Chapter Four
Sam awoke with the sunlight streaming in the window. Hope was still curled up in his arms asleep. He lay there for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of her in his arms but eventually nature called and he had to get up. Hope stirred as he slipped out of bed.
"Go back to sleep I just have to go to the bathroom," he said quietly as he opened the door.
Dean was coming out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel as Sam stepped into the hallway.
"Morning," Dean said, sounding a bit more tired and surly than normal.
"Morning!" Sam replying pulling the door to the bedroom closed but not hard enough to latch it. He passed Dean and headed into the bathroom.
Dean was curious as to why Sam was so cheery, and why he would close the door to his room. So he walked over and pushed the door open slowly. Hope was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Morning, Hope!" Dean said smirking. Now understanding his brother's happy tone.
"Morning!" She said blushing red.
Dean chuckled to himself as he returned to his room, "Lucky Dog!"
Grace stepped out of her room just as Dean reached the door to his. Her red hair was down and tousled about, coming to hang just over the breasts. She wore black shorts and a red and black baby doll pajama top that had little Mickey Mouse heads on it. Grace stopped dead in her tracks, waking up fully in that one moment. Seeing him standing there in a towel and his hair still dripping wet, leaving trails of moisture down his ripped chest almost sent her over the edge. Her lips were suddenly dry and she found herself pursing them together, trying not to bite her lower lip.
"Did you get some sleep last night?" His deep gravelly voice rumbled.
"A little," she replied, trying to keep her voice quiet so not to betray her attraction.
"I think Hope may have gotten the best night's sleep of all of us," he said with a teasing grin. Grace looked at him confused until the door to Sam's room creaked open and Hope slipped out. She saw them looking at her and quickly walked to her own room, trying to keep her head down. Grace was shocked, that was completely out of character for Hope. She'd have to ask her later what had happened. She decided to play it off with Dean and just shrugged, walking toward the bathroom. Sam stepped out of the bathroom just as Grace came around the banister. He had on pajama pants but no shirt, Grace looked over at Dean who was still standing in the doorway watching her. She realized for the first time that the guys had the exact same tattoo. It was a pentagram inside a sunburst just over their hearts. She wondered what the significance was. Grace had no doubt she'd find out later. If nothing else it was a good lead in to get Dean shirtless. She shut the bathroom door and started getting ready for the day.
Hope quickly changed into her fuchsia sundress with pink flowers embroidered around the bottom and slipped on her white sandals. She ran a brush through her hair and grabbed her toothbrush taking it downstairs to the kitchen. She brushed her teeth before heading out to check on the horses.
Hope whistled as she walked out to the corral. The horses raised there heads to look at her but then went back to eating.
"Oh, I see how it is," Hope smiled.
She checked the bucket of water and saw that it was mostly empty. She carried it over to the pump and poured the remaining water into it. It took a few minutes of continuous pumping but water finally started to come out of the pump. She refilled the bucket and returned it to the corral. She stood there watching her horses and absentmindedly rubbed her right shoulder. It was sore from sleeping on it all night.
"Shoulder hurt?" Sam asked stepping up behind her.
He put his hands on her shoulders and began to massage the muscles.
"I probably shouldn't have slept on my bad shoulder all night but I was just so comfortable..." She trailed off.
"You're bad shoulder?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, I broke my collar bone a while back. It didn't heal straight and it still bothers me sometimes." She said pulling her strap aside so Sam could see the unevenness in the bone.
He gently ran his fingers over the bone feeling the small bump.
"You could have rolled over you know," he pointed out.
She turned around to face him and looked up into his green eyes.
"It was such a small bed. I didn't want us to fall off." She smiled. "You're so tall you barely fit as it was."
His thumb gently rubbed her collar bone. "Well, perhaps tonight we should sleep in your room," he said, looking at his hand, not at her face.
Hope felt a flash of heat running thru her body. She hadn't known if they would stay another night or if Dean would fix the van and they'd hit the road. She moistened her lips and Sam leaned down and kissed her softly. He still tasted of cinnamon toothpaste.
