Part Four: Silver Bands and Second Chances
Reese had arrived to Kentucky a lot later than she planned. The destination was only a days drive. It ended up taking her three days. She was tired. Physically and mentally. She pulled into the two stop light town of Marion. She smiled at the memories she recalled with her sister. She pulled into an open spot in front of the diner she used to frequent. Athena and Reese used to live in Marion when they were younger. She climbed out of the car and looked over her shoulder. "Old habits die hard." she whispered. The red sign blinked at her. The Coffee Shop. It was eight thirty in the morning. The perfect time for breakfast. She plucked her keys from her pocket and locked her car. She knew no one would steal it, but she didn't want to take the chance. She slowly walked to the door and took a deep breath. The smell of breakfast food filled her nose. She smiled to herself and walked in. She heard the small jingle of the bell and the faces turned and looked at her. A few smiled at her and turned back to their food. The others kept staring at her until she took her seat, close to the door. She nodded their way when the waiter came to her. She smiled up at him.
"Good morning, sweetheart. Coffee?" his voice was calm and soothing.
"Please." Reese said, looking down at the empty mug. The boy poured the black liquid and then laid the menu down beside her cup.
"My name is Jonah and I'll be serving you. Do you need a minute?" A usual routine saying. Reese smiled up at him.
"Actually, I'll just have a short stack with a side of bacon." Reese said softly. She looked up at him with a bright smile. She hadn't seen a man with such eyes before. Other than Dean. She looked into them and was mesmerized. His eyes looked like a shot glass of whiskey and the sun was shining through it. His short but shaggy brown hair made his golden skin burst with light. And she thought Dean was the only attractive man.
"Alright. Anything else?" his deep voice snapped her out of her state.
"Oh. No. That will be it." she said softly. Jonah nodded and smirked. He turned on his heel and walked back into the kitchen to place her order. Reese looked down at her coffee. She sighed and took a sip. Dean and Sam had finally stopped calling her only last night. Sam had left a few voicemails, asking if she ever needed anything she could call. But Dean would leave short messages. Telling her to call him, a few with a question of where she was. But the last message he left her hurt her heart. She could still hear the pain in his voice.
"Reese. Please answer me. I can't do this without you. Yeah, Sam is here but, I miss you. I've told you things I wouldn't tell anyone. I've opened up to you. I don't do that. I hate chick flick moments. Please…" Reese held back tears when she heard it. There was a long pause before he ended the call. "You know what. Do what ever it is you wanna do. I should've known you wouldn't stick around. Just a few hunts remember? I guess taking that chance at the motel was wrong, huh? Hell, maybe I'll see ya around. Maybe not." With that, he ended the call and she hadn't heard from them since. She was far into her own little world when Jonah's voice broke her thoughts.
"Miss? Are you alright?" he looked down at her with concern in his eyes. When Reese didn't answer he laid his hand on her shoulder. "Miss?" he said. Reese flinched at his touch then realized where she was. She looked down and saw her food on the table.
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. Just tired." Reese let out a soft laugh. Jonah smiled and took a seat in front of her.
"You wanna talk about it? I'm a good listener." Reese smiled at him. Jonah smiled back at her. She looked down at his arm and saw a tattoo running down his bicep to his forearm.
"That's some cool ink you got there…" Reese said, nodding to his arm. Jonah looked down and smiled.
"Thanks. It was my first one."
"What does it mean?" Reese said reaching out to touch his arm. She saw his forearm tense at her touch. The pad of her thumb ran down the markings in amazement.
"It's tribal. Something my dad was really into." He said, watching her fingers move over his arm.
"Was?"
"Yeah. He died a few years ago." he cleared his throat. "Hunting accident."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Ah. It's alright. So, what about you? Got any childhood memories you wanna let out?" Jonah put his chin in his hand and looked at her with a curious look in his eyes. Reese looked down and smiled. "Why am I a sucker for eyes?" she thought.
"My sister and I, we were, uh, hunting buffs. Always on the move looking for our next trophy. She passed a couple years ago."
"I'm sorry." he said. "What's your name?"
