A/N – So Dean and Bella … it finally happened! Just because they got over that hump *giggles* doesn't mean they're in the clear. As always, I am forever indebted to my Team Bean girls, spn-lost-twi and missjanuary. Meyer and Kripke own it. I just like to play.
Chapter song: Home by Phillip Phillips
Settle down, it'll all be clear. Don't pay no mind to the demons, they fill you with fear. The trouble, it might drag you down. You get lost, you can always be found. Just know you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna make this place your home.
Chapter 15
Just as Bella lifted her eyes from her computer screen, she caught of glimpse of Dean striding, quite sexily she might add, toward her desk. She cast her eyes down, trying to hide the smile on her face. This was her workplace after all, but a girl could certainly get used to this. Pushing back her chair, Bella stood up from her desk and met Dean in the middle of the aisle.
"Hey," she greeted him with a smile.
It wasn't a social call, but Dean couldn't help his lips from stretching into a grin for her. "Hey."
His eyes trailed over her body: the tight, black V-neck T-shirt hugging those perfect breasts; dark washed jeans painted on, accentuating her hips; the badge clipped to her waist with a gun holstered to the side of it. God, he wished he didn't have to leave on another case. Maybe he and Bella could play his version of Cops and Robbers that he couldn't stop dreaming about since he saw her handcuffs resting on the counter in her kitchen. The minute Bella entered the front door, she ignored everything around her until she unloaded all her things into a bowl that sat on the kitchen counter. During that time, Dean would be at the fridge, grabbing two Heinekens and cracking them open. He'd place one in her hand and they'd plop down on the couch and talk about their day. Except for Dean that usually included talking about demonic viruses, ghosts that want a playmate so bad they try and drown a kid, and something called a Trickster. He left out the bit about the coven of vegetarian vampires they'd come across. It wasn't the Cullens, but he knew Lenore had to know them since vamps that didn't drink human blood were far and few between. He let her go but made sure she passed his message onto the Cullens: Stay the hell away from Bella. He also left the impression that if he caught any of them in the same state as Bella, he'd kill them all.
Bella and Dean had fallen into this domestic routine shortly after that night they spent together. Sam and Bobby could tell Dean was trying to be happy, and he may have even fooled Bella into thinking he was. Each moment he spent with Bella like this cut a little deeper into his heart. It was a constant reminder of what he was never going to have, but Dean had always been a glutton for punishment.
A frown worked over his features as he thought about all the moments he'd miss—his wedding day, Bella round with his child, Sam settling down and leading a normal life. Dean knew better. Dreams were meant to be shattered.
Bella scanned his face. "What's wrong?"
Dean rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sam and I have a case in Baltimore."
"Okay, let me just tell Jody I'll be gone for a few days." Bella turned to head for her boss' office when Dean grabbed hold of her hand.
He looked in her eyes, squeezing tightly as he spoke. "It's just going to be me and Sam on this one."
It was his way of putting some distance between them. The longer he spent with Bella, the harder it would be to leave … and that was something he promised himself he'd do, no matter how much it hurt to walk away.
"Oh …" Bella looked down, hurt furrowing her brow.
There was another cut slicing into his heart. "Hey," Dean said, lifting her face to meet her eyes. He smiled, brushing her lips with the pad of his thumb, resting under her chin. "Piece of cake job. Just a little slit throat without a trace."
Bella licked her lips before tugging her lower one between her teeth. She could feel herself rocking on the balls of her feet trying to get closer to Dean. Dean leaned in and placed a soft, chaste kiss on her forehead.
"Bobby could use the company. He gets overly crotchety if he's left alone for too long."
"Alright." Bella smiled. "Maybe he and I can put our heads together and find a way out of the deal …"
Dean nodded curtly. "Gotta go, sweetheart."
Watching Dean's retreating form as he walked away gave Bella the time to compose herself before getting back to work. She took in a deep breath and was ready to exhale when a voice caught her off guard.
"Seems like you're fitting in around here quite nicely," Sheriff Mills spoke as she stood beside Bella, watching Dean walk away.
The air in her lungs released in a loud woosh. "Yeah, Andy's been great helping me get settled."
Sheriff Mills raised an eyebrow. "I was talking about Dean Winchester."
Bella spun around to face the older woman. "Wh-what?"
Sheriff Mills slung an arm around Bella's shoulder, turning them toward her office. "How about you and I have a little chat that's long over do."
Bella found herself sitting across from Sheriff Jody Mills much like she had during her initial interview.
"I'm sure you're starting to put the pieces together on your own as to why I hired you."
Squeezing her hands into fists, Bella tried to remain calm. No matter how angry she was or how bad she felt as if she'd just been played, she decided to act cool.
"Actually, Jody, I don't know." She stressed her boss' name, indicating the closeness they shared over the past few months. Was it all a lie? "Please, enlighten me."