It didn't take Grace long to get her hair pinned up in a coif and her makeup on. As she left the bathroom the hallway was empty. She slipped into her room a pulled out her turquoise dress. She had made it for her last birthday and thought this was a good day to wear it. There was a light knock on her door.
"Grace? Are you about ready to head to town?" Dean asked.
"Almost!" She called back.
"Alright. I'll meet you downstairs."
She slipped on her heels and hurried down the stairs.
Dean stepped off the porch, seeing his brother kissing Hope. It was weird to see Sam in that position and made Dean a little uncomfortable so he hollered down to Sam.
"If you two are done making out. We thought we'd head to town."
Grace stepped up beside him and smacked him in the stomach with the back of her hand, "You should try and be nice for a change," Grace scolded.
Dean looked over at her and his breath caught in his throat. She looked like she'd stepped out of a home and garden magazine from 1955. He didn't know what to say so he offered his arm and walked her to the car.
Hope ran in the house to grab her purse while Sam walked over to Dean and Grace at the Impala. He had already opened the passenger door for Grace when they got there. She sat down and Dean closed it. Dean watched Sam as he walked around the Impala with a knowing smirk.
"What?" Sam said.
Dean just wiggled his eyebrows.
"Oh! Man, nothing happened," Sam said, irritated that his brother's mind was in the gutter.
"Sure it didn't." Dean laughed and climbed in the front seat of the car. The engine started up with a low rumble. Sam just shook his head and leaned against the car waiting for Hope to return.
Grace ran her fingers lovingly over the dashboard of the 1967 Impala. Dean noticed the touch and looked at her face. There was admiration there.
"You like my Baby," he asked.
"Yeah," she breathed out. "Last night it was too dark and I was too upset over Animal to appreciate the beauty."
"Animal?"
"My van. His name is Animal."
Dean just nodded.
"But my first love..." She sighed. "My first love was a 1972 Plymouth Duster. I knew that car inside and out. It destroyed me when the ball joints went out."
Dean just stared at her in shock, his mouth slightly open. What kind of girl was this? He couldn't even imagine she knew what a ball joint was with the way she dressed. Just then, Sam opened the back door for Hope and the conversation was dropped.
They drove into North Platte and found a restaurant that was still serving brunch. After eating they found an automotive store to get the parts Dean needed to fix the van before they headed off to Walmart so the girls could pick up some things. Each girl grabbed a cart and headed off in a different direction. The guys looked at each other then each headed out after their girls. Grace headed to the grocery department and raced up and down the aisles. Dean had trouble keeping up with her.
"How are you walking so fast in those shoes," he asked, looking down at her four inch heels.
Grace looked down at her shoes and shrugged, "I always wear these. I could probably out run you, even in these shoes," she teased. He just shook his head. If she only knew.
Hope headed to the garden department. She needed something bigger to use as a water trough and some way to get it there that didn't require her to haul buckets all day. She also decided to pick up a few bags of rock salt that Sam recommended as well. She ended up getting a pump set up for a koi pond. Then they went to housewares to look at totes. She figured there would be troughs in the barn so it didn't have to last forever just a month or so till they got settled. After she found an oversized bucket in with the laundry baskets, they headed to the back of the store, Hope stopped at the movie section.
"Maybe we should get a movie for tonight," she suggested.
"Only if we get the snacks to do it right," Sam replied. Hope smiled excitedly. She was looking forward to curling up on the couch with him.
"What type of movie should we get?" Hope asked.
"Well, Dean likes action movies..."
"Of course he does." Hope laughed, "So no chick flicks?"
"Um no."
"Grace likes the apocalyptic movies."
"What?!" Sam exclaimed. His mind flashed back to the battle between Lucifer and Michael and his time in hell.
"You know the ones where there is a natural disaster coming that is going to wipeout mankind," she said, bringing Sam back to the present.
"Oh yeah right, those. Natural Disasters...um I guess that would work."
"Oh my gosh! I can't believe they have this one!" She exclaimed excitedly.
"What one?" Sam asked confused.
She looked up at him mischievously, "How about a western comedy?"
"What you mean like Blazing Saddles?"
"Kind of but not so Mel Brooks."
