Title: Time Will Tell

Author: RightSide

Disclaimer and Summary: See Chapter 1

Chapter 2-

He was handsome; she had not been expecting that. Somehow after their brief time in the cave together and the few moments when she woke up on the table of some man named Bobby, she had pictured him old, tall, bulky, and tattoo covered. In her mind's eye, his hair was long and white, maybe even a little scraggly and rough. What she found, however, was completely different.

When Blair's eyes opened and took in the world for the first time since she passed out, she had been aware of several things. One, she was not wearing the same clothes she had worn the night of her abduction. Two, she was covered head to toe with gauze. Three, she had no idea where she was.

Or when. Time had passed so strangely when she was out that she wondered just how many days had gone by. Lifting one of the makeshift bandages, she realized her long, deep wounds had been stitched perfectly. So well, in fact, that they would hardly leave a scar.

Searching her surroundings, she noticed that there were two single beds with a night stand between them. A television set on a dresser was on the wall opposite of her. The decorating was awful; everything was covered with pastel floral patterns and the smell of bleach. A sink was built into a counter in the back with two doors next to it, one of which marked with every type of lock known to man. From the looks of things, she was in a very, very cheap hotel.

"I told you, I had Bobby fix her up. She'll fine in no time. I'll just give her a ride home… I know she's rich… They'll be looking for some justice, but they won't dish it out on the guy who saved her… Yes, sir… I understand, sir… Bye." Blair recognized that voice. Curiosity striking, she laid back down at an angle that made her able to watch him with very little chance of him noticing her scrutinizing gaze.

The air caught in her throat when he finally came into view. He must have just showered and had been changing when he got his phone call. While he was wearing a pair of faded jeans, his incredibly toned chest was bare. Her mystery man was muscular, chiseled, and perfect in every sense of the word. Blair felt the urge to rake her nails across his abdominals, his various scars making her want him so much more. But she had to smile when she realized his face was just as handsome as the rest of him.

He was not clean shaven, but something told Blair that he liked it that way. His hair was dirty blond and spiked up naturally with beads of water still clinging to it. His eyes were honey. Even at such a distance they seemed to glisten. They flickered about the room, taking in everything, examining her so that she had to close her eyes for a moment to fake sleep. When she could no longer feel his gaze on her, she slowly resumed her assessment. He clenched his jaw, his cheek bones coming into sight, defined and gorgeous. Hell, his lips were even amazing.

With a smirk, Blair couldn't help but laugh. Her savior came in the form of a stunning man who couldn't have been any older than twenty. Sitting up, she decided to make her consciousness known. While watching him was entertaining, she wanted to know his name.

"You're awake." he said in a friendly tone, grabbing the white tee shirt he had set on the bed and haphazardly throwing it on. One of his hands reached down the front of his shirt, and he pulled out something to rest on the outside. It was a thin black chord with a golden pendant of some sort hanging from it. How she had missed it when she was ogling him, she wasn't sure. There was just so much to look at, she supposed, she could excuse missing one small necklace.

"How long have I been out?" she asked, making conversation.

"Three days. You had your lucid moments, but most of the time you were sleeping. I would have taken you to a hospital, but there hadn't been enough time and a doctor friend of mine lived near by. I had him stitch you up. You lost a lot of blood, but you should be fine." He sat on the bed next to her, gaze intent. There was something altogether fascinating about him. Even a person less talented would have been able to tell that he had seen more than his fair share of danger and heartache, yet he was able to smile and smirk and seem like a little boy unable to hold still.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Blair saw what she was wearing for the first time. Large black sweat pants and an oversized blue tee. Both articles were clearly his. Raising an eyebrow, she gave him a questioning look.

"Your clothes were torn to shreds. I gave you some of mine."

"You undressed me?" he smirked at her obviously overdone look of horror.

"Is there anything you need to ask me. You went through hell back there. If there was anything you wanted cleared up or explained-"

"Who are you? And how do you know my name?" he looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment, but then he regained composure.

"My name is Dean Winchester. I hunt the monsters that live under your bed. I have since I was young enough to shoot a gun. When young girls your age were going missing I figured it was something down my alley. I came up from Virginia. I found out it took you. I hunted it down."

"So this is what you do? For a living? Do you get paid?" he smiled at her, a genuine smile that made her spine tingle.

"I tell you that monsters exist and you ask about the paycheck?" he laughed and shook his head, "I go around the country saving people, hunting things. It's the family business. I don't get paid, but I know enough credit card scams and hustling techniques to get me by."

"And you live like this? In cheap hotels? Alone?" Blair could not stop the pity from crossing her features as she said it. Dean nodded and explained more about how he had his father who was his general and sent him into battle when the occasion called for it. He had a brother who was in college, leading a normal life. His mother was dead.

"I'm going to need some help from you, though. See, this thing that attacked you, there could be more of them around here. If there are more, they'll come looking for you. I was able to track the one that took you because it just happened to be more clumsy than usual. If the others are good, they'll be able to snatch you out of your bed again without a moment of hesitation," at seeing the worry on her face, he continued hurriedly, "I won't let that happen, Blair. I'll protect you. I just need to be able to safeguard you without any of your relatives getting upset. You can probably guess that I'm not a fan of cops or questions. If you kill something that's wearing a person's face and tell them the thing you killed wasn't human, you'll end up in prison or in the psycho ward. I can't afford to get caught."

His golden eyes bore into hers, widening, asking for help. Blair had no intention of making things difficult for him. She would tell her parents that some man had taken her. She never saw his face. When she finally was able to break free, she screamed. Dean heard it, broke into the house, and found her. Then he accidentally killed the man responsible. Her parents wouldn't continue the investigation. They would leave the both of them be. Blair would say that Dean was a college student taking the semester off. She would complain that she only felt safe with him there because he had saved her. Her mother would be forced to let him stick around. Hell, Blair would even sneak him into her room to stay the night so he wouldn't have to watch over her from outside in the dark.

