eyes rose up to his competition.
"That's the difference between you and me. I have a mind of own. I'm not pathetic like you"
He moved faster than ever, his punch not only knocking the guy twice his size out...but also pushing him a few feet backwards.
Dean stood in the same place, black eyes on the man on the ground, a feral grin on his lips.
Dean Winchester, the burning fire of a hunter strong as ever and the road called, but Dean ignored it.
He was finally living the life he deserved.
A life where there were no life's depending on his judgment. Errors didn't cost life's.
The two friends of the idiot came into the ring.
The fear grin turned wicked.
Enough games, time for some real therapy.
Four hours later Michael passed him the just opened whisky bottle.
Dean filled his and Michael's. He raised his glass.
"Loser drives true two states"
Michael picked up his, knowing this game" I've got no problem with that"
Joe glanced at his waitress, one year younger woman than him" Boys will be boys Betty" he smiled back at him" Don't try and change it...you will just waste time"
But Betty like a true mother hen kept watch over them for the next few hours they were there.
Like she always did when they came here. Twice a year for three years now.
That night Dean was back in one of the many motels in the country.
A motel he was once before - when he was about six - with his brother...
Two days and two states later Dean and Michael came back to Boston.
Like always: sober, clean and unharmed. Dean's shoulder which were stiff when he left were now relaxed. His eyes sparkled again.
It was some hours later that Dean joined Samantha in the common room. He settled on the couch beside Samantha with a sigh, dropping down so that his head rested on his wife's shoulder. With a tired grin, he observed, "So much about us time"
Samantha chuckled, a warm sound that eased Dean slowly towards the sleep he'd missed over the last two days for one reason or another. Mostly because of college and the overtime.
"Dean! Would you tell Seth to leave off already?" Tess shouted, jumping down the stairs to land in an ungodly racket against a table.
Seth followed hot on her heels with, "It's not like she don't got more than enough to spare!"
Samantha pressed her face to Dean's shoulder where the ex-hunter could feel minute tremors beginning.
Michael was holding in a laugh while rolling his eyes.
"5 minutes of peace and quiet! Or there will be hell to pay!" Dean roared.
Everyone froze and slowly, one by one, retreated from the room. Samantha was shaking openly with laughter by then, though the sound was muffled into Dean's shirt. Dean shouted his frustration in a wordless howl, which provoked Samantha into gales of laughter until she was helpless with it, lying on her side and shaking.
Dean watched her for a second then, reluctantly, his mouth twitched into a smile. "Think that's funny do you?"
Samantha shouted with renewed laughter as Dean attacked her ticklish spots without mercy. The sound echoed through the house, joining the familiar bickering of the others in the kitchen. Everything was perfect.
Why didn't see it coming was something Dean would be asking himself for the rest of his life.
Outside in the darkness the figure smiled, eyes shining.
Soon. Victory was so close it almost tasted it.
It tasted like fresh salty blood.
A/N The cooling system on my computer went dead and is now being 'operated on'. So for the time being I'm going to have to pause on updating till it's back. But it doesn't mean I'm stopping to write. Thank you to Tina for the ADSL connection and helping me in geting this chapter out of my head and writing it down.