Dean sat at the kitchen table with Bobby, trying to regain his mental balance. In all his years of hunting, he had never experienced anything like that before. He decided that now was as good a time as any to talk with Bobby about Raven.
"Bobby, what do you really know about Raven?"
"We have been over this. She's a good hunter and isn't some sort of monster. What is eating you, kid?"
"I don't know," Dean replied in a thoughtful tone, "There is something about her that is making me nervous. I have no idea what it is but I never ignore my gut, especially when it's yelling at me like this."
Instead of arguing with him, like Sam would have, Bobby became interested, "What's your gut saying?"
"I have no idea. Just that there's something wrong and it has to do with her. Bobby, you noticed when she shivered?"
"Yeah," He replied, sounding concerned, "I hope she's ok."
"Bobby, I shivered at the exact same time," Dean replied, pressing the point home.
"It could have been involuntary. That does happen, you know. Like yawning." He yawned as if to illustrate.
Dean shifted in his seat and tried again, "No, you don't understand. In the car on the way here, that happened three separate times. I would shiver and so would she, at the same time. Sam never did," The words were coming out in a rush, "And just a second ago, when we both shivered and when I looked at her, I swear Bobby, there was a… a… reaction."
He rarely saw Dean scramble for words like this and the look on his face was almost fearful. Winchesters were not cowards so Dean being afraid for any reason was enough for Bobby to take this seriously. "Ok, son, I believe you. What do you think it means?"
"I have no idea. It just makes me very uneasy. There's more to this than we know about. And what about the thing with Sam? He's gone all zombie on me. It's like he's… hypnotized or something."
Bobby sighed and replied carefully, "Dean, I don't think you or Sam are in any immediate danger. I have known this girl for a while now. However, I have learned not to ignore your gut because it is rarely wrong. So, I'll have a look through the books and see what I can find. I'll also talk to some of the other hunters that have worked with her and see what I can dig up. Is that fair?"
"Yeah, that's fair. Thanks Bobby." Dean said gratefully and ran his hand down his face. He was tired but felt better knowing Bobby was taking him seriously.
"Go on up to bed. I'll wake you if I find something." Bobby shooed him out of the kitchen and went to work in the library, still in his bathrobe. Dean climbed the stairs and smiled at the sight of his "father", searching through a stack of books in his pajamas and a trucker cap.
Raven was under the covers already when Sam came back from the bathroom. She was relaxed because the sheets smelled of fabric softener and she wouldn't be sleeping alone. She hated sleeping alone. The nightmares were so much better when she felt someone beside her. Sam closed the door softly behind him and kicked off his shoes by the door. If he was at all uncomfortable, she didn't see it.
He walked to the side of the bed and looked at her, a sheepish smile on his face. "Do you want me to stay dressed? I don't want to imply that I expect anything to happen here."
She smiled at him, "Oh no Sam, please get comfortable. I simply offered to be polite to your brother," That was an outright lie. The idea of Dean sleeping on the couch actually amused her.
He slid out of his shirt and jeans fairly quickly and slid into the bed. It was chilly in the room so she was sleeping in sweats. She rolled on her side to get a better look at him. His body was a work of art. Sam was sculpted like a Greek god. But, beyond that, he had a handsome face with the most caring eyes she had ever seen. She knew that if he was sharing her bed, he would never do anything inappropriate.
Sam also rolled on his side and gave her a reassuring smile. "Just out of curiosity, why did you offer to share?"
Raven's intent was to make something up about staying warm but before the lie could form on her lips, the truth began to pour out of her mouth.
"I have nightmares, terrible ones. I wake up sweating and screaming," She glanced up through her eyelashes to see the expression of understanding on his face, "It helps if there is someone in the bed with me. I don't seem to react as violently and I sleep better."
He reached across and rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand, "Then you will never sleep alone again." Sam then pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her while laying her head upon his chest.
She could not believe how safe she felt there. It was as if being in Sam's arms would protect her from anything that could harm her, even her own thoughts. Hearing his heart beat under her ear and the slow rise and fall of his chest was enough to lull her instantly to sleep.
Sam awoke later in the afternoon with Raven still in his arms. She had thrashed around some but after whispering to her, she would settle down and go back to sleep. He admitted to himself that it felt good to have her in his arms. It felt even better to have her need him.
After spending the car ride to Bobby's talking about everything under the sun, he realized that they had so much in common. They liked a lot of the same things and had very similar views on religion, books, politics, even methods of research. She was so easy to talk to. He understood the way she processed information. But, as they were talking, they would wander on to a topic that would hit too close to home and she would pull back, become cautious. Luckily, Sam was a patient man and could wait until she trusted him enough to tell him everything.
While he was lying there thinking, she began sobbing in her sleep. The low wailing coming from what sounded like the center of her soul was tortured and a name escaped her lips, "Kaaaaaayyyyy!" Sam gently squeezed Raven's sleeping form and whispered, "It's ok. I'm here. You are not alone." She moaned and squirmed a little, that's when Sam realized that his chest was wet from her tears. After a minute or two of rubbing her hair, she was peaceful once more. Sam made a mental note to ask her sometime in the future who Kay was and why this person would cause such a reaction.
Dean came downstairs to find the others sitting at the table, eating sandwiches and talking. The three of them were laughing at something Sam had said. Bobby looked up from his plate, Sam and Raven followed suit. She never met his eyes but she did acknowledge his presence. He noticed that she looked well rested. "That's what a round in the sack with a Winchester will do for you," Dean thought to himself. But as soon as he thought it, there was the shiver again. Raven shivered as well and Bobby was watching carefully. Sam also saw Raven shiver and asked if she was alright.
Raven's answering smile was so reassuring, Dean almost bought it, "Sam, I am fine. I am just a freeze baby. Not real good with cold temperatures."
Her lie was smooth and made his skin crawl. She was obviously accustomed to lying and that didn't sit well with Dean. But, he and Sam were smooth liars too, especially with each other. He couldn't hold that against her.
"Dean," Sam began, "We need to hit the road before anyone else dies in Bedford."
He nodded and gave Bobby a look. "Would you guys mind loading the car while I talk to Bobby?"
Sam replied, "No problem." Sam grabbed their bags and Raven's too. She gave Dean a curious look from the doorway and then followed his brother outside.
Bobby stood and walked to the library. Dean followed. "I'm sorry Dean, but I couldn't find anything about what you described. There was nothing in the lore that connected what you told me to anything supernatural."
"But you did see both of us shiver at the table?" He asked.
Bobby sighed, "Yeah I saw it and it was damn spooky. I talked to the folks she hunted with and none of them saw anything out of the ordinary when she was around. Bill got his tighty whities in a bunch when I hinted that there might be something wrong. Craig said he would have proposed if he was 20 years younger. Nothing out of the ordinary with them."
Dean got that look on his face when he was on to something, "But isn't that something strange, Bobby? Bill, Craig, you and Sam all adore her. You have friggin' British tea in your house for god's sake. So far, I am the only one who hasn't fallen head over heels for her. Hex bags, maybe?"
Bobby shook his head, "Nah, I periodically search the house for them. Haven't found any in years. Yeah, you're right. That is weird. I'll look through some other books and I'll get back to you."
"Let me know something as soon as you find out." He patted Bobby on the shoulder and headed for the door, trying to put this new worry out of his mind. After all, they had a case to work.
A/N: I warned you guys this was gonna be more fluff but, I absolutely promise that the hunt starts in the next chapter. Thank you to ALL of you who are reading and reviewing. It means so much to me. :D