It's New Years - there's smut (just like there should be if you are lucky enough to have any kind of decent NYE) - just giving you all fair warning. The next three chapters should be fairly smut free... just in case it's not your thing.
Stay with me, baby stay with me,
Tonight don't leave me alone.
Walk with me, come and walk with me,
To the edge of all we've ever known.
I can see you there with the city lights,
Fourteenth floor, pale blue eyes.
I can breathe you in.
Two shadows standing by the bedroom door,
No, I could not want you more than I did right then,
As our heads leaned in.
Well, I'm not sure what this is gonna be,
But with my eyes closed all I see
Is the skyline, through the window,
The moon above you and the streets below.
Hold my breath as you're moving in,
Taste your lips and feel your skin.
When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly.
NEW YEAR'S EVE - KISS ME SLOWLY
New York City, New York
New Year's Eve
Present Day
Beth's POV
"Dean, you're mad, do you know how much an executive suite is going to cost us?" I said, staring at him like he'd gone a little crazy.
"Two executive suites," Sam pointed out, shaking his head. Dean obviously had plans for tonight because he'd firmly put Sam in another room to us. It used to mortify me when he did that because it was like hanging a big neon 'do not disturb' sign on the door, but I'd gotten used to it.
Besides, I'd discovered sometimes Dean did it just to give us a break from Sam's moods too, usually when he was starting to feel like strangling Sam to death. Of course, being alone in a motel room usually took it's natural course too, so regardless of what his intentions were at the time, the end result was usually the same.
"Eh, whatever, not like we pay for it – besides, they were the only two rooms that weren't booked out – it's New Year's Eve in New York!" Dean said, lugging our bags over to the lift and pressing the button.
"Yeah, about that Dean, what exactly are we doing here?" Sam asked, following us with his own bag slung over his shoulder while he tapped away on his phone.
"It's New Year's Eve!" Dean said simply. We both stopped and stared at him.
"Hey don't look at me, she's the one who has the big NYE tradition," Dean said, pointing at me. I raised my eyebrow at him.
"I do not!" I denied, crossing my arms. The lift door opened and Dean groaned, moving into the elevator and putting our bags down on the floor. He held the door open, waiting for us to join him.
"Yes, you do, you're as superstitious as they come cherry-pie, now get your ass in this elevator!" Dean said with a grin. I sighed and followed him, looking back at Sam who was shaking his head in amusement.
"And what exactly am I supposed to do while you two are off doing your New Year's Eve tradition?" Sam asked, leaning against the wall of the elevator.
"Gee I don't know Sammy, use your imagination, it's like chick city out there, go and have some fun," Dean said, rolling his eyes.
Sam snorted and shook his head, looking down at his phone again. I tapped my foot in time to the music playing over the speakers as Dean watched me quietly, it was unnerving, he'd been on my back since Massachusetts about having a good New Year's Eve celebration. My heart simply wasn't in it, and unlike Christmas, I wasn't feeling much like indulging him.
"Come on you pair of party poopers, cheer up, it's New Year's Eve!" Dean said as the doors opened to a hallway with plush red carpet, a couple of potted plants strategically placed along the hallway.
"Okay, here's your key," Dean said to Sam, handing him a card then picking up our bags and walking boldly down the hall looking for our room number. It wasn't like we had a lot to choose from, this high up in the motel the suites were larger, and there were only five doors connected to this hallway: two on either side of the hall, and one at the end.
We had rooms opposite each other and I breathed a little sigh of relief, at least when we did get to the celebrating part, and I knew we'd be getting there eventually with Dean's mood, we wouldn't have to worry about doing a repeat of a week ago where Dean's spontaneous lovemaking session had left Sam in an awkward position when he'd woken up mid-coitus even with us trying to be quiet.
There was also the added memory of John and Cole in the motel room next door to us many years ago; I still shuddered to recall that even though Dean had never made the connection.
"Dinner in an hour?" Dean asked Sam who nodded and opened his door. I walked past Dean into our own room and he watched me move. "Make it an hour and a half," he added to Sam with a cheeky grin. Sam snorted and rolled his eyes.
"Just … ew... come get me when you're ready to eat," Sam said, shaking his head and shutting his door.
"I don't know why you tease him like that," I said to Dean as he chuckled, shutting the door and bringing our bags into the large living area of the suite. It was like a one bedroom house, with a living room, kitchen and dining area, a little office set up in the far corner for businessmen.
"It's fun, he's such a stick in the mud," Dean answered.
Dropping our bags behind the couch, he started exploring, heading for the bedroom. He sighed in disappointment as he stood in the open French doors separating the sleeping area from the living area.
"No magic fingers," he said sadly.
"This isn't some two-star motel room Dean, what did you expect?" I said with a laugh, pouring myself a glass of bourbon from the liquor cabinet.
"Eh, I guess we'll have to make our own magic then," Dean said with a grin and a shrug. I knocked back the bourbon with a grimace at the burning sensation sliding down my throat and then chuckled at Dean.
"Well, at least that is free..." I said, winking at him. Dean laughed and moved into the bedroom, crossing to the bathroom. I heard an appreciative whistle echo out to me and raised my eyebrow, crossing to see what he was so impressed with.
Dean was standing in the middle of a marbled bathroom, complete with gold toned fittings and large two-person spa bath.
"Sweet!" Dean exclaimed, jumping into the bath and sitting down. "Oh we're definitely giving this a go," he announced.
"Before or after the steam shower?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and he looked behind him, noticing the shower. He stood up in the bath and looked excitedly at me.
"Oh this was a great idea," he said, smiling at me and climbing out of the bath, walking over to run his hands along the glass door of the shower. "Hello baby, did you miss me?" He asked. I snorted and shook my head.
"Maybe I'll leave you two to get reacquainted," I said and turned to leave.
"Hey hey hey," Dean said grabbing my hand and pulling me over to him. "Where do you think you're going?"
I sighed and looked at him, resting my hands on his upper arms as he slid his hands around my waist.
"Just going to unpack," I said, avoiding his gaze.
"Beth, you need to talk to me," Dean said and I shook my head. I didn't want to talk. He sighed and pulled me in against him, my head coming to rest against his chest as I listened to his heartbeat.
"You remember our first New Years?" Dean asked suddenly. I closed my eyes and nodded, how could I forget?
New Year's Eve 1996
Peoria, Illinois
Dean's POV
Beth was shivering in the cold as I brought her some hot chocolate, handing it to her with a smile as she pulled her knees up to her chest, the only thing warm around us was the car engine, and she was sitting on the hood to take advantage of that. Sammy and Dad were already in bed, like everything else; Dad didn't celebrate New Year's Eve either. We'd grabbed the car keys and decided to go for a drive looking for fireworks, and found a few being let off at a nearby school ground.
"So, another tradition?" I asked, looking over at her. She shook her head.
"No, Dad didn't really do this one, we were usually still doing the twelve days of Christmas," Beth answered, it made me laugh.
"Well you know what they say," I said, and she shook her head.
"You should make sure you're doing something you like as the New Year comes in, because that's what you get for the rest of the year," I said. I don't know where I'd heard it, possibly I'd made it up, but it sounded as good a tradition as any other out there.
She raised an eyebrow at me and chuckled. "Ah, well that's what I've been doing wrong, I've been sleeping through New Year's Eve all these years," she said which had me laughing.
"Yep," I said with a nod. "Now you get to spend it with your brother drinking hot chocolate, hope you enjoy doing that."
Beth paused, looking down at her drink with a smile before grinning up at me. "Mhmmm," she said with a nod inching a little closer to me until she was leaning against me shoulder to shoulder.
"Great, means I'm stuck with you for the whole of 1997!" I said with a fake sigh and roll of my eyes.
"Hey!" Beth exclaimed, leaning harder against me in complaint. "I'm not that bad am I?"
I shook my head, smiling at her. "Nah, I like having you around, you're like …"
"...a bit of sunshine on a rainy day?" She asked, looking at me with an amused expression.
"Oh I wouldn't go that far. More like …" I searched for the suitable metaphor but came up blank, she'd pretty much hit it on the head.
"Just don't even try to insult me Dean Winchester," Beth said, sliding off the car with a smile. "You just confessed that you like having me around." She put her drink back on the hood of the car and turned to face me, a thoughtful look on her face.
"What?" I asked, curious as to what was on her mind.
"Oh nothing," she said quietly, leaning against my legs and looking down at her hands. I put my mug down next to hers and reached out to lift her chin up so she was looking at me.
"What?" I asked again, searching her face for something that was bothering her.
She smiled instead and that cheered my heart. "Nothing bad," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "Just thinking about how I like hanging out with you too, you're like the big brother I always wanted, but you're more than that, you're probably like my… best friend." She blushed a little at this admission and started to turn away, but I took her face in my hands, staring at those big brown eyes. I knew exactly how she felt.
"I know," I said quietly, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. "You know I don't really have friends..." I said, raising an eyebrow.
"I've noticed," she said with a laugh.
"So that probably makes you my best friend too," I said to her seriously. "Think you can handle it?"
"Hmmmm, well what does it entail?" She asked, resting her hands on my thighs and leaning against me.
"Hmmm, well, you have to put up with my moods," I said, she nodded, raising an eyebrow. "And, bring me pie when I need it, or want it, or least expect it," that one got a laugh with the nod. "And you have to promise to always stick by me, even when I'm being an ass," I said.
Beth chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Is that all?" She asked.
"That'll do for now, I reserve the right to amend the agreement at any point in time," I said.
"Deal," she said with a laugh, watching me as she chewed on her lip. "Thanks," she added finally.
"For what?" I asked.
"For being you, for taking care of me," she said. I stared at her, all manner of thoughts running through my head. It had been a crazy year, and the next one wasn't likely to get any less insane, but things didn't seem quite so bad on this New Year threshold.
The countdown started over the radio and we could hear chanting of the seconds passing from a crowd of people nearby. I leaned into her, resting my forehead against hers, smiling happily; she did the same, resting a hand around my neck and counting down softly to the radio announcement.
We'd kissed a few months back, she'd been helping me scare off a girl I'd gotten too close to, but it had awakened something in me that wasn't going away easily. Dad's moratorium stating that there was to be no romantic involvement between the two of us made me only think about it even more.
When the New Year rang in I looked her in the eye, smiling, and we hesitated, already locked in a fairly intimate embrace. I steeled myself, the promise I'd made Dad running through my head. I kissed her on the cheek before leaning up to place another kiss on her forehead, then leaning back against her again.
"Happy New Year Beth," I said softly.
"Yeah, Happy New Year," she agreed with a smile.
It started to snow, big soft flakes falling down on us, Beth laughed and pulled away to look at them.
"Come on!" She said starting to skip away into the night.
