AN: Happy Easter, my precious blueberries! Since I'm unable to sneak into all of your houses and leave those nasty chocolate eggs in strange places, I'll just give you all a new chapter instead. Consider this your Easter egg from me. And hey! This chapter introduces a certain pretty, pretty blonde who we have all been waiting for, so I hope you enjoy the chapter and just... Have a great Sunday everyone!
Chapter title from the song ''I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)'' by the late great Ms. Whitney Houston.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters you recognize and none of the movie quotes at the beginning and ends of chapters.
I Melt With You
Written by Becks Rylynn
Chapter Two
oh, i wanna dance with somebody
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Dean had heard that the youngest Daniels daughter was coming home for the summer, but he hadn't really given it a second thought.
He had also heard that they were hiring some new staff at the bar, they were planning on expanding their business ventures with some sort of coffee shop/bakery downtown, and Beth was planning on moving back to Manhattan sometime in the fall. All of these things are things that are none of his business and therefore, they are things he does not lose sleep over. Their life is their life and his life is his life.
To be completely honest, meeting the other Daniels sister is not on the top of his priority list. He's aware that Beth and her sister are not blood related and therefore, Little Sister is not genetically predisposed to be like Beth (is partying even related to genetics? probably not, huh?) but if she is anything like her sister... Dean's thinking avoidance might be the safest road to go down.
He doesn't see much of the Daniels family in the early weeks of June because he's busy showing Sam around town and the Daniels are busy with their own lives. But when his boss's birthday comes around on the seventeenth, he finds himself in charge of finding a place to have the party and so he chooses Joey's bar, simply because everybody knows him there and he gets free drinks. On the night of the party, Ben has the sniffles and a mild fever and Dean really doesn't want to go. He tells himself that he's going to make a brief appearance, say happy birthday and then duck out early to go spend the rest of the night with his boys.
When he gets to Joey's, the bar is hopping, loud and dark and filled with people. There's a bachelorette party, two tables full of frat boys, a lot of men in business suits and then there's his party. His co-workers have somehow managed to surpass even the frat boys and the bachelorette party in the noise department. It's truly impressive.
Beth's working the bar tonight in her short shorts and her belly baring tank top. She flicks a rag over her shoulder and gives each and every man at the bar a seductive little grin that looks like it's intention is to make those poor saps believe that she only has eyes for him. Her fellow bartender appears totally unaware of her companion's antics, looking extremely focused on her task at hand, which is fixing the cash register.
Dean weaves his way through the people, gives the heartiest greeting he can to his work buddies and gets lost in the crowd. He makes the round, says happy birthday to his boss, laughs at bad jokes, tells worse ones and somehow manages to successfully give people the impression that he actually wants to be here. Eventually, he breaks free for a brief moment and tells them that he's going to order a beer, which is code for calling Sam. He takes a seat at the bar, orders a beer and takes out his phone. Sam is breathless when he answers and he sounds like he's been laughing. Dean supposes he shouldn't worry so much. He did leave Copper in charge, after all, and she's an incredibly capable girl.
The new bartender - a blonde in a Nirvana t-shirt and jeans; the complete opposite of Beth - slides a beer in front of him and eyes him for a second with absolutely no readable expression on her face. She skitters away from him the second he looks up at her and goes back to tending the bar, like most bartenders seem to do.
Sam assures him - over and over again - that all is well. Ben's fine, his fever's down, they're going to finish their movie and then he'll put Ben to bed. He swears it. Dean triple checks to make sure Sam knows where the Children's Tylenol is and then he hangs up. Okay, so yes it's entirely possible that he has become much too overprotective. It is something he has learned to accept. He slips his phone back into his pocket and glances behind him at his co-workers. Jovial and cheerful is one thing but he has learned that they are downright obnoxious when they party. They're the guys that people in the customer service industry hate because they're rowdy and they don't tip well. He grimaces, takes a swig of his beer and stands to go rejoin the festivities.
''You don't remember me, do you?''
He stops in his tracks and turns around to face the blonde behind the bar. She is still staring at him with that same blank expression on her face, absently polishing a glass as she stares at him. Instinctively, he glances behind him just to make sure she's talking to him. ''Uh - '' He racks his brain for a moment, trying to remember if he has run across her sometime in his past travels. And by run across her, he means sex. But no. He would remember her. For sure, he would remember her. ''I'm sorry,'' he apologizes, stepping back to the bar. ''Should I?''
Her lips curve upwards briefly. ''Maybe,'' she deadpans, putting the glass down. ''I did save your life.''
He blinks, startled. ''I'm...sorry?''
''Fourteen years ago? That poltergeist that took you, me and three other children. I'm still pretty convinced she was going to bake us into pies,'' she states bluntly. ''She hit you over the head with a broken chair leg. Would've killed you if I hadn't jumped in front of you.''
