Echo on the wind chapter 4
Leap in time
Dean pov
"Anyone seen Nathalia?" I ask as I trudge through the snow, Temple glares but points up to the barn, once she's pointed me in the right direction she goes back to explaining to the guards how to function with the new walls in place and demon proof.
It's been three months since Nat got here with Anna and the orphans, Anna and Sam have become official, Nathalia is still a bitch. Her and I argue now worse than we did when she first got here, it's like the closer I try to get to her the bitchier she becomes.
Mom just announced to Sam and I that she's pregnant again, so now I'm the oldest of three, Bobby took off the night before the first snow fall to go supply gathering he should be returning as soon as everything thaws out which should be within the next month or two.
The pond and stream river thing is finished being dug out, all we have to do now is wait for the snow to melt away and we'll have water and other things to get us started into a new year.
Of course the start to a new year means Nathalia leaves and I actually have grown so attached to her that I know I'm gonna miss her like crazy when she leaves.
"Nat!" I call into the barn, I see the blonde over in the corner trimming some animal pelts down so they can be more easily worked into things we need around this place. But in particular she's found some white fur pelts belonging to several fox's that we snagged in some traps earlier on in the month.
In the other hand she has blackened cowhide in one hand and some white material in the other; I can't imagine what she's planning on doing with these items.
"What?" She snaps back at me with her usual tone. "I just came out to let you know that we have a village meeting tonight. It's kind of a party type thing….and uh. I was wondering, if uh you might-
"Dean Winchester….Are you asking me to the prom?" She asks with a very heartless tone in her voice, bit I can see some kind of emotion deep in her eyes.
"Maybe, depends on if you plan on using that knife on me." I reply, she frowns. "I can't imagine you we're a very good guy in high school." She snaps at me. "Says the woman who can't lose her attitude and actually be civilized towards people. Shit, Sammy calls me a jackass? You're a royal bitch!" I shout back at her.
"Aw, bow before you're queen." She tosses back in a bitter sarcastic way. "I don't bow for anyone. Never mind, I thought you might like to have fun for once. But I can clearly see you would rather act like a heathenness warrior rather than act like a lady-
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I don't know any other way?!" Nathalia finally shouts as I'm turning to walk away.
I look back at her only to be left in confusion, there is a look of hurt in her eyes so deep that it actually makes Sam's depressive state look like Mary poppins singing her own version of dancing on sunshine.
"What do you mean? No one ever taught you how to act civilized?" I scoff. "No Dean, compared to me, you're life has been a bed of roses. You may not have had your mother very long, but you had your father, and a brother that loved you very much. All I had was broken bones, bruised skin, cold, harsh words, beating with belts and whatever else my foster parents could get their hands on. You started out as a good person, you just closed yourself out from being hurt so many times. I never had a chance at being a good person, Anna knows how to act like a lady. I don't, nor do I have any interest in those frilly things, I've lived this long based on primal instinct and vicious behavior. I let myself get close to one person, Dean, one…and you're baby brother killed him. So don't you stand there and tell me that I'm the heartless one." Nathalia says trying desperately to force tears back.
I knew she was raised in foster care but I had no idea life was that rough on her. "Nathalia, I'm sorry I didn't know-
"Don't worry about it Dean. I'm just tired of you arguing with me over everything and then blaming me for it. I'm just saying that's all I know, and I will admit that I am terrified to get close to anyone again." Nathalia says, she's about to turn back towards the work she's been doing in here but I step forward and catch her wrist.
"Nathalia, will you go with me as a date to the gathering tonight?" I ask her, she gives me a very taken aback look that is laced with irritation she almost seems to be asking. 'did you not hear what I just told you.'
"If it helps at all, I've died four times already. Heaven keeps throwing me back and hell keeps losing track of me. So even if I die, I'll be back in a year or less." I say to her, she manages to actually laugh at the sarcasm there.
"Okay, alright. Fine I will go with you, but I'm telling you right now. When this place thaws out…I'm making a break for it." Nat says to me. "So we're calling this a casual thing?" I suggest, I'll let her think she's won for now.
"Yes." She confirms, I nod and then smile at her. "I'll pick you up at eight." I tease, she rolls her eyes, I release her hand and head for the door.
"Dean, wait." She calls quickly, glancing back I see her grabbing the white fur, and white cloth and lace that was piled up by her satchel.
