I awoke to find myself in my own room, sunlight slipping in through a crack in the blinds. Dean must have brought me up after dropped out. I slipped out of bed and padded to the bathroom, still wearing Dean's shirt. I felt so much better after sleeping, and every little human thing I did, eat, drink, sleep, reassured me that I was still me. There was a rap at the door just as I reached the bathroom, and I heard Dean's muffled voice through the door.

"Maya? You up?"

"Let yourself in." I shouted back, turning on the faucet.

I watched him lean casually against the doorframe while I finished up in the bathroom. "I spoke to Sammy last night, I, uh, wanted to talk to you about somethin'."

I dried my face with a towel and threw it into the bathtub behind me. "Should I be worried?" I cocked my eyebrow.

"Maybe." A smirk played across his lips. I sat down on the edge of my bed and Dean followed suit.

"Ok, hit me."

"We were thinking, about this whole... angel thing. We have a bunker, it's where we pitch up when we're not workin'."

"A bunker?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll explain, but later. Look, we don't think you're safe here, not with everythin' that's happened..."

"Are you asking me to come with you?" I started to feel anxious.

"Maybe. Just until... you know. There's plenty space. You'd get your own room, your own space, everythin'. I just-"

"Feel responsible for all this?" I finished. "You don't have to, Dean." I put my hand on his broad shoulder. "This isn't your fault, nor Sam's. You saved me. I wouldn't be here without you, angel powers or not."

"I know... I do. I just... we don't know what's gonna go down if the angels find out about you. We thought you'd be safer with us."

I couldn't speak for a moment. I had a life here, a house, a job. Well, a job until yesterday. What Dean was saying made sense, but I didn't have an answer for him.

"Dean, I-"

"You don't need to answer right away. Just think about it." His hand found mine and he gave it a gentle squeeze before standing up. "That shirt looks good on you." he said, and pulled the door shut behind him.

He left me staring at the wall. Could I leave my home? Where was the bunker? Why was it a bunker? Dean was right, of course, I definitely needed them right now. I had no experience with angels whatsoever, and god knows what I'd do if they found me. I thought about Sam and Dean, too. If I let them go on without me, would I ever see them again? Would we just go on with our lives as normal? And Dean: smart, handsome, witty Dean. With his plaid and his green eyes and his '67 Chevy Impala. I felt connected to him, whether it was friendship or something else I didn't know, but I knew I didn't want him to leave and never see him again. I had to decide. What did I have left here? No family, no real friends, no-one to miss me if I left. Now I had the chance to have family again, have friends. I made my way to my dresser. I pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and slipped out of Dean's shirt and into a grey vest. I couldn't bring myself to hand it back to him yet, so I put it on over my top like a jacket, rolling up the sleeves so I wasn't so swamped. Well, he said I looked good in it.

The brothers were sitting at the dinner table when I eventually got downstairs. There was a fresh pot waiting for me and I sat down next to Sam.

"You guys are right. I need you: I don't know shit about angels. I also like you guys, a lot, and honestly, it feels good to have friends..."

"So?" Dean raised his eyes expectantly.

"So... I'd like to come with you guys. At least until we figure out what the hell is going down. Why should I resign myself to being alone just because I'm a hunter?"

Dean beamed in a way that made my breath catch in my mouth, and Sam draped his arm around me.

"Well thank god, we've been looking for a doctor." He joked.

Dean beamed. He didn't expect her to agree so readily, he thought she'd take some convincing. He wanted to keep her safe, and he knew the only way he could that would be sticking by her side.

"I'd rather go sooner rather than later, guys." Maya smiled, a little sadly. "Makes it easier. I'll just pack what I need and we can go. Where is this bunker, anyway? And why do you have a bunker?"

"Lebanon, Kansas, and it's a bit of a long story." Sam said.

"It belonged to an organisation called The Men of Letters. They were kind of a Supernatural research centre. Turned out our Grandaddy was tryna become a member- that is, until it was wiped out."

"And you decided you wanted to kickstart it again? How many members you got?"

"Uh. Me and Sam, that's two. So... two."

"Ah. Still growing, huh?"

"Hey, we got an entire bunker all to ourselves, why would we want anybody else?" Dean smiled.

