AUTHOR'S NOTE: I did not have a beta on this chapter so please don't hate me for my grammar errors. This chapter is actually PG though the overall story rating is MA.

Chapter 2:

There was warmth on his eyelids. Opening them slowly, Dean could see sunshine beaming into the room and splashing across the bed. He blinked a couple of times and then slowly stretched his body out in four directions while yawning widely.

Taking a moment to remember where he was, he glanced around the room. Moving constantly often caused him to forget: one place running into the next. The previous day's events slowly sank into his consciousness and he flopped back onto the pillows; forearm thrown across his eyes.

They were in a small town in the western area of North Carolina. Driving here had been a bitch because the mountain roads were twisty and that much harder to navigate in the dark. Thank goodness his baby had a strong v8 to climb the steep streets. There had been a stretch of highway near the top of a mountain where many people had reported seeing a spirit. Turned out they were right. And it wasn't a pleasant one. However, it wasn't anything they hadn't handled before.

The ghost had been connected to an old farmhouse and Dean had been relieved when he'd found a family plot out back. It should've been a really quick job; find the grave, dig it up, salt and burn the bones. They'd done it a million times. Sam, however, had to let his geek curiosity get the better of him and wandered away to inspect some writing on the front of the house. Next thing Dean knew, Sammy was gone. It had taken a full two hours to drag him back from the spirit where she was holding Sam in an underground bunker on the land; presumably where she had been tortured in life. This had turned their two hour job into a four.

"At least the damn thing is gone now." Dean muttered.

He lied in bed as long as he could before his growling stomach forced him to rise. Tossing the covers back, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat there getting his bearings. Sam was still sleeping, the covers tucked up under his chin in the same position he'd slept as a child. Dean found this amusing and had to muffle his chuckle so he wouldn't wake him.

He grabbed his last pair of fresh jeans from his duffel bag and slid into them. He'd have to find a laundry mat today as well while they were in between cases. As he thought this, he felt a flurry of excitement in the pit of his stomach. Just the thought of a laundry mat had done that to him for a year now. When he walked into one he always glanced around, no matter what state he was in, as if by some wild, wonderful chance she would walk in. Dismissing these thoughts, Dean finished dressing and scribbled a note for his brother. Scooping up his keys and his leather jacket, he walked out of the room.

Baby purred as Dean pulled into a parking spot on the main strip of town. It sure was a pretty, quaint little area. It had been too dark last night for him to appreciate. The main street almost looked like a Norman Rockwell painting. Dean immediately loved it though he'd probably never admit that to anyone.

Stepping into an old fashioned diner, complete with retro televisions and an old jukebox that still held vinyl records he was greeted by the enticing smells of coffee and bacon. His stomach rumbled loudly in response.

"Hey there. What can I getcha?"

A friendly looking older gentleman was watching Dean expectantly. He stood behind a long laminated counter with his hands braced against the top. The man wore a white apron, a small hand towel across his shoulder and a name tag declaring him "Joe." There was a long line of chrome and red vinyl stools in front of the counter. Dean slipped onto one and smiled.

"I'll have a coffee please and your number 1 special. I'll also have a number 2 to go."

"Certainly, sir." Joe turned towards a hole in the wall behind him where Dean could see the shine of a stainless steel kitchen. He called the order out to a round faced woman waiting with a spatula in her hand.

Dean took a few moments to use the restroom and wash his hands. When he returned to the counter his food was ready for him. He plopped himself back down and began eagerly attacking his runny eggs and toast, saving the sausage for last.

"Can I get you anything else, sir?" Joe had returned to set Sammy's to-go order on the counter.

"Yes. Can I have a coffee to go please?"

"Be right back with that."

As he finished his meal and waited for the employee to return, Dean took out some money and tossed it on the counter.

"Here you are sir. Thank you for coming by. Enjoy your day now."

"Will do. Can you tell me if you have any national newspapers?"

"There's a stand right outside around the corner."

"Thanks."

Dean picked up his coffee and Sammy's breakfast and strode out of the restaurant. Stopping briefly to set the food in the car, he walked off down the block to find the newspaper stand. There was a light breeze which felt cool against his face and he hummed to himself as he strolled along. It would be nice to have a day or two off in this town. Here, he could indulge himself in his private fantasies. The town was the perfect setting with its all-American aura. If he closed his eyes he could see it: walking down the street in front of the diner, greeting neighbors while his kid skipped down the sidewalk in front of him. To his right, a soft hand held his: a friend; a lover. Her face was not hard to imagine. He'd seen it in his mind a thousand times.

Dean stumbled into the newspaper bin and was shaken out of his reverie. He cursed softly and rubbed his knee as he knelt to insert quarters into the bin. The door popped open with a click. Turning to walk back to the car with his paper he began scanning the headlines. He walked along with his head down and held his coffee in his opposite hand.

"Oh!"

Someone knocked into him and he felt his coffee trying to slip from his grasp. He dropped the paper in an effort to steady the cup with both hands. It righted itself and Dean sighed in relief that he hadn't scalded himself with the liquid.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." He heard the female explain in a rush of breath.

