A/N: Sorry this has been so long in coming. My plot bunny was being a bitch. I know I promised hunting but this thing is writing itself and apparently, I have little control in the matter. I figure the next chapter is gonna be some background/fluff but please bear with me, it's going to be worth it. Promise. This chapter is kinda short but I am loving where this is going so I have a feeling I might be on a roll. Just so you know, this is going to be one of those "epic",aka long, fics so get comfy. XD
Please, please review... It's so nice to hear that you are reading/liking or reading/not loving what I am writing. Thank you!
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or the universe. If I did, I wouldn't be here writing about them, I'd be living there, eating pie off of Dean's tummy. :)
Raven insisted on stopping at Bobby's on the way to Ohio so she could get her gear. She had taken a plane to find the Winchesters and figured the TSA might frown upon her taking a sniper rifle as a carry on. Dean complained about the delay, just because he could, but really didn't put up much of a fight. He never minded seeing Bobby because he always had liquor and Dean really needed to talk to him one on one about Raven. The elder hunter had given her a glowing recommendation but there was still something gnawing at his gut. The fact that he couldn't put his finger on it was pissing him off to no end.
Aside from the fact that Sam was following her around like a puppy, which was making him nauseous and uneasy at the same time, Raven was secretive, more so than any other hunter he had ever worked with this closely. That wasn't reason enough to distrust her but, every now and then when he was around her, he'd get this weird feeling he couldn't describe. It was almost like a chill but more emotional than physical. Even stranger had been Raven's reaction when he had this sensation. Dean noticed on three separate occasions that she shivered at the same time he experienced it. During the fourth occasion, Sam happened to be in the backseat with Raven. Dean watched them both. She reacted. Sam didn't. He merely put his arm around her to warm her and offered a blanket. Dean couldn't make heads or tails of what the feeling meant but he definitely wanted to run it past Bobby.
It was almost dawn when they pulled into Singer Salvage. Dean, unconcerned about waking Bobby, knocked loudly on the back door while Raven and Sam unloaded the car. Sam was not the least bit surprised to see the cantankerous hunter open the door wearing a bathrobe with a rifle in his hand. Upon seeing Dean on the threshold, his sour look turned softer. When he looked past Dean and saw Raven walking toward the porch, his grimace became an outright grin. The look Dean shot him an "Are you kidding me?" look but Sam was nonplused. Apparently Raven had that effect on everyone, except his brother.
"Glad to see Dean took his head outa his ass and gave in" said Bobby with a wry grin while giving the petite woman a bear hug, "Dean's like my son but stubborn as the day is long."
Sam replied, noting the pissed look on Dean's face, "He hasn't given in yet. We are working on a 'trial' hunt".
Nodding with understanding, Bobby let everyone into the kitchen and started the coffee maker. While they sat down around the table, he also filled up a tea kettle with water from the tap and proceeded to ask the oddest question Sam had ever heard from him.
"Raven, you drinking Earl Grey or green tea this morning?"
Sam watched Dean lose his balance when he whirled around to give Bobby an incredulous look. He was grateful his brother wasn't drinking anything or he would have choked.
"Since when do you keep tea in the house?" Dean demanded.
"Since the last time Raven stayed here. There's nothing wrong with being a courteous host." The surly reply forced Sam to stifle a snicker that would have made the situation worse.
Raven was beaming and Sam wasn't sure whether it was from Bobby's hospitality or the flabbergasted look on Dean's face, "I would love some green tea, decaf of course. Thank you."
Dean leaned across and whispered in his ear, "Sammy, if he gets a cup and saucer out of the cupboard, I am going to fill him full of rock salt."
That time, he couldn't smother the giggle fast enough and Sam received a nasty look from their host. Still doting on Raven, Bobby placed a container of honey on the table in front of her along with the tea bags and a spoon. Again, Sam could not help but observe how easily she had managed to wrap Bobby around her finger. If this trend held, he was taking bets that the senior Winchester was either inhuman or just plain crazy.
Raven felt at ease in Bobby's house. There was just no way to describe the peace that settled in her soul just from being there. After the tea and a couple of pieces of toast, she was exhausted. She knew they should get on the road again but her intuition told her that a couple of hours of sleep wasn't going to cost any civilians their lives. She offered to take the couch but Bobby would hear none of that. He had put clean linens on the bed in "her room" and told Dean to take the couch. Raven watched Sam try and smother another giggle at his sibling's reaction. Looking at Sam across the table, reveling in their shared amusement, she made a snap decision.
"Bobby, it would be unfair to ask Dean to sleep on the couch. That's a queen sized bed, right?" Bobby nodded, wearing a perplexed look, "Sam can bunk with me, if that's ok?"
Raven looked for Sam's reaction first and it was the most surprising. He simply nodded and smiled, like she had asked him to open the door for her. No shock, just warmth. Bobby had the same look as before but it had deepened as he was trying to decipher a meaning from her statement. Lastly, Dean was regarding his brother with wagging eyebrows and the facial equivalent of a cat call. His reaction neither surprised nor disgusted her. It was what she was expecting from him because in his world, sharing a bed meant having sex and nothing more. The fact that Dean was incapable of understanding what was developing between herself and Sam made Raven truly pity him. She was about to stand and gather her things from the hallway when she had that "feeling" again, like her blood was made of ice water. She trembled and in her peripheral vision she saw Dean shudder also. He glanced at her as she turned to observe his reaction. Their eyes locked and, for a split second, nothing else mattered.
Raven was mercifully released from the moment by Sam touching her shoulder. Feeling his touch, she jerked like she had touched a door knob on a winter's day. His features twisted in concern and Bobby wanted to know if she was alright. With her insides doing cartwheels, the only response she could come up with was that she was tired. Sam retrieved their bags and escorted her toward the stairs to their room so she could rest. As she was leaving, Raven chanced a peek at Dean. He was inspecting the bottom of his empty coffee cup; His face, a combination of shock and fear. So, Dean was just as rattled as I was, she thought. What in the hell is going on?