It sinks in relatively quickly and his jaw drops in surprise. He sits back down in the vacant barstool and lets a small smile worm over his lips. ''You're her, aren't you? The other Daniels girl.''
She snorts. ''I prefer Ruby,'' she lifts a shoulder in a shrug. ''But yeah. Yeah, that's me.''
His smile grows and shows off his teeth, reaching all the way to his eyes. ''I don't remember much about that night. We'll have to hold off on the reminiscing. How about we just go with hi,'' he offers her his hand. ''I'm Dean.''
She stares at him, then at his hand. Her eyes flick briefly over to Beth and then her nose scrunches up and she shakes her head, sending her ponytail bouncing. ''Yes,'' she says, speaking very slowly, as if to a small child. ''I know.''
''Okay then.'' He retracts his hand. ''Gotta say; you're not really what I was expecting.''
She raises an eyebrow. She's still got that little half smile on her face, lighting up her eyes. ''Really? What were you expecting?''
He doesn't have an answer to that question. He's honestly not sure. Her parents talk about her so carefully, so worriedly. He was expecting someone a little more...delicate. ''I don't know,'' he says, finally. ''Your parents,'' he starts, and it wipes the smile right off her face. ''They talk about you like - ''
''I'm well aware of how they talk about me,'' she cuts him off, sharply. ''I'm their little broken doll,'' she mutters, bitterly.
Fuck, he's opened a can of worms here, hasn't he? ''It was nice to meet you,'' he tries.
She doesn't approve of that either, shaking her head. ''We've already met.''
He blinks. ''I know we've already met, but we're re-meeting. We're starting over. People do that, you know.''
She pinches her lips together. It looks like she's trying not to smile. Hell take it. ''Logically speaking,'' she begins, ''once something is done it doesn't need to be redone.''
He stares at her. He honestly does not know how to respond to that. All he knows is that he doesn't think he has ever been this confused and enthralled (and slightly aroused) at the same time. It's strange. She's strange. Not Beth strange either, this girl is something else entirely. Nothing at all like what he had been expecting. ''There are things in life that need to be repeated,'' he finally splutters out. ''Sex, for instance.''
She shakes her head again and wags her finger at him. ''Sex is not necessary to everyday function,'' she points out.
He snickers a little at that. Hey, he may be a father but the immature twenty-two-year old spirit is still very much alive inside of him. ''We'll have to agree to disagree on that one,'' he says, letting a brief twinge of arrogance into his voice.
''We could,'' she hums, ''but you'd be wrong.''
He tilts his head to the side and looks at her for a long time. She doesn't even flinch. He licks his lips. ''Are you messing with me right now?'' He has to ask, because...because - Jesus Christ, just because, okay?
Her expression still never wavers. ''You'll never know.''
''Uh-huh.''
The look on his face must be quite comical because her lip curls back into a half smirk. Her gaze drops down to the counter momentarily and then she tilts her head up, just enough to slide her eyes back over to him. He locks eyes with her for a fraction of a second and the dumbfounded expression on his face transforms easily into a grin. Her tense shoulders relax a little and she leans forwards, elbows on the bar. ''My mother loves you, you know,'' she informs him matter-of-factly. ''She's always wanted a son. You seem to fill that void quite nicely.''
He's a little taken aback by that, arching one eyebrow. ''Oh, um... That's flattering.''
''Mmmhmm,'' she nods and stands straight, wandering slightly to the left to snatch up an empty beer bottle and a dirty glass from the bar. ''I think she's hoping you'll tame Beth's wild ways and you two will get married and give her lots of grandbabies.''
Dean nearly spits out his beer. Oh, geez. ''Yeah, that's - '' he clears his throat '' - that's not going to happen.''
She doesn't look nearly as convinced as he is. ''No?''
''No,'' he confirms. ''Not now. Not ever. Absolutely positively a million times no. Beth and I are just...'' He looks over at Beth, just in time to see her show off the cherry stem that she has undoubtedly tied with her tongue. He can't decide whether to laugh or shudder. ''God, no.''
Ruby laughs. Holy shit, that laugh. ''That's probably wise,'' she eventually says, one shoulder twitching in a half shrug. ''You might catch something.''
He whistles. ''Well. Meow.''
She stares at him strangely, eyebrows furrowed together curiously. ''Do you, by any chance, happen to have Tourette's?''
He chokes out a surprised guffaw that quickly turns into genuine laughter. ''No, sweetheart, that was a joke.''
''Oh,'' she mulls this over and then shakes her head at him. ''It wasn't funny. ...Did you call me sweetheart?''
''I did.''