"Good point. I'm gonna get some stuff together, then we can move. I'm not leaving my truck behind, so I guess I'll have to follow you there. Promise we can stop for food en route though? Six hours without food is too long."

"It's not that long." Sam smirked.

Dean looked at him in mild disgust. "You kiddin' me? We haven't had breakfast! Burgers'r on me, angel."

I bobbed my tongue out at the oldest brother. "See."

Maya sighed and finally stood up. "Okay. Let's do this. You wanna give me a hand, Dean? I have something I think you'll find interesting." She smirked, a cheeky glint in her eye.

"I'm intrigued."

Dean expected her to lead him upstairs, but instead she went back into the hallway and stopped outside a door under the stairs. "You need to help me decide what to take."

She swung the door open and flicked on a light switch, but let Dean go first. It was the stairwell to her basement, and the hunter felt a little surge of excitement. He was right to. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, the harsh basement lights illuminated shelves and shelves of hunting gear. Shotguns, salt rounds, neat little 9mm pistols, a row of what looked like AK-47s, and a collection of knives and swords that even he was a little envious of.

"Damn. You're packing some serious heat."

She smiled. "A lot of this is stuff my dad collected over the years. Not sure about the assault rifles, though." She bit her lip. "Could be fun, though. Load em up with silver bullets or something."

"You read my mind. You sure you don't just wanna take all of this?" He winked.

"Nah. Some of these are just spares. Don't think we need to take four shotguns."

"Agree to disagree, sugar. We could make em into sawn offs. Always like a good sawn-off."

Hand on hip, Maya pointed to a cabinet in the corner of the room."

"Goddamnit."

"There're duffle bags in the cupboard. Get sorting."

They spent a good hour sorting through Maya's stash, her telling him stories about where things came from, what they were used on. Dean couldn't help but think Maya's dad sounded like a badass, and he knew something about badasses. They didn't leave much behind, but decided some essentials should stay, in case she ever needed to go back there. Without them.

In barely a day my entire life was packed into the trunk of my car. I was shocked at how easily my entire life was boxed up and loaded into my truck. My little life, loaded up and ready for a road trip.

"You ready? You got the address in case you lose us?" Sam asked.

I was going to follow their lead, but I wasn't sure that we'd be able to stay in convoy the whole way.

"Yep. Address in my phone, map in the back seat, I'm ready to go." I smiled. "Dean, I'll call you when I'm hungry."

I saw Sam look at me with gentle concern. "You sure you're alright? This is- this is a big thing..."

"I know, but I also know that what you boys were saying is right. If the angels do come, how the hell would I defend myself? I've never admitted to needing anyone in my life, but guys... I do need you."

They both offered an understanding nod. "We're gonna go get in the car. Whenever you're ready, Maya." Sam held the door open for his brother, and they filed out towards the Impala.

Breathe. I told myself. This isn't a big deal. You're a hunter. Your life was never normal. Travelling around? Settling in new places? That's the hunter's life. I thought about my dad, my job, this house, the one I'd made my own, the one with the carpets, the wallpaper, the drapes I'd chosen. The one that smelled like my coffee and my perfume and my washing powder. My eyes stung and my chest felt tight. I may not be leaving people behind- family, or close friends, but this was my life. I took a couple of steadying breaths and sat down on my bottom step, taking in feel and smell of my house one last time. I started when the door creaked open. Dean's head popped round the door.

"I came to check if you were really alright."

I looked up at him, but didn't say anything. He gripped my hand and pulled me into a tight hug, I felt his warmth seeping into my skin, found comfort in his smell. He placed a kiss on the top of my head and held me at arms length. "You've got this, angel, I know you do. I know it sucks, the bunker's a bit of a downgrade from this palace you got goin' on here, but it's safe, it's comfortable, I do laundry."

I snorted, snaking my arm around Dean's back, letting him guide me to the door. I locked my front door for the last time, and he squeezed my arm before slipping into the impala. "Call me when you're feelin' like a bacon double and your wish'll be my command. Drive safe, Maya."

I slipped into my truck and watched the two brothers pull off the drive. I put the car in first, and watched as my old life disappeared in my rear-view mirror.

Actions

↑ Top

←Previous Chapter

Next Chapter →

Add To Collections

Bookmark

Comments