"What?" I asked.
She stopped and giggled, then held her face up to the night's sky, sticking her tongue out. "See if you can catch one on your tongue!" She said with a laugh. I rolled my eyes, chuckling and watching her act like a little kid.
"You are ridiculous sometimes, you know that?" I asked. She stopped and tilted her head to the side, thinking.
"Yeah, but you love it!" She said with another laugh before spinning in circles as the snow fell down around her, I watched her, taking in her innocent joy and love for life. I hoped she was always going to be like this because she truly was the sun on a rainy day.
Motel Room, New York
Present Day
Beth's POV
Dean was taking full advantage of the steam shower, I looked at my reflection in the mirror and rolled my eyes, I hadn't chosen the vibrant almost mint coloured green dress I was now wearing, that had been Dean's choice. Being as I wasn't the one who had to look at myself in it, I was tolerating it, but I wasn't overly keen on the colour – however if Dean liked it, I was happy enough to wear it, even if was a bit showy compared to what I usually wore. Dean definitely liked access to the neck and shoulders; there was just the tiniest bit of fabric holding the dress up. I flipped my hair behind me shoulders and smiled, so maybe I was starting to get into the New Year's Eve spirit, dressing up always helped.
Fully dressed and ready to go out for dinner, I decided to go check on Sam because I was sick of waiting on Dean. I stepped out into the little hallway and knocked on Sam's door. There was laughter coming from the other side and I frowned, curious as to whom he was with.
Sam came to the door smiling, opening it up and waving me inside. "Wow… look at you!" He said with a smile, taking in the dress. "You look great."
"Thanks," I said with a smile and he waved me in giving me a kiss on the cheek.
"You'll never guess who I ran into," Sam said, leading me into the living area.
There was a very familiar face sitting on the couch looking back at us. "Sarah?" I asked, walking up to the young brunette who was smiling away at me.
"Hey, Beth!" She said, standing up and circling the couch to grab me in a hug. We'd met her a few years back on a job. She'd been working with her dad in an art auction house and had helped us in hunting down and destroying the spirit of a murderous little girl that had been housed in a painting. Sam and Sarah had been more than a little interested in each other, but despite our repeated attempts to get him to pursue it, Sam had adamantly stayed away from her.
"Wow, what are you doing here?" I asked, smiling at the girl and holding her hands in front of us, it was good to see her. Dean and I had been encouraging Sam to go and visit her for some time now; I knew they'd talked on the phone for a bit initially after we'd saved the woman from a crazed child spirit – but Sam being Sam had sabotaged the whole thing and pulled away; even Dean had been disappointed by the whole turn of events.
"I was down on business and decided to stay the night – no rooms of course, so ended up the executive floor." I laughed lightly and nodded.
"Yeah, same," I said.
"Sarah's in the room next door," Sam said, grabbing a bottle of water from the mini-bar and taking a long drink.
"Great! Well you should join us for dinner," I said and Sam nearly choked on his drink. Dean was going to love this.
"Sure, I'd love to. But I'm going to have to go and get changed if I'm going to fit in with you, you look amazing," she said, gesturing at me and the dress. I groaned a little and rolled my eyes, I'd never been good at taking compliments.
"Dean picked the dress," I said with a grimace.
"Well he has good taste," she said with a smile, Sam nodded and chuckled at my obvious discomfort.
"Okay, well I'm going to go then," Sarah said, clasping her hands together. "Give me like half an hour?"
"Sure, you have plenty of time, Dean's testing out the steam shower, he'll be ages," I said with a laugh. Sarah left us and I turned around to Sam, giving him a cheeky look.
"Don't say it!" Sam said, holding his hand up.
"What? She's an awesome girl Sam, you should take her out to dinner on your own," I said, crossing my arms.
"She's seeing someone," he said and I sighed.
"Well I'm not surprised, look at her, she's gorgeous!" I said. "Is it serious?"
Sam shrugged and walked over to his closet where he pulled out a fresh shirt and started to change into it. "I think it's new," he said quietly.
"Well… she always liked you," I commented, going to the minibar and helping myself to a drink of bourbon.
"What's the point Beth? Look at what happens to the people we love," he said, buttoning up his shirt.
"You can't run away from love just because there's a risk of getting hurt," I argued, watching him fight some kind of inner demon. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a long breath.
"Well, look at what happened to Jess," he said. "Look at you and Dean!"
"What about us?" I asked, confused.
"Beth, he's going to Hell, remember?" He asked and I shrugged at him.
"Yeah, and?" I asked, still confused. "Sam, the best thing that's ever happened to me is Dean. You know, we've had twelve years together, and sure it's been hard at times and we've lost a lot, but wow… I wouldn't take any of that back, even with all the pain." I said, frowning at him.
"I can't go through that again," Sam said quietly, looking down at his hands. "It's killing me seeing what you're going through now with Dean. How can you say that you've had twelve years and that's enough?"
"I didn't say it's enough," I said. "It'll never be enough, but I wouldn't take it back. Besides, it's not over, it'll never be over. There has to some way to get him out of this deal, we can't just give up." Sam looked sceptical and then nodded.
"Yeah, yeah okay, we'll keep looking," he said, pulling me in for a hug. I sighed into his chest and nodded. I wished I felt as brave on the inside as my words had sounded.
An hour later we were still waiting on Dean, I frowned and looked at the clock on the wall again, shrugging at Sam.
"Why don't you go and get Sarah," I said, "I'm going to go see if Dean has died from heat exhaustion or something, I can't believe how long he can stay in those showers." I chuckled, recalling the time we went on our first solo hunt together, we'd squatted in a display home and Dean had made good use of the steam shower that had been there.
"Okay, see you in a bit," Sam said, nodding and getting up from his computer where he'd been doing some research.
I crossed the hallway and entered our room again, listening for the sounds of the shower and hearing nothing.
"Dean?" I called out, stepping further into the motel room, walking toward the bathroom. "Dean are you there?"
Silence greeted me. With a frown I hurried into the bathroom finding it deserted, Dean's towel lay on the ground along with the clothes he'd been wearing earlier. The clothes he'd laid out on the bed were gone, but there was no note, and nothing else to indicate where he might be. I pulled my phone out of the little bag I was carrying and speed dialled him, waiting for the pick-up. It never came; instead Dean's regular message came on the line. "This is Dean Winchester. Leave your name, number and monster at the beep."
"Uhhh, yeah, this is Beth, you know my number, and I'm being attacked by a big polar bear in the motel room. Where are you?" I said, hanging up the phone.
I dropped the phone back into my bag, and slung it over my shoulder on its long strap, heading out of the room and down the hallway to Sarah's room.
I heard giggling the other side of the door, and knocked. It was open, and I raised an eyebrow when the door swung wide to reveal Sam locked in a passionate embrace with Sarah, who was now looking stunning in a little black dress, her hair swept up into an intricate design at the back of her head.
"Oh Beth!" She said with another giggle, pulling back from Sam long enough to smile at me. "Sorry, we were just..." she shrugged and looked at Sam all moon-eyed.
"Yeah, I can see," I said with a chuckle.
"I'm just so ecstatically happy you guys are here," Sarah said, taking Sam's hands in her own. "I've really missed you!" This last part was directed at Sam who was looking at her a little confused. I shrugged, seemed like the girl did still have it bad for my little brother there.
"Have you seen Dean?" I asked, and Sarah looked at me thoughtfully.
"Yes, actually, when I was coming back to the room, he was coming out of yours. We stopped to say hi, and then we met one of the other people staying at the end of the hall," she tilted her head to the side as she spoke, like she was having a hard time remembering what had happened. "And then I came back here. I thought he was joining you, he looked all dressed up and ready to go out, and I said I'd be joining you."
Sam and I exchanged a glance and I sighed. Where the Hell had Dean gone?
"Okay, right, well I'm going to go and look for him, he's not answering his phone," I said. Sam frowned and started to move toward the door.
"Wait, where are you going?" Sarah asked him, clutching at his arm.
"To help … look for Dean..." Sam said, frowning back at her.
"No!" Sarah said, her eyes widening and looking a little freaked out. "You can't leave me again, you always leave me!" I stared at her, confused. That had come a little out of left field hadn't it?
"Uh, Sarah..." Sam started and she silenced him with a kiss, pulling him down to her level. I was a little taken aback with the sudden action, but at the same time, not completely surprised.
"Right... going now," I said, backing out and closing the door behind me. Sam murmured something at me about waiting, but clearly these two needed to talk, preferably without me around. I looked down the hallway toward the elevator and chewed on my lower lip, thinking.
I dialled Dean again, going through to voicemail. "Hey, what's going on with you? Call me back," I said, frowning and hanging up. I walked down and pushed the button to call the elevator. Maybe he'd thought we were meeting in the lobby?
New Years Eve 1999
Gallup, New Mexico
Dean's POV
Beth was fidgeting nervously beside me as we sat in the back of the Impala. Dad dropped us in front of the club, holding up traffic behind us as we exited the back seat. I leaned in the open window looking past Sam, waiting for our final orders.
Dad looked at me sternly, his eyes flicking over to Beth who was standing beside me. "Remember, you have to stab it..."
"Seven times, yeah yeah, I know Dad," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Good. Well keep your head in the game, don't get distracted by the partying, and keep your sister safe," he said.
"Yeah, okay," I said with a sigh. "I'll call you when we're done." Dad nodded.
"Dad, you know, maybe this is a bad idea..." Beth said suddenly, pushing in on me so she could look in the window. "You know … after everything that happened in Philly," she said, biting her lip. Dad looked at her and shook his head, smiling – actually smiling at her. I stood back, rolling my eyes and shaking my head. If that had been me I'd be getting a lecture, he was such a softie when it came to Beth.
"You'll be fine Beth, you'll have Dean with you, and it all worked out in Philly," Dad said. Funny, he hadn't been this nonchalant about it a couple of months ago when everything had gone down. She hesitated but then nodded, standing up to look at me.
I looked at Beth, she had transformed in a matter of hours from innocent young girl, losing the blonde remnants from our trip to Philadelphia to a sassy looking girl of eighteen years – she was definitely looking the part. She'd purchased a little black dress to wear for the party, and with make-up and hair sweeping around her shoulders, she looked incredible: and I definitely wasn't supposed to be thinking that.
"You'll be fine," I said to her, looking in the window at Dad and nodding.
"Don't forget they're strong, very strong, but the pair of you should be able to handle it. I'm just a call away if you need back up," he said and I snorted, that was a hoot – Dad had a busted ankle right now, he probably shouldn't even be driving, but it was an automatic so he was getting away with it.