She accepts this, processes it and then says, plainly, ''You shouldn't. It's an inaccurate description of me.'' She grins at him, this wolfish, devilish grin that is all teeth and then drifts away from him, tossing one more look at him over her shoulder as she moves to help another customer.
She leaves him sitting there, awed and befuddled and staring after her in astonishment. Well, okay then. Never in his life has he ever had a first meeting like that. He wonders if that was her intent. He's not sure if he should feel confused, miffed or utterly mesmerized. He's kind of leaning toward the latter. He swivels around to stare at the table full of his co-workers that he should be at. But then he looks back over toward Ruby. Definitely not the hardest choice to make. He stands and makes his way over to the opposite end of the bar, ignoring the way Beth is staring at him with narrowed eyes. He waits until Ruby is done with her customer before speaking. ''Hey,'' he leans against the bar. ''You know what? I think I've discovered a hole in your nothing needs to be repeated theory.''
She looks up in surprise, eyebrows raised. ''You have?''
''Yes. Aside from the fact that breathing, eating, sleeping and shitting are all repetitive actions that have to be done repeatedly in order to survive - ''
''Not true. No bathroom experience is the same.''
'' - I think that this needs to be repeated. Preferably sometime soon.''
She stares at him blankly, gazing around her surroundings. ''This,'' she echoes questioningly.
''Yes,'' he nods. ''You and Me. Battle of wits.''
The somewhat open expression on her face instantly changes, like shutters closing and she draws away from him as if he has the plague. Or herpes. ''If this is your idea of a battle of wits, your quality of wits is very poor.'' Then she walks away from him again, back to the other side of the bar.
He follows after her like a lost puppy, still not totally sure what he's doing with himself or why he's doing it. ''No, but seriously. We should do this again sometime.''
She glances up from pouring drinks. ''Argue?''
''Talk.''
''I think there's little to no chance of that happening,'' she deadpans.
''Why?''
''Because I think that I can say, with absolute certainty, that I am not what you're looking for in a friend, girlfriend or fuck buddy.'' She doesn't even look up from arranging the drinks on a tray as she says it. The words sound almost rehearsed.
''Direct,'' he blurts. When he gets nothing from her, he frowns and leans a little closer to her. Not close enough to be qualified as a personal bubble popper, but close enough so that she can hear his voice over the loud chatter and music. ''How would you know what I'm looking for?'' He questions. ''You don't know me.''
She lifts the tray into her arms, balancing it on one hand. The tray wobbles and his first instinct is to reach up and steady it for her, but she expertly steadies it herself before his fingers can even twitch. ''Not very well, no,'' she amends. ''But I don't date.''
''Why? Is this a Ten Things I Hate About You situation?''
She smiles wryly. ''I wish it were that simple. Listen, trust me,'' she says, ''I'm not what you're looking for. You deserve better.'' It's not what he ever would have expected her to say. Some kind of self drag that he doesn't understand. Before he can recover, she smiles a brilliant, beaming smile that is painfully false and side steps him. ''Okay then! Toodles!'' And then she walks away.
Again.
The crowd swallows her up on her way to the bachelorette party and she's gone. Dean stares after her because he can't help it. Strangest most confusing girl in the world. He is deeply, deeply intrigued. This could be trouble.
Nah.
It's most definitely going to be trouble.
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Dean stays longer than he had originally planned, hiding out in the midst of his co-workers, watching Ruby mix drinks and interact with her sister. He doesn't understand at all why he finds her so fascinating. She is beautiful, yes. There's no question about that. She's got great eyes and a killer smile and her body is smoking, but it's - as cheesy as this is going to sound - more than that. There's something about her... She's a mystery. A challenge. Challenges are attractive. He enjoys challenges. He would very much like to know this woman.
When it's late and the only people that remain are some men in rumpled suits and about a third of his work party, he watches as she slips over to the jukebox, spending the next five minutes carefully selecting a song. When she finally presses play, some cheesy 80's pop hit begins to play and she gets this truly joyful look on her face that makes his lips quirk into a smile against his will, as if totally independent of his body. It's the enigma factor. It's gotta be. There is nothing more appealing than unraveling a mystery and she is a mystery.
His staring eventually gains the attention of one of his co-workers, Spencer. ''Dude,'' he elbows Dean in the ribs with a laugh, oblivious to the death glare he receives in response. ''I see you,'' he giggles drunkenly. ''Checkin' out the Rubester.''
Dean perks up and turns his attention to Spencer, sitting up straight. ''You know her?''
''Who? Ruby? Sure, I've known her my whole life. We went to school together.'' He clicks his tongue and tips his beer bottle to his lips. ''Chick's hot,'' he picks at the label on the bottle. ''But she's wicked postal, man.''
