Hello all! I would just like to say that I absolutely KILLED my midterm last weekend, and man did it feel good! Picture happy dances and celebrations and that was my mood haha. Have another slightly longer chapter, because who doesn't love Dean and Buffy spending time together!
Don't kill me for it coming to an end. There will be more. Promise.
Replies to reviews are at the bottom!
Chapter Ten – Two Different Worlds
The sun was just started to rise as the three hunters piled into a booth of the corner diner. Buffy was sure she was going to have to explain to Dawn why she had been out all night, and she felt awful for not even calling. Thinking about it she realized that she was going to have a lot of explaining to do when she got home, and not just about being out all night. Telling the household that she walked out on the job wasn't going to be fun, and it was sure to cause nothing but stress. On top of that, she was going to have to explain why she had walked out in the first place. Which meant either telling them about Dean, or coming up with a lie.
That, however, was a problem for "Future Buffy." Right now, food was a major priority. Slaying always worked up an appetite, and it was nice to eat something that didn't come out of the 'Meat Palace. Hell, it was nice to eat food period. There hadn't been much of that around her house lately.
"Ya know, I thought that was going to be a much bigger battle," Sam marveled, sipping at his coffee.
Buffy shrugged, "I'm all for easy fights."
"Easy? Those demons take down whole armies in South America. I don't think 'easy' and 'Suvolte' go together," Sam was still blown away by the Slayer's strength and skill.
Growing up, Sam had always been taken by the legend of the Slayer, but had always thought it was just that, a legend. As much as he wanted the stories to be true, there was very little evidence of it within his dad's knowledge or hunter circles. Maybe they just didn't like the idea of a girl doing their job better than they could ever hope?
Either way, the Slayer was very much real, and she was more impressive than he could have ever hoped for. She could fight, that much was obvious, but it wasn't just that. She was cunning. She knew her place in the battle, and could suss out where she needed to be long before the opportunity arose. Her moves were smooth, calculated, and devastating, as though the fight had been choreographed. The Slayer was built for this life, and it showed in every movement she made. Slayers were all this, and beautiful to boot? To say Sam was impressed was an understatement. He was completely awestruck.
That, however, wasn't what had drawn Sam's attention. They thought he hadn't noticed, but it was Sam's job to notice the subtle hints and clues that go on around him. Buffy and his brother had been stealing glances at one another, making excuses to touch each other, and he had never seen Dean so silent while talking about a hunt. He could see the way that Dean had looked at the small blonde, like she was the only one in the room. Just as clearly he could see the way that Buffy felt nervous around Dean. This was one of the missing pieces to the puzzle of Purgatory, and it made many of Dean's stories and secrets make sense now. It was obvious to see what this girl meant to his brother, and it made Sam feel lighter just knowing that there was someone that could make his brother feel this way. Both of them had long written off the idea of finding a real love in this life. Dean needed this.
Dean laughed, "why do you think I called in a ringer?"
Buffy grinned happily at Dean as she munched on her toast. Her free hand found its way slowly over to Dean's knee, where she rested it just out of sight of Sam's eyes. Dean's eyes roamed over to hers, acknowledging her advance. He smiled as he placed his own hand on top of hers, gripping it gently. He was pretty sure he saw a light blush tint her cheeks as she returned to the conversation.
"Plus he knows not to hunt in my town," she teased, bumping him with her shoulder.
"Oh?" Sam looked quizzically at Dean, a touch of amusement in his voice.
Dean looked kinda sheepish, "ya, remember that story Cain used to tell? About the shotgun bending?" When Sam nodded he pointed at Buffy, "hunters have been kinda banned ever since."
Sam laughed whole-heartedly at that statement, "oh man. That was you! He had everyone convinced that some psycho demon chick had done that - that he had barely survived."
"So we're gonna be spreading that around like wildfire. Too good not to share," Dean joined in the laughter.
"Wait, how did you know it was because of Cain?" Buffy was confused.
Dean mentally kicked himself. He had to remember that she didn't know he knew everything he did. Dean knew Buffy better than she could ever know, and he had been particularly careful when they spoke on the phone. Being here, with her less than three feet from him, made it much harder to think straight. It was too easy to reveal the wrong information. He had to remember to stick to only the stories she had shared with him since she had been back, otherwise he risked ruining the memories that Cas had built.
