Something was definitely wrong, something in the air, or maybe it was the silence in the house, Althea had always hated silence, but tonight she wanted nothing to distract her from her goal; to make a perfect dinner for Ben's friends and family. It seemed as though the universe was completely against her though as she sliced into the soft pad of her right thumb, blood welled up from the wound and slid into her palm.

"Damn!" she cursed and took her hand away from the food.

Carefully she turned on the faucet and placed her hand under the cool current of water, blood and water mingled at the bottom of the sink, she stared at it in reverence. Althea wished she could blame her nervousness of the fact that she was making dinner for Ben's closest people but she knew, vaguely in the back of her mind, that the fact that atleast two people in town had seen the familiar black Impala that Dean Winchester drove. More than one concerned friend had come over and wished her good luck, but whether it was due to the dinner or Dean she would never know.

Suddenly there was a loud slam as the back screen door opened and shut, Althea jumped, startled by the sound, she placed a hand on her heart and took a deep breathe, leaning over the sink. Boot steps echoed down the hall coming towards the kitchen, the vibrated the floor boards and instantly reminded Thea of Dean. Her heart jumped and began to thunder inside her chest, chills tingled down her spine and fingers of anticipation drifted inside her body.

"Honey! I'm home!" Ben boomed, laughing lowly at his own joke.

Her heart fell, she could feel the disappointment but shook it away, pasting a smile across her face that she hoped Ben wouldn't mistake as fake, she turned just as Ben walked into the room. He smiled, revealing perfectly white, straight teeth, but honestly, everything about Ben was perfect, from his smooth chocolatey brown eyes with cinnamon flecks, to his cropped brown hair and Godlike body. His voice was like velvet, deep and warm, luring it's victim with a gripping force, the way he spoke, wrapping his lips around the words, his lush lips forming each with care.

He sniffed the air and sighed.

"Smells good, what are you making?"

"Well, for dinner I'm making spaghetti with fresh pesto and home made Italian sausages, a Mediterranean salad with spinach and sweet Greek dressing, herbed potatoes and for dessert I've also made Dark chocolate Torte with a Blackberry coulis (a type of sauce)."

"Sounds delicious."

His mouth was curved into a smile as he walked over to her and wrapped one arm around her waist, he dipped his lips to hers and kissed her slowly, leisurely. When he finally pulled away Althea could think of no one else but him, to be totally honest he was a great kisser.

"Did you bring me my blackberries?" she said in a soft voice.

"Of course."

"Give 'um over." She said eagerly.

"Not until you say please."

She sighed. "Fine." She joked. "Please."

"Good girl." He kissed her forehead and gave her the carton of berries.

"Did you get them from Fitch's?"

"Yup."

"Good."

Ben rolled his eyes and smiled, stepping back so that she could wash them, she heard as he sat down on one of the many stools around the massive counter Althea had put in many years ago. This was her contribution to the house, her whole family from atleast a hundred years ago had lived here but this was where she did the most work, this was where she lived. The kitchen was her haven from work and friends and family, especially her family who were as crazy as loons, thankfully her sisters had all moved out after their parents had died. Althea felt a pang of grief when she thought about her parents, she stopped for a moment and pictured her mother's face in her mind, a warm spurt of love spread through her.

"So when are the guests going to begin coming?" she said, slowly.

"Well, it's just going to be my parents, my brother Albert and his wife Anne, and Alexia." He paused for a moment. "Oh and Rich is coming too. I think they're all arriving at about 7 or so."

"Good, just enough time."

"You don't have to be nervous you know, they're not going to bite you."

"I know, it's just, this is your parents coming, your parents, and I want them to be happy with who their son picked."

"They are, don't worry."

"I have to worry!"

Ben smiled again and popped a chocolate biscotti into his mouth, he seemed completely unrepentant of this act and topped it off by picking up another.

"Put that down!" she ordered, gesturing with the spatula in her hand.

Pouting her put the cookie back down. "You never let me have fun." He said in a mockingly woeful tone.

"Oh, shhh." She said, returning to the pan she had placed the blackberries in.

Suddenly the front doorbell rang, Althea jumped and sighed, then frowned, it was too early for the guests to be arriving.

"I'll get it." Ben said, standing very suddenly.