Dean scoffs and rolls his eyes. He doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to Spencer's views on things. The kid has smoked so much weed that he has officially become a stereotype. ''This coming from the guy who thought buffalo wings were actually made from buffalo meat?''
''Honest mistake!'' Spencer squeaks. ''No, but I'm serious, dude. Ruby Daniels is a psycho. You want my advice?'' He claps Dean on the shoulder. ''Run.''
Dean stares at him, and then looks back at Ruby. He ultimately decides to basically fuck Spencer's opinion. Spencer's opinion is permeated with Mary Jane. It doesn't hold a whole lot of weight around these parts. ''Yeah. Okay. Thanks for the advice, Spicoli, but I think I can manage my own love life.''
Spencer holds his hands up. ''Hey, whatever, man. It's your funeral. Just don't say I didn't warn you.'' That's when Beth walks by and Spencer's eyes abruptly glaze over as he stares after her, eyes firmly on her ass. ''Damn,'' he lets out a low, appreciative whistle. ''Beth is lookin' fine tonight.''
Dean flicks his exasperated gaze to the heavens. He opens his mouth to warn Spencer that Beth has higher standards than him and she will chop off his balls if he even attempts to talk to her, but Spencer's gone in an instant, trailing after Beth. With a sigh, Dean slouches farther into his chair and taps his finger along with the beat of the song. He checks his watch, lets out a breath, and decides that he needs to get home. As he's standing, searching his pockets for money, he lifts his eyes to Ruby. Behind the bar, she looks up at him, catches his eye and then quickly looks away from him.
He has to swallow.
Trouble, indeed.
''I'll stop the world and melt with you (let's stop the world), you've seen the difference and it's getting better all the time...''
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Dean does try not to think about her. He tries really hard, actually.
His life is already busy enough with fatherhood and work and all that crazy shit. He honestly doesn't need anything more right now. He does his best to shake off his first interaction with Ruby Daniels and get back to normal life. Despite his best attempts, he still goes into work the next morning humming Modern English. She is still there in the back of his mind, her and her cocky little smile and her extremely literal views of everything. She's like a beautiful little earworm; a song he can't get out of his head. It's almost uncomfortable in nature. It's been a long time since someone has gotten so far deep under his skin. Especially after just a few moments of conversation.
He doesn't think forgetting about Ruby should be that difficult. He spends all day trying to drown the very thought of her in motor oil, throwing himself into work. When his shift is over and he's on his way home, trying to think of dinner ideas, he realizes that she is still there, lurking in the back of his subconscious like a pixie. He thinks he might be stuck with her for awhile. She's too bizarrely fascinating to forget about completely.
At five thirty, he has just pulled into the driveway and is trudging towards the front door, preoccupied with thoughts of warm showers and possibly a meat lover's pizza, when Beth's car screeches into the driveway - nearly hitting him in the process - making that worrisome audible clunking noise it always makes. ''Dean!'' She leaps out of the car with a big wide grin that can only mean she wants something. ''Thank God you're here! I've been looking everywhere for you!''
He offers her a flat look in response. ''Where's everywhere?''
She falters. ''The street,'' she says lamely. ''...Your sidewalk...''
He eyes her parking job critically. ''You got your driver's license by flirting with the instructor, didn't you?''
''Dean!'' She admonishes. ''Don't be presumptuous. And yes.'' She shakes it off and makes an indescribable noise in the back of her throat that he can only assume means she's frustrated, lip curling back in disgust. She throws a glare at her car. ''My car is making funny noises and I need you to fix it.''
''This is news?''
''It's a new noise!''
He shuts his eyes and massages his temples. He is way too exhausted to deal with her right now. ''And you waited until I came home from the garage where I fix cars for a living because...?'' He asks lazily, doing everything in his power to stave off a yawn.
''Um,'' she leans back against her car and folds her arms. ''Because I wanted you to do it for free,'' she rolls her eyes and pops her gum at an obnoxious volume. ''Duh.''
He grunts impatiently and moves past her. ''All right,'' he sighs. ''Describe the noise.''
''Oh, um...'' She pauses to frown, chomping on her gum thoughtfully. Her eyes brighten considerably after a second and she stands straight, clearing her throat. With a dramatic flourish, she starts to make a deep guttural sounding noise that goes on and on, getting higher and higher until it ends in some form of a breathless scream.
He pops the hood and thinks he should get an award for being able to keep a straight face. ''Have you ever considered the possibility that your car has simply reached the point of orgasm?''
She sneers at him. ''You,'' she jabs a finger at him, ''are not funny.''
He shrugs. ''I think I'm funny.''
''You think This Is Spinal Tap is funny.''
''Newsflash, Cordelia Chase: So does everyone else.''