"Don't worry, Dean. It'll be fine. I know what to say to get them off your back and mine," she was going to end the conversation there and ask for a shower, but something in the back of her head was nagging at her, "The thing that attacked me, it looked like Chuck at first…" she let the statement fade off into a question.

"The Valais are probably the most disgusting creatures ever created. Honestly, they are some scary mothers. They have speed and agility on their side, but they also need to get close to their victims with as little struggle as possible. They pick your brain and take the form of someone you trust. A friend, a loved one. Then they make you come to them and make contact. After that, the rest is history. They take you to their lair, bleed you, eat you, toss the bones. Standard drill."

Shocked into numbness, Blair cleaned herself off and rummaged through Dean's clothing until she found a pair of pants that weren't beaten up too badly and a belt. Putting on the pair of three dollar flip flops Dean had bought her and another large shirt tied at the back so that at least some of her figure showed through, Blair was ready in no time and they headed out.

Opening the door, the light of day was bright and more beautiful than ever. In front of the room there were two vehicles. One was amazing. An old school Impala with a paint job to die for and completely restored interior. The other was a beat up Ford pickup truck with pealing paint and rust. Heading towards it, she got a shock as Dean stared at her dumbstruck.

"Hey, I might be a broke criminal, but a man has to have standards." he unlocked the passenger door of the Impala and Blair somehow managed to squeal and jump in. It had been too long since she had sat in the front seat of a car. Dean turned the ignition and the engine roared. Shoving a cassette- the very thought of one making Blair smile- into the stereo, AC/DC began to blare from the speakers.

Blair giggled. The beat of "Back In Black" was rolling over her in waves. Dean rolled down his window and she followed suit, enjoying the feel of the wind on her wet hair. No make up, no people to impress, no wondering if she was going to be humiliated by another manipulative counterpart. Banging her head to the music, she scrunched up her face and looked at Dean as she played air guitar. Grinning, he joined her, singing very loudly and off key. Oh, how she was starting to love that voice.

"Breakfast?" he asked. She nodded, but then thought better of it.

"I really should get home and let my mother know that I'm okay." Dean gave an understanding half smile.

"You really should eat, though. To keep up your strength. Here, we'll go through the drive-thru. What do you want?" he pulled a sharp right turn and swung quickly around the curve of the McDonald's parking lot. Blair became confused and then worried.

"I really don't want anything." she said softly, the image of her fat and oily playing in her head. She shuddered. Dean gave her a once over and laughed. It wasn't flirtatious or innocent, either. It was a mocking chuckle. He raised his eyebrows and gave her a strange look.

"You're like a stick. I am going to buy you a breakfast sandwich, and if you do not eat it I swear I will stop this car and not drive an inch further until you take a bite. Understood?" Any sign of a smirk was gone and his face became completely serious. Instead of an answer, she dropped her folded arms and sighed. Without a sound, she sat still as he ordered her a bacon something or other. She would throw it up later, in the privacy of her own bathroom.

"Here you go." he said after they got their food. She chewed in peace.

"You don't have the right to tell me what I can and cannot do." she burst, suddenly extremely upset.

"You are under my protection, and as long as I'm babysitting you I'm not going to watch you die from malnutrition."

"Wow. Big word. Surprised you didn't stutter over it. How long were you in school for? I'm betting you didn't last through junior year." Annoyed, Dean pulled over, turning the stereo off and letting the engine rest on idle.

"Yeah, and while I'm out saving lives you'll never be anything more than a pretty ornament on some asshole's arm. Sounds like a great future, princess."

"I'll have you know that I'm going to Yale. I am going to become an executive. My future looks pretty damn good. What in the hell are you going to do with yours?"

"I know exactly what my future is going to be. I am going to fight every single day of my life. I am going to scrape by on every cent I can, and I will save tons more ungrateful little rich girls in the process. And one day, not so far away, I am going to meet an evil son of a bitch that will get the best of me. I'm not expecting to make it past thirty. I have accepted that. But you know what? There will be hundreds of people alive because of my sacrifice. Can you say the same? When you marry Prince Charming and stay with him even though he has cheated on you multiple times, who will you be making that sacrifice for? Maybe it'll be for the kids. But mostly, everything you do will be for your own benefit."

There was silence for a long time. Blair stared out the window at the country side, the large city slowly coming closer, looming ahead. She wanted so badly to be his friend. Why, she didn't know. There was something about this boy, this man, that made her want to be someone other than Blair. But then her mouth caught a hold of her and made her follow until she was being as mean and insecure as ever.

An apology was needed, but she was going to have trouble voicing it. Especially when he was sitting there looking so guiltless. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she was surprised when she heard him speak.

"I'm sorry." he said as if in a foreign language and he was unsure he had gotten its pronunciation correct.

"What?" she was in awe.

"I said 'I'm sorry'. I shouldn't have given you a speech. I'm just not in the best mood right now, and there has been a lot going on in my life lately. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. So, I'm sorry."

Blair smiled, "So am I. I really shouldn't have been so mean."

"Thank God," he said in a breathless voice, "I was getting so sick of not having the radio on." Right away he rummaged through his little box of cassettes and slipped another one in. Led Zeppelin started to play.

"Did you apologize just so you could play your music?" he shrugged and gave a puppy dog look. Dear lord, that was sexy. Hitting him upside the head, Blair laughed and began lean back more comfortably in her seat.

"You know," he said, cocky smile back on his face, "I think we just might become friends."

Rolling her eyes, Blair couldn't keep a straight face as she said, "Don't get your hopes up."