"Reese. Reese Novak." She decided she didn't want to use her real name. Thankfully she knew Castiel's vessels name and took it. "Thank you Cas!" she screamed in her head. Jonah held out his hand and Reese took it with a shake.
"Well, Reese Novak, I'm Jonah Witmur. It's great to meet you." She gently shook his hand and she felt something ripple through her hand and up her arm. It was warm and comforting. She didn't think anything of it and let go of his hand. She began nibbling at her food. Jonah looked down at his watch. He grinned at himself.
"This is going to sound kind of weird, but I get off in about five minutes. Will you wait for me?" The question took her by surprise but for some reason she couldn't say no.
"Yeah." she said quickly. Jonah smiled and stood to his feet.
"Great. Give me just a second to collet my tips and clock out. I'll be back." he turned to walk to the kitchen. "Oh, and breakfast is on me." he nodded with a smirk and headed out of sight. Reese watched him go and she shrugged her shoulders. She sipped on her coffee and glanced back at her watch. She looked up and saw Jonah walking back to her, without his name tag or apron. He smiled her way and nodded to the door. She quickly got to her feet and followed him out to the sidewalk. He turned and faced her.
"Could I get a ride?" he asked softly. Reese locked eyes with him. She couldn't refuse him. Something in the back of her mind was screaming to get in her car and drive far away. But something was keeping her from rational thought. She nodded and motioned to her car. Jonah's lips curled into a bright smile. "This is yours?" Reese nodded. "Wow." He walked around the Mustang, running his finger along with side of the it. He looked up at her, still smiling. "Can I drive it?" Reese felt a pang run through her chest. No one drives her car other than her. But again, she couldn't refuse him. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys. She looked down at them and tossed them to Jonah. He caught them and smiled. He unlocked the car and climbed into the driver seat. Reese motioned to her door and Jonah reached over and opened it. She climbed into the passenger seat and looked ahead. Jonah shoved the key into the ignition and the car roared to life. "Listen to her purr." Reese chuckled. "What year is she?"
"68" she said. Jonah nodded and tapped the breaks and put the car into drive. He pulled out of the parking spot and headed down the road and through the stop light. Reese reached into her pocket and grabbed her cell phone. She opened it and there was a missed call and voicemail from Sam. She called her voicemail and held the phone to her ear.
"Hey Reese. It's Sam. Listen, Dean and I were on our way to Kentucky. Thought maybe you'd like to tag along because you've been there before. We caught a case of a possible vamp. Victims are being drained of blood and their bodies left dry. So, if you wanna come, you could meet us there." there a short pause. "It would mean a lot to Dean if you were there. He may not admit it but, he really misses you." the call ended and Reese looked out of the window. Jonah noticed her mood change and pulled over into an old parking lot. He put the car into park and turned his body to look at her. Reese wiped a lone tear that played on her eyelid. Jonah reached out and touched her shoulder. Reese turned and looked at him.
"I'm sorry." she chuckled, wiping her face.
"So, that's why you looked so down when you come into the diner."
"What?" Reese raised a brow in question.
"Bad breakup?" he asked in a low voice.
"I wouldn't say breakup. More like we were never together, but something was there?" she questioned herself. Jonah nodded, accepting her answer. Reese smiled, happy that he didn't push any farther. She looked back down at her hands. Her eye line was blocked by her hair. She didn't notice the small faint blue light shining through Jonah's eyes. He blinked and it was gone.
"You should call him." he said softly. Reese turned and looked at him confused. "Call him." Reese slowly nodded and opened her phone and called the one person she didn't want to talk to. She paused on his name and she pressed the call button. She looked straight ahead and waited. It rang three times before she heard Dean's voice.
"Reese?" he sounded relieved. "Is that you? Where are you?"
"I'm in Kentucky. I decided I wanted to take a break from hunting and come back home for a little bit." she said softly. "I got your messages…"
"Why didn't you call back. At least to let us know you were okay." his voice deepened.
"Dean, I left on such awkward terms. I knew if I stayed around things would have gotten even more uncomfortable than they already were."