He had no idea what she was talking about but she seemed so happy that he went along with it. They made their way over to the grocery department and picked up snacks as well as other things that were on Hope's list.
"So what should we have for dinner?" Grace asked Dean.
"It's a little early for dinner or are you from the south where dinner means lunch and supper means dinner."
Grace chuckled, "No, we just had brunch. I mean what would you like me to cook for dinner tonight?"
"Oh, uh, whatever you like would be fine with me. As long as there is pie for dessert," he said with a boyish grin.
"Pie huh? I think I can handle that. Why don't you go get some vanilla ice cream and I'll grab the rest of the ingredients and meet you up front."
Dean strolled down to the ice cream aisle and grabbed a half gallon of French vanilla ice cream. He wandered to the front to wait for the others. He noticed a newspaper in a rack near the check stand and picked it up.
"Animal Attacks Causes Citizens To Worry" the headline read. Dean quickly scanned the article. It could be a case but he'd have Sam check into it further. He folded the paper and tucked it under his arm as Grace came up front. She parked the basket next to him.
"Can you keep an eye out for Hope and Sam? I just want to see if they have any fabric on sale."
"Sure," Dean said. He smiled as he watched her walk away her skirt swinging back and forth on her hips.
It wasn't long before they had checked out and were on their way. Dean drove them all back to the farm. Sam helped Hope and Grace carry in the groceries so the girls could get them put away then he and Dean went to fix the van.
Dean pulled out the alternator while Sam sat on a curb nearby trying to balance his laptop on his knees.
"Says here that there have been three animal attacks in the last month."
"What do you think werewolf? Wendigo? Ghoul?" Dean asked.
"Could be any of them but we'd have to see the bodies to know for sure," Sam replied.
He continued to look for more information.
"The victims were all found near a lake."
Sam jumped up and grabbed a map of Nebraska. He spread the map on the hood of the Impala and located the lake.
"How far is it?" Dean asked.
Sam sighed, "It's just past the farm."
"Wait, like the girls' farm?"
"Yeah, it looks like it."
"Shit, we gotta get this piece of crap back together and get back there," Dean said, turning back to the van.
Grace finished putting away the groceries and hand washed the dishes she'd need to make the pie. It didn't take her long to get the apple pie mixed up and baking. She made some lemonade and stuck it in the fridge for when the guys came back. It was hot that day and she knew they'd be tired. Hope came in from hooking up the new pump and filling the trough.
"Did ya get it to work?" Grace asked.
"Yeah, it's not ideal but it will work till I can figure out something more permanent," Hope replied. "Any idea when the guys will be back?"
"No clue. I hope it doesn't take too long."
Hope laughed seeing the longing in Grace's eyes.
"What?" Grace asked.
"I can tell you like him. Why don't you just go for it?"
"You know why."
"That was three years ago. Besides we both know these guys aren't going to stick around forever so relax and have a little fun," Hope said.
"Like you?" Grace said with a knowing smile.
Hope waved her off, "Nothing happened. I just spooked myself and couldn't sleep so he said I could sleep with him." Grace couldn't suppress the giggle.
"Not 'sleep with him' just... sleep," Hope said flustered.
It took Grace a minute to stop laughing and by then Hope was beet red.
"So why did you freak yourself out?" She asked.
"Oh, you know me… creepy old house with creaks and groans. Just started to feel like someone was watching me."
Grace sobered, "I know what you mean. Last night I heard you come in my room but when I looked you were outside."
Hope visibly shivered, "Agh, don't talk about it! It makes it worse."
"What worse?"
"Sam found an out article where a little girl told everyone the ghost of her grandmother saved her," Hope explained.
"Who was the little girl?"
"I don't know. Marjorie something."
"Aunt Marge..." Grace said, dropping into a kitchen chair.
Hope sat down across from her, swallowing hard, "You don't really think it's true do you?"
"I don't know what to think. When did Sam look that up?"
"At the bar."
"At the bar? Where was I?"
"You were teasing Dean at the pool table."
It was Grace's turn to blush.