"It's fine." He returned and he turned to face her.

Their eyes met and he froze. Suddenly, there wasn't any air left in the town. It had all been sucked out in some kind of crazy vacuum of fate. His peripheral vision blurred. All he could see was her. His heart was racing. She was staring at him with wide eyes. Her mouth was slightly agape. She was every bit as beautiful as he remembered.

"Dean?"

"Reagan?"

"Oh my….what?...woah." She stammered and a blush began to creep into her cheeks.

Dean gathered a little bit of composure and smiled at her. "Woah is right. What are you doing here?"

Reagan gave a small smile and lifted her shoulders while holding her palm upwards, her fingers splayed "Well, I live here. I graduated from Grant University in Indiana and I moved back here for a little while."

"Congratulations. On graduating I mean." Dean stared at her with ill-concealed admiration. He had wondered what she was doing so many times.

There was silence as they just stared at each other. The air suddenly felt thick and heavy, making breathing difficult. Her blue eyes glanced down at her hands and he watched the way her dark lashes fluttered when she blinked.

"What have you been up to?" She asked as her eyes returned to meet his.

"I'm still on the road with my brother." Dean commented casually. His chin lifted and he gave a slight nod as the always evasive explanation rolled off his tongue.

"Still? Wow. That's some road trip. I would imagine that is somewhat…er…expensive." Her eyebrow arched and her words trailed off. She seemed perplexed.

"It can be. My brother has had some serious stuff happen and it's just what's needed." Uneasiness crept through him as he spoke. He didn't want to lie to Reagan. Not Reagan – not the girl he'd dreamed of for a year. Yet he couldn't tell her the truth. He'd tried that with a girl before and it hadn't worked out very well.

"And the draw of this little town?"

"Just passing through."

"Oh." Did she sound disappointed?

"Gotta do some laundry while I'm here though." Dean stated and watched her face for a response.

She had a quick intake of breath and her cheeks flushed again. The corners of her lips twitched as she was starting to smile.

Dean opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He shifted his weight from one foot to the next. Reagan watched him expectedly, able to see there was something he wanted to say.

"Reagan, I've often thought…"

"There you are Reagan. I've been looking for you." A tall man with dark hair strode up beside her. Looking down to her, he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her up against him.

Dean glanced at the guy's arm and had a sudden desire to break it. When his eyes moved up to Reagan's face she suddenly looked embarrassed. She shrugged a little out of the man's grasp.

"I've been right here. Dean this is Todd." Reagan glanced at the sidewalk. "Todd, this is Dean. He and I knew each other...at school." She held her hand out as she made the introductions and tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear with the other.

Todd looked at Dean in polite greeting and held his hand out. Dean thought briefly of just punching him in the gut but instead reached his hand out in return and gave a quick shake.

"Pleased to meet you Dean." Todd gave a half nod. He was slightly taller than Dean, by perhaps an inch and his body was well toned. His face was nice with subtle features.

"Dean is just passing through town on a road trip." Reagan explained and glanced up at Todd.

Dean wondered who this guy was and why he was touching Reagan. HIS Reagan.

"Oh. You'll have to take a day or two here and see the sites. There are some beautiful areas to go hiking." Todd spoke with casual indifference.

"Or get attacked by demons." Dean mused to himself but spoke aloud, "Yeah, maybe I'll have to extend my trip and do that." Glancing meaningfully at Reagan he tried to see if she wanted him to or not.

She was returning his stare but he couldn't read the expression on her face.

"So, are you ready Reagan? We better get going or we'll be late." Todd raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips as he asked her.

"Oh yeah. Sure." Turning back to Dean she gave him a small smile. "Well Dean, it was great to see you again. I hope you enjoy your stay here. Have fun doing laundry." There seemed to be a slight wistfulness to her tone on the last sentence. Or perhaps that was Dean's wishful thinking.

Breaking their eye contact, she stepped around him and continued down the street with Todd. Dean turned to watch them. Todd had his hand on the small of her back in a very familiar manner. It made jealously rise from the pit of Dean's stomach. An urge to rip the hand away from her made him nearly shake in frustration.

He kept watching them until they crested a small hill and were out of sight. Picking up the newspaper he had dropped when they bumped into each other, he headed back for the car. Once inside he sat for a minute behind the driver's wheel, staring straight ahead and seeing nothing. There was something there but he couldn't see it. His mind was too clouded with her and the jealousy that had assailed him.

And why was he even feeling this jealousy? He certainly had no holds on her. He had left her without much explanation. They hadn't dated - he had been just one night in her life. Hell, they really didn't even know one another. There was certainly no reason for her to have spent the year alone, pining for him. There wasn't any reason why she should have thought of him every night; touched herself while remembering the things they had done to each other.

Dean closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair in irritation. No, it was unreasonable to expect her to have done any of those things. But he realized, in the back of his mind he had spent the last year wishing she had.