With that thought he drove away, leaving Beth and me at the entrance to the latest nightclub that had opened. It was New Year's Eve and the club had a singles theme going on, but you had to bring a friend of the opposite sex. You also had to be under the age of thirty, which meant Dad would have been out, even if he had been able to join us.
Beth shifted uncomfortably in the heels she was wearing and sighed. "How the Hell am I supposed to fight in these Dean?" She asked, lifting a foot up to indicate she didn't like the shoes.
"Carefully, I guess," I said with a shrug. She rolled her eyes and I chuckled, slipping my arm around her waist.
"Come on, let's go, the night is getting on," I said. It was coming up to midnight, and we knew the Okami was on the hunt for a couple that would satisfy its appetite.
Okami were something we hadn't come across before, but Dad had killed a couple during the course of his hunting career. They were Japanese, and usually not found in America, but occasionally one cropped up, particularly in Japanese neighbourhoods such as Gallup.
They tended to develop a preference for a particular type of human to snack on, and in the case of this one it liked couples. There had been three disappearances of couples from this night club over the last week, and each time the couple had been last seen entering the private rooms at the back, which were invitation only.
"Nervous?" I asked her as we walked up the steps to the club.
"Of course not," she lied, lifting her chin defiantly in the air. I snickered and shook my head at her, turning to the doorman as we reached the top step.
"Hey," I said, turning on the charm. He ignored me and turned eyes to Beth, looking her up and down appraisingly. She shifted a little uncomfortably and I fought back the urge to punch him in the nose.
"Have a good evening," the guy said with a flirtatious wink at Beth. She smiled and moved quickly through the door way, I followed, placing a possessive hand at her lower back.
We stopped at the coat check to leave Beth's jacket, but I kept mine because it housed the knife we were going to need to kill the Okami when we found it.
"Okay, keep your eyes peeled," I said unnecessarily as we entered the main part of the club, leaning closer to speak into Beth's ear in order to be heard over the loud music. I caught a whiff of her perfume and froze, fighting back the urge to kiss that soft pulse in her neck. Shaking my head I pulled away and walked off toward the back of the club.
The private rooms at the back were the perfect place for an Okami to have a little snack. I grabbed Beth suddenly, pulling her in to me and giving in to the urge to kiss her neck. She gasped and placed her hands against my chest, pushing me back. "Dean what are you doing?!" She asked, looking me in the eyes. I grinned at her, pretending like we were having a flirtatious conversation.
"Isn't it obvious?" I asked huskily, leaning back in to her neck. She shook her head, her hair brushing against my face as I started to run my hands down over her backside, grasping her buttocks and pulling her tightly into me.
"I'm getting us into one of those rooms," I said with a grin, "now would you get with the program?" I claimed her lips in a possessive kiss. She'd kissed me ever so briefly in Philadelphia and I'd spent a whole night pressed in against her as we shared a bed before that, now the idea of kissing her again was getting to be a bit of an obsession. She had a soft little sigh she made when I kissed her, it made me want to do other things to her, just to hear it more.
Beth moaned a little as I moved my kisses back to her neck and slipped my knee between her legs; I ran my right hand up her back and tangled it in her hair, pinning her to the length of my body, my left hand kneading her buttocks. She pulled back, bringing her mouth to mine as she held my face between her palms and looked at me.
"Laying it on a little thick don't you think?" She asked a little breathlessly.
"Nope, it's gotta be convincing," I said, kissing her again, sliding my tongue in to meet hers in a slow, lingering tango. She tasted like cherries and I groaned, moving us up against a wall near the private rooms, sliding my body along hers. I moved my right hand down her side and started to inch her dress up her bare thigh, moaning softly as I connected with bare, smooth skin. So maybe I was over doing it a little, I never was one to restrain myself, and I'd been obsessing about Beth since Philadelphia.
She gasped at the contact and I pulled her leg up around me, holding her in place as I ground against her, she wound her arms around my neck, kissing me hotly before burying her face into the crook of my neck and I could feel her rapid breath tickling across my skin. We'd drawn the attention of a Japanese lady who was now watching us from across the crowded room.
I shifted Beth's chin up to look her in the eyes with a cheeky grin. "Make it look good," I whispered as I claimed her lips again, going deep. She moaned in the back of her throat as I lifted her up, causing her to wrap her legs around my waist. I carried her over to a couch a few feet away as people got up and left. I sat with her in my lap, hands running all over her body.
Straddling me, Beth got that twinkle in her eye when she was turning a bit rascally, and she ground down against me. I couldn't help but respond, feeling my arousal stand to attention. With a curious look, she reached down; unzipping my jeans as I fought not to look shocked.
"This looking good enough for you?" She asked, sliding her hand in. I started to think this was a bad idea, but she simply rested her hand against my inner thigh, not moving. The illusion of something more going on was the aim as she rocked against me, kissing my neck.
It was enough as I watched the Japanese lady lick her lips and walk toward us. "You ready?" I asked, she murmured a confirmation, not looking up from where she was sucking on my neck.
I groaned loudly as the woman got within hearing distance. "Oh baby, you are hot," I said, hands sliding up under her dress. "Maybe we should get out of here?" I asked Beth, loud enough for the woman to overhear. Beth pulled back and grinned at me, nodding.
"Yeah, yeah I'd like that," she said, her eyes not leaving mine. I could see the nerves behind the act; fortunately flustered was exactly how she was supposed to be acting right now, so they were well covered.
The woman cleared her throat and I waited a few seconds before tearing my gaze away from Beth to look at her. "You like to watch?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow and grinning at her.
She smiled at me and inclined her head, ignoring my question. "You look like you could benefit from the use of one of our rooms," she said.
"Oh yeah? How much is that gonna cost me?" I asked, playing it cool.
"Nothing, complimentary service for … well, such an attractive couple," she said with a sultry smile.
"Oh really?" I asked, looking over at Beth and raising an eyebrow. "What do you think?" I asked her. She smiled and nodded leaning in to kiss along my neck again, slipping her hand out of my pants. I almost groaned with relief, it had been hard enough concentrating on the job with her in my lap, that hand had been an excruciating distraction. Beth zipped me up before climbing out of my lap with a smile; the woman was already leading the way back to the rooms.
Motel Bar, New York
Present Moment
Beth's POV
I'd checked the lobby, the restaurant and the car park without success. I'd also called Dean about ten times, going through to voicemail repeatedly. After about the fifth call I'd given up leaving messages.
My phone rang and I looked at the display, sighing when it wasn't Dean.
"Hey Sam," I said, answering the call.
"Hey, did you find him?" Sam asked, I could hear sobbing in the background and grimaced, no wonder Sam sounded a little stressed.
"No," I said with a sigh. "If he's still at the motel, there's only one more place I can check, I'm going there now. How is Sarah?" I asked.
"Uh, yeah, not so good. She's … well, upset right now," Sam said.
"Good luck with that," I said with a grin, chuckling a little and hanging up. Sam had often said that to Dean when I'd been pregnant and overly emotional, seemed he was getting a little payback, minus the pregnancy, one would hope.
I walked around the corner of the lobby and heard the sounds of a guitar playing and a man singing inside the motel bar. I held out my phone and brought up a picture of Dean from a few weeks ago, walking up to the bar and flashing it at the bartender.
"Have you seen this guy?" I asked, chewing on my lip as he leaned in to look. Nodding, the bartender raised his eye at me and pointed to the back of the bar. I turned around and stared curiously at the scene before me.
Dean was sitting on a stage, strumming a guitar while another young man was singing Louis Armstrong's famous Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen into a microphone. As they hit the chorus, Dean leaned precariously from his stool in toward the microphone and joined in the singing, belting out the words to the cheers of a few drunken girls nearby.
I crossed my arms and smirked, taking a few steps toward the stage. As the song came to an end Dean spotted me and smiled.
"Hey baby," he said into the microphone, drawing attention to me as he put the guitar down. "There you are! Come here!" He jumped down from the stool and reached a hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me up on the stage, turning my back to him as he slid his hands around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder and looking out over the small crowd of people who had gathered. Apparently I'd just walked in on an impromptu karaoke session.
"Hey everyone! This is my girl, isn't she beautiful?" Dean asked, taking the microphone back off his companion on the stage. There were a few whoops and whistles from the crowd and I blushed, turning my head to the side, my cheek brushing against Dean's lips. He smelled faintly of beer and peanuts, how long had he been down here?
"You're drunk," I commented, making an obvious observation.
"Mhmmm," he said, nodding.
"Why are you drunk?" I asked, turning slightly to look him in the eyes.
"It's New Year's Eve!" Dean said, using his excuse for everything.
"Uh huh," I said, raising an eyebrow and smiling at him in amusement. "You didn't think to ask me to join you?"
"Oh," Dean said, "well I was coming to get you, and then I ran into Bif, here, and well we decided to get a drink." He stepped down off the stage, lifting me down beside him and Bif staggered to his feet, jumping down next to us. His companion was nodding profusely, looking a little intoxicated himself. He had messed up short blond hair and brown eyes with a scruffy beard and was leaning against Dean, smiling at me.
"Heeey," he said, reaching a hand out to take mine. "Dean-boy has told me a lot about you!" I nodded once and looked a little sceptical.
"Really?" I asked, looking at Dean. "How much could you possibly say in the hour and a half you've been missing?" I queried.
"A lot!" Dean said, his eyes wide and honest. I looked at him curiously, a little worried about why he'd just taken off like that; it wasn't like Dean to disappear without telling me what he was doing.
"Hmmm," I said thoughtfully.
"Oh, oh apple-pie don't be mad at me, I didn't mean to get side-tracked. You know I was looking forward to having dinner with you, seeing you in that dress – which you look amazing in I might add, and well... then there's later," he said with a wink, moving in to kiss my bare neck with a moan. I smirked, shaking my head at him. It was hard to get too angry with him when he was like this.
"Okay, okay," I said, stepping back a little, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the stares we were drawing from a few tables of clearly horny women.
"You're angry," Dean said, biting his lip.
"Don't be angry," Bif said, touching my shoulder and leading us over to a quiet corner where there was a table with some stools around it. I pulled back, shrugging off his touch with a frown.
"I'm not angry," I said, stepping over to Dean and putting a hand on his arm.
"You are, oh she is," Dean said to Bif before taking my face in his hands. "Beth, you know I love you, I'd never do anything to hurt you. Please don't be mad, I just wanted to come have a couple of drinks, maybe forget about everything that's going on for a little while, you know?" I frowned but nodded at him, I didn't really understand what was going on, but I was starting to think maybe he'd reached a breaking point on the whole Hell thing.
"Why don't you tell her how you feel Dean?" Bif said, laying a hand on his shoulder and patting him comfortingly.
"How he feels?" I asked, looking at this complete stranger with confusion. "What are you Dr Phil?"