"Well, I think we should at least get the furniture uncovered. Then maybe it won't seem so creepy," Hope said jumping up. "I'll start upstairs if you want to start down here."
"Sounds good. That way I can keep an eye on dinner."
Grace put together a lasagna and stuck it in the oven on medium to cook for a couple of hours. She could cook it faster but she had no idea what time the boys would be back. She wiped down the entire kitchen and rewashed most of the dishes to make sure they were clean. She wiped off counter tops and swept and mopped the floor before moving on to the dining room.
Upstairs Hope had turned on the music on her iPhone and stuck it in her bra. She could hear the music from the phone's speaker as she worked. She pulled all the sheets off the furniture and tossed them downstairs so they could be washed and folded. Grace would probably use them for liners on her dresses. Hope then began polishing the furniture with pledge and washcloths she had picked up at Walmart. She started in Dean's room and began working her way clockwise around the upstairs.
Grace heard the distinctive growl of the Impala pulling in the drive. She stepped out onto the porch to see Dean pulling in behind Sam who was driving her van. She sighed in relief. She wasn't as attached to the van as she had been her Duster but they still needed some transportation.
"You got him running!" She said stepping down the porch toward Dean.
"Well, it still needs a tune up and definitely an oil change but I figured it'd be easier to work on here than in the parking lot of the tavern."
"Very true. Can I get you some lemonade?" She asked.
"That sounds great!" He said encouragingly.
Sam could see that neither Dean nor Grace cared that he was there so he went inside to find Hope. He could hear music coming from upstairs so he followed the sound. Hope was in her room cleaning. Sam leaned against the door frame and watched her. Her back was to him so she had no idea he was there. She was singing and dancing around to Glad You Came. Sam smiled as he watched her. She spun around in her dance and stopped dead when she saw him.
"Hi," she said embarrassed.
"Hi," he replied.
"I didn't see you there."
"I know."
"Then why didn't you say anything or cough or something?" She asked.
"Because I was enjoying the view," he said with a hint of lust in his voice.
She pursed her lips together not knowing what to say. She glanced around the room.
"So what do you think?" She said holding up her arms so he'd look around the room. Sam stepped in the room and looked around. She'd uncovered all the furniture and wiped it all down. The window was clean and open to let the fresh air in. Sam smiled when he realized she had swept the floors except for the perfect circle of salt that he'd spread around her bed the night before.
"Good, you still have your protection ring."
"Well, I didn't see any use in letting it go to waste," Hope said, looking down at the ring with him.
Dean followed Grace into the kitchen. He sat down at the small table in the kitchen. It only had two chairs with wire wound backs. The small round table was red and only about 24" in diameter and the whole set looked like they belonged in a '50s soda shop. Dean watched Grace moving around the kitchen. She had found a white apron that covered the front of her skirt so she looked even more like a '50s housewife. She quickly washed her hands and poured them each a cold glass of lemonade. She set the glasses on the table and grabbed a box of shortbread cookies. She put some on a plate and returned to the table. Dean watched every move she made.
"What?" She asked when she realized he was watching her.
"Nothin', I just feel like I stepped into an episode of I Love Lucy." He smiled at her.
"Well, I wish I was as beautiful as her but so glad I'm not quite as clumsy." Grace teased.
"Oh, I think you're much more beautiful," Dean complimented.
Grace blushed and tried to change the subject.
"So, do you think my van will last a little longer?" She asked.
"Oh yeah, a little work and it will be running fine."
"Good, cause until Hope buys her a truck it's the only vehicle we have," Grace said in relief.
"Hope's gonna buy a truck?" He asked surprised.
"Yeah, she just had a little car so she sold it before we moved so she could buy a pick up after we got here."
"I have a hard time picturing her driving a truck."
"Don't let the dresses fool ya, Hope's a cowgirl at heart."
Dean thought about his trip to the old west when they met Sam Colt. He had been so wrong about what he thought the west was like from old movies. He wondered how Hope would do in that situation. She did have a horse and so she could probably ride better than Sam had, but Sam had done alright and they'd gotten the Phoenix ash they'd needed.
"Dean?" Grace asked drawing him back to the present.
"Yeah?"
