Well...here's the next instalment and I hope you enjoy this one as much as the last few.
Sam sighed as he rested against the bed head. It had been one hectic month. After Dean's 'lap dance' comment, the arguments between him and Selene had grown almost vicious. It had gotten so bad that when Selene gave them advice on how to handle a particular demon, Dean had thrown it back in her face.
Selene had been so mad at him, that she refused to join them on the hunt. Saying that she obviously wasn't 'man' enough to handle a demon, before storming out of the house, after Dean had pulled her fang from around his neck, throwing it on the floor, saying he didn't need to be babysat. Sam had to hide the beginnings of a smile when he noticed Dean pick the fang back up, wrapping it carefully in a handkerchief and sticking it in his pocket when he thought no one was looking.
That was when things took a turn for the worst. Sam and Dean had gone on to hunt the demon down, without Selene. Sam distinctly remembered hearing Dean muttering something about proving that he could bring down a demon without the help of meddling women.
Finding the demon had been easy. He was holed up inside a house. Killing him, though, was a different story. The problem had been compounded by the fact that there were children in the house, who had ended up locking themselves in a cupboard in the basement.
Getting the children out, meant the brothers had to separate, and having Selene there would've given them another set of eyes to keep a look out for the demon. Sam had grabbed the children and run, leaving Dean to deal with the demon, but when he fired the Taser, both he and the demon had been in water, meaning Dean was shot with the same dose he dealt the demon.
Sam had come home from the hospital to find Selene sitting on the kitchen counter, staring at the front door. When she'd seen Sam, she ran to embrace him, only to realise Dean wasn't there. Hearing the news, Selene had turned and left, mumbling something about failing him, tears streaming down her face.
Dean had walked through the door only moments later, his smile dropping when he saw Selene wasn't there. Selene didn't return, and Sam, growing desperate for a miracle to save his brother, had bundled Dean into the car and drove off.
Sam did find his brother a miracle cure, but he could tell that Selene's departure was weighing heavily on Dean. Dean felt responsible for pushing her away, even though she'd only been trying to help. Sam watched helplessly as Dean threw himself into destroying the person controlling a Reaper, but Sam could see he lacked his usual passion and enthusiasm.
It was only after they had put an end to the crooked 'church' that they found a surprise waiting for them back at their room. Dean walked in to pack their things, when he heard the window open. Turning around, he saw Selene slink in.
"Hey," she said softly, staring at him, her eyes shining with unspent tears. Dean stared at her, not daring to believe she'd come back. "Hey yourself," he replied. He looked like he was about to say more when Selene held up her hand. "Before you say anything," she told him, handing him a vial of liquid, "Here. I'm sorry it took so long, but the ingredients were a little difficult to find. It's my own recipe. It should fix you up better then before. I'm sorry," she told him, tears now flowing freely down her face, "I let my emotions get in the way of the hunt, and you paid the price. I did what I came to do. Goodbye, Dean."
She turned to leave the way she came when Dean spoke up. "I thought you hated me," he stated. Selene turned back, shaking her head. "I don't hate you," she muttered wetly. Dean pulled her into his arms. "Good," he replied, "'Cause I don't hate you." He looked at the vial in his hands. "So you made this?" he asked, "You went running around god knows where, just to heal me?" Selene nodded, her tears still soaking his shirt. "I'm sorry you went to all that trouble," Dean continued, "But Sam already cured me."
Selene blinked a couple of times. "You mean I did all that work for nothing?" she asked. Dean nodded, "Yeah," he replied, "That's just about the gist of it." Selene pulled away from him, her eyes narrowing. "You mean, I thought you were dying, and you were in perfect health?" she asked. Smirking, Dean nodded, only to have Selene's fist connect solidly with his shoulder. "That hurt, damn it," Dean cried, "That's it."
Dean tackled Selene, knocking her backwards on to his bed, where he pinned her down and began to tickle her mercilessly. Soon both were laughing and gasping for breath alternately, neither wanting to back down from the fight. Sam opened the door to see what the noise was about, to find Dean and Selene in a rather compromising position.
Selene took Dean's moment of shock, and began their tickle war, only to have them fall off the bed a second later when Sam pushed them. "Dean," Sam told them, "Try not to bite her head off this time. And Selene," he reached over to ruffle her hair, "It's good to have you back."
Dean turned to Selene. "You said this would cure me right?" he asked, a thought suddenly popping into his head. Selene nodded. "Will it cure anything?" he asked. Selene paused for a moment. "It's a powerful healant," Selene told him, "It works by utilising the body's own strength, and forcing it to heal the afflicted area. Normally the body would overlook such problems, this makes it focus its energy. I added a good dose of my blood to it though, so it's pretty fast acting."