Dean nodded, and almost instantly there were tears welling in his eyes and he was looking around the room.
"Yeah, yeah..." he said, sitting down on a stool, leaning against the table. "I'm going to Hell Beth," he said. I nodded.
"I know," I said softly with a slight sigh, reaching a hand up to stroke his face.
"I'm going to Hell!" He reiterated as I nodded again. "And I'm trying to hold it all together for you, and for Sam, and it's just not working, and I feel like... a part of me is dying, maybe already dead, because it's hopeless. We're never going to get me out of this deal. You know? I'm going to lose you, and there's nothing I can do about it," he said, tears started running down his cheeks and he buried his face against his arms, leaning head down to the table.
"Dean," I said, stroking a hand along his hair and down his neck, rubbing his back as he shook with emotion. "Hey, it's okay, we're not done yet, and we still have time." I said. I looked up for this new-found friend of Dean's and he had vanished. Typical.
"I've completely screwed everything up," Dean said, throwing his arms up in the air and nearly falling off his seat as he leaned back. I grabbed him and held him against my side, looking into his eyes.
"No, you haven't," I said to Dean, lifting his chin up to look him in the eye. "You haven't," I stressed, shaking my head at him. "You've done everything you can to protect us, you still are."
Dean sighed and pulled me close, almost squashing me against him he held me so tight. "I don't want to lose you, you're the only thing good in my life," Dean said, sliding his arms around me even tighter, one hand coming up to tangle in my hair.
"I'm not going anywhere," I said to him, pulling back just a little to look at him again. "What's brought this on?"
"What? Nothing!" Dean insisted, shaking his head and holding me as he rocked from side to side. "Bif just got me thinking about a few things..." I found this interesting, given that I'd been trying for months to get him to talk about what was going to happen, and he hadn't wanted to look at that in any shape or form.
"You know what?" He asked, turning slightly hazy eyes to me. "You're awesome!" He declared without waiting for an answer.
I raised an eyebrow and chuckled, it had been a long time since I'd seen Dean even close to being this drunk, and that was slightly concerning in and of itself because he'd only been gone a little under two hours – it usually took a whole night to get him this drunk.
"I love you," he said, slurring his words.
"You mentioned that already," I said, starting to feel slightly alarmed at his unabashed declarations.
"And I'm gonna mention it again," Dean said, snickering as he let me go and climbed back on stage. "I love this woman!" He shouted into one of the microphones, pointing at me. I grimaced and grabbed his arm as the person he had just interrupted mid-karaoke looked on in shock.
"Dean get down from there!" I insisted, pulling on his hand.
"Get off the stage loser!" Someone called out from the crowd and Dean's eyes whipped up, instantly going into fight mode. He bristled and jumped down, pushing through the tables looking for the offending voice.
"Dean!" I said, racing after him and pulling my phone out of my bag, dialling Sam.
"Dean come on, let it go," I said, grabbing his arm leading him toward the exit.
"Beth?" Sam asked, when he finally answered his phone.
"Yeah, where are you?" I asked Sam, pulling Dean into a small alcove just outside between the lobby and the bar. Dean chuckled, going from fighter to lover as he pushed me back against the wall, leaning in and kissing along the bare skin at my shoulders and neck.
"I'm with Sarah, we're... well we're watching a movie and eating ice cream," Sam said. Ice cream? I thought I heard a few sniffles come from him and looked at my phone like I could see through it to the scene beyond.
"Are you crying?" I asked finally, holding the phone back to my ear.
"What? No!" Sam said, a little too forcefully to be convincing.
I stared at my phone in shock, what the hell was going on around here? Dean was moaning as he sucked on my neck and I hung up the phone on Sam, not even bothering to ask questions.
"Hey," I said to Dean, who murmured at me from where he was working on giving me the world's biggest hickey.
"Dean, I love where your head is at, really, but you think... uh... maybe we should go back to the motel room?" I asked, trying to come up with a way to get him out of public eye.
Dean pulled back and nodded at me, heading instantly for the elevator and pulling me with him. He staggered a little and I slipped an arm around his waist.
"I've got you under my skin..." Dean crooned in my ear as he turned into me and swayed to music that was playing over the motel PA system, hands on my hips. "I've got you deep in the heart of me... So deep in my heart, that you're really a part of me...I've got you under my skin."
I rolled my eyes as a family side-stepped Dean's drunken waltz, a couple of little girls staring wide-eyed at us. He spun us around, not really paying attention to where we were and we ran into a man standing nearby.
"Oh, sorry!" Dean said, looking up. "Bif!" He said excitedly, reaching out for the man in front of us. "There you are!"
I turned to look at the man who had simply shot through on us ten minutes ago. He had a curious look on his face as he peered through thick-rimmed glasses at us.
"Man what happened to you?" Dean asked, "You go and have a shower?"
"Sorry, do I know you?" He asked and this caught my attention.
"Well yeah, you were just in … there... with me," Dean said, frowning as he started to notice the differences between Bif and the man in front of us. He was identical in the face and body, but Bif was now sporting a neat hairstyle and clean-shaven face in addition to the glasses.
"Sorry, our mistake," I interrupted, pulling Dean away and giving him a warning glance. Something strange was going on here, and we needed to get back to Sam and figure out what it was.
"Wait, I was talking to my friend..." Dean protested.
I felt the man's hand on my shoulder and he looked me in the eye as I turned back. "What secrets are you hiding from yourself?" He said to me. I frowned.
"What?" I asked, looking at him like he was mad. I shrugged his shoulder off as the man gave me a confused look, reaching out for me again.
"Hey, what the hell do you think this is, some kind of strip club? Just don't touch me, okay?" I said batting his hand away as I pulled Dean with me. Dean chuckled at the strip club comment, and thankfully the elevator doors opened so we could enter as we reached them. I stared at the man, who was watching us curiously, until the doors closed and we were on our way up to our room.
New Years Eve 1999
Gallup, New Mexico
Dean's POV
"My name is Izanami, and this is my club," the woman said, leading us down a hallway where there were at least a dozen doorways to rooms. "We like to take care of people who are clearly soulmates," she said, and Beth raised an eyebrow at me; I shrugged and kept walking, slipping my hand around her waist.
"Enjoy, stay as long as you like," Izanami said, opening the door to a decadent room beyond. Beth looked awed at the room which had a huge four poster bed in the middle, soft billowing curtains hanging from it. I had to admit to being surprised at the curtains, part of me had expected the room to be more like a porn set, with cameras in the corners – why else would they have rooms like this set up?
"Okay, so... what now?" Beth asked, looking over at me. I placed a finger over her mouth, shaking my head softly at her. There were still plenty of places for microphones and cameras to be hidden in here.
"Now I get to show you the time of your life," I said to her with a grin, pulling her over to the bed and lifting her on to it, sliding next to her and brushing the hair out of her eyes. I leaned in to kiss her softly, lingering along her lips, softly catching them between my own. I tried to remind myself that this was part of the cover, but part of me was getting a little carried away with it.
"Get me out of this jacket, and make sure that knife is within reach," I whispered in her ear nipping lightly at her earlobe. She groaned and ran her hands up over my shoulders, sliding them under the jacket, pulling it down my arms. We let the jacket fall beside us on the bed, and one of Beth's hands slipped into the pocket, taking the knife and sliding it underneath, within easy reach.
I continued to kiss her neck and waited for something, anything to happen. It had to be tonight, there had been a three day pattern to each disappearance, and tonight was the third night – if we weren't the targets, one would think we'd at least hear something going on if another couple was.
Fifteen minutes later I was starting to run out of ideas on how to keep this chaste because really, we were supposed to be getting our freak on in here. They had to be watching somehow. I sighed, and argued with myself over what I was planning to do next, but I was coming up blank.
"Do you trust me?" I asked Beth softly and she looked up at me curiously.
"Yeah," she said, "what sort of a question is that?"
"Don't freak out," I said, sitting back on my heels, and pulling her up to face me. I kept her eyes locked with mine as I stood up, dropping my jeans and pulling off the shirt I was wearing. Beth raised an eyebrow, her eyes running along my body as I stood there in nothing other than a pair of boxer shorts sporting a fairly prominent erection.
"Uhh," Beth started to say and I silenced her with a kiss. She moaned softly, winding her arms around my neck as I stroked along her back. Moving on to the bed, I lifted her into my lap, keeping her straddling me as I kissed along her shoulder, my hands trailing along her thighs and lifting her dress to cover the show.
A shadow moved in the far corner of the room and suddenly I knew this is what it had been waiting for, the foreplay had to finish and the action begin, that was the recipe and there was no way to warn Beth, hopefully she had been paying attention.
"Make it look real," I whispered in her ear, and her eyes widened, watching as I lay back. I ran my hands up her stomach and trailed them lightly over her breasts before grasping her hips and rocking up into her. I faked a groan and she looked a little shocked before pulling it together, and leaning down to lick across my nipple lightly. I didn't have to fake the moan for that; she was going to drive me crazy.
With a cheeky grin she sat back and started to rock. I could feel her bare thighs either side of me, and suddenly the thin fabric of my boxers was a relief as I felt her unintentionally grind against my arousal: hard to fake sex without getting some of the symptoms, but she was taking it all in her stride.
The shadow moved into the room, we weren't supposed to see with the curtains, we were supposed to be so caught up in each other that we'd be taken by surprise. I sat up, pulling Beth close to me, looking her in the eyes and holding her head so our foreheads were pressed together as I rocked her up and down against me. She gasped softly, kissing me as I ran my hands into her hair, not really having to fake a few more loud groans for the sake of the act.
"Get ready," I said in barely a whisper. She moaned in response, nodding and leaning back a little to get a better view of the room. I rolled us, slipping my hand under my jacket to grasp the knife as I started to grind against Beth, she laid her legs either side of my hips, grasping me and watching as I looked around the room, waiting for it.
The one thing I didn't expect was an aerial attack. I was moving against Beth, trying to fight off my insistent arousal which had softened a bit with the thought of impending onslaught.
I saw it in Beth's eyes when it happened, her thighs tightened against me and she looked in surprise above us. I cursed and rolled us, throwing her off the bed as the Okami landed on me, biting my shoulder.
I cried out in pain and found myself pinned to the mattress. She had my arm bent at an impossible angle, and the knife slid out of reach as I fought against the strength that was bearing down on me. Beth regained her footing from where I'd thrown her, rolling into a crouch and slipping out of her shoes. She reached for the knife as I cried out again, the Okami taking an even bigger bite out of my shoulder.
Without waiting for an invitation, Beth jumped on the bed, ramming the knife into the Okami's back, and the creature pitched back with a squeal. She turned, tackling Beth off the bed, taking all the curtains with them as I rolled to find them tangled up and the knife impossible to reach.