"How were they uncomfortable. I thought we moved past that when I was sort of on top of you." Reese blushed. She really hoped Sam wasn't around him. She felt even more embarrassed that Jonah was sitting next to her. She really hoped that he couldn't here the other guy on the phone. She lifted her hand to the bottom of the phone. "Jonah, will you excuse me for a moment?" Jonah nodded and she exited the car. She walked to the old building that was about to fall down. She sighed when she realized Dean was still on the other line.
"Dean, I'm not ready for this. Any of it. I promised a few hunts, and that's what you got. And then you go all soft shelled and kissy on me and then everything changed. I'm not ready to settle down or-"
"Who said we have to settle down?" Dean interrupted. "We're hunters, Reese. There is no settling down." That last sentence felt like a bullet to the heart. "That came out wrong. But you know what I mean. You didn't have to leave. I don't want you to leave."
"Dean, I had no choice. This whole thing with Lucifer and Michael is just too much for me. I thought hunting was just killing things that go bump in the night. You know, werewolves, vampires, the occasional wendigo. Angels and demons wasn't really on the agenda."
"Reese, please. Come back hunting with us. I promise I won't make it awkward. Please?" Reese sighed. If you can't beat them, join them. She thought.
"Do you know where I am?"
"Kentucky."
"I'm in Marion. It's a little over one hundred miles from Lexington. It's a little two stop light town south. If you blink, you'll miss it. I'm staying at the only motel in town. You can meet me there."
"Awesome. I guess we'll see you tomorrow." Dean said. "Reese?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry. About everything."
"Dean, I…" Reese felt a sharp pain at the back of her head before she fell to the ground. Everything in her eyes went black. She felt a surge of warmth flow her body before she fell into a painful sleep.
"Reese? What was that? Reese!" Dean screamed through the phone. Jonah stood from where Reese had fallen to the ground. He picked up the phone and held it to his ear. "Reese! Answer me!"
"She's not going to be answering anybody anymore, Dean was it?"
"You son of a bitch! What did you do?"
"I just put her to sleep for a while. But, I don't think she'll wake up anytime soon. Jonah shut the phone and smiled evilly down at Reese."
Dean heard Reese grunt with pain on the other end of the phone. Panic washed over him as Sam walked back into the room. "Reese? What was that? Reese!" he screamed through the phone. Sam's eyes then widened with panic. Dean heard rustling on the other end of the line. Then he heard a male voice. Anger replaced the panic and he stood to his feet. "Reese! Answer me!"
"She's not going to be answering anybody more, Dean was it?" he voice said.
"You son of a bitch! What did you do?" Sam walked closer to Dean and he put the phone on speaker.
"I put her to sleep for a while. I don't think she'll wake up anytime soon." then the call ended. Dean squeezed the phone to the point he heard the plastic cracking. He threw the phone hard against the wall.
"Damn it!" he yelled. He turned and looked at his younger brother. "We have to go find her, Sammy."
"I know Dean, our duffles are already in the trunk." Sam said, trying to put a little comfort in his brother. Dean nodded and headed for the door. He patted his pocket to feel his keys and cursed under his breath. Sam smiled and held up the car keys and tossed them to his brother. Dean smirked and they both climbed into the Impala.
"I know she's in Kentucky, but where?" Sam said, pulling out the map from the glove box.
"She's in Marion." Dean said sternly. Sam nodded and looked down at the map. With his index finger he marked their position and fingered the interstate to Marion. "Okay, we take I-24 to Paducah and then take highway 60 straight to Marion. If we book it, we'll make it there by tonight." Dean nodded and planted his foot on the accelerator and the car picked up speed. He made a sharp left turn and took to the interstate. He weaved in and out of traffic, not caring about the way he was driving. Sam kept his eyes forward, ready to warn Dean of any sign on police activity. A small shred of panic rushed over him as he let out a small gasp when he saw blue flashing lights in front of them. The police had someone already pulled over. And Dean had no intension of slowing down. He pushed the car faster and he whipped past the traffic stop. Sam turned around in his seat to find the police car unmoving. He sighed in relief and turned back around to face the road.
"Uh, Dean. I know we're in a hurry, but I'd like to live through the ride." Sam said, trying to lighten the mood. Dean was silent. His mind too focused on the road and the objective at hand. He had to find Reese and save her from what ever monster that had her.
