Chapter 10

It was the weekend of the Fall Festival that started on Friday night and ended Sunday afternoon. Deanna made plans to go with Quill on Saturday afternoon and stay for the fireworks show that night. Sam, Bobby, and John were going to check it out Saturday also to support the community and help Jody patrol the event. They always had a good turnout for the festival, and she didn't have enough deputies to cover the event.

Dean was upset that he would be missing it since he was on a hunt and couldn't get back in time. He always enjoyed the baked good, especially pies. People came from the surrounding counties to the festival and local vendors set up booths to sell their goods. It was one of the highlights of the year, right up there with their Fourth of July Celebration.

The weather was cooperating with a brisk, sunny weekend with the temperatures on the cooler side. The town was preparing for the overflow of people that would be visiting for the weekend. Sheriff Jody Mills had all her deputies working the festival to handle any problems that might crop up. She wanted to be a step ahead of the game like always. She also asked Bobby, John, and Sam to help with patrolling the event.

"Deanna, we're heading out," Sam called upstairs to his daughter.

"Okay Dad, Quill should be here soon, and we'll be heading over," she replied.

"Alright, I'll see you there, maybe." He turned to the others to see if they were ready to leave.

"Well, let's go son," John spoke impatiently as he came from the kitchen.

"Bobby, you ready?" Sam asked him as he stuck his head in the office.

"Whenever you are," Bobby grumbled pushing himself from the desk chair to join them in the living room.

"Alright, then, let's go." Sam headed out the door and the others followed him to his SUV to head on into town.

Deanna tried on another top and checked herself in the mirror trying to decide if it would be suitable for her date. She had gone through half her closet already looking for just the right outfit. Of course, jeans were a yes, she just needed the rest of the outfit.

She finally decided on a Led Zeppelin T-shirt Dean had given her with a long-sleeved shirt that accented the color, and her favorite boots. Deanna grabbed her jacket from the closet and headed downstairs to wait on Quill since he texted her he was on his way. She went to the laundry room and grabbed a couple of warm blankets to use when the fireworks started that night.

Deanna skipped to the door when she heard knocking and quickly opened it to find Quill waiting on the porch.

"Hi," she smiled, stepping close to him to kiss him.

"Hi yourself Annie," he mumbled around the kiss. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, let me lock up." Deanna pulled the door shut and double locked the door before letting Quill take her hand and guide her to his Jeep. He opened to passenger door for her and headed around to the driver's side.

"So, what can I expect at this festival?" Quill questioned as he cranked the Jeep and pulled down the driveway.

"Well, there's a lot of people who come to it. There're rides, games, food, great music, barbecue cooking contest, and vendors with all kinds of items for sale. I guess it's a cross between a county fair and festival. And they have fireworks when it gets dark. We've been going to it for years and always enjoy it."

"You enjoy things like this?"

"Most of the time," she shrugged. "There's always a large variety of foods to try and new things to see and do. I don't much like the large crowds, but I make do."

"Sounds like you have a fun time. Is your family going to be there?"

"Yes, they've already left about thirty minutes ago. We may see them there or not. I hadn't really planned on meeting up with them anywhere. But we might. How 'bout your family?"

"No, they don't attend very many events. They're sort of private people."

"Okay. I guess you could say my family is too about most things."

They fell silent the rest of the way to the festival. Quill drove slowly around the parking lot until he found a place to park. They got out and headed for the beginning of the event. The crowd was growing as Quill looped an arm around Deanna's shoulders and let her lead the way.

Deanna put an arm around his waist and snuggled into his side. She could feel and underlying power in him but wasn't sure what it was. She could tell he was able to keep it out of sight and wondered if he would tell her about it someday. He had his secrets, like she had hers.

They started at one end of the vendors' booths and slowly walked by them, stopping at some to check out the merchandise they offered. Quill bought two leather bracelets, one with his name and one with Deanna's name branded into it. He put the one with his name onto Deanna's wrist and she put the one with her name on his wrist.

"Look," Deanna pointed to a booth that had balloons pinned to the back wall and you threw darts at them. "I want to try that," she insisted pulling him toward it.

"Hello, lovely lady, would you like to try your hand at popping the balloons? You get four darts for two dollars and if you can pop three of the balloons, you get to pick a prize."

"Okay, here you go," Deanna nodded pulling some money from her pocket to pay. "Is this true? That you donate part of your take to charities to help endangered species?" she questioned reading the signs around the booth.

"It is. I think we should be giving back to Mother Nature and helping to save these beautiful animals," the guys told her.

"Here goes nothing." Deanna took in a slow breath and zeroed in on one of the balloons as she rolled the dart between her fingers and adjusted her grip before quickly tossing it at the balloon. She smiled broadly when it popped and made ready to throw another. Each dart she tossed popped a balloon and she squealed in delight and hugged Quill.

