The whole way to the station Dolly kept glancing at the eldest Winchester brother. His face was emotionless, but there was a fire raging in his eyes. One Dolly hoped would be extinguished by the end of the introductions.
They had taken the Impala, with Dolly driving since she knew Dean needed the drive to clear his thoughts. When the trio of hunters arrived, they climbed out of Baby and shut the doors simultaneously. The brothers flanked her on either side, acting as body guards as they entered the 126.
Both rigs were gone, meaning they were at a call. Dolly shrugged and lead them to the kitchen for snacks as they waited. Once they sat down, Dolly looked at a still silent Dean.
"Okay, depending on the call and when they left, they shouldn't be too long. Now, tell me what's going on through that stubborn head of yours now darlin."
His green eyes met hers, his expression softening. "It's nothing, sweetheart. Just bracing myself I guess. I need to make sure they're going to be able to take care of you."
Dolly shook her head and grabbed his hand. "Dean, this crew is filled with wonderful people. I might not know them well just yet, but I get nothing but good vibes and you know I'm a phenomenal judge of character." She half teased. "Besides, I'll always have big brother Juddy with me."
He chuckled, his posture losing a bit of tension. "I know, Doll. I just need to see them for myself." He squeezed her hand, but still held it. Sam had decided to explore while waiting to pass the time and give his brother and pseudo sister privacy.
As they waited, Dolly moved to sit in Dean's lap on the bench near the entryway. They sat in silence as Dean played with her colorful hair to keep himself calm. Dolly sighed in bliss at the feeling of his calloused fingers sliding through her wavy locks.
A half hour later, they heard the engine backing into the station and stood when the team hopped out. The first person to notice their presence was Paul Strickland. He smiled brightly at the sight of his new friend.
"Hey, Dolly! What you doing here?" He pulled her into a strong hug, then turned to the man he remembered seeing at the bar. "You're Dean, right?" He asked as he shook his hand.
Dean smiled and shook his hand. "Sure am. You're Paul?"
"Yes sir, I am. It's good to meet you properly."
"You too, man. Hope y'all don't mind us coming in with our Dolly here. We wanted to meet everyone officially." Dean announced as Sam joined them and shook Paul's hand.
Owen came over with the others and introduced himself, as did the others. Then they team along with Dolly and the Winchester's lounged around the kitchen. Dean made a point of pulling Dolly into his lap, noticing the blue eyes that were glancing between them.
Dolly sighed and discreetly pinched his thigh. He winced and scowled at her, which she ignored as she began telling the others how she knew the brothers. Of course, she had to tell a lie since she couldn't exactly say they hunted things that go bump in the night.
"I think I was around fifteen or sixteen when I first met Dean. I was staying at my uncle Bobby's in Sioux Falls, working on a '69 Plymouth Road Runner that was going to be my first car. Dean showed up in his Impala you might have seen outside.
"I guess he was surprised to see me working on a car so expertly. He had offered to help, but I told him that if he touched my Queenie, I would castrate him. His eyes got so big, I was sure they'd pop out of the sockets." The team laughed as Dean rolled his eyes fondly at the memory.
Then Dolly leaned over and put her arm around Sam. "As for this giant right here, I met Sam about three months later. He was in his last year of highschool and had come to Bobby's with Dean and their dad, John.
"I was cooking up a big dinner because uncle Bobby said we were having guests. I was making like two pans of chicken lasagna, two pans of garlic toast and three apple crumble pies. Sam walked into the kitchen and says 'I don't really know how to cook, but you look like you could use some help'.
"I decided to give him a chance to try. Remember that word. I gave him instructions on how to layer the lasagna, turned my back for two second, heard a clatter on the floor, turned back around to find the pan on the floor. I was like 'no! My lasagna!' I glared at Sam as he gulped and rushed to clean up the mess apologizing a million times a minute.
"Needless to say I never let him try to help me after that. I actually mourned that pan of lasagna for a week. I think the only thing Dean was happy about was the pie. He and pie have an unhealthy relationship." They all laughed some more until the alarm blared, signalling another call. It wasn't a big emergency, so they asked them to stay a little longer so they could talk more when they got back.
When the team left, Dolly exhaled slowly and leaned her head against Dean's chest. "So, what do you think?" She asked him.
Dean shrugged. "Not sure yet, you've done most of the talking. I do like Paul though. He seems pretty cool."
"He is. He has this sense, like he's highly observant of people and his surroundings. If he weren't a firefighter, I'd say he should be in the FBI, possibly with the BAU." She responded, pride lacing her words of her new friend.
When the crew returned, the paramedics decided to join them. Dolly finally got to see Michelle Blake, Nancy Gillian and Tim Rosewater again. When Sam introduced himself to Nancy, Dolly was sure she would blush if she could.
As everyone gathered around the main area, Dean decided to take point this time and asked Captain Strand a few questions.
"So what's it feel like, transitioning from New York to Texas?"