Dean pondered her words for a moment. "Would it cure a brain tumour?" he asked innocently. Selene's eyes widened. "Do you have one?" she asked, "I guess it would, but you'd have to drink it now. I'm not taking any chances with your health." Sam chuckled softly as 'Nurse Selene' fussed over his brother. "Not for me," Dean told her, "There's this girl, Leyla. We met her here. She's got a brain tumour. Inoperable. I kind of feel responsible for her not being healed, and I wanted to know if this would help." Selene nodded. "Well," Dean told them, "I guess I better go play 'Doctor'." Sam groaned, knowing his brother would never grow up. "Hey Doctor," Sam called after him, "Just don't go sticking your 'stethoscope' any place it doesn't belong." Deans laughter filled the hallway as he went to find Leyla.
The next morning, the brothers were greeted with one of Selene's breakfasts, making their stomachs growl for more. They hurriedly packed up their gear, loading the car before heading off. Where they were headed, Selene didn't care. All that mattered to her right then was that they were going there together.
The car stopped outside a petrol station. Sam buried his nose in a map, while Dean busied himself listening to voice mail. "Okay," Sam told them, "I think I've found a way we can bypass that construction just east of here. We might even make Pennsylvania faster then we thought." Dean hung up, looing somewhat stunned. "Yeah," he replied, "Problem is, we're not going to Pennsylvania." Sam stopped to stare at his brother, shock evident on his face. Since when did Dean not follow a lead? "We what?" he asked, looking for some answers.
"Just got a call from, uh, an old friend," Dean explained, "Her father was killed last night, she thinks it might be our kind of thing." Sam stared at his brother even more incredulously then before. "What?" he asked, still not getting why this death was their problem. Dean nodded. "Yeah," he replied, "Believe me, she never would've called, never, if she didn't need us." With that he jumped back in the car. "You comin' or what?" he asked Sam, who, still confused, jumped into the car.
"By old friend," Sam started, "You mean...?" Dean rolled his eyes slightly, not wanting to go there. "A friend that's not new," he replied stubbornly. Sam chuckled at his brother's tactics. "Yeah," he replied, "Thanks. So, her name's Cassie huh?" Dean nodded. "You never mentioned her before," Sam told him pointedly. Dean hesitated momentarily, peaking Selene's interest. "Didn't I?" Dean asked evasively, trying to weasel his way out of answering the question. Sam smirked. "No," Sam replied.
Dean sighed, he wasn't getting out of this one un-scathed. "Yeah," he replied, "We went out." Sam looked shocked by this. "You mean you dated someone? for more than one night?" Sam asked. "Am I speakin' another language you're not getting here?" Dean asked defensively, making Sam laugh, "Yeah, Dad and I were workin' a job in Athens, Ohio, she was finishing up college, and we went out for a couple of weeks."
"And?" Sam asked, trying to pry more information out of his brother. Dean shook his head. Sam sighed, "Look," he continued, "It's terrible about her dad, but it kind of sounds like a standard car accident. I'm not seeing how it fits with what we do. Which, by the way, how does she know what we do?" Dean remained silent, and Sam's face became a mix of disbelief and shock. "You told her," he accused his brother, "You told her? The secret? Our big family rule number one, we do what we do, and we shut up about it. For a year and a half I do nothing but lie to Jessica, and you go out with this chick in Ohio a couple of times and you tell her everything?" Once again, Dean remained silent. "Dean!" Sam yelled. Dean sighed at his brother. "Yeah," he told him defensively, "Looks like it." Sam shook his head, upset with his brother, and for having to lie to his ex-girlfriend when Dean obviously had no such regard for the family rule.
Sam, Dean and Selene stepped into a newsroom, searching for this mysterious 'Cassie.' Spotting three people talking, they stayed in the background, waiting for an opportunity. The mayor continued to talk to the other two for a moment, before he and the other man walked away, leaving the girl behind.
Turning around, the girl spotted the trio. "Dean," she breathed out, as if not daring to believe he was real, before walking over to them. "Hey Cassie," Dean sighed, neither knowing quite what to say, "This is my brother Sam, and this is Selene. Sam's has a thing for picking up strays," Cassie nodded to both of them, finding herself slightly speechless when she saw Selene's bright violet eyes, "I'm sorry about your dad." Cassie smiled sadly, her attention devoted to Dean. "Yeah," she told him, "Me too."