"Oh, uh…" Dean tried to think quickly, "I guess I just figured that Cain had a run in with some strong chick in Sunnydale, and you banned hunters….I'd ban guys like Cain too."
Buffy seemed to accept his excuse and she returned to shoveling eggs happily into her mouth. Sam thought about making a comment about her appetite, but years of living with Jess had taught him better than that. It was interesting, though, to see a girl that was eating just as much as Dean. Especially a girl so tiny.
"Is that why this place wasn't in Dad's journal?"
Dean nodded, "that and, obviously, she doesn't need the help." He shot her another grin.
He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb as he spoke, to which she responded by turning her hand and interlacing her fingers with his. It all felt very high school to Dean, trying to hide these little moments and passes from Sam, like he was the father in this situation. Dean had never had situations like these in high school though. He never got to spend time with girls like this. Any kind of time spent was always at the school, and it was never for more than a couple of weeks. He had watched the other kids in school, always attached to their girlfriend or boyfriend, and even though he'd never admit it, it made him jealous. It was something that no matter what, he was never going to get to have. There were a lot of things that Dean missed out on growing up, and that was the least of them. Now he was realizing how wonderful those silly little passes could be like, now he knew what it felt like to be on the inside of it, and he was more than happy to savour it while it lasted.
If he was going to make innocent little passes like this, then Dean figured he may as well go all out. While Sam seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, Dean slid his leg towards Buffy's under the table, to which she locked her leg around his. If this had been Sam, Dean would have been relentless in his teasing, telling Sam to 'man up' and make a real move, but in this moment, Dean was more than happy with the contact they had made. He was more than happy to slowly slide closer to her in the booth so that they were sitting right up against one another.
It was stupid, it was childish, and it wasn't leading anywhere. It wasn't supposed to though, and that's what made it perfect. Dean would never admit it to anyone, but sitting in that booth with Buffy, making secret gestures, was better than most any other contact he'd had with a girl over the years. For once it really got to mean something. This girl was different. The rapid beating of his heart would attest to that. She had him all twisted up and he kinda felt like a chump, but it didn't seem to matter to Dean. For her, he didn't mind feeling like a chump.
For the time being, he just wanted to pretend he could have her.
Buffy couldn't help but smile at the little passes Dean was making. It reminded her of simpler times, before she was the Slayer, back when she was sixteen and still bright eyed. It reminded her of what it was like to just be a girl, one who was allowed to flirt and date and get butterflies in her stomach. It was nice to pretend that they still had their innocence and that this was all new and exciting. They were getting a feel for each other, and it was nice to just take the time to enjoy each other's company.
In all the time that they had been talking on the phone, Buffy felt like she had got a pretty good idea of what Dean was like. Based on that, she never would have expected him to be restrained in the moves he made. She expected him to be as brash in this respect as he was in the rest of his life. Guys like Dean tended to be very up front about what they wanted, and were no nonsense about it. She hated to make the comparison, really hated it, but she had almost expected a Parker-like approach. That was until she picked up on how nervous Dean was. It was surprising to Buffy that Dean would be nervous around her, but it was endearing. Plus, it was kinda fun, to go back to those innocent little moves from so long ago.
She was content pretending that as the Slayer, this was something she could have. She moved closer to him and gave his hand a little squeeze. Even if it was just for tonight, she was going to let herself be a normal girl. A normal girl with a crush, if that's what you could call it.
"I wonder how many cases we've missed here over the years," Sam wondered aloud finally.
"Well, we've had vengeance demons, ancient mummies, weird military experiments...like four or five apocalypses. Ya know, nothing I couldn't handle," Buffy said, thinking back over the years.
Sam looked impressed and didn't know what he wanted to ask about more. He wanted to pick her brain desperately. He wanted to know what she had faced; how she had faced it.
"Did an exorcism in high school," She grinned.
"Oh big deal, we do those at least once a week," Dean teased.
"Well aren't you special," she countered.
"I like to think so."
"What else?" Sam brought the conversation back, his eyes lit up like it was Christmas.
"Let her breathe Sam, geez," Dean said, only half joking.
Truth be told, he was curious too. She had shared stories in Purgatory sure, but he got the feeling that there were hundreds where those came from.