''Listen, buddy,'' she curls her hand around his shirt and drags him to her, eyes flashing. ''This is a life or death situation here! I don't know if you've heard, but the community theater is putting on a production of Cats at the end of the summer and I fully intend on getting the lead role. It's bad enough that I have to work with cats, okay? Those hairy fuckers destroy lives. If I can't get to and from the theatre, I can kiss that role goodbye.''
He thinks his face would probably fit the definition of what the fuck? just perfectly right now. If she were anyone else, he would seriously wonder if this was a joke. Seeing as it's Beth, he knows she's dead serious. ''Okay, first of all,'' he peels her hand away from his clothing. ''I don't think you understand what life or death means. Second of all, you do realize that there are no actual feline creatures in Cats, right? People play the cats. That's sorta the point.''
She scowls at him and flips her hair over her shoulder. ''Of course I know that,'' she snaps, cheeks flushing red. ''I was just testing you.''
He stares at her doubtfully. ''Right.''
''Shut up,'' she mumbles defensively.
He does not smirk at her or laugh, which he thinks is very big of him. Instead, he keeps his mouth shut altogether and moves over to inspect the engine. He works in silence for a moment, with her hovering over him impatiently, and then he hesitantly breaks the silence with the question that he can't help but ask. ''So,'' he pauses to clear his throat, keeping his eyes on the car and not on Beth. ''Your sister... What's she like?'' When he finally allows his gaze to slither upwards, she is staring at him with one perfect eyebrow raised.
She doesn't look too impressed with the question. ''Creepy as fuck,'' she deadpans. ''And riddled with far too many issues.'' She looks over her shoulder, as if half expecting Ruby to show up and call her out on her nastiness. She puckers her red lips and leans in closer to him, dropping her voice down to a low murmur. ''Walk away, Dean,'' she advises.
He moves away from her and blows out an exasperated breath. In hindsight, maybe she wasn't the best person to ask about Ruby. Why do all of these people keep trying to warn him away from her? What the fuck is this? West Side Story? Oh, if he has to dance, he's gonna be so pissed. He clicks his tongue at Beth. ''What a lovely thing to say about your sister,'' he mutters. ''Your Sister of the Year award should be arriving any day now.''
The out of character serious expression on Beth's face never slips. ''I'm not kidding,'' she says. ''Ruby's...'' She shifts, suddenly looking uncomfortable as she looks away from him. ''Look, she's got a lot of issues, all right? She's been through a lot of rough shit.''
''Haven't we all?''
''Not like this,'' her voice is stone cold. ''Trust me. You don't want her.''
He looks at her sharply and clenches his jaw. He is not sure what kind of relationship exists between Beth and Ruby, but something about someone actively trying to sabotage their sibling's personal life just doesn't sit well with him at all. ''I think I can decide who I want,'' he gives her a pointed look and slams the hood shut. ''And who I don't want.'' He shoots her a cold smile and holds his hand out, palm up. ''Keys.''
''Ruby has PTSD, you know,'' Beth blurts out, depositing her keys into his hand.
He sends her a sidelong glance. ''Beth, I don't need you - ''
''She's been through a lot of trauma. A lot of...'' She pauses, looking down and kicking at a pebble. ''A lot of really bad shit happened to her a few years ago and it really fucked her up. She's still in recovery. She's not a stable, nurturing person, and you have a child.'' She gives him a grim smile. ''She's not the perfect woman, Dean, and I think it would be best if you stayed away from her.''
He crosses his arms and studies her carefully. He can't truthfully say that this revelation is something that he had been expecting. But still. Fuck Beth. She's not his keeper. ''You know what, Beth?'' He forces out a chuckle. ''I don't think you have any idea what perfect is.''
She looks indignant. ''I'm just telling you the truth!'' She squeaks out in defense, and stomps her foot to put unnecessary emphasis on her point.
He ignores her. ''I'll get the car back to you when I can,'' he promises, jingling her keys.
''Dean, wait!'' Her heels clack on the pavement as she chases after him, grasping his arm. ''...Do you think I could get a ride?''
She is lucky that his boys show up and stop him before he has a chance to say anything that he'll regret. Literally a millisecond before he says something nasty, the front door opens and Copper bounds out, followed by Ben and Sam. Copper rushes over to him, whimpering excitedly as she jumps up at him and pushes at his hand, wanting to be petted. ''Daddy!'' Ben squeaks out, struggling down the steps with his teddy bear clutched to his chest. He dodges Sam's hands, making it to the bottom of the steps and then throwing himself at Dean, wrapping himself around a leg. He peers up at his dad with a gummy smile and wide eyes. ''Hi!''