Reese groaned at the numbing pain that rushed through her arms. Her eyes cracked open to find her arms suspended above her. She moaned at the pain and tried to wiggle free. She winced at the small pinch on the base of her neck. She glanced down and saw a small tube run from her neck, around her body and up a silver pole to what looked like a blood bag. She sighed with exhaustion. Her breathing was ragged and she felt painfully cold. Her eyes snapped to her right when she saw Jonah come up next to her.
"What did you do to me?" she said softly. Jonah chuckled and walked in front of her. He reached up and moved her hair from her eyes.
"Just giving you what you want." Jonah whispered. He cupped her face in his hand and Reese felt the warmth roll through her again. "I can give you what you want." he said softly in her ear before Reese closed her eyes and fell back into the deep sleep again.
Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better.
Hey Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better.
Reese smiled as the old song rang through her ears. She rolled over on her back and stretched her aching muscles. Her ear twitched and the music coming from another room. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed she wasn't where she last remembered. She sat up quickly and looked around at her surroundings. She felt cool air touch her skin and she quickly wrapped the sheet around her bare front. She looked down at her legs. They were bare and she had a silver anklet around her ankle. She lifted her leg to touch the anklet when the light caught something on her hand. Her eyes widened when she saw the silver diamond band behind a princess cut diamond engagement ring. Her jaw dropped at the sight of it. She looked up and noticed she was in a master bedroom. The walls were a comforting beige, a television was hanging on the wall and home decor hanging around the room. She lifted her brow and threw the sheets off of her. She grabbed the robe that was hanging on the doorknob of the closet and wrapped it around her naked body. She opened the door and noticed a closet filled with clothes. And not hunter's clothes. Sure, she had a few plaid button downs and a few pairs of ratted jeans but everything else was clothes she only dreamed of owning. She went with her gut and grabbed a button down, pair of jeans and a pair of boots that she assumed were hers. She quickly dressed and started for the door when a male voice stopped her in her tracks. The voice was singing. The same song she woke up to, he was singing. Her lips pressed into a hard line as she followed the sound of the voice.
Hey Jude, don't let me down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better.
The voice turned into a humming sound. She tiptoed to sounds and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a man, putting a small sleeping baby girl into her crib. Her voice caught in her throat when the man stood up straight and turned to face her. Her eyes widened when she caught the piercing green eyes. She let out a small gasp when the man smiled at her.
"Dean?" she said softly, astounded by the man that stood before her.
"Good morning." he whispered. He walked towards her and kissed her cheek. "It's about time you woke up. I thought you'd sleep all day." Dean walked past her and down the stairs. Reese looked over her shoulders and watched Dean move down to the next floor of the house. She slowly followed. She followed him into the kitchen. She let out another gasp at the sight of the room. Everything was brand new. It still had its shine. She looked over at Dean, who had just poured two mugs of coffee. She remained quiet. He turned with both mugs and walked over to her. He handed one of the mugs to her and kissed her cheek again before turning and taking a seat at the table. He reached over a a while speaker and turned it on. She heard soft snores coming from it. Dean looked up at her and smiled. "It took a little bit, but I finally got her to go back to sleep." Reese simply nodded, unable to speak at the sight before her. She remained standing, holding her mug and looked at the man before her. This wasn't the Dean she knew. This one was calmer, nicer and less of a smart-aleck. She looked at his outfit and bit her bottom lip. At least his sleeping clothes were the same. The plain black tee and grey sweat pants. She rubbed her forehead. "Come sit down." Dean said, snapping her out of her thoughts. She obeyed and sat in front of him. He looked down at the news paper and sipped on his coffee. Reese watched him closely, trying to take it all in. She looked down at his left hand. He was wearing a black wedding ring. She glanced at his right and noticed his mothers silver band was gone, as was the amulet necklace that Sam had given him. She decided to break the ice and ask him what the hell was going on.
"Dean?" she said, sitting her mug down. She laced her fingers together and looked at him. He looked up at her and smiled. "What the hell is going on?"
"What do you mean?" He questioned. He crossed his arms and laid them on the table.
"I didn't go to sleep here. I…" then she remembered that she didn't remember. She looked down at her hands. "I don't actually remember where I fell asleep…" she said softly. Dean giggled at her.