"It's all good," Buffy assured, "I dunno. We've had some weird stuff, and it never seems to slow down. Must be the hellmouth."
"Are there other hellmouths across the country?"
The brothers cast an expectant glance over to the Slayer. With her mouth full of hash browns, she looked between the two boys with wide eyes. She shrugged her shoulders and gave a shake of her head, indicating that she wasn't actually sure.
"If there are, you thinkin' that it could explain some of the hot spots we keep finding?" Dean asked, also shoveling a forkful of hash browns into his mouth.
Sam nodded, "it would make sense, wouldn't it? You'd figure there'd have to be more than one, right?"
"God I hope not!" Buffy exclaimed.
"One Slayer, one hellmouth. That would make sense too though," Sam thought out loud.
Buffy nodded, "well...except there's two of us."
"Two? Everything I've ever read said that the Slayer was 'one girl.' How are there two of you?" Sam was confused.
"Well, another one gets called when she, ya know...Considering she just came back from the dead, that concept isn't so strange," Dean reasoned.
"Oh, Faith was called long before that."
Dean took notice of that, and he could feel his heart constricting. His mouth went dry and he wasn't sure what to say. This was news that he was not expecting.
Sam noticed the change in his brother, but had to press forward to satisfy his own curiosity. "So that means..."
"Exactly what you're thinking, yup," Buffy confirmed.
That was something that she had never told him before. Dean couldn't help but wonder how, in all their time in Purgatory, that hadn't come up before. Maybe he didn't know her as well as he thought he did. Maybe she didn't trust him as much as he had thought. What had happened then to cause her to die? When did this happen?
"That must have come with some repercussions," Sam pried further.
Buffy contemplated that for a moment or two, "depends on what you call repercussions. Legend wise? None yet."
"What's she like, this other Slayer? Is she like you?" Sam continued.
"Gee Sam, I didn't know you were so into the Slayer legend. What gives?" Dean didn't want to hear anything more about this other Slayer, about Buffy being dead twice over. It was just too much.
Sam stopped, casting his glance downwards to his plate of breakfast, which was sure to be cold by now. It should have been a simple question to answer, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. Secrets had been commonplace while the brothers were growing up, and even if they had made leaps and bounds in that department, there were still some things that were better kept quiet. Sam figured this was one of those things. Maybe one day he'd tell Dean about his obsession with Slayers, but today was not that day.
"Just curious," Sam tried to shrug it off and changed the subject swiftly. "So if it's not a 'one Slayer, one hellmouth' thing maybe there are other hellmouths."
"More than one Slayer or not, I really hope not. One is plenty."
Dean shrugged, "it'd make sense though. Don't worry, that's what hunters are for."
"I guess. I'm just glad there are good hunters out there. I didn't have a lot of faith in the ones I'd met over the years."
"I just wish the community knew about the Slayers," Sam lamented. "We could have been working together over the years."
"Would have been nice to have access to the information you guys have," Dean agreed.
"The Watchers aren't really a friendly bunch. I doubt they would have shared much anyways," Buffy shrugged.
"Maybe we can change that now?" Sam suggested.
"Would be nice to have another contact to call when somethin' weird shows up," Dean added.
Buffy nodded, "I bet there's plenty we can help each other with. You ever need anything, you just call."
ӁӁӁ
Time seemed to both fly by and stand still all at once. It seemed as though time had stood still as they sat there in that booth, letting them simply relish in one another. At the same time, however, it was suddenly later than they had expected, and it was far too soon that they had to part. They would have given anything to stay in that little booth a while longer. Dean just wanted more time with Buffy. Time they could pretend that they had normal lives, that they were just normal people. More time he could pretend he could have her. Buffy wasn't ready for Dean to leave yet. It was too soon. He had just got here and who knew when he'd get back again. Having him here was even better than she could have hoped for. For the first time since she crawled out of the grave she felt alive again. She could feel her heart beating. She could feel the blood coursing through her veins. She could feel the warmth. It was because of Dean.