"My, my, where did you learn to play darts?"

"My uncle and Dad."

"You can have your choice of any of the stuffed animals on the top shelves," he gestured with a wave of his hand.

Deanna let her eyes roam over the selection he offered twice before being drawn to one in the back corner.

"I'll take that one," she told the guy pointing at what she thought was a dog.

"Good choice. Did you know wolves are being killed faster than they can breed and if they are not protected with become an extinct species?"

"I did not, but good to know." Deanna ran her hand over the soft fur of the wolf and looked at Quill and smiled. "I love it."

"He is cute," Quill replied wondering if this was Fate telling him something or mere coincidence that she would choose that particular stuffed animal.

They made their way to where the rides were and bought tickets before getting in line for the double Ferris wheel. Quill looked at the huge double circle ride and frowned slightly not sure he wanted to try it. He had never been on one and it looked super high.

"Are you okay?" Deanna asked him when she sensed his uncertainty.

"I'm fine," Quill replied in a not so fine voice.

"Have you ever ridden in a Ferris wheel before?"

"Honestly, no. My first time. It's actually my first time coming to something like this."

"You'll love it. You'll be able to see the whole area. Come on, it'll be fine," she encouraged him, pulling him toward the waiting seat. They were locked in and moved up to fill other seats until it slowly began to go around and around.

Quill had a death grip on the bar and side of the seat as he tried to breath. He stared wide eyed out across the festival hoping it didn't last long. He could feel his stomach doing flip-flops as he swallowed hard not wanting to puke in front of Deanna.

"It's okay," Deanna cooed to him putting her arm around him and rubbed his back. "Just relax and enjoy the ride."

"I'm trying," he responded through gritted teeth. He had to do his best to not bend the bar with his strength. He was finding that he really didn't like heights. "Holy crap," he hissed when the seat stopped at the top and swung back and forth in the air. "Why did we stop? Is something wrong? Oh god, we're going to die…"

"We're not going to fall. Breath Quill. Don't you go passing out on me," Deanna begged turning his face to make him look at her and not down. "It's going to be okay," she said assured him kissing his cheek and then trembling lips just as the seat jerked and they went down a short distance. "They're letting people off is all. We'll be down soon."

Quill didn't answer her and gave a brief, stiff nod that he had heard her. He could feel her warm breath on his neck, and it seemed to calm him enough that he relaxed slightly. As soon as they were down and the attendant opened the seat, Quill stumbled out and away from the ride.

"Never again," he told her taking in some long breaths to control his breathing.

"Alright, mark that off your to do list," Deanna giggled softly hugging him. "That's okay Quill, my Uncle Dee doesn't like heights either and he won't set foot on an airplane. You're not the only one that has fears like that."

"Hey there," a female voice greeted them, making them turn to see who it was.

"Aunt Jody, hi," Deanna replied giving her a hug. "How are things going so far?"

"It's been pretty quiet. A couple of guys overindulging but nothing major. Quill, nice to see you again."

"Sheriff, good to see you too," he replied.

"You look a little pale, are you okay?" Jody asked Quill when she saw how pale and shaky he looked.

"He doesn't like Ferris wheels," Deanna told her, as she smiled at him and patted his arm.

"It's more the height thing," Quill added leaning against the railing for support.

"I saw your family earlier Deanna. Boy am I glad they agreed to help patrol during this event. I think we have more people this year than last."

"I'm glad they could help. Maybe next year I'll do that too."

"We'll see. Well, I better get back at it patrolling. You guys be careful and have a good time."

"We will Aunt Jody, see you."

"So, your Aunt is the town sheriff?" Quill asked arching an eyebrow at her. "You never mentioned it when we first met her. Now I understand why your family is helping around here."

"Yes, she's been a friend of my family since before I was born. Aunt Jody is like a surrogate mom to me."

"She seems like a nice person and you're lucky to have her."

"I know, how about we go ride the carousel? I love those things."

"Now that is more my speed," Quill agreed taking her hand and listening for the music that would lead him to it. He followed the sound and found the line for it, which wasn't too long, and they waited to get on board.

They found horses side by side and mounted them, waiting for the music to start and the ride to begin. Deanna laughed happily and posed when Quill pulled his cell out at snapped several photos of her. He loved to hear her laugh and to see the warm smile she had for him when she looked at him. He never really knew what his father meant when he said you'll know the person who will be your mate the first time you see them. It was like that for Quill. From the moment he laid eyes on her, he knew deep down in his soul that she was the one. She was his soul mate. It didn't matter that she was human, his heart fluttered, and his breathing grew faster when she was near him. She took his breath away.