"I lost ya there for a minute."
"Oh sorry, I was just thinking."
"Well, why don't you finish those cookies and I'll run get my sewing machine out of the van and get that shower curtain put together then you can clean up."
Dean looked down and realized just how dirty he was, covered in sweat, dirt and grease.
"Sounds good," he said, taking another drink of his lemonade.
Grace retrieved her sewing machine and bag full of threads and other sewing notions out of the van. She headed upstairs to set up her sewing room. Sam was leaning on the doorframe of the bathroom with his hands in his pockets and his back to her.
"Hey, Sam!" Grace called. Sam turned to face her. "There's lemonade and cookies downstairs if Dean didn't eat them all yet."
Hope poked her head out of the bathroom.
"Wait! Dean's back too?" She asked.
"Yeah," Grace replied.
Hope looked up at Sam, "Does that mean you got the van fixed?"
"Yeah, I drove it back," he replied.
"Yay! Now I can get my speakers!" She excitedly ran down the stairs. Sam laughed and followed her. Grace smiled after them then turned to the door behind her. It was the room Dean slept in last night. She debated setting up the machine in her room for now but decided it wouldn't matter since the guys would probably leave the next day anyway.
She walked thru the open door. The headboard of the bed shared a wall with her headboard. The bed was neatly made which surprised Grace, she didn't take Dean for the bed making type. There was a window on her left and a chest of drawers beyond that. On the opposite wall past the bed was a small table with a chair that had probably been a desk at one point. Dean's green canvas duffle bag was sitting on the desk. Grace moved over to the table to set her sewing machine on it. She had her arms full so she pushed Dean's bag aside to make room to set things down. The bag fell off the edge of the table next to the bed. Grace groaned and finished setting her things down. She moved the sewing machine where she wanted, figuring she could plug in the pedal while she was on the floor picking up the contents of Dean's bag.
She pulled the bag out from under the edge of the bed. She turned it upright which caused more things to spill out. Grace stared in shock at the things she saw. She had expected clothes and toiletries but there were what look like weapons here. She gently reached out with shaking hands and picked up the hunting knife. Was that blood on it? She dropped the knife into the bag and reached for a silver rod. Who were these guys? How could she have let them in her home? They were probably homicidal maniacs and she had actually thought he was hot. What was wrong with her?
"Grace?"
She looked up quickly to see Dean standing in the doorway. The scowl on his face made him look dark and menacing. She scrabbled backward pressing her back to the wall, the rod still in her hand. Dean took a step forward.
"Stay back!" She cried.
Dean took another step into the room, "Grace, what the-"
She pointed the rod at him, "Stay away from me!"
"I'm not going to hurt you." Dean said trying to remain calm. He stepped past the end of the bed and saw the spilled bag.
"What's going on?" Sam asked, appearing suddenly in the doorway.
Grace pointed the rod at Sam. Dean saw his chance and stepped in snatching the rod from her hand. Grace scrambled to the corner to get out of his reach. Hope appeared in the doorway and saw Grace cowering in the corner. She pushed Sam aside to get thru.
"Grace, what happened?" Hope asked.
"Hope, run! He's got a knife!" Grace cried out.
Hope looked at Dean and raised an eyebrow.
"This isn't even a knife." Dean said holding it across his palm for Hope to see. It did resemble a short sword but it was cylindrical in shape and was narrower at the tip than the hilt. Hope had no doubt it could kill someone if it was punctured thru the body but Dean didn't seem to be a threat.
"What is it?" She asked calmly.
"It's an angel blade," Sam said behind her. "It kills Angels."
She looked at him concerned, "Why would you want to kill an angel?"
"Because they are trying to kill you," Dean said.
"What the hell is going on?!" Grace yelled from her position on the floor.
Hope stepped between Grace and Dean and crouched down in front of her friend.
"It's okay, they aren't going to hurt us," she said calmly., "They are hunters. They hunt monsters."
"Monsters? Like what? The things that go bump in the night?" Grace said incredulously.
"Among other things," Dean replied.
Grace looked back at Hope questioningly.
"It's true." Hope said, "Sam was trying to help me with my fear of ghosts."