When the bill came, Dean insisted that the brothers would pay. He convinced her that it was his way of saying thank you for her help. He tried to play it off as a joke, but it was one hundred percent true that they couldn't have done it without her. They had come in contact with the demon already, and it had been a bloody and messy mistake. Dean could still see a stiffness in Sam's shoulder where the beast had bit down on him, and the countless faces of the victims still popped into his mind throughout the day. They couldn't get close enough to take it's head off, they lacked the strength to snap it's neck like that, and bullets seemed to irritate it more than it hurt. The Slayer was probably the only way they could take the thing down. It was rare that the Winchesters would admit they needed help, but this was one of those times.
"Well, thanks for breakfast, but I should really get home. Dawn's gonna be worried," Buffy said, standing up from the table.
Dean marvelled at that statement. It was a sentiment that had become long foreign to the brothers. For Sam's whole life, there hadn't been a 'home' to return to. Since losing Bobby, there wasn't really anyone to worry about them either. They had been roped into this world by circumstances beyond their control, but it wasn't their destiny. They could have walked away. The life had let them out before, they could have stayed out. Of course, that was never even on their radar anymore. They chose to continue in this life. For it, they had everything they ever loved stripped away. Their reward was to never have a real home.
Then here's Buffy, the Slayer, the one fated to live this life. It was completely out of her control that she was who she was. Buffy didn't get a say in the matter, and even if she wanted to walk away, she didn't get to. Being the Slayer was all she had to look forward to. Even still, she had a home, and she had been there for almost her entire Slayer life. She had friends and a sister who would worry about her when she was out all night. They'd look for her if she didn't come home. They saved her from Purgatory when she died. For someone who battled the supernatural, that lived an unconventional life, it sure seemed like she had a relatively normal life.
They had the same life, but two different worlds.
"Would you like a ride home?" Sam offered.
"I'm good, thanks. It's not far from here."
"Oh c'mon. Least we could do. Do you really wanna walk home looking like…that?" Dean indicated the bright orange pants with not only the demon's blood, but her own as well, that had dried on.
Buffy looked down, "ah, I've worn worse. It'll be harder to explain to Dawn if she sees me get dropped off by two guys. She's been all on-edgy the last while, not really looking forward to another sister-battle royale."
"You sure?" Sam offered once more. "it's no hassle, really."
Sam had spent the entire night with Buffy and Dean, and he had never felt more like a third wheel than he had during this time. He pretended not to notice, but he could see the way the two of them looked at each other. He had seen them holding onto one another, and he was pretty sure they were playing footsies under the table. Driving her home may not have bought them a lot of time, but he figured any amount of extra time with her, Dean would be thrilled. Sam just wanted his brother to have a few more minutes with her; he just wanted to see Dean happy.
Buffy nodded, "thanks though."
"Alright. Well thanks again for the help. It was getting tiring, chasing this thing across the country," Sam smiled.
"I get it, you big manly men needed help of an itty-bitty girl like me," Buffy winked.
"Hey, hey now! That's just – "
"True?" Sam shot his brother a look of amusement.
Dean pouted as Buffy giggled.
"But seriously, anytime. I'm always up for a good fight," she smiled.
"Alright, well," Dean stopped, casting a glance at Sam.
Sam knew that look all too well, he had seen it a countless number of times over the years. Different girls and different cases, but the look was the same. Sam nodded and took the hint to wait in the car. He always had to wait in the car. This time though, he wasn't in the slightest bit annoyed or impatient about it. Seeing Dean with Buffy had been the first time in a long time he had seen Dean smile, like really smile. It had been before Purgatory even. So Sam was more than happy to give Dean some time with this mysterious little blonde.
"It was good to meet you, Buffy," Sam held his hand out for her to shake.
Buffy shook her head and threw her arms around Sam. He was caught off guard, but returned the embrace happily, bending down slightly to envelope her. She gave a little squeeze before tilting her head so she could whisper close to his ear.
"Keep him safe."
Sam nodded and gave her a smile as she pulled away from him. Sam waved as he headed off to the Impala. "Hope to see you again soon."
"You too, Sam. Take care."
Dean returned his gaze to Buffy, an awkward smile on his face.
"It was good to see you, Buff," Dean mumbled.
"You too, Dean. Really good. Even if I am dressed like a pylon," Buffy regarded her embarrassing outfit.
"Well, you're the cutest pylon I've ever seen," Dean winked.
Buffy laughed, "Thank you. I think."
Dean grinned, "god. It is so good to see you," he repeated.
"I know what you mean. How will we ever accept just a phone call again?"