The creature had Beth around the throat and was choking her when I got her in a headlock, pulling back. Beth gasped for breath and felt around for the knife which she had dropped. She scrambled to pick it up and then once more stabbed it into the creature as I held her pinned to me. It struggled, fighting my hold but I only pulled it tighter.
"Seven times!" I said to Beth and she nodded, pulling the knife out and counting as she repeatedly stabbed the creature.
"Six, Seven...and one for good measure!" Beth muttered, ramming the knife into the woman again, this time leaving it in place.
I sighed in relief and dropped the creature to the floor, stepping back with a heaving chest.
"Well, I guess she won't be inviting anyone back here any time soon," I commented wryly, looking down at Izanami, the woman who had shown us into the room.
"Yeah," Beth said, standing up breathing heavily.
I moved my shoulder tentatively and groaned a little at the pain that shot down my arm. Beth bit her lip, coming over and tearing some of the sheet off the bed, pressing it against the wound.
"It's always the shoulder," she said with a grimace, biting her lip.
"Yeah," I said with a nod, closing my eyes against the sight of her, the touch of her hands on my bare skin. "Come on, let's get out of here before someone finds us." She nodded agreement and started to gather our things, helping me back into my shirt and buttoning it up at the front, her fingers brushing along my skin.
I grabbed my jeans and pulled them back on, then my shoes, as Beth found her own and slipped into them. Ready, I held out a hand to her and she took it, letting me pull her toward the door. I noticed she was trembling slightly and slipped an arm around her as we exited the room. A woman walked past giving us a knowing smile as I pulled the door closed behind us. I pulled Beth tightly against me and walked quickly for the exit. We stopped to collect her coat, and then left the club, entering the brisk cold evening air.
Reaching for my phone I started to dial Dad and then stopped as I felt Beth's hand on me. "Not yet," she said quietly, eyes searching mine. I hung up the phone and looked at her questioningly. "It's nearly New Years... can it just be us?" She asked.
"Yeah of course, whatever you want," I said, nodding and slipping my arm around her waist as we started to walk along the pavement, passing people who were merrily celebrating in the street with noise-makers and drinks.
We reached a bridge where people were gathered along the edge, looking out over a field in the distance. Stopping, I joined the group of people, standing slightly apart as I pulled Beth into me with a hug.
"What's up?" I asked, she shrugged, leaning in to me and resting her head against my chest, not responding to my question.
I didn't say anything for a while, and neither did she. I got to thinking about everything that had happened in the year that had just passed. The whole burst appendix and rushing her to the hospital, taking her up on the roof for her birthday because no one was letting her leave. San Antonio a month later which had been absolutely crazy but revealed a few things about where Beth's head was at for me – Dad had broken his ankle which is what led us to going to Philadelphia with Jefferson, and then I almost lost her.
Memories of that hunt, and the near kiss that came after, still haunted me. We'd been on a precarious downhill slide since then and tonight had proven no different. I couldn't get her out of my head, even when I was with other women, and it was only getting worse. Beth seemed ambiguous about what she wanted from day to day – one moment she'd be right there with me, all the way; the next she was pulling back and running a mile because of Dad's moratorium.
I sighed, pulling her tighter against me, biting back against the pain in my shoulder. I wondered which side of the coin she was falling on tonight. In the distance we'd heard the countdown start, and the people around us started to join in. We remained silent, watching the play of lights on the water running under the bridge.
"Get ready for the end of the world," I said with a grin, thinking about the amount of people out there who were expecting the world to just crash and burn with the ticking of the clock over to the year 2000. Beth chuckled and held me even closer as we hit the end and people cheered and clapped around us, blowing their little noise-makers and grabbing each other in intimate embraces.
I lifted Beth's chin up to look into her eyes, there were tears there which she was fighting off. "Happy New Year," I said softly, and she smiled, nodding.
"Yeah, Happy New Year," she responded a little sadly.
"Cheer up," I said, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "It's gonna be a good year," I said. She smiled and nodded even though it didn't quite reach her eyes. I sighed, pulling her against me and resting my chin on the top of her head as fireworks started to go off in the distance – we had the perfect view from the bridge. New Years celebrations sucked when you were us – everything I wanted was right here in my arms, yet still completely out of reach, and I didn't quite know how to fix that yet.
Motel Room, New York
Present Moment
Beth's POV
Dean was starting to get anxious by the time we reached the motel room, he paced the hallway as I unlocked the door and then rushed past me going to straight to the mini bar and pulling out a beer.
"What's going on with you?" I asked, crossing my arms and watching him as he swallowed half the beer in one go.
"Me? Nothing!" Dean said, shaking his head. He wavered a little on his feet and then suddenly crossed into the bedroom, throwing himself on the bed where he lay, still holding on to the beer.
"Maybe you should slow down there, and let me order you some food," I said, reaching for the phone by the bed and dialling room service.
A voice came on the other end and I ordered a couple of burgers to be sent to our room, and then I remembered Sam and wondered what the whole ice cream comment had been about. Dean was pulling his shoes off and kicking back on the bed, looking at me with a cheeky grin.
"Come to bed," he said, reaching out for me. I groaned and sat next to him, running my hand along his face.
"Later," I said, receiving a disappointed look. I kissed him, lingering along his lips and wanting to give in. "I promise. But I have to go check on Sam," I said.
Dean sighed and nodded. "You going to be okay for a few minutes?" I asked, hesitating to leave him alone.
"I don't want you to go, we don't have enough time as it is!" He bemoaned, grabbing my hand.
"Dean, I won't be long, and something is really off right now. How much have you had to drink?" I asked, and he looked puzzled.
"I don't remember," he said, looking thoughtful. He suddenly moved and looked excited.
"Come on, it's New Years, we have to go celebrate! Where's Sam?!" He jumped off the bed and pulled his shoes back on, staggering for the door.
"Wait, what?" I said, frowning and following him out of the room. Dean opened the door to Sam's room, finding it unlocked.
"Sammy!" He called out going into the room. He reappeared, looking confused. "He's not here," Dean said.
"Let's try Sarah's room," I said, leading the way and mentally scratching my head.
"Wait, wait..." Dean said, pushing me up against the wall. "First this," he said, and leaned in to brush his lips across mine before grasping my face in his hands, kissing me with a growing fervour.
"You're amazing, I can't believe I get to spend the rest of my life with you," he said, kissing his way down my neck. I tensed at the thought because there wasn't a lot of his life left. "What?" He asked, feeling my discomfort.
"Yeah that's just it, your life. What about the rest of my life?" I asked, biting my lip.
"No, no, that's not what I meant. Come on, I have a good feeling all of a sudden, we're going to figure this out, I'm not going to die," he said. I reeled from the sudden mood change, there were definitely something odd going on here.
"Dean..." I started to protest but he kissed me again, silencing my thoughts.
After a minute of knee weakening kisses Dean pulled back with a smile and opened the door to Sarah's room, letting us in without so much as a hello. We walked into the room and Dean called out again.
"Sammy? You in here?" He asked, receiving a call back from the bedroom.
"Yeah, in here!" Sam's voice echoed out to us. I shrugged and walked into the bedroom, eyes widening at what I found.
Sarah was in bed, little black dress and all, sitting up against the headboard, Sam on one side of her, and Bif on the other. She had make-up streaking down her face and had obviously been crying. Sam was sniffing into a tissue and staring at the television while Bif looked forlorn and sad, holding on to the telephone, talking to someone.
"Yeah, more ice cream please, and chocolate, do you have pie?" He asked, and Dean nodded appreciatively at the comment.
"Mmmm pie," he said, looking at Bif. "See if they have apple!" Bif's eyes widened and sparkled, and he nodded, relaying the request to the operator.
I looked over at the television and the end of Casablanca was playing in black and white on the screen.
"This is sooooo sad!" Sarah said, shovelling a mouthful of ice cream into her mouth and leaning her head against Sam's shoulder.
"I know, I know! Why do we always have to say good bye to the people we love?" Sam agreed, sniffing and rubbing at his eyes with a tissue.
Dean climbed on to the bed at their feet and looked up at the screen, ten minutes ago I could have seen him in the bed with them, now he was all bright eyed and optimistic.
"Guys, guys, we don't, I've figured it out!" Dean said, turning to sit cross legged on the bed facing the three miserable people at the head.
"Figured what out Dean?" Sam asked as Bif got out of bed and wandered off to the bathroom.
"We're going to get me out of this deal," Dean said, nodding. "No more saying good bye to the people we love," he added. Sam looked at him and sighed, shaking his head.
"We've tried everything Dean," he said sadly, "and now I have to say good bye to my brother in a few months!" He started to cry again, tears running down his cheeks. I watched the whole scene unfold with a mixture of horror and confusion.
Bif came back into the room, smiling at me as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "How you doing? Anything you want to tell us about Dean going to Hell? About what you're really feeling?" He asked. I stared at him, a little bewildered.
"Uh, no, I'm good, but thanks for asking," I said. Bif frowned at me, taking his hand off my shoulder. He looked over at the others who were arguing about whether or not Dean was going to be able to get out of his deal, Sarah was shovelling ice cream into Sam's mouth as he lamented the fact that he hadn't been able to save Dean.
As I watched Bif he seemed to start glowing and shimmered before my very eyes. It was like a heat wave encircled him and when I blinked I was looking at the same man, only it was the one we'd ran into earlier in the lobby. He was suddenly neat looking, clean-shaven and he pulled a pair of thick-rimmed glasses from his pocket, putting them on.
"Hey guys!" He said excitedly, leaning over to touch Sam and Sarah on the shoulders. "Guys, Dean is right! There's got to be a way. You know, I think I read about an artefact, a spear – something that dates from the age of Christ – maybe it's the Spear of Destiny? It's on display at the museum!" He said.
"What?" I asked, shaking my head. "Who are you? What are you talking about? Spear of Destiny? What a load of ..." Bif, or whoever it was, silenced me with a hand to my mouth and I watched as Dean, Sam and Sarah climbed out of bed, excitedly talking about how Bif had to be right, and why hadn't they thought of that before now. They headed for the door, and I started to follow.
"Dean! Stop! You can't be seriously listening … didn't you see him just change...?" They ignored me, walking straight out the door and I found a hand grasping my arm.
"So you've seen me for who I am, and now we're alone," Bif said to me, and I looked back at him.
"Who are you?" I asked, eyes narrowing.
"Oh, no one of consequence," he said, brushing his hand along my arm. "What secrets are you hiding?" He asked, looking into my eyes.
"Why do you keep asking me that?!" I asked, pulling my arm away and looking at him.
Bif looked perplexed, tapping his chin with his finger. "You're immune, or something," he said thoughtfully.