The trio followed Cassie to her house, filing into the living room. Sam and Dean sat down, waiting for Cassie to pour them tea while Selene stood by the window, staring out at the night sky. Cassie had offered her a drink, but Selene flatly refused. Sam and Dean stared at her back reproachfully, she had never been so blatantly rude before.
"My mother's in pretty bad shape," Cassie told them, "I've been staying with her. I wish she would walk by herself, she's been so nervous and frightened. She was worried about Dad." Dean's eyebrows twitched together. "Why?" he asked, diverting his attention from the demon. "He was scared," Cassie replied, "He was seeing things." Selene's delicate ears twitched so slightly, the boys didn't even pick up on it. "He swore he saw an awful-looking black truck following him," Cassie replied. Selene rolled her eyes, so a stupid truck ran him of the road, she'd seen worse drivers just going down the street. "A truck?" Sam asked, "Who was the driver?"
Cassie stopped to look at Sam. "He didn't talk about a driver," she replied, "Just the truck. He said it would appear and disappear. And in the accident, Dad's truck was dented. Like it had been slammed into, by something big." She walked over, handing the boys their tea, while sending a glance in the direction of the demon. "Thanks," Sam replied, "Now, you're sure this dent wasn't there before?"
"He sold cars," Cassie told him, "Always drove a new one. I mean, there wasn't a scratch on that thing. It rained hard that night, there was mud everywhere. There was a distinct set of muddy tracks from Dad's car, leading right to the edge," tears began to flow down her cheeks, "Where he went over. One set of tracks. His." Dean sighed, he hated having to make her go through this. "And the first person killed was a friend of your father's?" he asked.
Cassie nodded. "Best friend," she told the boys, "Clayton Solmes. They owned the car dealership together. Same thing. Dent, no tracks. And the cops said exactly what they said about Dad...He lost control of his car." Dean nodded once more. There was definitely something worth checking out here. "Now," Dean asked, "Can you think of any reason why your father and his partner might be targets?" Cassie shook her head, dark locks flying. "No," she told him. Sam raised his eyebrows. "And you think this vanishing truck ran him off the road?"
Cassie began to blush slightly. "Oh," she said, "When you say it aloud like that...Listen, I'm a little sceptical about this...ghost stuff, or whatever it is you guys are into." Dean began to chuckle. "Sceptical," he responded, "Yeah, if I remember, I think you said it was nuts."
Selene spun around to face the group. "That was then," Cassie told them. Selene pinned her with a piercing stare. She couldn't believe that this...girl...had told Dean he was crazy, and now, as soon as something bad came her way, decided to believe in him. "Mmm," was Dean's cold reply.
Sam gave Cassie a sympathetic smile. "I just know that I can't explain what happened up there," Cassie told them, "So I called you." Cassie's mum entered the room. "Mum!" Cassie exclaimed, "Where have you been I was so..." Her mother cut her off, noticing the people in the room. "Oh," She said, "I had no idea you'd invited friends over."
"Uh, Mum," Cassie cried, "This is Dean, a friend of mine from...college. And his brother, Sam. And Selene. Uh, she..." Selene fixed Cassie with a cold, piercing stare as she cut the girl off. "Was just leaving," Selene replied, "Goodnight." Selene swept past the two women with cat-like poise and grace. Her long, dark hair whipping backwards, away from her porcelain face and blood-red lips, to expose her elvan ears. It wasn't until the door had closed behind her that the occupants of room remembered to breathe.
"Well," Mrs Robinson began, "Uh, I won't interrupt you." She too turned to leave when Dean spoke up. "Mrs Robinson," he asked, "We're sorry for you loss. And we'd like to talk to you for a minute, if you don't mind." Mrs Robinson's face hardened slowly. "I'm not really up to that just now," she told them shortly, walking away. Dean's face fell, disappointment obvious on his features.
The trio heard about a crash, driving there first thing that morning. Hopping out of the car, Sam and Dean spotted Cassie talking with the Mayor. Walking over to her, they forgot about the third member of their team. 'Typical,' Selene thought, 'It's bad enough we're playing 'Detective' for some chick who didn't want to believe. Now that something bad has happened to her, she wants any other explanation for the deaths but bad driving. So she calls the one person who asked her to believe in him, only to have her throw it in his face.' It was true that cats held grudges, but so did cat demons.
"Did the cops check for additional denting on Jimmy's car?" Dean asked, sidling up to Cassie, "See if it was pushed?" The Mayor pinned Dean with a glare, but Dean refused to lower himself to glare-wars. "Who's this?" the Mayor demanded. Cassie gave the boys a small grin before turning back to the Mayor. "Dean and Sam Winchester," she replied, "Family friends. This is Mayor Harold Todd." Cassie gave a quick glance around to see if Selene was with them. Not seeing her, she shrugged and turned back to the three men before her.