Deanna pulled her cell out and leaned close to Quill to get a selfie with him and took a couple of him too. She could feel the love growing more and more for him and wondered if this was how her Dad felt about her Mom when they first met and started dating. She could feel the strong attraction between them and how her heart swelled with her love. Was Quill the one she had been searching for? Did he love her as much as she loved him? Questions she hoped to answer some day.

spn

The smell of cooking meats tantalized Quills nostrils, making his mouth water. He steered them to the food vendors and checked out what they had to offer. Deanna got a smoked turkey leg and homemade fries. Quill got a rare philly cheese steak sandwich. They both got fresh squeezed lemonade to drink and found a place to sit to enjoy the food. They shared the fries and sampled each other's food. Even though they were stuffed, they sampled some of the barbecue from the vendors in the cookoff trying to decide which they liked the best.

Music caught Deanna's attention and they made their way to the stage where a band was playing. They were good and people were beginning to gather to listen. When a slow song began to play, Deanna pulled Quill to the area where people were dancing and wrapped her arms around his neck and began to sway with the music. Quill drew in her scent and buried his face into her hair for a moment before letting his lips trail down her cheek and found her lips to lightly brush across them and kiss the side of her mouth. They enjoyed the music a while longer before moving on to explore more of the festival.

"Guess we better walk back to the cars and get the blankets," Deanna noted since it was starting to get dark. "We can find a good place to watch the fireworks."

"Sounds good to me. Have you had a fun time today?" Quill asked her as they walked toward the parking area.

"Yes, mainly because I got to spend it with you."

"Hey Deanna," Sam called, waving to her as he headed their way.

"Hi Dad. Is everything okay?" she asked not seeing the others.

"Yes, it's fine. We're patrolling the crowd for any issues. Good to see you again Quill. Are you guys having a good time?"

"We are and nice to see you again too sir," Quill greeted him.

"Look Dad, I won this popping balloons with darts," she told him holding up the stuffed wolf.

"You were always a good shot. Well, better get back at it. You two be careful getting out of here after the fireworks, there's going to be a lot of cars trying to leave."

"We will Dad, I'll see you at home later."

"Goodbye sir," Quill added. "I'll be sure she gets home safe."

"I'm holding you to that," Sam replied before disappearing back into the crowd.

Quill and Deanna continued to the Jeep and got the blankets, leaving the stuffed wolf behind. They made their way through the crowd toward a big field at the side of the festival where people could set up chairs and blankets to watch the fireworks. They stopped for hot chocolate along the way and found a nice spot near a wall that had a beautiful view.

Quill spread a blanket for them to sit on and leaned back against the wall with Deanna between his legs, leaning back against his chest. She spread the other blanket over them and snuggled in his warm embrace. Since Quill was hot blooded, it was like having an electric blanket to keep her warm. They sipped on their drinks and settled down, waiting for it to get a little darker.

The wait wasn't long, and it was announced over the loudspeakers that the fireworks would be starting in ten minutes. More people filled the field setting up to watch the show.

The first fireworks were launched filling the sky with a display of brilliant white and sparklers whirled around and popped above their heads. As soon as that one died away, more were shot into the air, bursting with an array of colors, shapes, sizes, and sounds. This went on for about an hour before the grand finale making everyone clap and cheer.

Deanna grunted as she got up and pulled Quill from the ground. They folded their blankets and made their way back to the parking lot and the Jeep. Quill was watchful of all the people and vehicles doing the same as them as he eased his way to the exit. Deanna directed him to a back way that took them out of most of the traffic and got them back to the salvage yard safely.

"I really had a wonderful time, thanks for coming with me," Deanna told him leaning toward him to kiss his parted lips.

"It was fun, except the Ferris wheel," Quill chuckled, not believing how he acted.

"It was cute. It shows you do have some flaws, and you're not Mr. Perfect," she giggled.

Quill pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply, savoring the taste of hot chocolate still on her lips and how she seemed to mold to him and return his passion with her own. They broke apart when headlights illuminated them as Sam's SUV slowly drove down the driveway.

"I better go," he told her giving her one more kiss.

"I'll call you tomorrow. I plan on going to visit Mom's grave soon and want you to come with me."

"Alright, I'd like that. Sweet dreams tonight, Annie," Quill told her before she slipped from the Jeep and headed for the front door. He watched the three men get out of the SUV as he backed up and gave a friendly wave before heading down the driveway.

A/N: The fall festival was great, and the two young people are falling for each other. Secrets will be revealed soon that will threaten their relationship. Can it be worked out? Thank you for coming on this journey with me. Reviews/Comments would make my day. NC