"You fell asleep at your dads. We were over there last night and you fell asleep on the couch." Reese's head shot up.
"My dads?" she questioned harshly. Dean simply nodded. "Dean, my dad died a long time ago. I don't think it's a nice thing to joke about." Dean raised his brow.
"I'm not joking, babe. Your dad wanted to see Anna, so I called up Sam and Jess and we all went over there. And then Sam called mom and we all had a few drinks and you fell asleep." he explained. "Why would you say that your dad is dead? He seemed perfectly fine to me." Reese stood up and paced the room. He also stood and stopped her. She looked up at him. The band on his finger was cool against her arm. "Reese, are you sure you're okay?" Reese stared into his eyes and shook her head. She stepped away from him. Everything was wrong. Dean's mother was alive. Sam's college girlfriend was alive and her father was alive. She bit her lip hard and ran her hand through her hair.
"No, I'm not. I have no idea what this is." Her voice cracked. Dean let out a small sigh through his nose and closed his arms around her.
"Listen, I have to get to work. Why don't you stay here and spend some time with Anna. Get some rest." Dean pecked her forehead and Reese decided to go along with whatever reality this was. She nodded. "Good." he pecked her lips and started up the stairs to the bedroom. Reese kicked off her boots and sat them by the door. She walked into the living room to see pictures scattered along the walls and selves. She looked at every one of them, trying to put together the pieces in her head. She started with the wedding photo. She was dressed in a beaded white gown. Her hair was curled, half up and half down. Her veil hung low with her hair. She was smiling and she had tears on her cheeks. The girl with her face looked really happy in the picture. Then she looked over at Dean. He had grown his hair out a little bit and it was combed perfectly. He had a bright happy smile plastered on his face. He was wearing a black tux with a white under shirt. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Reese smiled to herself. They were happy. Then she looked at the other pictures. She saw Sam's college graduation picture. Sam had his arm around his older brothers shoulder, as did Dean. Both of them smiling brightly. Then she was the last picture on the self. The day she gave birth to a little girl. She was laying in a hospital bed with her family around her. Dean was sitting beside her, her father behind Dean. Jess on the other side and Sam behind her. Jessica had a swollen belly and Reese assumed she was pregnant. Sam and Jess both had bands on their left ringer finger. Everyone was so happy. She was finally happy. She heard Dean come back down the steps in a stained long sleeve shirt and a pair of oil spotted jeans. She turned and looked at him with a smile on her face. Dean walked up to her and Reese threw her arms around him. Dean's arms wrapped around her waist. Tears spilled from her eyes as she squeezed Dean harder around his neck. Dean let her go and she wiped her face. Dean smiled down at her.
"I'm sorry." she said. "I'm just finally happy."
"What's gotten into you lately." Dean said softly. "Are you sure you're okay?" he cupped her cheek. She covered his hand with hers.
"Yes, I'm sure. I'm just…" she paused and sighed with happiness. "I just feel like I've been given a second chance."
"What do you mean?" Dean asked.
"Nothing." Reese said, still smiling. "Go on to work. I might go see Dad today. See what he's up to." Dean nodded and kissed her. Reese melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. She slipped her tongue between his lips and explored his mouth. Dean moaned into her mouth and tangled his hands in her hair. He groaned as he pulled away.
"You always do this. I have to get to work." he kissed her cheek and she finally saw his classic grin. "Maybe when I get home."
"I'll hold you to it." Reese said pecking his lips one more time. Dean side stepped her and grabbed his keys. He looked back at her and blew her a kiss and she smiled at him. She walked to the door as he left it open as he walked outside. It was warm outside and the smell of the summer air filled her nose. She opened her eyes and saw him get into the Impala. She chuckled. "At least that didn't change." she said to herself. She gave a small wave before heading back inside. She closed the door when the Impala roared to life. She laid her back against the door and laughed at herself. She had been given a second chance at life. No hunting, no monsters, no death. She opened her eyes and looked around her. She had a normal life, with a normal man. Dean Winchester. Now she held his name as her own. She was now a Winchester. And for some reason, something kept itching at her mind. She shook it off and began figuring out what she did during the day.