Grace looked up at Dean, "So you're not going to kill me?"
"I can think of a lot of things I'd like to do to ya but I promise they'd be a lot more pleasant then killin ya," he said with a lustful grin.
Hope looked back at Grace and smiled. Grace smiled, suddenly embarrassed for assuming the guys were murderers.
"You gonna be ok?" Hope asked.
Grace just nodded so Hope stood up and left the small room with Sam following. Dean went and picked up the rest of his gear and threw the bag on the far side of the bed. Grace slowly stood up.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
Dean dropped onto the end of the squeaky bed and sighed. "It's ok," he grumbled. He ran a hand over his face and Grace was struck by how tired he looked. Why hadn't she noticed before? She quietly went and sat next to him on the bed.
"Do you really hunt monsters?" She asked nervously.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because someone has too. We can't just have them running around eating everyone," he said gesturing with his arm.
"Is there really monsters out there that eat people," she asked.
Dean looked over at her. Her face was streaked with tears. He reached up and gently wiped the tears away.
"Don't worry, I won't let them get you," he said smiling crookedly at her.
She smiled at him shyly. Dean leaned over slowly, his soft full lips pressing against hers. Grace gently parted her lips, returning the kiss.
"You really think she's going to be ok?" Sam asked as they carried things inside.
Hope looked up the stairs.
"I think so. Hopefully Dean can explain what you guys do so she'll stop worrying about you being homicidal maniacs." She cast a teasing glance over her shoulder at Sam.
Grace's eyes slowly opened as Dean pulled back from the kiss. He smiled at her and wiped at the grease he had deposited on her chin. He had forgotten he was all dirty. She didn't seem to notice. So he moved in for another kiss. This one really pulled her in. Without even thinking about it, Grace slid her fingers up into his dark hair. There wasn't enough to get a grip on, but she still delved her fingers into the richness. His hair was really soft, even though it was moist with sweat and a bit grimy from being under the hood of her van. Her nails gently scraped his scalp and their lips parted as their tongues did a hot dance. Grace had been sitting beside him, turned at an awkward angle. His right hand slid down her thigh, grazing the fabric of her dress. Before she could breath he had slipped his hand under her knees and slipped her up into his lap. She laughed as he did so and dropped her hand from his hair to kneed his neck and their kisses intensified. His hand slid up the hem of her dress, caressing her soft skin. Within moments she was breathless and needed to break away to bring air back into her lungs. When she pulled away and took in a deep breath, she also took in the smell of him. His own masculine scent, and oil, dirt, and sweat. It was oddly intoxicating. Grace panicked, her face flushed red and she scurried off his lap.
"What's wrong, darlin'? I already told you I'm not a homicidal maniac." Dean smiled.
Rather than making her smile, she politely excused herself and ran out of the room, escaping to her own.
Grace sat at her dressing table, first burying her face in her hands in embarrassment. After a brief moment she glanced up, looking at the stranger in the mirror. Her face was smudged with dirt and grime, her lips were slightly swollen from his kisses. And her cheeks were flushed red with passion and streaked from her tears. This wasn't like her! It was then she noticed the grease on her dress. She growled at herself that the dress was ruined. She quickly stood up, stepped out of the dress, hoping to get it to the laundry room before the stain set. But as she turned to the closet, where she had a few dresses hanging, her bedroom door opened.
"What was tha..." Dean couldn't finish his sentence as Grace stood there in a turquoise lace bra, almost the same color as her dress, and a white frilly thing. He didn't know what to call it. She looked at him, shock on her face. She certainly didn't expect him to follow her.
"My uh, my dress," She said as she held it up, showing him the mark.
"Piece of cake. I can get that out. I know ways to remove just about any stain." He moved away from the doorway, pushing the old wooden door closed as he stepped up to her. Dean took the dress from her hands and dropped it to the floor.
"Your face is far more dirty than your dress," he whispered as he reached for her cheek. He slid a soft caress from her cheekbone down to her lips. "But not nearly as dirty as your thoughts."