"Immune to what?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"My influences," he answered.
"Yeah, about that, what have you done to the others?" I asked, pointing in the direction they had left. I needed answers, but at the same time I was starting to worry about just where those three were headed, the last thing we needed was to have them arrested trying to break into the Metropolitan Museum of Art; especially when the FBI was after Dean.
"Nothing, I just … removed the barriers to their deepest fears and secrets, you might say," he said. "But you, there's nothing there, or I can't find it if there is."
"So Dean... the fears of going to Hell...?" I asked, it starting to come together in my mind.
"And of losing you," he said with a nod, "he is finally able to process that, and not take it into the new year with him."
"The new year?" I asked, confused. "What does that..." I trailed off, my Roman mythology coming up to hit me. "You're Janus," I said, looking at him.
He nodded and paid a little bow. "In the flesh," he said, smiling up at me.
"And you, are incredibly honest with yourself, you have nothing that you are deluded about going into the new year," he said. I raised an eyebrow, seriously doubting that. "Not even any delusions about what is going to happen to Dean," he added.
"He's going to die, and he's leaving me here, not much more to say other than that is there?" I said, brutally honest.
"No, I suppose not. I must say it's a very healthy attitude given how much you love him," he said, moving to take a drink from the mini bar. Clearly he couldn't see into my heart because it was breaking just thinking about it. I played it cool, hoping my voice sounded as even as I intended.
"I've just spent a year realising that I've failed him, and this is all my fault, I'll own my failures," I said.
"Interesting," he said thoughtfully.
"Why are you here?" I asked, looking at him curiously.
"Why to help you, of course," he said.
"You don't even know me," I said, staring at him.
"I do now, and I rather like you, and your brothers – even the girl, who is still madly in love with Sam, I might add." I nodded, not quite comprehending how we'd attracted the attention of a Roman God of time and new beginnings.
Davis, California
New Years Eve 2002
Dean's POV
A new relationship when you're pretty much have your father in your face twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week wasn't without its challenges. Sure, Dad had left us alone for a few days here and there since he'd given us his blessing to pursue our feelings for each other, but at the end of the day – Dad was always there. Even when he got his own room, I was conscious of the fact that he was basically saying... 'go for it Dean, have some fun.' Which really kind of made me cringe at times.
He'd been on the phone to Cole when we left. We took the Impala to a secluded little area we'd scouted out earlier in the week, no one was around, but there was a gap in the trees where we had a good view of a football ground where there were New Years Eve celebrations going on as we watched. Now it was just the waiting until fireworks time.
We'd settled in the back seat, a big fluffy blanket tucked around us and a few pillows to make us comfortable, it was nice just to be alone and not have to moderate ourselves around Dad. I could kiss her to my heart's content and that's exactly what I was doing.
I brushed my thumb along Beth's cheekbone, her soft, smooth skin delighting every little touch. There was no need to hurry, we had all night to just indulge, my hands running down her body, slipping in under the turtle-neck sweater she was wearing. I groaned in frustration as I tried to kiss along her neck, finding only fabric.
"What?" Beth asked, looking up from where she'd been kissing my own neck.
"Take this off," I said, tugging at the sweater.
"What? I'll freeze!" She said with a laugh. I shook my head at her, continuing to pull on the sweater.
"I'll keep you warm," I promised with a grin. Beth groaned and relented, pulling the sweater up over her head leaving her in a little spaghetti strap camisole and bra. She slipped her arms around me and leaned into my warmth, giggling as I ran my five o'clock shadow along her neck, tickling her. I pulled the blanket up around Beth's shoulders and lifted her on to my lap. I held her jaw as I trailed kisses along jawline and then lips, catching her lower lip in my own and sucking softly.
Shivers ran along my spine as tender hands found their way under my layers of clothing, and suddenly I was simply wearing too much. I wanted to feel her against me, natural, like we never got in the motel because of Dad.
I stripped off my jacket and over-shirt, tossing them over to the front seat, and then pulled the t-shirt over my head. Beth ran her hands up my torso, stopping to look the pendant I always wore, her hands playing tentatively with it, a small smile on her face. She looked at me kind of shyly and then removed the pendant, putting it under the window, her rosary followed suit.
"They always get in the way," she explained softly, blushing a little.
"Oh really?" I asked with a cocky grin. "In the way of kissing?" I watched her turn an even deeper shade of red and kissed her quickly, it made me chuckle that I could get her so flustered, even at twenty-one years of age.
"Don't tease me!" She said, breaking the kiss with a smile, looking down at her hands on my chest.
"You're so cute though," I said, chuckling. "You go so shy on me, I don't get it, you threw yourself at me all those years ago when we were hunting that Okami," I pointed out. She hadn't been shy in the slightest about getting her hands into my pants then.
"Well, that was different, that wasn't like the start of something more, besides you said to make it look real" she said, looking at me coyly.
"I don't know that I'm ever going to understand you sugarpie," I said with a short laugh. She giggled and turned in my lap, straddling me and looking into my eyes.
"You don't have to understand me, just love me," she said, leaning her forehead against mine.
"That I can do, and will always do," I promised her, pulling away to kiss along her neck.
"This is almost like a dream, I can't believe I'm here, with you, and …I never thought I'd have this," she said, draping her arms around my neck. I smiled, kissing her and bumping my nose against her.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," I said. I tugged at her camisole, pulling it off and then making short work of her bra too. Unabated, I could now slide my hands up her back until I found her long hair, tangling my hand in the softness at the base of her neck, closing the distance between us and starting to kiss her with a growing hunger.
"God I want you so bad," I groaned as she moved against me, the fabric of our jeans the only barrier to what came next.
I guided her back on to the seat, positioning a pillow, and together we inched her jeans and underwear down, discarding them over the front seat. I followed suit with my own and then leaned in to her, completely ready to join with her but also very conscious that we needed time, it seemed like we never had enough time to get this right.
Forcing myself to slow things down, I planted soft kisses along her body, and listened to how she reacted to each touch. Every moment like this I learned something new about her, a touch that drove her wild, a kiss that left her gasping for more, a word or sound that left her trembling.
After a time her kisses became more heated, and she was moaning softly as I leaned over her, our bodies pressed together. Beth spread her legs, wrapping them either side of me and I groaned as I found myself pushed up again her, she was wet and ready. I settled there, just rubbing against her slightly, not penetrating as she watched me, biting her lip.
"You're still nervous about this?" I asked, looking at her.
"Sometimes," she admitted, her eyes looking at me like a rabbit staring out of a burrow.
"Why?" I asked, tilting my head and watching her.
"Well... it's not like we've done this … a lot..." she said, blushing again. I stopped to think about it, a little over three months since we'd first slept together and we'd been barely left alone: she was right. I hadn't even stopped to think about how she was feeling in the mix of all this.
"Eight," she said suddenly, and I looked at her curiously. "Eight times," she clarified. I couldn't help but smirk.
"You're keeping count?" I asked with a grin. She giggled and nodded, kissing me quickly. "At least until a hundred," she added and I chuckled.
"What happens then?" I asked.
She shrugged, grinning at me. "I start counting to two hundred I guess," she said with another smile.
I laughed and caught her lip in between my teeth, nipping softly and smoothing over the bites with my tongue. It drew a soft moan from the back of her throat which delighted me. We kissed languidly, without any need for hurry, I had nurtured this relationship over so many years that kissing Beth was almost like breathing to me. I felt her smile beneath my lips and pulled away only far enough to catch my breath.
"Damn, well I guess we better make the most of tonight then," I said, "maybe we can at least break double digits." She smiled and slid her hands into my hair, pulling me back into her, forcing her tongue between my welcoming lips. I felt her melt into me, our tongues dancing and tasting each other, I could do this all night, and had, many times over the years.
One thing I had learned during all that time spent trying to forget my feelings for Beth, trying to drown in the touch of someone else and just get her out of my system, was how to get it right. To get a girl to quiver beneath my touches. I'd recently discovered it was so much more satisfying when you loved the girl you were doing it to. Everything I did was to bring her pleasure, my own satisfaction was only secondary, taking a back seat, and in the process of making it about Beth, it was all the more powerful for me.
Her short, shallow breaths, hitching with every movement as I slid inside her made me moan just from the sound alone. I hovered my lips over hers, feeling the soft expelled breaths as they left her, tantalising in the way they brushed across my cheek, the soft shuddering as I started to grind against her, keeping myself deep, our bodies melded into one.
I slid one hand around her lower back, raising her to meet me, just slightly changing the angle, with my other hand on her hip as I thrust deeper. Beth let out a loud gasp, and fought to catch her breath. I felt her hands dig in to my back, her nails scraping along my skin. She let out a long, loud moan full of pleasure, arching to meet my thrust.
"Like that?" I asked breathlessly, watching as her eyes glazed over before she closed them altogether, leaning her head back against the pillow.
"God yes..." her response was barely a moan, and I deduced that I was definitely in the right spot, grinding slowly into her as she tensed under me and then her body shuddered as I hit that mark again, and then again. We rarely got to make noise, not much, so she was quiet from habit but I heard every gasp and moan, every little sigh as she edged closer to the inevitable.
I shifted the angle again, thrusting harder, meeting her urgent rocking as she let out another long moan, her fingers so tightly pressed into my skin that I groaned from the biting pressure of her nails. "Oh god, oh god...don't stop, oh god..." she whimpered, clinging to me as I felt her legs tighten around my waist. She threw her head back, calling out her pleasure, shuddering underneath me, her breath coming hard and fast as she quivered to my touch.
I'd been holding back, waiting and it didn't take much for me to feel that explosion building inside; I rocked into her a few more times, listening to her moan softly in the afterglow she was now experiencing. I felt the pulse move down me, the rush that was waiting. Beth slipped her hands down my back, the movement drawing a shiver along my spine and I groaned, the intensity of my skin pressed hotly against hers was more than I could bear. I thrust a couple more times, burying my face into her shoulder and groaning as I edged closer and closer until my whole body shuddered, feeling my heat flow from inside, filling her, claiming her as my own.
With a gasp for breath I sank down and felt the comfort of our bodies pressed together, completely naked and one with the other. We never got this, a moment to just be in the naturalness of our passion, I brushed my thumb along her cheek, gently cupping her face as she stared up at me with unabashed devotion. I knew without saying that I would spend a lifetime worshipping at this altar, this divine creation before me, a hundred years would never reveal all her secrets to me, but I would spend my life trying to discover them all.
Somewhere in the distance there was the sound of fireworks being set off, and I kissed her softly, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. "Happy New Year," I said softly, kissing her again. We couldn't see the fireworks, given that the windows were all steamed up from making our own, I looked at them feeling a sense of satisfaction and a job well done.
"Best one yet," she said, grinning at me.