"What?" I say as she darts towards me. "Thanks." She says quickly then hugs me, which is the last thing I expect from her, every time Anna hugs her she bristles and looks very uncomfortable.
"For what?" I ask daring to return the hug, I'm just about to let her go when she clings tighter to me. "For dealing with my bitch ass on a regular basis." She says, but her voice sounds really sad now.
Nathalia pov
"Are you sure we can pull this off?" I ask slightly nervous as Anna works with several of the other girls to pull these bits of material and fur together into a dress. "I'm positive, now hold still or you're gonna be a pin cushion." Anna replies pinning more buttons in place along my back.
"I wanna see." I complain. "You will when we're done. Sam tell me you have that sewing machine fixed!" Anna shouts. "Almost, putting the last screws in…you are going to give my brother a heart attack…in a good way." Sam comments, I can hear him getting closer but I cannot see him or anyone for that matter. This simple question turned into a game of blind fold Nathalia and start putting together a dress with me as a the dummy!
Good news is, with ten girls working on it everything is almost sewn together. "Bridget, get to the sewing machine and start getting the rest of this together." Anna orders. "Going." Bridget squeaks back.
"Hey, I spotted a pair of shoes in the attic of my cabin that would go great with that." Sam informs. "Um…boots I hope?" I ask. "Yeah, Dean brought em back but their much to glammed up for anyone here." Sam announces. "Well go get them! We've got two hours to finish making her look human." Anna snaps at Sam who makes haste in getting out the front door of this cabin.
"No Dean you may not go in there!" Sam's voice booms, in a flash I hear the boys in the house heading towards the doors and windows guarding them.
"Seriously, this is a casual date Anna. Why are you going all girl crazy?" I hiss down at her. "Keep talking and I will poke you." Anna snaps, I sigh in surrender, I might as well let her have her fun otherwise I'm going to actually be a pin cushion, something I'm not looking forward to.
I've been hit with blow darts before and I do not want to go through that ever again, even if they are just sewing needles.
"Should I start on her hair?" I hear one of the teen girls ask in a very valley girl kind of voice, oh god please, please take five minutes from your vacation to save me from this torture!
Anna pov
"Okay and….we're ready!" I exclaim as I lace Nathalia's shoe in place, Christa, a blonde girl from Malibu reach's up to remove the blind fold from Nat just as Bridget is walking in with the cloak jacket in her hands.
"Now we're ready." Bridget says reaching up to wrap the cloak around Nathalia, it's extremely long, and drags at the back similar to something you'd see a queen wearing. The whole thing is made out of sun bleached deer skin, woven into it in layers and at random angles is some of the white fox fur, around the sleeves and hood is more fur.
But the dress itself is what we really did our best on, I had a thick long sleeve, form fitting wool dress in my closet that didn't fit me. But it fits Nat like a glove, it's form fitting to just above the knee's the fans out to the floor. So I took my time to sew the white lace over the top of it, keeping it form fitting at from the waist line up, then from the waist down it's layer's upon layer of bunched up lace making it look more like a gown than a normal dress. To add a bit of glam to it I took a white leather belt Bridget found in a boot barn that is diamond studded to the hilt with clear and pale blue stones and wrapped it around Nathalia's mid section.
It took a lot of work but Christa managed to get a flat iron plugged into a generator and flat ironed Nat's hair so it shines more than it normally does, and it doesn't look like a partially tangled disaster. That's Nat's style, beautiful disaster; she looks like a mongrel ninety nine percent of the time.
But right now her hair is sleek, pulled forward over her shoulders, with a thin little silver and clear stoned headband in her hair not holding any hair back just there for decoration basically.
We didn't even add much to her for makeup, just a bit of silver eye shadow, and some blush so she didn't look so flushed out.
"Whoa….Anna…guys, this is amazing. I don't even look like me." Nathalia says then looks over to Sam who's been here mostly watching and waiting to be put to work either fixing something or holding something so I can pin it and sew it.
"I think Dean is in for a whirl wind of shock." Sam gives his thoughts on Nat's appearance, just as I'm about to give my own compliment I hear the gathering down below starting up.
"Okay, everyone get down there go, go, go! Sam you to! Nathalia I'll go let Dean know you're on your way down." Anna says as everyone makes a mad dash for the door.
I'm left in silence for the longest time just staring at my reflection in the mirror; I suddenly hear Dean's voice behind me.