Dean nodded his head, "I know, we've spoiled ourselves." Dean's voice fell quieter, with a different tone to it, "uh, thanks for, ya know, picking up when I do call."
"Well, thanks for calling," Buffy took a deep breath, "is it weird that those phone calls are actually kinda the best part of my day?"
She held her breath waiting for him to reply. It was a big gamble, admitting that out loud, and to his face no less. Her heart was pounding and she felt the anxiety already bubbling over. It felt like hours before he spoke, and it was killing her.
Dean felt a wash of relief hit him, "not at all. They're kind of the best part of my day, too. Otherwise all I got is Sam to talk to."
Buffy laughed, "well I'm glad they're able to offer some relief."
"More than you know," Dean replied. "I just wish I could do more for you."
"What do you mean?"
"You've been dealing with so much, and I hate knowing that you're on your own here," Dean said, a sadness in his voice.
"I'm not on my own. I have my friends. I have you."
Dean fought back the words that threatened to come spilling out. Buffy loved her friends - that was obvious. Her friends loved her, too. Throughout their phone calls, though, Dean had grown angrier and angrier with these friends. He could forgive the witchcraft. He could forgive the recklessness in bringing her back. He couldn't forgive the total disregard for her now that she was back. Couldn't they see she was suffocating? That she needed help? Why was it that the only person she felt she could talk to was someone that she barely knew? Someone who was miles away?
They may love her, but they weren't there for her, and that killed him.
Dean took a deep breath, "I guess I just wish I was here…" That was hard for him to admit.
Buffy nodded, "me too…"
The sadness in her eyes struck Dean like a knife straight through to his heart. She could pretend all she wanted that she was doing fine, but just being here was still a struggle. It had been a long time since the thoughts of telling her the whole truth had played in his mind, but here they were again. They were together right now. Maybe this was the best time to share the truth about Purgatory, when he was here to help. She wouldn't have to deal with whatever memories he triggered, not alone anyways.
He almost opened his mouth to speak, until he remembered what Cas had shown him. He remembered the nightmares he had been having himself. There was a chance that Cas was right, that she would break under the strain of Purgatory. Even the smallest chance that Cas was right was more than Dean was willing to risk. The chance she could hate Dean for helping with the lie existed too, but that he could deal with. He couldn't cause her harm though. That was too much. Dean decided to keep his mouth shut.
Buffy broke into his thoughts, "I should really get back, though. I'm already gonna catch hell."
She didn't want to go. Not at all. If she had her way, they would be able to stay here like this all day. They'd spend the day just being normal people. Go for a walk. Spend the day at the beach. Sit in the park. Curl up under the stars. Anything. As long as they were together. If it was up to her, neither of them would ever have to leave this moment.
It wasn't up to her, though. It never was. She was the Slayer. She was a big sister. Nothing she did was ever completely her choice. She had to come back to reality, and the reality was that she had to go home, and Dean had to head off to the next case. That was how it would always be. No matter what, that was the life they were bound to. Any kind of life that they could ever build together would be just like that. Forever. What kinda life was that, really?
"I bet, you've been gone all night and you walked out on your job," Dean pretended to scold, "very irresponsible of you, Ms. Summers."
"I know, it's just terrible."
"Whatever are we going to do with you?"
Buffy looked thoughtful for a moment, "well…maybe something like this…"
As they had been speaking the two had been slowly drifting towards each other, and Buffy figured she should take advantage of the close position they found themselves in. If she couldn't have all the time she wanted with him, she may as well make the most of it. Buffy licked her lips and went up on her tip toes to bring her face closer to his. When he didn't move away from her she chanced a look up to his eyes. She had expected to find him pulling away, or with a look of confusion or indifference to be in his eyes. Instead she found a look of longing behind his eyes as he stared at her lips.
She smiled briefly before bringing her lips to his. The feeling of her lips on his was enough to send shockwaves through Dean's body. They were even softer than he had imagined in all his dreams, and he could feel her smiling through the kiss. It didn't take Dean long to move into the kiss, drawing his arms up around her waist and pulling her in closer. The feeling of his strong hands on the small of her back made her melt, and she could feel her knees weaken. Dean was intoxicated by the smell of brown sugar and vanilla that seemed to surround the girl.