Jody Mills leaned back in her chair, sighing. "Well, you know Bobby and I have a … history. I've crossed paths with the Winchesters quite a bit this past year." Bella looked at her for further explanation. "I know about what Bobby and the boys do. He actually helped me once."
Bella shook her head. "What does that have to do with me?"
Jody smiled and let out a laugh. "You know how persistent I can be. When I found out about them being hunters, I asked if there were more. Your dad's name was thrown out. Then I went digging."
Face hardened, jaw tense, Bella filled in the blanks. "And found out he had a daughter looking for a new job."
"There's evil in this world, Bella. You see it every day, from Joe Blow beating his wife to Wallstreet crooks embezzling money. I admire you for wanting to put the scumbags away, make them pay for their crimes, but the real evil … the stuff the Winchesters are fighting … that's more important. You're one of them. A hunter. You always have been. It's in your blood. I couldn't just sit back and let those boys do it on their own anymore. Not when I knew that you could help, that you needed to help."
Glaring at the woman she had begun to call her friend, Bella spoke firmly. "You don't know anything about me."
Jody smiled proudly. "I know you're a natural and that you were made for this. You don't belong in this one-horse town. Didn't you ever wonder why Edward was drawn to you?" Bella's breath hitched. "You can't escape it. I figured you'd be a lot safer with the Winchesters than left to your own devices."
Bella opened her mouth and closed it a few times before letting out a long, calming exhale. "Why? Why do you care so much about me?"
A sad smile found Jody's lips. "Because I wish I could be you. I don't have any special powers or a legacy to uphold. I just put the bad guys away. But you … Dean … Sam … Christ, even Bobby, you all have something special. The world needs saving and you guys are just the bunch to do it."
Pushing her chair back, Bella stood up silently. She looked at the woman sitting across from her. Jody had a pained expression on her face knowing her betrayal may have gone too far. Bella wanted to say so much but decided some things were better left unsaid. She knew Jody would never purposely put her in harm's way. She just wished she'd been honest from the start. Then again, Bella wasn't exactly the paradigm of truth lately. Somewhere she'd fallen in love with Dean and she was too chickenshit to admit it to him. That, and she was afraid he'd bolt the first sound of the L-word. Instead, she kept up the dance they were doing, pretending everything would be fine when she had no guarantees. She had to find a way to get Dean out of his deal. Without a word, Bella turned her back on Jody and headed back to her desk.
Jody followed Bella out of her office and then turned back around, shutting the door behind her. She sat back down at her desk and waited. A woman with wavy blonde hair and familiar green eyes stood in front of her.
"Thank you," the woman spoke softly.
"Yeah, well, Bella's probably going to stay pissed for a while. I hated lying to her."
The woman walked over to her, her white nightgown flowing in the breeze. She placed a gentle hand on Jody's face. "You couldn't go and tell her the truth now, could you?"
Jody shook her head slightly and pursed her lips. "You know, after seeing what I've seen, I'm sure she would have believed me when I told her that her boyfriend's mother needs her to save him from Hell so he won't break the first seal of Lucifer's cage."
A sad smile crossed her beautiful features. "And what then? If she tries to sacrifice herself now, the Hellhounds will still come after Dean."
"Do you even care that they're both happy for once?" Jody's eyes hardened on the woman.
Pain filled the woman's face. "Sometimes we need to put our own happiness on hold for the greater good. It's kind of the Winchester way."
Jody still couldn't wrap her mind around how things really worked. There should be a straight line between good and evil, none of this zigzaggy shit. The ghost of Mary Winchester was sacrificing Bella's soul to save her son's. And for what? So Lucifer wouldn't break out of his cage? Who's to say the other sixty-five seals would've been broken?
"How can you be so sure Bella won't shed any blood while she's in Hell?"
Mary smiled sadly, tears filling her green eyes. "Because Dean wouldn't love anyone that could."
~o~
A few days had passed and Bella felt in her gut that something just wasn't right. She hadn't heard from Dean since she last saw him. Would a quick call from a payphone have killed him? She was busy with some paperwork when Andy came over to her desk.
"Hey, Bella, I have something I think you're gonna want to see."
"Okay …" Andy started walking toward his desk and she followed him.
He sat down at his computer and pulled up his email. "Now don't get mad. A friend of mine at another precinct sent this to me. He thought it was pretty funny … and I did too … until I watched it."
"Alright." Bella furrowed her brows. "Cue it up."
The minute the video started Bella felt like someone had punched her in the gut. Dean leaned forward, his handcuffed hands knitted together and resting on the table in front of him. He cleared his throat, his eyes like daggers as he stared into the camera. The gruffness of that voice should have put her at ease, but Bella knew this scenario well. It was a confession.
"My name's Dean Winchester." He paused for a beat and continued to stare emotionless. "I'm an Aquarius." The corners of his lips had started to twitch. "I enjoy sunsets..." he raised a suggestive eyebrow "...long walks on the beach..." his mouth now in a full-blown smirk "...and frisky women." Then he gritted his teeth and raised his voice. "I did not kill anyone. But I know who did."