Selene pushed herself off of Dean's car, slowly striding over to the damaged car. Police began calling out for her to stop, but she ignored their presence. Reaching the car, she began to sniff tentatively, her violet eyes sweeping over the damage done to the car.
Hearing the noise, Sam, Dean, Cassie and Harold turned to see Selene walking around the car, police trailing after her. They kept asking her to move back behind the police tape, but for all their efforts, they may as well have been invisible because she continued on regardless. One officer even went as far as to try to grab her, but she merely side-stepped him, allowing him to fall face-first in the mud, while she casually walked around him.
Harold stepped forward. "You there," he called out, "You must vacate the area immediately." Chuckling, Dean strode forward. "Oh," he told the Mayor, "She's with us." Viewing all there was, Selene calmly stalked back to the car, seemingly unaware of the havoc she'd caused.
"So," Harold said, leading them over to the vacated scene, "One set of tire tracks. One. Doesn't point to foul play." Dean began to examine the tracks leading from the car, while Cassie turned to face the Mayor. "Mayor," she began, "The police and town officials take their cues from you. If you're indifferent about..." She would've continued, had the Mayor not cut her off. "Indifferent?" he asked. Cassie's face hardened cruelly. I was time she showed this man what she was made of. "Would you close the road if the victims were white?" She asked him pointedly.
"You're suggesting I'm racist Cassie?" he asked, offended by her accusation, "I'm the last person you should talk to like that." Cassie squared her shoulders, tilting her jaw up to meet his eyes. "And why is that?" she asked him coldly. The Mayor met her gaze, before backing off slightly. "Why don't you ask your mother?" he told her, walking away.
Back in their motel room, the brothers started pulling black suits on. Selene stood in the doorway, facing the opposite direction. "The car was clean," she told them, "No scent, no presence, nothing. There was no trace what so ever of demonic interference, although I will admit, the denting is consistent with the force required to push it that far."
Sam turned to glance at Selene, he could tell her hackles were up about something, but he didn't want to push the point, otherwise she'd only run further out of reach. "How'd you do it?" he asked instead, "You walked over sloppy mud all the way around the car, and didn't leave a single foot print." Dean's head shot up. Now that he mentioned it, Dean hadn't seen her leave footprints either. The cops chasing her had, but she hadn't.
"Is there a law to say I have to?" she asked, still feigning cold indifference, "I'm a demon, and a cat demon at that. We tread lightly, like a shadow on the ground. I don't leave footprints if I don't have to." With that she left the room for the wilderness outside. She was still a wild creature, and sometimes she needed to spend some time outside to calm her restless spirit.
"Okay," Sam sighed, turning to face his brother, "What did you do to her? She's been distant ever since we got here." Dean glared at his brother. Why would Selene's bad mood be because of him? "Wait," Sam started, "You don't think it's...never mind. It couldn't be. I'm just being stupid." Dean rolled his eyes. "On another note," Sam told his brother, "I'll say this for Cassie, she's fearless." Dean grunted his affirmation.
"I bet she kicked your ass a couple of times," Sam smiled as his brother glared at him, "What's interesting is you guys never really look at each other at the same time. You look at her when she's not looking, she checks you out when you look away." Dean watched his brother strangely. "It's just an interesting observation," Sam continued, "In a, you know, observationally interesting way."
Dean glared at his brother. "I think we might have some more pressing issues here," he told his brother sternly. "Hey," Sam tried to sooth his brother's raw nerves, "If I'm hitting a nerve-" Dean cut him off before he could go any further. "Oh, let's go," he grumbled out, walking out the door. Sam smiled to himself before following.
Sam and Dean soon found themselves down at the docks, posing as an insurance company to gain information. They decided to start with two men playing checkers. "Excuse me," Dean called out to them, "Are you Ron Stubbins? You were friends of Jimmy Anderson?" One of them nodded. "Who are you?" Ron asked.
"We're with Mr. Anderson's insurance company," Dean informed them, "We're just here to dot some i's and cross some t's." Sam nodded his ascent, before joining in on their little charade. "We were just wondering," Sam asked, "Had the deceased mentioned any unusual recent experiences?"
"What do you mean unusual?" Ron asked, gazing at the pair inquiringly. Sam inclined his head. "Well," he began, "Visions, hallucinations." Dean could see they were losing them and decided to step in. "It's all part of a medical examination kind of thing," he assured them, "All very standard." Ron was starting to become suspicious of the two boys. "What company did you say you were with?" he asked.