It was as though the world stopped spinning for that brief moment.
When they finally parted, their lips hovered near one another's for a moment or two. Neither one of them were ready to break the moment, neither one wanted to move away first. If it had been up to them, they probably would have stayed in this position indefinitely. The problem with that was that Buffy had to get back to Dawn, and Dean had to hit the road again.
"Wow," she breathed finally, a flushed look on her face.
Dean fought to find his words once more, "I don't think that qualifies as a punishment." When in doubt, crack a joke. It was the Dean Winchester way.
Dean looked back at her lips, sorely tempted to kiss her again, when his phone started to ring. He grumbled some profanity while he grabbed for his phone. He was about to hit 'ignore' until he saw it was Garth calling. As much as he hated to admit it, with Bobby gone this was a call he needed to deal with.
Just not right now. He hit 'ignore' anyways, knowing he could call him back in the car. He slid his phone back into his pocket before reaching out and grabbing both of her hands with his, desperate for any sort of contact to remain. He knew that the phone call meant it was time to go, but he wasn't quite ready to let go just yet.
"Guess it's time for you to go, huh?" Buffy sulked.
"Guess so. The road beckons," Dean nodded, also sulking a bit, keeping her hands tight in his.
Buffy sighed, "alright. Well, drive safe, okay?"
Dean nodded, "of course. Always do."
"And call me next time you stop?"
The first night that Dean had been in town Buffy had got the feeling that he had left a girl in each town he had visited. She knew him better now, and she felt like no matter what, she didn't fall into that category. Her heart was screaming at her to get a grip, that he had been in the moment just as she was. That she wasn't just another girl in another town. It was still hard to ignore that thought that she would never hear from him again.
The look on Buffy's face told him that she was more than just slightly afraid that he wouldn't be calling. That look told him that she was used to that kinda deal. How a guy could ever give a girl like her the cold shoulder was beyond him. It was a signature Dean Winchester move, but this time there was not a chance of that happening. She was not like any of the other girls he had met on cases. This was the first time it was hard to leave her behind. Hell, he'd take her with him right now if he could.
"Promise."
Buffy smiled again, "good. Take care, Dean Winchester."
"Take care, Buffy Summers," Dean returned. He wished he had something better to say.
Buffy stood another minute, wanting to take advantage of every second she had left with Dean. She knew that she had to let go, though. He had his own cases to return to, and she was sure that Dawn was staring out the front door waiting for her. Buffy was sure she had a decent number of missed calls waiting for her on her cell. It was a wonderful vacation while it lasted, but they both had to get back to the reality of their lives.
She could feel her heart splitting, but she had to be strong right now. Even though she would give anything to prolong this moment, she had to let go. She took a deep breath and let her hands slip out of his. The slump in his shoulders told her that he was feeling just as disappointed as she was. One last long look at Dean, to take in as many details as possible, and she had to force herself to walk away. If she didn't walk away now, she may never do so. Or she may do something crazy like asking him to stay. Or even crazier and go with them.
Buffy hated him leaving. Hated knowing that she had to return to her normal hum-drum life, if you could call the life of the Slayer hum-drum anyways. It felt like a tease, having one night to spend time with him. Seeing him again, in person, after talking like they had been showed her something. She was crazy about this guy. Of course she knew that before, but it was like seeing him in person put it all into context. He was more than just a voice on a phone, and he was here. He was here, and he was drawn to her just as she was drawn to him. She had seen it in his eyes, sensed it in his touch, and felt it in that kiss.
Buffy couldn't imagine those phone calls that had been her solace over the last few months feeling the same now. These phone calls had been her sanity. They had been holding her together. As wonderful as they were she couldn't help but feel that they would feel inadequate now. Even still, she would look forward to that next phone call. She would wait for the next time she got to see Dean again, and she hoped it was for something other than a hunt. It wasn't the phone calls, after all, that had been her comfort. It was Dean.
Dean was the one that had helped her. It was more than just his voice that could comfort her, it was just him. He didn't even have to do anything, just being here had made all the difference. Having Dean here had been enough to make her feel alive again. She could finally feel her heart beating again. Buffy had been desperate to feel anything for so long. She had that fire back. She had her drive back. Dean had helped restart not only her heart, but her life too.