Dean promptly forgets all about Beth. ''Hey, buddy!'' He lifts Ben into his arms with an enthusiastic greeting and receives a sloppy kiss on the cheek in response. ''How was your day?''
Ben blinks innocently and holds up his bear. ''Mommy misseded you.'' Then he pouts and pats his stomach. ''And my tummy's hungry.''
Beth, still scowling and grouchy, remains in the background, huffy and forgotten about.
.
.
.
Hey, listen.
You think Dean doesn't have issues? You think he hasn't stared down the barrel of a gun that he was cleaning and wondered about a means to an end? He was seventeen the first time he wondered. Issues or not, Dean is still completely captivated by Ruby and her enigmatic presence and if there is one thing about life that he understands it's that you have to take a chance every now and then.
For the next two days, he continues to find new and inventive (read: pathetic and obvious) ways to see Ruby. The day after Beth spills those godforsaken metaphorical beans about Ruby's deep dark secrets is a Saturday and Sam is busy with his summer reading list so Dean takes advantage of his free time and takes Ben over to Joey and Victoria's so the kid can visit with Victoria, who has become somewhat of a substitute grandmother. ''Visit with Victoria'' is, of course, code for ''see Ruby.'' When he first gets there, Victoria is the only one home but she is delighted to see them and she's busy making cookies, so she invites them inside to help her. And to lick the bowl.
Right after the sugar cookies have been put in the oven and Victoria is whipping up some fresh icing so that Ben can decorate cookies, the front door opens and shuts and a voice calls out, ''Mom!''
Dean perks up.
Ben keeps on licking the spatula in his hand.
''Mom, they didn't have the - oh.'' Ruby stops short as soon as she steps into the kitchen, her eyes falling on Ben and then on Dean. She holds the paper supermarket bags in her arms a little tighter. ''Dean,'' she utters.
An easy smile falls on Dean's lips effortlessly. ''Hi, Ruby.''
The emotions on her face flicker from startled to confused to worried to pleased and then she eventually settles on a careful indifference. She looks to her mother, who merely offers her daughter a cautious smile before going back to her icing. Ruby looks over at Ben, then back up at Dean. Her knuckles are white. ''Hello,'' she says slowly.
''Hi,'' Ben chirps.
Ruby looks almost physically pained by the awkwardness. She opens her mouth to speak, but winds up digging her teeth into her bottom lip.
Dean rises to his feet gracefully and moves over to her, taking the bags from her arms. She allows him to take the bags, but looks nervous and won't meet his eye. She toys with the antique locket around her neck, running her thumb over the surface again and again. She looks decidedly more uncomfortable than she did the other night. He gathers it's because he has caught her off guard.
Victoria frowns worriedly and her eyes dart back and forth between Dean and Ruby. ''Ruby,'' she says. ''Sweetie, why don't you - ''
''Did you know that there are people who work in factories that have to do the same thing over and over again?'' Dean cuts in, eyes locked on Ruby. ''For hours, they just stand there doing the same tedious thing over and over again and it has to be exactly the same. Exactly. And that,'' he crows proudly. ''Is something that needs to be re-done.''
Victoria, eyebrows raised in hopeless confusion, looks back and forth in between them.
Ruby looks up at him, licks her lips slowly and then she smiles.
It's a start.
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.
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In a turn of events that seems to surprise everyone, Ruby turns out to be amazing with Ben. Actually, she probably likes Ben more than she likes Ben's father. (Ben's father can understand that.) She is hesitant and stand offish at first, shying away from Ben as if she's afraid she will break him just by breathing the same air, but then the boy dips his whole hand in the frosting while Dean and Victoria's backs are turned and Ruby jumps in with a napkin before he can smear the bright blue icing all over.
And then they're best friends.
Ben and Ruby spend the entire afternoon together, all but ignoring Dean and Victoria. Ruby is so patient it's almost unnatural. She decorates cookies with him, she plays games with him and she is constantly making him giggle. It is clearly something that is unexpected if the looks she's getting from her parents are anything to go on. The Winchester boys end up staying for dinner, after an attempt to leave ends with Ben gripping the door knob and screaming at an obnoxious volume.
When Sam shows up for dinner, he thinks it's fucking hilarious that Ben has managed to steal his dad's love interest away.
Later, after a much too huge meal that probably could have fed an army, Dean corners Ruby while she's in the kitchen trying to uncork a wine bottle. She startles at first when he makes his presence known, nearly gouging herself. Her deer-in-headlights eyes instantly try to seek out an escape route.
''Just so you know,'' he tells her. ''My son thinks you're the shit.''
She relaxes slightly. Her tongue pokes into her cheek and she shoots him a look like she thinks he has lost his mind. ''I don't know what that means.''
''He likes you,'' he explains. ''You're really good with him. Like...'' He pauses, choosing his words carefully. ''Almost better than me good.''