He tore his eyes away from the camera as if to look at someone and then continued. "Or rather what did. Of course can't be for sure, because our investigation was interrupted." He turned his eyes back to the camera. "But our working theory was that we're looking for some kind of vengeful spirit."
A female voice off to the side cut in. "Excuse me?"
Dean cast his eyes away from the screen again and smirked. "You know, Casper the bloodthirsty ghost?" When he wasn't met with another response, he continued. "Tony Giles saw it..." he raised his eyebrows "...I'll bet you cash money Karen did too. But see, the interesting thing is the word it leaves behind. For some reason it's trying to tell us something. But communicating across the veil, it ain't easy. You know, sometimes the spirits, they, they get things jumbled. You remember REDRUM. Same concept. You know, it's, uh, maybe word fragments..." he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket with his cuffed hands and pulled out a piece of lined paper "...other times, it's anagrams. See, at first we thought this was a name, Dana Shulps. But now we think it's a street. Ashland. Whatever's going on..." he looked straight at the camera "...I'll bet you it started there." He gestured his hands in a grand finale motion and smiled.
A man suddenly walked on to the screen and got in his face. "You arrogant bastard. Tony and Karen were good people, and you're making jokes."
Dean pursed his lips and shook his head. "I'm not joking, Ponch."
The man leaned down, placed a hand on the table for support, and started pointing. "You murdered them in cold blood, just like that girl in St. Louis."
Turning away and facing the camera again, Dean smiled. "Oh yeah, that wasn't me either. That was a shape-shifter creature that only looked like me." He pursed his lips and smiled.
The man quickly grabbed Dean by the collar of his shirt and threw him up against the wall. After that the video cut out.
"Where did you get this?" Bella's eyes darted back and forth demanding answers.
"A buddy of mine that works out of Baltimore. He's always talking about the whackos they book and told me I had to see this one for myself. He sent me the confession tape. I'm sorry, Bella. I know that you and him ..."
"I'm gonna need your friend's name." Bella took off, rapidly dialing a number on her cell phone. Come on, pick up. "Sam, it's me. I don't know what the hell is going on … or why Dean is confessing to..." she lowered her voice to a whisper "...what we do … but you need to call me. I'm on my way to Baltimore."
Jody had come out of her office with all the commotion. She saw Bella in a tizzy grabbing her things and heading for the door. "Hey," she called. Sheriff Mills caught up with Bella and gripped her by the shoulder. "What's going on?"
"Dean's in jail." She was about to shrug out of the woman's hold but decided against it. She was still her friend. "I need your help." She pleaded with her eyes. "I need you to come up with a reason why you're sending me to Baltimore. It's gonna need to stick."
Jody nodded. "I have a friend in Internal Affairs. I'll have him set something up."
That was perfect because judging by that video, the detective that assaulted Dean during his confession had rubbed Bella the wrong way. She wouldn't be surprised if he had something to do with the case.
Bella nodded and smiled. "Great. Thanks."
"What are friends for?" Jody smiled sadly.
~o~
Bella marched right into the precinct and flashed her badge quickly to the receptionist. "Bella Swan, IID. I need to speak with Detective Sheridan."
A woman with red hair wearing a black blazer and a badge on her hip walked over to Bella. "Can I help you?"
The voice was instantly familiar. It was the woman that had spoken during Dean's confession. Bella treaded carefully. For all she knew this woman could be just as dirty as her partner. "I don't know. I'm here to conduct an investigation on Detective Sheridan. You're his partner, Detective Ballard, right? "
The woman nodded stiffly. "Could we talk somewhere in private?" Bella nodded and followed her out of the building to her car.
"Going somewhere, Detective Ballard?" Bella raised an eyebrow.
The woman smiled back at her. "Yeah, I think there's someone you may want to see."
Bella felt for her gun, which was safely tucked in the back of her pants, her jacket covering it nicely. "Sure."
Ballard drove down the street toward the center of town. Bella kept a careful eye on all her surroundings. When she pulled into the parking lot of a shady motel, Bella finally felt at ease. They got out of the car and walked over the entrance. Detective Ballard went over to the front desk and asked for a Jim Rockford. That was when Bella knew she could trust her. Jim Rockford was an alias the Winchesters used when they got separated. It was something Dean had told her a while back when he was schooling her on Hunting 101.
The other detective came back over to Bella and nodded. "Come on, this way.
Bella followed close behind. The woman paused at room 306. She gave a loud, firm knock on the door three times in a row.
Sam was sitting at the desk in the room going through files when he heard the knock. It definitely sounded like the cop knock. He eyed the window, figuring out his chances of escape. They weren't good. He shuffled over to the door and opened it to find Detective Ballard. He sighed, relenting to letting her in, when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.
"Hey, Sammy."
E/N - Has Bella come to save the day? Or did things just get complicated? Talk to me! I wanna hear your thoughts.