"I thought you'd clean up nicely but I had no idea this could be the outcome. You look gorgeous tonight, more so than normal." Dean speaks, I turn around to face him and he just stands there gaping at me.
"Thanks. Anna-
" I know, but I wanted to talk to you before we went down there." Dean interrupts as he steps forward holding out a black velvet box, it's fairly large in size, if I we're to guess I'd say a necklace.
"Happy birthday, twenty? I thought you we're either a lot younger or closer to my age and just looked younger." Dean says, I can't help but give him a watery smile, I've never had anyone care enough to remember my birthday. And for him to do something like this is….beyond words amazing.
"Dean, you're turning me into a human. I don't like it, I hate tears." I say though my voice cracks a little. "Just open the box." He says stepping forward, I open the box and inside is a necklace like nothing I've seen before. Two strings of pearls hang down in a U shape but in the center of the U between the two strings is a huge pale blue topaz stone.
"Holy hell, Dean. This is gorgeous." I say breathlessly. "You're welcome; I figured even if this is casual I should do something nice for you. Besides you deserve it." Dean speaks, his hands work easily to place the necklace around my neck, I look back in the mirror and decide this outfit is complete.
"Thank you Dean, if this is casual I'd hate to see what serious is." My response is met with him taking my hand and leading me towards the door. It's now that I notice he's wearing a black long sleeve button down shirt and a pair of black jeans with his biker boots on. He looks good to considering the situation we're all in.
"You wouldn't feel so alone, I can say that much. But beyond that, you'll have to get gutsy enough to find out." Dean actually answers my rhetorical question.
John pov
The radio starts playing Johnny cash and June carter cash's song it aint me babe, just as everyone takes note of the sight walking down the snow covered hill.
Temple is still talking her badass stories to the guards, once everyone falls silent and looks to the hillside she to falls silent.
"Oh my lord." Mary says with a very astonished tone, Nathalia is wearing a gown that looks like it should belong to a queen, it looks like Dean got into those cases of jewelry I brought back for just a whatever type thing. He must've given Nathalia that necklace she's wearing, there's no way in hell a woman like her would own something like that.
She's a true vision of beauty right now, she looks like a snow queen in every sense of the word, her cold heart even fits the personality test.
"Are you…that's his date?" Temple grumbles defiantly from her place on a nearby bench. "What I wouldn't give for a camera right now." Mary complains giving a slight foot stomp. "I got it." Charlie says, I hear and see her camera flashing.
"Okay! Everyone is here! Let's get this party started!" Sam shouts out when Dean starts glaring at Charlie, the radio turns up a lot louder. But I'm still keeping an eye on my son, I do not like Nat, not after some of the things she said to Dean.
"Care to dance?" Dean asks her, she raises an eye brow. "Yes, she'd love to." Anna answers as she darts over to steal off with the jacket cloak thing that Nat was wearing.
"Is there anything they didn't do for her?" Temple gripes, honestly I think Temple is a snobby bitch but I'd prefer Dean to have gone after her instead of the blonde he's currently dancing with to another Johnny cash song 'Jackson.'
"See that's a start to normal, you can dance." Dean comments as the two dancing by in a very fast paced two step swing dance. She laughs at his smart ass remark, she's already tripped twice, but he spins her around.
"Not great at dancing but still better than most woman I've seen." Dean adds. "So your saying I'm a bit better than a drunk bottle blonde dancing on the bar?" Nat asks, but she looks less angry and more happy than anyone has seen her.
"Yeah, a bit better than that." Dean teases her, she laughs again, it actually shows in her eyes.
"I think Dean is winning. You're gonna owe me another kid after this one if I'm right." Mary reminds me of the deal I foolishly made with her two days ago when Dean finally admitted to Sam that he did have a thing for Nathalia.
Mary said that if Dean wins this then after this baby is born we're going to have another one as soon as she can, I told her there was no way in hell Dean would win Nat over so I wasn't worried. Now I'm a bit worried, I don't really want another kid after the one Mary is currently carrying.
"And I've got arms, let's get together and use those arms, let's go, times a wastin!" I hear someone nearby singing, looking around sure as day it's Nathalia singing, Dean mentioned she could but I didn't believe it.
"If your free to go with me, I'll take ya quicker than one two three, let's goooo, times a wastin!" She continues singing with the radio looking up at Dean, for that brief moment in time I realize…I'm going to be a father to five kids….