She smirks at him and a curiously beautiful but deadly type look glimmers in her eyes. Her fingers slip around the neck of the wine bottle and she holds the uncorked bottle between her fingers loosely. ''Kids,'' she starts, gliding out from around the table. ''Are easy to understand. They're always honest with you.'' She continues taking slow and deliberate steps toward him and he's not sure why but he takes a step back. It's almost like her body is commanding him to do it. She doesn't have a huge reaction to this, but there is a tiny and barely visible spark in her eyes, like a fire, like a thrill. ''They don't expect you to automatically know what they're thinking,'' she continues. His back hits the counter top and she keeps moving, inching closer and closer to him. Her voice is a soft, breathy rasp and her eyes are low and warm. Blood related or not, he is starting to see the resemblance between her and her sister. ''There is little room for error,'' she adds on. ''Also,'' she comes to a stop in front of him, still smirking and still holding onto the bottle of wine. ''Your son is probably one of the cutest kids I have ever come across. So that's a plus.'' She leans in extremely close and his breath catches reflexively. She laughs. ''I can't quite figure you out, though,'' she says, more to herself than to him.
Right back at you, he wants to fire back.
Her hand stretches around him to snatch a cookie from the plate on the counter behind him and he watches her bite into it with a bright, sunny smile on her lips. She steps back, tears her eyes away from him and steps to the side, marching right past him. He breathes out slowly and turns to watch her walk away.
In the doorway, Beth is leaning against the wall, clutching her wine glass tightly. She is glaring daggers at Dean. Even so, Ruby pays zero attention to her as she brushes past Beth and breezes back into the dining room. Beth swallows and does not look pleased. She narrows her eyes into slits and tries to stare Dean down, as he approaches her. Oh, if looks could kill. ''Dean,'' she hisses at him through clenched teeth. ''I swear to God - ''
''Beth,'' he sighs. ''Look, I'm not gonna re-enact Cruel Intentions with you here, so just back off. Stop being a pitbull.''
He walks away from her without a second glance and he misses the way her eyes flash with concern for a second before she gulps down the rest of her wine and pastes on a glower. (Sisters, man. You don't mess with sisters.)
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On Sunday, Dean finds himself with another easy excuse to see Ruby. Thanks to Ben. Ben has a date with Ruby on Sunday. On Saturday night, his kid throws an epic terrible twos tantrum when they have to leave. Dean tries explaining to him that they don't live with Joey and Victoria and if they don't go home, Copper will miss them. However, all Ben says to that is that he thinks that he and Copper should move in with ''Miss Ruby'' now. No joke. His two-year-old son actually tries to break up with him in order to spend more time with Ruby. Dean is not sure whether to be impressed or disturbed. When that master plan crashes and burns, Ben cries and screams and refuses to leave his newfound bestie until she agrees to go the park with him tomorrow. Just like that Dean and Ben have a date with Miss Ruby.
Dean is convinced that his son is some sort of evil genius.
Unfortunately, the world's smallest super villain is not on his side. In the car on the way home, Ben is sniffling and teary eyed but ultimately satisfied with the outcome of his bitch fit. He is in dire need of some sleep. That much Dean knows. Aside from the 'tude, which is a dead giveaway, he can tell by the way the toddler is staring out the window and holding his bear up to his face. Perhaps, because of this, it is not the best time to broach the tender subject of Ruby. ''So, Benny,'' Dean glances in the rearview mirror, small smile tugging at his lips. ''You like Ruby, huh?''
Despite the exhaustion, Ben lights up at the sound of her name, nodding emphatically. ''Yeah! She-She's my friend!''
''Is she your girlfriend?'' Sam teases.
Ben makes a face. ''No!''
''Would you mind if she was my friend, too?'' Dean asks carefully, and that one little question awakens the beast.
Eyes darkening considerably, Ben points a finger at his father and firmly declares, ''No! She's my friend! Not yours!''
Oh, snap. Thwarted by a two-year-old.
''She can have more than one friend,'' Sam points out patiently.
Ben remains stubborn. ''No,'' he pouts, burying his face in Mommy's head.
''What about my girlfriend?'' Dean tries. ''Can she be my girlfriend?''
Sam side eyes him. ''That's bold of you,'' he comments.
''No,'' Ben shakes his head. ''She's mine!'' There are frustrated and tired tears beginning to well in his eyes. He sticks his nose up in the air and wipes his nose on his bear. ''You can have Copper.''
''All right,'' Dean grumbles. ''Chill, little dude. I won't steal your girl.''
In the passenger seat, Sam shakes his head. ''It's not polite to lie to children,'' he says sagely. ''I think you should just stick with Copper,'' he nods. ''I'm sure she'll keep you nice and warm at night.'' Then he starts to laugh and can't stop.