"Hmmmm, best new year, or best … moment?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Beth bit her lip, still managing, after all that she'd just experienced to look shyly at me.
"Both," she said, her eyes twinkling in the light of the street lamp nearby.
"Well, that's good to know," I said with a grin. "But I'm sure we can beat that record," I said, leaning in again to claim her lips and then starting to kiss my way along her torso. Oh I was definitely going to make tonight a night that she was going to look back on and still blush about when she was eighty.
Motel Room, New York
Present Moment
Beth's POV
Janus was watching me with a keen curiosity, and I shifted uncomfortably under his stare. "So how exactly do you propose to help us?" I asked, looking at him suspiciously.
The face before me started to shimmer again and within seconds the Bif we'd met earlier was standing in front of me, his hair messed up, and he took off the glasses with a grimace of disgust at them.
"He can't help you," Bif said, sighing and throwing his hands in the air. "He's just saying that because he finds you interesting. Hell, don't be surprised if he hits on you as soon as Dean is out of the picture," he added.
"What do you mean out of the picture? How long are you guys planning on sticking around?" I asked. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and chuckled.
"Well until midnight of course!" He said. Why did I get such a sinking feeling as he said that?
There was a knock at the door and Bif looked excited, skipping away from me. "Ice cream!" He shouted, yanking the door open to find room service.
I hit my forehead and walked past him, sticking my head out into the hallway. Sure enough, there was the food I'd ordered for Dean and myself earlier, a server knocking on our motel room door.
"Hi, hey, sorry … we just dropped next door to visit friends," I said, walking up to the man. I keyed open the door and waved him in with the trolley. "Just uh, put it anywhere, thanks," I said, pulling a couple of bills out of my purse to tip him.
"Have a good evening ma'am," he said, bowing slightly before leaving. I stared at the food, my stomach wasn't so hungry anymore. I took the trays and put them in the mini-bar, and straightened up in time to hear my phone ring.
"Dean?!" I asked, answering it without looking.
"Nope, princess, it's not Prince Charming, it's just the frog," Jefferson's voice came over the line.
"Oh, hey Jefferson, are you okay?" I asked, walking back toward the door.
"I am spectacular, having a wonderful evening and about to get back to my uh … party." I raised an eyebrow as I heard a couple of girls giggling in the background. "But, I know how you are with these New Years Eve things, so I thought it best I say my best wishes now, before I'm too... otherwise engaged."
"Thanks Jefferson, that's very nice of you," I said, shaking my head. "Hey, while I have you, what do you know about the Roman God Janus?"
"Janus?!" His voice sounded sharply across the line. "Why do you ask?"
"He's here, in the motel, he says he can help with Dean's contract," I answered him.
"No, no no no no no," Jefferson started to sound anxious and I could hear him moving out of the room he had been in. "He's very dangerous Beth, you can't trust a word he says, I've known hunters who had come across him before."
"Well, he hasn't hurt anyone," I pointed out, frowning back at the door.
"It's not midnight yet, is it?" He asked as if I should know what he was talking about.
"What's that got to do with anything?" I asked.
"What's that...?" Jefferson scoffed, and I imagined I could see him shaking his bleach blonde head at me. "It's got everything to do with it! He is the god of new beginnings, the passing of time!"
"And?" I asked, starting to feel a little stupid.
"Beth, has there been anyone around you acting, oddly?" He asked, taking a different tact.
"Uh, try everyone! Dean, Sam and Sarah Blake are off raiding the Museum now for some freaking spear that might help him out of his deal, and I have to get going and find them..." I said.
"He touched you? All of you?" He asked.
"Apparently I'm immune," I said with a sigh, the swirling pit of anxiety in my stomach wasn't getting any better the further this conversation progressed.
"Right... right... interesting. But that means the others are the sacrifices." Jefferson said.
"Sacri... Sacrifices?!" I snapped, leaving the motel room and crossing over to Sarah's room. The door was open, and I walked in looking for Bif. He was gone, a tray full of melting ice cream and pie left unattended in the middle of the room.
"Every year the pagans would sacrifice to Janus in order to gain his blessing for the new year. Now, without anyone to do that, he chooses his own victims because the very celebration of the passing into the new year is invitation for him to continue time for us all," Jefferson said, speaking urgently.
"There will be at least three, sometimes six sacrifices, depending on who is active in that schizophrenic mind of his," Jefferson said.
"I've seen both sides of him," I said and he sighed.
"Six then," he said, "and they'll all be experiencing highs and lows in their emotions."
"Yes," I said, nodding.
"Eventually the lows get so low that it drives the sacrifice to suicide. There'll be no way to save them all unless you capture Janus," Jefferson said.
"Well how do I do that?" I asked, running back to my room and slipping out of my ridiculous heels. I pulled the dress off too, quickly changing into jeans, hoodie and boots. I was ready to hunt.
"Mirrors," Jefferson said. "It's the only thing anyone has been able to come up with. When he is changing form, he becomes so entranced by his own reflection because he gets a glimpse of both sides of himself and feels whole," I sighed at this information.
"Okay, thanks Jefferson," I said.
"Just make sure you keep him looking in one, good luck princess, touch base with me and let me know you're okay when it's done," he said, his voice starting to sound a little worried. I chuckled, Jefferson's faith that I was going to handle this just fine was unwavering, I found it both sweet and delusional at the same time.
I looked around the room with another sigh, handing up the phone. How the hell was I going to get Janus to change while looking in a mirror? My eyes lighted upon my make-up bag, which I didn't use very often, but right now I was exceptionally glad that I did at least occasionally. I had a compact in there, and I dug it out, looking at the mirror inside it. Maybe it would be enough. I slipped it in my pocket and ran for the door. I had to find Dean and the others, and quick.
Harvelle's Roadhouse, Nebraska
New Years Eve – Last Year
Dean's POV
Ellen's response to Beth's pregnancy had been about as good as Bobby's, I think she actually considered going for the shotgun under the bar when we walked in and it became clear that Beth was plus one right now. Jo had stopped and stared for the longest time, making both of us feel really uncomfortable before Sam went and dragged her away to talk. I shrugged, it wasn't my fault the girl found me so irresistible, I hadn't done anything to lead her on.
Ash was over the moon, about the only one, he whooped and cheered, dragging Beth up on the dancefloor as he got into full party mode. I suspected it was mostly the beer talking, still, it was nice to have someone excited about our news, someone who wasn't treating me like I'd just ruined Beth's life. I sat at the bar nursing a beer while Beth danced with Ash and a couple of other people to the jukebox which was blasting away in the corner.
It had been a rough month on the run from the FBI, we were still going to need to lie low for a while, but at least we could celebrate the season among friends. Beth needed that, we all did, but she especially was taking on a lot of the stress of me having to stay out of sight and avoid detection. I watched her dance and the smile on her face as she laughed at Ash's antics was well worth the hours of discussion and arguing it had taken to get her here.
Beth pulled away from the dance floor, waving at Ash with a laugh and skipped down the couple of stairs to the lower section of the bar, winding her way through people to where I was sitting. The bar was full tonight, everyone seemed to be there celebrating the coming new year. I pulled her in against me as she reached my side, wrapping my legs around her from the stool I was sitting on, and sliding my hands around her waist.
"Having fun?" I asked, she smiled and nodded. Ellen walked over, putting a glass of non-alcoholic champagne on the bar with a smile.
"Get that into you," she said. "There's a room out back you guys can use tonight if you want to stay – first door on the left. There's room for the three of you, but I'll tell Sam to bunk in with Jo, give you kids some time alone." I raised my eyebrow at her curiously and she chuckled, shaking her head at me. "I wasn't always old, you know," she said and went back to serving drinks at the other end of the bar.
I inclined my head toward the back of the bar and smiled. "Want to go check out this room?" I asked. Beth chuckled and nodded so I jumped off the stool and led the way, pulling her behind me as I held her hand in a rare gesture of affection. We never held hands in the Roadhouse, that just wasn't cool hunter stuff. I didn't care tonight.
The room was basic but comfortable. A single and a double bed either side of the room, small windows that needed a wash, but the rest of the room was clean and tidy, a desk, couple of chairs and a television in the corner. I turned to face Beth as she looked around.
"So how you feeling?" I asked and she shrugged, smiling at me happily.
"Tired, but good," she answered.
At the tired admission I pulled her to the bed, climbing over to the side against the wall, giving her the easy access to the door which she'd need overnight for the bathroom. It wasn't ideal, I didn't like being unable to get to my feet quickly if someone were to enter the room, but I'd make a concession for tonight.
"Come here," I said, tugging her hand and she crawled on to the bed where I settled her on her side, snuggling in behind her and wrapping my arm around her waist, my hand settling on the growing bulge at her front. Kissing the hollow at her neck, I took a deep breath and relaxed, maybe for the first time in almost a week.
The skin under her top was soft and supple; I stroked my fingers lightly across it delighting in the little sighs it got from Beth. After a while, just when I thought she'd dozed off to sleep she turned on to her back, sliding her arm under my shoulder so she could get in close to my chest. I watched her with a smile and kissed her nose before leaning my forehead to hers.
"Love you," I whispered, and she looked a little surprised, she always did when I said the actual words. I liked to throw them at her a few times a year instead of the many other ways I told her, it made them more important – people said things too much without actually putting any thought into them, they became rote and meaningless, words were powerful and needed to be used carefully – we'd certainly learned that during our years hunting. Besides, as much as I meant it, I still felt awkward saying it, even after all these years.
"I love you too," she said with a smile, stroking along my face with her free hand.
"So I was thinking..." I started, watching as she raised an eyebrow at me in curiosity. "Maybe we should get a place, something small, you know... anywhere you want. Somewhere you can set up a nursery and get ready for the baby."
Beth looked surprised and shifted a little to lean in to me, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"Really?" She asked, gazing up at me. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I mean, we can't raise a kid in the Impala like Dad did with Sam, that would be ridiculous," I said. No way was I bringing a kid into this world and having them go through the same thing Sam and I had.
"Besides," I continued. "I'm worried about Sam, maybe we need to settle him down a little, get him out of the game." Beth looked thoughtful at this statement and nodded slowly.
"But what about hunting? You know… the family business?" She asked with a chuckle.
"No reason we can't still do jobs, we'd just have a home base. Works for Bobby, and Jefferson, and a handful of others. Why should we be the only ones always on the move?" I countered and she shrugged, clearly not in disagreement with me.
"No reason at all," she said with a smile. "Okay, I like it. So long as you don't freak out on me and do the whole wandering man thing because you've never put down roots in your life." I chuckled and shook my head.
"Maybe I'm ready to plant some," I said, nuzzling her nose with my own.
