Chapter 9

Not long after they returned from Utah, Dean got a call from Bobby asking him to meet up with another hunter. This acquaintance of Bobby's, Luke, was passing through the Steamboat area and looking for some information. Stella needed a ride to her doctor appointment that same day, but Sam offered to take her so that Dean could do this favor for Bobby.

Once they got to the medical complex, Sam knew it would be a while until Stella was finished with her exam. He amused himself while he cooled his heels in the waiting room, flipping through magazines and flirting with some of the nurses. Stella went through the usual regiment of questions with Dr. VanAyles and then endured a lung test, a scan for her liver, and several tests to look at the strength and mobility in her arm and shoulder. At the end of the exam, when Stella didn't get up right away, Dr. VanAyles looked up and over the rim of her glasses.

"Do you have another question, Stella?"

"Yea, actually, I do." Stella turned a little red. "You see, since my accident, my boyfriend and I… Well, we haven't… done… we haven't… Okay, we haven't had sex in like seven weeks and I'm dying here, Doc. That's almost two months. Am I okay to, you know…?"

The doctor leaned back in her chair and managed to not look amused. "Well, your liver is fine and based on all of your tests, your lung capacity and strength is pretty much back in normal ranges, so I would say it is just fine to start doing most of the things you did before the accident. Including sex. Now, your clavicle hasn't fully healed, so although you're not restricted to the sling all the time and you're feeling better, you need to be aware of that. You can't support a lot of weight."

"We'll keep it very vanilla," Stella promised. "Thanks, Doc."

"You're welcome. I'll see you in two weeks for another look at your shoulder and what I think will be the final tests on your lung. You've done a great job keeping up with the therapy, don't quit now." The doctor went back to her file.

When Sam and Stella got home, the Impala was still missing but Stella had a message on her phone that Dean would be back in a few hours. She went upstairs and took a long, hot shower. When she came downstairs, she had a plan. Sam was sitting on the sofa with the TV on. She sat down at the opposite end of the couch and watched the program with him. It was some random History Channel program; Stella wasn't surprised. It was right up Sam's alley.

"Sam, I need you to do something for me tonight."

"Sure, Stella. Anything. What's up?" He muted the TV so she wouldn't have to talk over it.

Stella shifted on her cushion and put a foot up on the coffee table. "I need you to go out tonight."

"Go out? What do you mean go out?" Sam was confused.

"I mean go out, out. Go to the Ghost Ranch Saloon… The Tugboat… Rancho Nuevo… maybe even all of them. You've been babysitting me forever, Sam. I want you to go out have some fun, blow off a little steam. Find yourself some off-season ski bunny…" Stella beamed a smile at him. "And take the Camaro. I'll be fine on my own for a little bit; you don't have to wait for Dean to get back."

Take the Camaro? That raised all sorts of red flags for Sam. "What do you mean, 'take the Camaro?' What's going on Stella?"

Stella sighed and rubbed her fingers along her collar bone. She was able to start spending time out of the sling each day, but it was still tender. "When I talked to the doctor today, I asked her a couple questions…"

"Stella, are you okay?" Sam leaned forward, apprehensive.

She truly appreciated the sincere concern that she heard in Sam's voice. He was a good man and she was really fond of him. "Nothing's wrong. It is just that I finally have the okay to spend some, ah, quality time with Dean. Alone."

"Okay… Oh. Oh!" Alone time. The light suddenly dawned for Sam, and he remembered Dean's comment in Utah: If Stella wants to make a move, she'll make a move. "Give me 20 minutes and I'll be out of your hair."

He practically jumped off the stairs and disappeared up the stairs. A moment later, Stella could hear the shower running. She poured herself a glass of lemonade and went outside to the deck. She'd been Dr. VanAyles' very last appointment of the day and now the sun was down behind the mountains, but there was a watercolor painted sky with sunset golds and pinks still visible over the darkening Rockies. It was a beautiful valley.

Stella took a long drink of the lemonade. It was just slightly tart, just the way she liked it. As she looked out over the valley, she fantasized about Dean coming home. It had been so long… The thought of having time alone with him was nearly unbearable in the most wonderful way. A small grin spread across her face. If Sam was gone, there would be plenty of privacy right there on the deck.

"Behave you," Stella warned herself. "Too many chances out here to hurt yourself again. Keep it vanilla for now. But this deck definitely goes on our list…" Then she just started to laugh.

The List was created one day during a lull in a hunt, and she and Dean had found a way to pass a little time. They had disappeared for a few minutes; it couldn't have been more than 15 or 20. When they came back into the motel room, Sam looked up and just shook his head. Dean tossed a bag of potato chips onto the bed.

"Are the two of you serious?" asked Sam.

"What, I said we were running out to get a snack," said Dean.

"Clearly," said Sam. "By the way, Stella? Your shirt buttons are done wrong."

Stella's eyes got big and her cheeks turned pink. She looked down and, sure enough, the front of her shirt was buttoned incorrectly and looked completely askew. Dean just laughed while Stella turned her back on them and quickly readjusted her wardrobe.

"Is there anywhere the two of you haven't had sex?"

Without hesitation, Stella answered. "Fenway Park. On the field in front of the Green Monster."

Dean chimed in, "The observation deck at Niagara Falls. I think you'd look hot in a yellow slicker, Stella."

"Oh," she said, "and also on the list is the back of a police car, but only if I can cuff Dean…"

Sam knew they were screwing with him and he also knew that they would continue to come up with creative answers to that question just to watch him squirm. He didn't say anything; he just put his hands up in surrender and walked out of the room.

"We've gotta find him a girl," said Dean.

Ever since then, Stella and Dean would – every now and again – mention another unusual or ridiculous place that was on the newly created List. Most of the time they were simply fooling around, but every now and then the place was serious. This deck was on Stella's serious list. She took another drink of lemonade.

Sam came out on the deck to find her once he was ready. He was wearing the usual Winchester fare: jeans, a t-shirt, and a rugged looking button down over that. He wore it with a casual confidence that raised the attractive factor exponentially. Around his neck was a leather thong with a simple silver medallion on it. For the average person, it might be a conversation piece but the real purpose was an extra ward against evil critters. Stella gave him the once over and nodded approvingly. If she was single and saw Sam Winchester in a bar tonight, he'd certainly catch her eye. She handed him the keys to her car.

"Okay, Stella, I'm outta here. I'll be back later. I promise it won't be before midnight. Have fun."

She laughed and gave Sam a quick kiss on the cheek. "We will. I promise. You're a prince, Sam. Thank you."

Sam was half-way down the outside stairs when Stella leaned over the rail. "Hey, Sam… One more thing…"

He stopped and looked up. "What's that?"

"Have fun, but if you scratch the Camaro there will be Hell to pay tomorrow," she warned.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for reading (and for reviewing) my story. I hope you're enjoying it so far. I do appreciate reviews, so if you are inclined to do so, please take a sec and let me know what you think!