Captain Strand tilted his head. "Well, honestly to me it's not all that different. Other than cleaner air, cleaner streets, things of that nature."
Dean nodded. "I get that, Cap. Can't say I've been to New York, but I've been all over the states. My family was big on travelling I guess you could say."
Owen nodded. "Please, call me Owen. What state do you like the best, Dean?"
"Oh, that's easy. Lone Star state all the way. I think I fit in with all these Texans." He glanced over at Dolly with a grin. "What you think, Doll?"
Dolly rolled hers eyes good-naturedly. "Darlin, you may look good in cowboy attire, but you are not a Texan. Juddy is the definition of Texan. Besides, you're terrified of horses."
Sam snickered on her other side. "Oh, man. I remember that Clydesdale we seen once back home. That horse towered over you and your eyes grew as big as saucers. You held your hands up and slowly backed away like he was going to take your lunch money."
The team and Dolly laughed while Dean rolled his eyes. "Whatever. And I'm not afraid of horses, I've gone riding with Judd and Stuart a few times." He reminded them.
Dolly nodded. "Oh, that is right. My mistake." She winked. "But, we should probably get going soon to visit Judd and Grace. They'll be happy to spend time with you again."
Dean gave her a look saying he wasn't quite done studying the group. Especially since he hadn't learned anything about the pretty boy that sat next to Owen. Dolly ignored the look, but discreetly made a compromise. "Don't worry, everyone. We'll come visit again tomorrow if that's alright with you, Cap."
Owen nodded with a smile. "That's more than alright, Dolly. You're welcome here anytime. Besides, you'll be back in the rig in no time."
Dolly smiled and stood up, hugging everyone goodbye before herding the Winchester's out of the station. Dean got into the driver seat this time and cruised down the familiar roads to the Ryder residence.
The trio pulled into the driveway beside Judd's truck. The front door opened with the man himself, leaning against the frame. "About time you shitheads came by!" He called to the brothers. "Was beginning to think you were too wrapped up in Dolly to visit me and Gracie."
"Judson Ryder, mind your language, sir." Grace chastised him as she joined him on the front porch. "Y'all come on in and sit a while. Would you like some beer?" She offered as they filed into the house, heading to the living room.
Dean and Sam accepted the offer, but Dolly settled for a glass of sweet tea. When they received their drinks and everyone was sat down, Judd puts his arm around his wife's shoulders and glanced between the Winchester's.
"Alright, so what brought y'all to good ol' Texas?"
Dolly spoke before they could. "I know for sure that one reason was to interrogate the crew at the station. Dean decided to show who was alpha when it came to me." She rolled her eyes as Dean narrowed his.
Judd chuckled. "This have anything to do with pretty boy?"
Dolly groaned. "Oh, come on! Not you, too. Gracie, please help me here? I barely know the guy. It's not like we jumped into bed together, let alone had a proper conversation."
"Wait a minute." Dean said, looking at Judd. "You knew and didn't say or do anything?"
He shook his head. "No, brother. Dolly might be my little sister and I'll protect her with everything I've got... that's a damn given... but she can handle herself. I trust that she would come to either of us if something was wrong. Especially when it comes to some guy."
Dean's shoulders slumped. "I guess you're right. I just hate that I'm not around to protect her all the time. Not that I doubt you can."
Dolly put her hand on Dean's. "What you do is so much more important than just my safety, darlin." She held up a hand when he began to protest. "It is. You and Sammy risk your lives everyday to help others. Much like me and Judd. Grace is the one who gets us to where we need to go. No one's life is less important than mine. It's not like you can wrap me in bubble wrap and lock me in a tower."
"There's a thought." He grumbled with a pout. Then he looked at Judd. "Hey, man. You heard of anything strange happening around here? It's been a while since the three of us have gone on a case together." He gestured between himself, Dolly and his brother.
Judd thought for a moment and shook his head. "Nah, man. Not unless you count the demons haunting my dreams. And no, not literal demons."
Dolly perked up at the thought of hunting with her boys while they were in town. "Actually, I've done a few easy cases nearby since I've been at home for a few months. Can't exactly let myself get rusty. There could be another case nearby, we just have to do some research."
Sam pulled out his laptop that he almost always carries with him. "Say no more, searching obituaries now." He began typing away and found something two minutes later. "Ah, here we go. Lucy Valdez of San Antonio died just two days ago. Cause of death is major blood loss. Autopsy results are what appear to be bite marks on her neck and both her wrists." He closed his laptop after writing an address. "Looks like we got ourselves a vampire nest."
Dolly groaned and threw her head back into the couch. "Ugh, why vampires? They suck." She smirked at her own pun, causing the others to roll her eyes. "She stands up and faces the brothers. "Well, let's get this over with."
A/N: Damn. Didn't see that coming. Oh wait, I'm the writer, of course I did lol.
Anyway, please like and review.
Up next we'll see what's going on with the 126 and their thoughts about Dolly and the Winchester's. I can't wait!
Until next time,
J S Law