Grace felt her cheeks flush red. He was right, but how did he know? They'd barely kissed, surely he couldn't tell from two kisses. His left hand snaked around her waist, pulling her into his body, where she fit far too nicely. Without waiting another moment, Dean stole another kiss, and her breath. She felt her knees begin to buckle under her. Her skin erupted in goosebumps as Dean ran his fingers up her back to the hook of her bra. She knew she should stop him, but the words escaped her.
"Dean, are you in here?" Sam's voice came thru the door to Grace's room.
"Not now Sammy!" Dean's voice was rough, chastising his brother.
Sam didn't say another word; he set down the bags he had brought up for Grace and headed back downstairs.
Once again Grace had come to her senses. She pushed at Dean's rock hard chest, moving him towards the door.
"Please," She pleaded with him. "Go take a shower before we both do something we'll regret." She had gotten him to the door and opened it in that one sentence. He braced the door jam.
"I promise you won't regret it," he said, his voice still husky with desire.
"Please, Dean," she whispered. He sighed, defeated and headed to the bathroom.
Hope was in the kitchen when Sam came back downstairs. She was pulling a dish out of the oven and placing another tray in.
"Smells good," Sam said, sitting at the small table.
"Yeah, Grace is a pretty good cook," Hope replied. She went to the fridge and grabbed a beer for Sam and a hard cider for herself.
"So how long till we eat," he asked.
"Just waiting for Grace and Dean to come down," she said sitting across from him and handing him the opened bottle.
"Uh... They may be a while," he said awkwardly.
"Why's that?" Hope asked but then realized what he meant by his expression. "Oh! Well, good for her."
Sam was surprised by Hope's reaction. "Why do you say that?" Sam asked.
"Oh, it's just..." She debated whether she should tell him Grace's personal business but he didn't seem like the gossipy type so she continued. "A few years ago Grace met this guy. They seemed so perfect together, had the same interests and everything. He was an antique dealer and traveled a lot for work. They dated for almost a year when she started to get suspicious. She started checking into him and found out that he was dealing stuff on the black market."
"What kind of stuff?"
"Body parts," Hope said with a disgusted look on her face. "Grace found boxes with these weird symbols on them and when she opened one, there was a bloody heart inside."
Hope visibly shivered and Sam leaned forward a little in his chair.
"What kind of symbols," he asked.
"I don't know, I didn't see them. Wait, you don't think they might be you're kind thing, do you?"
"Could be, there are definitely people out there who deal in magical items. Most of them are just fortune hunters and they aren't even sure what they've really dealing with but some of those people are dangerous. Grace is lucky she figured it out before she got hurt," Sam explained.
"She didn't," Hope said looking at her bottle. "She confronted him and he beat the crap out of her and threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone. She ran, came to live with me and start over in a new state but she's never really trusted any guy since."
"So when she found the weapons..." Sam said starting to understand.
"Exactly."
"Well, Dean and I have to lie a lot to do what we do but once someone knows about our jobs then there isn't much point in trying to hide things. Sometimes what you don't know can get you killed."
"So why not tell everyone?" She asked.
"Because then everyone would panic. And really if you could happily live the rest of your life not knowing about these things wouldn't you?" Sam said.
Hope had to admit he was right. She didn't deal well with scary thing before but now to learn they were real was going to make it worse.
"Can you teach me," she asked nervously.
"Teach you what?"
"To protect myself," she said sincerely.
Sam smiled, "Sure."
Grace stepped thru the door of the kitchen. Sam and Hope looked up surprised. She had changed into her black pirate dress and black knee length leggings. She was barefooted and had removed her makeup, leaving her features looking softer than they did with the eye makeup.
Grace went straight to the oven and checked the French bread. The butter had all melted so she pulled it out. She pulled some dishes out of the cupboard and took them in the dining room.
Hope looked at Sam, "I thought she'd be in a better mood."
"I don't think they-" Sam cut off when Grace came back in the kitchen.
"Dinner's ready if you guys want to wash up," Grace said, picking up the lasagna.
"Where's Dean?" Hope asked.
"He was having a quick shower. He should be down shortly," Grace replied, heading back to the table.
Hope and Sam exchanged a look and went to wash up.