"All National Mutual," Dean replied, partially extracting an envelope from the inside of his jacket, before sliding it back away. "Tell me, did he ever mention seeing a truck? A big, black truck?" The man beside Ron began to show his interest, but Ron himself was just looking more and more confused by the second. "What the hell are you talking about?" Ron asked, "You even speaking English?"
"Son," the other man asked, "This truck. A big, scary, monster-lookin' thing?" Dean and Sam turned to face the man. "Yeah," Dean replied, "Actually, I think so." The man nodded. "What?" Dean asked, giving the man his full attention. "I have heard of a truck like that," the man replied. "You have?" Sam asked, "Where?"
The man shook his head. "Not where," he replied, "When. Back in the sixties, there was a string of deaths. Black men. Story goes, they disappeared in a big, nasty, black truck." Dean raised his eyebrows. "They ever catch the guy who did it?" Dean asked. The man shook his head.
"Never found him," the man told them, "Hell, I'm not sure they even really looked. See there was a time this town wasn't too friendly to all its citizens." The man threw a glare at Ron. Sam nodded. "Thank you," he replied, before he and Dean began to walk back to the car.
"Truck," Dean quipped, as they strode towards the car. Sam nodded slowly, still processing the information. "Keeps comin' up doesn't it?" Sam asked. Dean's eyebrows knitted together. "You know what I was thinking?" Dean asked his brother, "You heard of the Flying Dutchman?" Sam nodded. "Yeah," he replied, "A ghost ship infused with the captain's evil spirit. Basically a part of him."
Dean nodded. "Yeah," he responded, "So what if we're dealing with the same thing? You know, a phantom truck that's an extension of some bastard ghost, re-enacting past crimes." Sam nodded. "The victims have all been black men," Sam replied. Dean thought for a moment. "It's more then that," he told his brother, "They all seem to be connected to Cassie and her family."
"Alright," Sam replied, "Well, you work with that angle. Go talk to her." Dean snuck a glance at his brother. "Yeah," he responded, "I will." Sam smiled slightly, before schooling his face back to blank. "Oh," Sam began, "And you might want to mention that other thing." Dean stopped at the car. "What other thing?" he asked, facing his brother. Sam kept his face passively blank. "The serious unfinished business," Sam quipped, "Dean, what is going on between you two?"
Dean sighed. "Alright," he said, "Maybe we were a little bit more involved than I said." Sam shrugged. "Oh, okay," Sam said nonchalantly, "Yeah." Dean sighed once more, rolling his eyes. He knew Sam wouldn't give up until he got answers. "Okay," Dean bit out, "A lot more. Maybe." Sam laughed at his brother's closed nature toward emotions. "And I told her the secret about what we do when I shouldn't have," Dean grumbled. Sam gazed at his brother softly, knowing how much it cost him to admit this much. "No," Sam soothed, "Look man. Everybody's gotta open up to someone, sometime."
"Yeah," Dean growled, "I don't. It was stupid to get that close, and look how it ended." Sam smiled knowingly, staring at his brother. "Would you stop?" Dean snapped, only making Sam stare more. "Blink or something," Dean remarked. He hated emotions and the vulnerability they made him feel. "You loved her," Sam replied, gazing at his brother in a new light. Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh god," he sighed, as he started opening his door. Sam couldn't stop staring at his brother. "You were in love with her," Sam began, just loud enough for Dean to hear, "But you dumped her." Dean glared at him and shook his head. "Oh, wow," Sam sighed, "She dumped you." Dean pulled the door open, throwing himself into the car, this conversation was really starting to piss him off. "Get in the car," Dean barked, but Sam didn't move. "Get in the car!" Dean barked out again, firmer this time. Sam climbed in, staring at his brother in shock.
Dean strode up the stairs to Cassie's door, knocking on the wooden frame. "Dean, hey," Cassie cried out as she opened the door and saw him standing before her. "Hey," Dean replied. "Come on in," Cassie invited, waiting for him to enter before closing the door. "So," Dean began, "Are you busy?"
"Uh, the paper's doing a tribute to Jimmy," she replied, "I was just going through his stuff. His awards. Trying to find the words." Dean nodded, leaning against a support post. "That's gotta be tough," he told her. Cassie leant against the support post opposite to Dean. "For years," Cassie began, "This family owned the paper, the Dorians. They had a whites only staff policy. After they sold it, Jimmy became the first black reporter. He didn't stop till he became editor. He taught me everything. Where's your brother?" Dean stared at Cassie. "Not here," he replied awkwardly. He knew coming here by himself was a bad idea. "Alright," Cassie submitted, "So, uh, what brings you here?"