Dean rolls his eyes. ''Oh, shut up.''
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The next day, he takes Ben for his play date in the park with Ruby and again, he is largely ignored. The time that is not spent watching Ben is spent unsuccessfully trying to engage Ruby in conversation. She doesn't seem all that interested in him to be honest and if he were another man, he would probably be backing off right about now. That might seem like the, uh, respectable thing to do.
He tries hard not to talk about this fact very often, but he's read a lot of parenting books since being thrust into fatherhood. A good pile of those books have been about being a single parent. When you're a single parent, all of the books you read are sort of like mini-cheerleaders. They are all about empowerment and how you can do it, you can do it, and about making sure that your child has a stable environment despite the missing parent (because all parenting books are condescending - single parent or not) and hey - that's fine. There is a certain amount of positivity to be found in those books and positivity is one of the most important qualities in life. But one of the things that all of those books fail to mention is how truly debilitating the loneliness can get, and he is so tired of being lonely.
The afternoon does not at all go like he thought it would. Ben charms Ruby with a snap of his little fingers. Dean has no such luck. His attempts at wooing her get him a lot of odd looks and a lot of awkward, nervous fidgeting. She only ever talks to him about Ben and she flat out refuses to meet his eyes.
There's a part of him that can't blame her. She is so far out of his league that it's not even funny. Deep down, some part of him has always wanted a life someone who can take his shit and a couple of great kids who don't have to be afraid of the dark. He hadn't realized that until Ben came along. Before Ben, it was a pipe dream. Something he could want, but something he could never get. But now that he's out of the hunting and living like any other normal person out there, he has suddenly been forced to come to terms with another reality: All of the people - both men and women - who would be good enough to be a co-parent to Ben are way too good for him. Especially Ruby.
That's one of the things about being a parent, you see. One of the things that none of the books talk about. It makes you realize how important it is to feel okay with yourself. Dean should probably work on that.
Sometime around four thirty, Ben is half asleep and needs to get home to have a nap ASAP. Ruby reluctantly agrees to Dean's courteous offer of a ride home and she stays stiff and rigid the entire way home, eyes on the passing scenery. He figures she'll probably want to get as far away from him as soon as she can, because that's what her body language has been telling him all day. But then he pulls into the Daniels' driveway, cuts the engine and she doesn't get out. She sighs and drops her gaze to her lap, playing with her locket again. He watches her out of the corner of his eye and then glances at Ben, conked out in his car seat. His fingers start to twitch toward her. ''Ruby - ''
She whips her head around to face him abruptly and he drops his hand. ''Why are you interested in me?''
He raises his eyebrows. ''I - What?''
''Why are you interested in me?'' She repeats. ''I mean, you flirt with me, you ask me questions about myself that you shouldn't give a shit about, and when I'm standing next to Beth, you look at me. Why?''
He curls his fingers around the steering wheel briefly and then lets his hands fall to his lap. ''Well,'' he begins. ''You're beautiful...''
''Not good enough,'' she murmurs, sounding disappointed. ''If this was based purely off of looks, you wouldn't be trying so hard. You don't know me, but you - ''
''It's because I don't know you,'' he blurts.
She stares at him, unflinching and blank.
''I don't know you,'' he elaborates. ''But I want to. This is going to sound really bad, but it's not often that I want to know someone as much as I want to know you.''
She pinches her lips together. ''And what if you don't like what you find?'' Her voice is casual and light, but there is an edge to it that sharpens her tone. He doesn't answer her right away, because he doesn't know what to say and after a second too long of silence, she doesn't give him a chance to say anything. She turns her whole body to face him and fumbles for something to say to him. ''Look, Dean, I'm going to go ahead and assume that Beth has told you some things about me and most of them are probably true.'' She huffs out a bitter laugh. ''I have issues. A lot of them. I've lived with mental illness for my entire life. My last boyfriend did things to me that...'' She trails off, shaking her head. She looks away from him. ''I talk in my sleep. Sometimes I even sleepwalk. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night crying and screaming because of things that have happened to me in the past. There is a reason my parents treat me like I'm broken. It's because I am. Tell me, are you still interested in me?''
He doesn't even hesitate. He leans in just a little closer to her. ''Yes.''
She exhales quietly and a light blush creeps up her cheeks. She looks away from him quickly and sends a look in the direction of her parents' house. Some of the hesitance drains out of her face, replaced by a fleeting smile and she looks back at him. Without a word, she leans in to close the distance between them, brings a hand to his face and kisses his cheek gently. Her hair tickles his face. ''You're foolish,'' she says to him, but she doesn't say no.
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end chapter two