"Hmmm, never thought I'd hear you say that," she said with an open and amazed look, staring up at me from the flat of her back.
"Well I know you miss having a home," I said to her, brushing the hair back from her face as I leaned on my elbow next to her.
"I have a home, it's you," Beth said, kissing me softly. "I go where you go."
"I know, that's why I'm saying it's time for me to stop, to build something more for us," I said seriously, pulling her in close and running my hand down along her stomach. A little kick rippled across her belly and I grinned, looking down at my hand. "All of us," I added. My stomach was tied in knots at the thought of settling down in a real home, it seemed so alien, but I knew deep down this is what needed to happen – I wasn't going to have the baby raised on the road, always in danger from whatever we were hunting: and I wasn't going to leave Beth on her own to deal with the baby either, so that only left me one choice.
I could do this; I could make a life for us that was somehow in balance with helping people. I could keep Sam, Beth and the baby safe – just like I always had, and provide something beyond a life on the road. I could be a better man than my father.
New York
Present Moment
Beth's POV
I rang Dean's cellphone again, but once more it went through to voicemail.
"Dean! It's me, call me, it's urgent, you're all in danger!" I said, hanging up the phone.
I ran to the elevator, doing a little impatient dance as I waited for it to arrive at my floor. I was already dialling Bobby, willing him to pick up even though I knew it was almost midnight and he was going to be grumpy.
"This better be good!" Bobby's voice snapped over the phone.
"Bobby! It's Beth! I need your help," I said, rushing into the elevator as the doors opened. "I might drop out, I'm in an elevator," I said and he grunted in response. "I need you to log into the website and track the GPS on Dean's phone," I said, biting my lip and praying that he still had it on him.
"What?!" Bobby asked incredulously.
"Please, Bobby, there's no time for questions, this is life or death," I said.
"If this is about getting you to loverboy in time for a new years kiss, then I am personally going to kick both your asses into next year," Bobby grumped.
"Bobby! I would never!" I said, hoping the shock sounded real. I knew I would if the situation warranted it, but then, if time wasn't so short I'd be looking the information up myself. I stepped out of the elevator as I hit the ground floor and started for the Impala, hoping against hope that it was still going to be there, and that Dean hadn't taken it himself.
"Yeah, yeah, tell it to the next person who's buying," he muttered and I heard typing on the other end of the phone.
"Bobby, this isn't a freaking joke, all right?!" I snapped. "Dean and Sam are in danger; I have to get to them before midnight."
"Yeah, all right, all right," he said, "Wait, this is only going to get you as good as a town," he said "I assume you're in the same town as them?"
I stopped, mentally hitting myself in the forehead. Of course he was right! I sighed, looking around and spotted someone familiar across the road, walking quickly and hailing a cab. Getting a cab was next to impossible this time of night in the middle of New York, but then, this was no ordinary man. I raced after Bif as he caused a vehicle to swerve; cutting off the taxi and making it grind to a halt.
"Don't worry about it, another option just landed in my lap Bobby, gotta go," I said, hanging up the phone.
There was no time to lose, as the taxi pulled away I saw a guy leave a motorcycle across the street, walking away. I ran over, flashing him my fake FBI badge and grabbing the keys from his hands before he could even speak.
"Going to need to commandeer your bike, I'll bring it back when I'm done!" I said, jumping on to the sounds of his protest. Without waiting I peeled the bike away from the curb and followed the taxi, squinting against the rush of night air that was in my eyes.
Ten minutes later the taxi was pulling up out the front of another office building that was at least thirty storeys high. Bif entered and I followed, seeing him take the lift to the very top of the building. I summoned another lift next to it and did the same, waiting impatiently again for the old building to catch up.
The wind had picked up by the time I stepped out on to the rooftop. It was dark and the lights of the city flickered all around. There were three outlines on the edge of the building, all of them were sitting on the side of the building, looking down.
"Dean!" I called out. He turned around at the sound of my voice, clearly looking troubled.
"Beth, I can't do it, what's the point? There's nothing to break this deal!" Dean said and I bit my lip, he was clearly in the very lows of Janus's bipolar mood swings.
"He's right!" Bif said sadly as he knelt on the ground next to them. He looked forlorn and worried, and I found this curious. Did he not know what was about to happen here?
"Dean, I need you to get down from there, please," I said, walked slowly toward him.
"No, it's better this way, me and Sam, we'll be out of your life, you can be happy again." Dean said.
"He's right Beth, we should be dead, both of us, so we're just putting things right," Sam said and I shook my head.
"No, no you need to get down, all three of you," I said, looking over at Sarah who was also balanced precariously on the wrong side of the barrier.
"Why didn't you come see me Sam?" Sarah asked, her eyes sad and lonely.
"I… It's complicated…" Sam said, talking to her. There were many conversations going on here. I listened, completely at a loss as Sam and Sarah talked over their history, and Dean lamented his future to Bif who seemed quite taken with him and just as upset that he was going to Hell. Bif started to sniff and look stressed out, and I wondered what it would take to get him to change into Janus.
"Okay, everyone needs to shut up!" I shouted, drawing their attention. I looked at Dean sternly, pointing a finger at him. "You, down, now!" I said, stepping closer to him. He looked conflicted, shaking his head.
"I can't," he said.
"Yes you can, you don't get to give up on us," I said, looking at Sam and Sarah. "Any of you, you think you're the only ones with problems? Well newsflash, you're not! Now get the hell down from there!" I reached out for Dean and he tentatively took my hand, allowing me to pull him away from the edge of the building.
Bif turned to look at me, the relief in his eyes apparent, and then the shimmer started and I knew Janus was rematerializing. I reacted quickly, pulling the mirror out of my pocket and holding it up to his face. He froze, his face distorted and just like that everyone came to their senses.
Sam looked around, startling and grabbing at Sarah who wavered on the edge of where she was sitting. He pulled her back to the safe side of the railing and held her in his arms, looking down at Dean and me.
"What the Hell is going on?" Sam asked, frowning.
"Long story," I said, glancing at the others. My hand was starting to feel heavy, I was tired from the long day of travel, and I knew it wouldn't be much longer before I'd need to put the mirror down – we needed to move Bif-Janus and soon.
"I'll explain everything in a minute, but I can't move this mirror," I said to Dean, who nodded, gathering his wits about him. "We need to move him into the elevator, they had mirrored walls," I said.
Dean and Sam took up an arm either side of the God, lifting him as I held the mirror directly over his eyes to minimise the likelihood of breaking contact. It didn't take long before we were at the elevator; Sarah held the doors open as we moved him inside. Breathing a sigh of relief, I dropped my hand, the larger mirror taking over for me.
Leaning against the mirrored wall, looking back at the three people with me, I grinned and shook my head. "You guys sure know how to ruin a New Year's Eve celebration," I said, chuckling.
"What happened to your dress?" Dean asked sadly, shaking his head.
"I had to come find you lot, sorry, this was more comfortable," I said with a laugh.
"Awwww, well let's get out of here," Dean said, taking my hand and pulling me in to him. "We're not going to make it to Times Square in time anyway, so might as well go back to the motel."
I nodded and pushed the ground floor button, on the way down we discussed how we were going to deal with our currently immobilised God. By the time we hit the third floor we'd decided to find a mirror and lock him in a closet until tomorrow when we could get a coffin lined with mirrors. We figured with everything being closed for New Years Day we had some time.
Stepping out into the cold night's air I shivered and Dean wrapped his arms around me, we moved slowly through the leftover snow and sludge, walking down the street to find the Impala, which Dean had left across the road. We all made it back to the motel and returned to our rooms, I noticed Sarah went with Sam and chuckled, hoping they might at least get to iron out some of the issues she'd been carrying earlier.
I looked at Dean who was opening the door out on to the balcony and waving me over. There was the comfort of knowing we were together, if nothing else. I grabbed a throw rug from the couch, joining Dean as he sat on a deck chair and I curled up in his lap, my head resting against his shoulder and sighed happily. Dean pulled the blanket up over us, keeping out the cold, and kissed my forehead.
"I don't want to go to Hell," Dean said quietly, his chin resting against my head.
"I know," I replied, running my hand along his chest and holding it to his heart. I twisted my head to look up at him, meeting his eyes in a steadfast gaze.
"We'll find a way, all right?" I asked.
"Okay, good." He said with a nod, pausing for a moment, staring into the distance as if he was recalling an old memory. "I remember everything I said while I was under his influence," Dean commented.
I raised an eyebrow at him, he'd said a lot, especially about going to Hell. He saw the query in my eyes and continued to look at me seriously.
"Everything," he said pointedly. I nodded and kissed him softly.
"Okay, so we work at finding a way out of this deal. I've already had Jefferson working overtime on it," I said with a chuckle. "Oh crap! Jefferson!"
I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and dialled the Englishman, he answered with a bit of a groan.
"What the hell are you doing?" I asked him and he chuckled.
"You don't want to know princess. I take it all has been taken care of?" He asked a little breathlessly. I recalled a similar conversation I'd had years ago with Cole and grimaced.
"Yep, all good… thanks for your help." I shuddered, not wanting to think about why he groaned slightly into the phone and I caught a whisper of a giggle from a girl who was with him. "Okay, I'm going now. And Jefferson? Happy New Year!" I hung up and chuckled at Dean. "He's getting a very happy new year by the sounds of things," I commented. Dean laughed, pulling me in close.
"Come on, let's go inside where it's warm and have our own celebration," he said, urging me to stand.
I slid my arms around his waist and leaned in to him with a smile, kissing him again.
With trembling hands and heavy heart, I pulled away, tugging at his hand. Everything else could just stop until morning.
Fireworks started to appear in the sky and I realised that we'd reached the midnight marker. Dean grinned, pulling me back into his arms, his hand coming up to cup my jaw as he stared into my eyes. I held my breath as we moved together, closing the distance between us. Feeling his skin brush along my cheek, I closed my eyes, smiling at the sensation. When his lips claimed mine it was gentle, drawing what little breath I had left out of me. I loved him back with my whole being.
Tomorrow we would need to bury a god and start looking all over again for how to keep Dean out of Hell. Tonight I just wanted to be with him, to have him love me, to kiss me like there was no yesterday or tomorrow, only the now where I could drown in everything that was him and take everything slow.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Song for this chapter is Kiss Me Slowly by Parachute
I kind of had Ryan Kwanten in mind for Janus / Bif. In case anyone was wondering.
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Thanks to everyone who left reviews for the last few chapters, they really made my day :) Mahalo! I just love getting reviews and hearing what people think, so please keep up the great reviews!
People have been asking for more original work, so I hope I managed to do this justice – I've been wanting to cover NYE for a while, and it's quite possible we'll see a bit more of Janus in the new fanfic I plan on writing with Gabriel :D