"Trying to find the connection between the three victims," Dean replied, "By the way, did you talk to your mom about what Todd said about not being a racist?" Cassie nodded a yes. "I did, she replied, "She didn't wanna talk about it."
"Right," Dean began, trying to break the awkward silence that had fallen, "So, just then, um, why'd you ask where my brother was?" Cassie tried to break his gaze, while he studied her for answers. "Nothing," Cassie muttered, "Not important."
Dean snorted softly. "Could it be because without him here, it's just you and me?" He asked, "And not you, me, and Sam, which would be easier?" Cassie gave him a reproachful glare. "It's not easier," She told him. Dean's face fell, showing her a small glimpse of how broken he was, "Look, I-." Dean cut her off before she could stab the knife any deeper into his heart. "No, forget it," he bit out, "It's fine. We'll keep it strictly business." Cassie laughed coldly at him, her eyes wandering over his form once more, before slumping back against the post. "I forgot you do that," she threw at him. Anger flared slightly in Dean's eyes. "Do what?" he snapped back.
"Oh," Cassie smiled bitterly, "Whenever we get, what's the word, close? Anywhere in the neighbourhood of emotional vulnerability, you back off. Or make some joke, or find any way to shut the door on me." Dean stared at her for a minute before laughing coldly at her accusation. "Oh," Dean snapped back, "That's hilarious. See, I'm not the one who took that big final door and slammed it behind me." Cassie's eyes narrowed, seeing that he was pinning it back on her. "Wait a minute," she broke in, but Dean cut her off before she could continue her thought any further. "And I'm not the one who took the key and buried it," Dean continued. Cassie rolled her eyes. "Are we done with this metaphor?" she asked.
Dean sighed. "All I'm saying," Dean replied, "Is that I was totally upfront with you back then, and you nailed me with it." Cassie stared at him incredulously. It was her turn to laugh coldly. "The guy I'm with," she began, "The guy I'm hoping might be in my future, tells me he professionally pops ghosts." Dean was slightly taken aback by her statement, but still rolled his eyes. "That's not the words I used," he spat back at her, almost daring her to continue. "And that he has to leave to go work with his father," Cassie continued, eyes burning through Dean. "I did," Dean replied, shrugging.
"All I could think was if you want out, fine, but don't tell me this insane story," Cassie explained. "It was the truth, Cassie," Dean cried, "And I notice it didn't sound so insane the minute you thought I could help you!" Cassie glared at Dean reproachfully. She couldn't believe he was spinning this back on her. "Back then," she shouted, "I thought you just wanted to dump me." Dean's eyes widened. "Whoa," he blinked, "Let's not forget who dumped who, okay?"
"I thought that was what you wanted," Cassie told him, trying to get him to understand her point of view. "Well," Dean bit out, "It wasn't." Cassie noticed a glimmer of his pain shine through his gaze. "I didn't mean to hurt you," she told him, her own gaze softening with every word. Dean glanced up. "Well, you did," he admitted, hating the emotional cost it had taken to say those words alone. "I'm sorry," Cassie responded, hoping he could see just how cut up she'd been about their break up. "Yeah," Dean replied, "Me too." Their eyes met for a brief moment, before Dean pulled her into his arms, kissing her with all the passion he could.
Dean lay in bed, and even though Cassie was beside him, he couldn't help thinking about having one of Selene's home-cooked breakfasts. Sam was right, the girl was magic in the kitchen. Dean bet that she could open up her own restaurant if she wanted.
Cassie turned to face Dean. "We should fight more often," she murmured, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Absolutely," he replied, earning a laugh from Cassie. She smiled softly at him. "Actually," she began, "We were always pretty good at fighting," Dean grunted his agreement before Cassie continued, "This we were good at," indicating what they had just done. Dean smiled and Cassie continued, "It's all the other stuff...not so much."
"Hey," Dean replied defensively, "I tried. I mean, I told you who I really was. That's a big first for me." Cassie regarded him for a moment, her eyes wandering his face, before her eyebrows knitted together. "Why did you tell me?" she asked. Dean sighed, he knew she'd ask this question eventually. "I don't know," he told her, "I guess I couldn't lie to you."
"Dean," Cassie began, "You told me that story-and it scared the hell outta me. I thought you were nuts. Dangerous, even," she sat up, watching his reaction, "Actually, maybe I was looking for a reason to walk away." Dean glanced around, wondering how to reply to a statement like that. "In my work," he told her, "I see some horrible things. Things that can't be explained. And I deal with them. But working things out with you?"