Althea nodded and continued to stir the blackberries, trading her spatula for a wooden spoon, the smell of blackberries rolled up in steam and filled her sense, gingerly she shook some sugar onto them and stirred again. She rolled up her sleeves as the bell for the alarm for the torte went off, Althea slid some sturdy red oven mitts on and walked over to the oven, opening it slowly so that the heat wouldn't burn her, a warm blast of pie came from the oven and filled the room. She pulled the pan from the oven and placed it on the rack, allowing it to cool.

"Thea, there's a man by the name of Winchester here for you?" his voice sounded grave.

"Coming." Her heart pounding in her chest for a moment, Dean?

Could it be? Well obviously it was him or his brother and she seriously doubted that it was his brother, slowly she took a deep breathe, it came tremblingly, her heart seemed to be going a mile a minute. Althea looked around once more to see if everything was alright, she lowered the heat on the blackberries and allowed them to simmer, knowing that everything was fine she left the kitchen and walked out into the dining room and from there she went into the living room. Two men stood in the direct center of the room, their backs to Althea, talking in hushed tones with Ben in the room next door, she listened intently to their voices.

"Dude, we're only going to be here for a little while, it's no big deal!"

"No big deal?! How could you say, you not married, isn't a big deal? I think it's a big deal!"

"Stop freaking out, you're not my mother."

"No, I'm your brother. And I need an explanation, I don't want to go into this half-assed."

"Too damn bad, there isn't time. Besides Althea is….." he paused.

"Is what, Dean?" she said, tight lipped as she stared at them.

The two men whipped around and looked at her, the taller one seemed surprised as she walked into the room, she gestured that they should take a seat, shoved the wrinkles from her skirt and sat down on one of the comfortable of couches.

"I'm guessing this isn't a social call?" she said coldly.

Dean was silent. The other man nudged him.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Althea Dominic."

"Uh… yea, Sam. Sam Winchester."

"Dean's brother?" she asked politely.

"Enough with the chit chat, you know damn well who is, what is this about Thea?"

"Didn't you read the letter I sent you?"

"Yea." He said noncommittally.

"Well, then I guess you know what it means."

"I thought you took care of this, Thea."

"When would I have had the time, Dean? Besides the only way to make it final would be if you signed the papers… did you sign the papers?" she hoped she didn't sound to hopeful.

"No." he grunted.

"Do you have them with you? We should just get this over with so I can move on."

"Who's the man who answered the door?"

"Ben." She said disinterestedly.

"Ben who?"

"Ben, my fiancée." She said stiffly.

Dean fell silent. "Do you have the damn papers?"

"No, they're back at the hotel."

"Bring them over tomorrow, we'll get this settled, I'm sure you have better things to do." She emphasized the word things.

"Fine."

She turned to Sam and gave him a wide smile, a genuine smile. "It was nice to meet you, Sam."

"You, too."

He smiled back hesitantly.

Dean stayed grudgingly quiet.

Dean

He wasn't leaving. That was his decision as he walked out the house, Sam walking beside him, he wasn't leaving until he decided if this Ben man was good enough for her, he already didn't like the man looked, he was too…. Perfect. Of course, that was the excuse he was working with, in the back of his mind he knew that no man would be good enough for her, that only he was good enough for her but that he would never acknowledge.

As they got into the car Dean prepared for a verbal battle with his younger brother, this was unavoidable.

"Dean." He said as soon as he shut the door.

"Yes?" He said, still trying to avoid it.

"What the hell is going on here?" he exploded.

"Nothing."

"She wasn't nothing, she seemed mad. Is this another Cassie? Did you tell her too?"

Dean glared at him. "Althea…. Was special."

"You told her too?! Who else did you tell? Got any other wives or girlfriends I should know about?"

"No."

"Dean…."

"No lecturing. I beat myself up enough just being there, that house…."

"What's wrong with the house?"

"It always just gave me the heeby jeebies."

"Heeby jeebies?" There a note of amusement in his voice.

"I don't know how to explain it!"

"Maybe it's not the house that was freaking you out but the girl. You still love her, don't you?"

"No…" Even to his ears it sounded pitiful.

How could he tell Sam? How he could accurately explain the way Althea made him feel? She was the one who had loved him for him, not for his body or the various other things he made up. He genuinely cared about her, even after all this time.

"Let's just get this over with." Dean said gruffly.

TBC!

Did you like it? OH AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! I didn't think it would get that many, I am so glad that you liked the first chapter.

I'll update it again, no worries. I think I like this one. LOL

WRITE ON!!!!!