Dean came downstairs to find everyone in the dining room waiting for him. The dining room table would easily seat ten. Hope and Sam were sitting next to each other on the living room side of the table and Grace was sitting across from Hope. Dean sat down next to Grace.
"You didn't have to wait for me," he said.
"Yes, we did," Sam replied frustrated.
"It's good etiquette," Hope said.
"Please help yourself," Grace said.
Sam reached over and began scooping out lasagna while Hope opened the bread. Grace handed Dean a bowl with fresh steamed asparagus in it.
After a few minutes of awkward silence Dean cleared his throat, "So you girls know where there's a lake around here?"
"A lake?" Grace asked, "No, why? Did you want to go swimmin'?"
"Ah no," Sam sighed, "We think there may be trouble near this lake."
"And it's close to here?" Hope asked.
Dean nodded.
"Great!" Hope said sarcastically, "We moved into a death trap."
Sam reached over and squeezed Hope's hand.
"We're not even sure there's really something there yet. Dean and I need to go to town tomorrow and do some more digging."
"So you're going to stick around for a few more days?" Hope asked with a mischievous grin.
Dean just rolled his eyes. He wasn't looking forward to a couple of more days stuck here with Grace getting him all worked up then pulling away. If she wasn't interested that was fine but he could tell she was.
After dinner the girls went into the kitchen to do the dishes while the guys went to the living room to do some more research.
"So what happened?" Hope asked.
"I don't want to talk about it," Grace grumbled.
"I don't get it. I thought you were into him," Hope complained.
"I am, that's the problem," Grace said defeated.
Hope set the dish she was washing down in the rinse pile. "How is that a problem?"
"Because it'll never work."
"What will never work? I'm pretty sure he's good to go on this," Hope teased.
Grace looked at her friend with tears in her eyes.
"Grace what is it?" Hope asked, concerned now.
"The fortune teller was right. I'm cursed," Grace said, going to sit at the table and setting the dish she was drying next to her.
"What the heck are you talking about?"
"Do you remember Laurie's 18th birthday party?"
"Vaguely," Hope replied.
"Do you remember the fortune teller there?" Grace asked.
"Yeah, she told me something stupid about a moose changing my life."
"Yeah, well, I didn't think much about what she said either until Justin."
"What do you mean?" Hope asked, leaning against the counter.
"She said that I would meet my soulmate and we'd have this instant connection that bonded us together but there would be something dark that would tear us apart."
"And you think that was Justin?" Hope asked.
"Had to be. I thought we were going to get married, I loved him so much and then I found out what he was doing and..." Grace trailed off in tears.
Hope came over to sit across from her and reached out for her hands.
"Grace, fortune tellers aren't real. Especially ones that come to birthday parties. And yea, Justin was scary but that just means he wasn't your soulmate. Your soulmate is someone who would die for you not someone who threatens to kill you."
"But part of her predictions have come true. She said I'd be my own boss someday and be doing something I love. That's really happened." Grace wanted to accept it was hokey, but there was some truth to the fortune teller.
"That's such an open ended story. You could take that ten different ways."
"You really think so," Grace said, wiping her tears away.
"Of course I do. Lots of people find something that they love to do then turn it into a career. Besides in all the years I worked for the forest service do you ever recall me meeting a moose?" Hope said trying to get her friend to smile. Grace did smile although it was half hearted.
"Is that what's holding you back with Dean?" Hope asked, "Do you think you already missed your chance?" Grace just nodded. "Well, don't let it stop you with Dean. I can pretty much guarantee that Dean isn't the one but that doesn't mean you can't relax and have a little fun." Hope said smiling.
"You think so?" Grace asked.
"They aren't the stick around and settle down guys but from what I can tell they both have good hearts. Think about it, they save people all the time."
Grace had to admit that Hope was right. She felt like she could trust him even though she'd just found out he'd lied to her about his work. It was like he'd been protecting her from the nightmare that was his life.
"Now would you just go talk to him," Hope said, pulling Grace out of her chair.
Hope smiled and watched Grace picked up her unfinished glass of wine and down it before she walked toward the living room and Dean.