Cassie laughed. "I'm a scary one alright," she smiled, earning a chuckled from him, "Well, usually, things get worked out. When you really want them to." She gave him a pointed look. "Yeah," Dean agreed, "But I'm still really involved in my dad's work." Cassie shook her head. "No more excuses, okay?" She asked, "From you or me." Dean smiled, glad to have finally worked something out with her. "Okay," he agreed, easing his mouth over hers, only to have his phone ring. Dean broke away, pulling out his phone. "Yeah?" he answered, "You're kidding."
Dean walked down a road, walking towards Sam, who was busy with a police officer. He could see Selene in the background, walking around inside a taped off area. The police seemed to have learnt their mistakes because none tried to stop her. The officer walked away, leaving Sam free. "Where were you last night?" Sam asked. Not receiving a response, he continued, smiling, "You didn't make it back to the motel." Dean kept his face as blank as possible, given that all he wanted to do was smile. "Nope," he replied nonchalantly, hoping to drive his brother off the scent.
"I'm guessing you worked things out?" Sam asked, his brother's non-caring attitude not fooling him for a second. "We'll be working things out when we're ninety," Dean replied. Sam laughed while Selene made her way over, her investigation complete.
Reaching the boys, her nose was assaulted by another scent. "That's disgusting," she scolded Dean, earning her an inquiring glance from him, "What? You couldn't have a shower or something before coming?" Dean and Sam shared a look, before Dean turned back to the demon, still not knowing where this was coming from. "I can smell every part of your body her HANDS touched, let alone everything else. I can't believe you mated with that...that...argh! I'm so disgusted I can't even find the right words."
Dean's eyes widened in shock. She could smell that? "So does this mean that when we solve this case, you're staying here?" Selene asked, "Or does she come with us?" Sam touched her shoulder gingerly. "Selene," he asked, "What do you mean? Why would Dean leave?"
Selene turned her glare to Sam. "You mean you can't smell it?" she asked. Sam shook his head. "Dean mated that woman last night," Selene explained, "And mates don't leave their mates behind. So either he's staying, or she's coming." Sam placed his hand gently on her shoulder, rubbing gently with his thumb. "Dean's not going anywhere," Sam told her softly.
"Great," Selene spat out bitterly, "Just great. That means me, the girl who used to slay demons daily, has been demoted to babysitter." Dean watched with shock as he felt the anger rolling off her small form. "You know," Dean interrupted, "You've been cold, distant and bitchy ever since we got here. So why don't you tell us the real reason behind all this?"
Selene turned to face him. "You want the real reason?" she asked, her voice breaking with anger, "I don't like her. I don't like what she did to you, and I don't like the way she's using you. She left you because she couldn't handle who or what you are, but the second she needs help, you come racing back, with your tail between your legs like an apologetic puppy."
Dean felt like he'd been slapped. She'd smashed her fist down on a raw nerve he'd been toying with since he first received Cassie's call. "Yeah?" Dean replied, "Well I think you shouldn't discuss things you don't know about. You don't know anything that's happened between myself and Cassie, so why don't you just butt out of other people's lives. I don't even know why I agreed to let you join us. You're more trouble then you're worth."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he instantly regretted them. Selene's features schooled themselves to a blank look. Her bright, ever-expressive eyes were hollow and dead. She looked so broken, and Dean knew this was just a glimpse of how shattered her soul must be.
"As you wish it," she whispered, just loud enough to the brothers to hear, before walking in the direction of the motel. Sam took one glance at Dean's face before racing after her. "You don't have to go," Sam told her, "Dean, he didn't mean that. Please, just come back and we'll talk things over."
Selene stopped walking and faced him, her face an impassively blank mask. "Yes, he did Sam," she replied, "Part of him doesn't want me here, and I will respect his wishes. You know my number Sam. Call me if you ever need someone to talk to." Sam watched her begin to walk away. "Where will you go?" He asked her retreating form. Selene turned to face him once more. "I haven't been home for a while," she replied, "I think I'll visit my father's grave."
Sam watched her walk away, her form blending seamlessly with the trees. Sighing heavily, he returned to his brother's side. "Hey," Sam wandered, "You think she might actually have feeling for you?" Dean glared at his brother. Why on earth would Selene have feeling for him? "Other then as her verbal punching bag," Dean replied, "Not a chance. So," Dean asked, trying to break the uneasy silence between them, "What happened?"
Sam sighed again. Trust his brother to cover anything that even came close to emotional vulnerability with work. "Every bone crushed," Sam began, recounting every detail the police had told him.