Buffy risked a look back over her shoulder, and she hated herself for it instantly. He was despondently watching her walk away, and it broke her heart to see that look on his face. It was dangerous, seeing a beautiful face like Dean's looking so sad. Buffy paused, struggling to force herself to keep walking. A quick internal struggle was easily won out by one side, and she quickly ran back to where Dean was standing, his boot kicking up some dust as he stood there. When she reached him she threw her arms around his neck and planted another kiss on his lips. He had obviously been caught off guard, but was quick to respond. He grabbed onto her tightly, holding onto her like she was his world. In this moment, she was.
Buffy broke the kiss off first, placing a finger on his lips, signalling him not to speak. Not to say a word. If he had spoken, all of Buffy's resolve to walk away would have been ruined. Even one word from his mouth would have destroyed her now. It was taking every bit of her strength to stop herself from crying at this point. She felt almost a little silly. This was a guy that she had only known since she had come back from the dead, but that's not how it felt. She couldn't explain it, but Buffy honestly felt like she had been meant to find him. Like she was connected to him. Buffy felt like she had known him for a lifetime.
Her finger stayed on his lips as she silently prepared herself to walk away again. Why did this have to be so hard? Dean looked at her quizzically throughout this time, his green eyes practically begging her to stay, but he remained silent. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, so she knew it was time. She took a couple of steps backwards before spinning on her heels and walking off. This time she stayed committed to keeping her eyes forwards. She couldn't let his beautiful eyes pull her back again. She walked away, but with every bit of her, she wished she didn't have to.
She wished he could stay.
Dean watched the blonde walk away for a second time, her kiss still lingering on his lips. A kiss was the last thing he had expected when he rolled into town, but it was the perfect way to wrap up a case. He got to see her, got to talk to her, and he got to kiss her. If he knew while he was in Purgatory that things would unfold this way, he would have held onto her hand a whole lot tighter. Logic told him that he couldn't have held on any tighter, but right now he was convinced that he could have. Even though he knew that there was nothing more he could have done, right now he was sure that he would have fought harder to bring her through with him. He would have done anything to ensure he had more time with her, and again he found his anger for Cas' decision boiling in his blood.
Sunnydale was a dangerous town, that he had figured out through her stories, and now firsthand. Dean knew that the Slayer could handle herself, but he still found himself worrying about her here. For once though, he found himself glad that she lived on the hellmouth. Dean was sure that it was the hellmouth that had drawn the Suvolte demon here. Without that, he wasn't sure when he would have been able to make it to town to see her. He had been grateful when the dancing demon had shown up to lighten the mood, and now he was kinda glad that a vicious devil spawn had made it's way here. It may not have been the most romantic reason to come visit, but he'd take what he could get.
Dean stood there, watching the blonde walk away until he couldn't see her anymore. He didn't know how it was possible, but even in that atrocious orange get up, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. That smell of brown sugar and vanilla still enveloped his jacket, and he hoped that it would for a long time to come. Seeing her like this, eating breakfast with her like it was a daily occurrence, was by far the best gift a guy like Dean could have received. That little blonde felt like the sunshine in his world of darkness. He had never found it hard to leave a town after a hunt, this was a first for him. He couldn't help but feel like he was leaving his heart behind, just like he had the first time. It made it so much harder for him to leave town.
He hated leaving again.
A/N 2:
Backgammon - I'm so glad you're still enjoying it! I'm sorry, there's no real meeting yet. That's kinda...a ways away...terribly sorry! You're just gonna have to stick around for that ;-) There are plans for books and Giles and Sam and some stuff with Willow and Dawn and Xander and even Andrew one day. Trust me. It's going to magnificent.
Pantherfan16 - Awe thank you my dear! You're so lovely! Sorry there was no meeting yet, but I assure you that there's gonna be the day where they do meet...and it will be glorious!
LoneButterfly - Of course that's what she'd be upset about. Buffy's got her priorities right, dontcha know! When it comes to the Spuffy relationship I've made it a point to leave it kinda vague in the story so that people can make their own conclusions. I'm a huge Spuffy shipper so I had a hard time making it 100% clear that there's nothing going on. That being said, I kinda make hints to them being drinkin' buddies briefly, so that's kinda the direction I intended.
PhnixPoetic - Awe thank you! That's so lovely! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!