Dean left Sam to do more research with Cassie, while Sam made his way to the docks. They met back at the motel later that night, only to find more proof that Selene was truly gone. Most of her clothes were there, except her black velvets. All her weapons were missing too. Even so, both brothers glanced out the window more then once that night, hoping to see the silhouetted form of her seated in the branches of the tree outside.
At least the whole day hadn't been a complete waste. They had discovered the key to the murders. Cyrus Dorian. Turns out the Mayor had bulldozed the Dorians' old house, and the murders had started the next day.
That night, Dean received a phone call from a distressed Cassie. The truck had turned up outside her house. Grabbing Sam, Dean drove for Cassie's, hoping he would reach her on time.
Sam busied himself making tea while Dean, Cassie and her mother sat down. Dean started pressing Mrs Robinson for answers that would lead to a connection with their family. It was only the threat that Cassie and herself had been marked as the next targets that forced her judgement.
Mrs Robinson told them all about how she'd been dating Cyrus, and her husband. When she broke it off with Cyrus, he'd found out about Martin. Afterwards there had been rumours of black people disappearing in a truck, but nothing had been done about it.
She told them how she and Martin had been planning on getting married in a little church nearby, but had decided to elope because they didn't want the attention. The day they had set for their wedding, was the day that someone had set fire to the church. The entire building had fallen victim to the flames, and taken the children's choir that had been rehearsing inside with it.
Then, one night, the truck had come for Martin. Cyrus beat Martin mercilessly, until Martin cracked. Martin fought back, and continued to strike Cyrus until he died. Instead of calling the police, Martin had called on his friends, Clayton Solmes and Jimmy Anderson. The three placed Cyrus's body in the truck and rolled it into the swamp on the edge of his land. Not a single one of them had spoken about that night to anyone since. The Mayor had found out about Cyrus's death, but done nothing to prosecute the three men because he also knew what Cyrus had done.
Dean and Sam made their way out to the swamp to fish Cyrus's truck and body out. Hooking the truck up to his car, Dean revved his engine, slowly dragging the vehicle from the muck. Once the entire thing had been hauled from the water, Dean stopped, hopping out to take a look.
Sam ran to the car, gathering gas and a flashlight. Opening the door, the brothers extracted Cyrus's body, laying it on a nearby table. Dean and Sam began pouring salt and gas all over the carcass. Standing back to watch it burn, their eyes widened when they heard the sound of a truck's engine roaring to life.
"So burning the body had no effect?" Sam asked his brother, staring at the apparition before them. "Oh sure it did," Dean replied, "Now it's really pissed." Dean leapt into his car, telling Sam he was going to go for a little ride while Sam burnt the truck, tossing him a bag full of various items.
Dean drove as fast as he could, leading the truck as far away from his brother as possible, while Sam searched frantically through their father's journal. Finally gaining inspiration, Sam called Cassie briefly before calling his brother.
Following his brother's directions, Dean turned down Decatur Road, and drove seven-tenths of a mile. Stopping exactly where his brother ordered, Dean spun the car around. The truck stopped, revving its engine, before tearing towards Dean. Just as the truck was about to touch Dean's car, it disappeared.
"Dean?" Sam's worried voice sounded from the phone, "You still there? Dean?" Dean picked up his phone. "Where did it go?" Dean asked incredulously, glancing around for any sign of the truck. Dean had stopped exactly where the church had once stood.
While the church was no more, it was still hallowed ground, and when evil spirits pass over hallowed ground, sometimes the purity of the area destroys them. Furious that his brother had sent him there on a hunch, Dean slammed his hand against the steering wheel before driving back to his brother.
Sam waited at the dock, while Dean and Cassie made their way over to the car. "My mother says to tell you thanks again," She told Dean, who nodded, "This is a better goodbye than last time." Dean stopped by the car, turning to Cassie.
"Yeah," he replied, "Well, maybe this time it'll be a little less permanent." Cassie sighed softly. "You know what?" she asked him, "I'm a realist. I don't see much hope for us Dean." Dean turned away, looking slightly disappointed by her comment, before turning back to her. "Well," he replied, "I've seen stranger things happen. A hell of a lot stranger."
Cassie smiled sadly. "Goodbye Dean," she told him firmly. Dean nodded, taking the hint. "I'll see ya, Cassie," Dean replied, "I will." Never being good with words, Dean pulled Cassie close, kissing her deeply, before he and Sam climbed into the car, driving off towards their next mission.
I'm sorry...but I'm just not a 'Cassie' fan.
Please review if you want me to continue posting.
May your thoughts and creativity flow,
Lady Ami DragonHeart