The look on Dean's face was a sickening mixture of horror, fear and regret. He set the mug of coffee down heavily, the steaming black liquid sloshing over the side onto the countertop next to the coffee maker as Sam rose from the table, still staring at the phone in his hand in shock. "Sam?" His voice sounded choked to his own ears.
"Brielle said you picked her up from the bookstore... surprised her there." Tears stung Sam's eyes and he ignored them. "Told her you changed your mind about Christmas and was taking her away for the weekend." Dean's eyes closed painfully at his brother's hushed reply.
"I'll be ready in five minutes." The two men sprang into action, getting dressed and getting a bag full of weaponry before meeting in the garage.
Sam was already stting in the driver's seat, engine running, when Dean appeared, tossing his bag in the trunk before slamming it closed. He stalked up to the passenger seat, wrenched open the car door and slid in before slamming the door closed. For a moment, the younger man thought he was going to argue about who drove, but instead, Dean settled on the bench seat to Sam's right, pulling on his seatbelt.
"Go." He murmured and Sam didn't need to be told twice.
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Brielle looked over at the handsome man next to her as he drove, humming softly. He caught her looking and flashed her a smile. She suddenly glanced in the backseat, then back to him. "Did you bring clothes for us?"
He chuckled softly. "In the trunk. I was kinda hoping, though, that we wouldn't be needing many this weekend..." The suggestive tone made her blush all the way to her toes and Dean grinned, his green eyes moving back to the road ahead of them.
Unbeknownst to Brielle, her phone in her purse was ringing, but it was still on silent from the book store. Sam was calling for the tenth time, trying to reach her. They rode along in a companionable silence, the radio playing softly. Brielle dozed off and he smiled over at her.
She was slouched down in the passnger seat a bit, her face turned towards the window some, her arms across her chest. Brielle looked peaceful and he reached out to turn the radio even lower.
Dean hummed to himself, glancing up at the passing road signs. The hotel wasn't too much further and he had planned on taking her shopping and to dinner as well. He knew this was what she'd wanted and he was more than happy to do this for her.
The signs for the nicer than usual hotel were visible now and he reached out to pat her thigh. "Sweetheart? We're about here." Brielle's eyes fluttered open and she focused on the expensive chain hotel whose parking lot they'd pulled into, surprise on her features.
"We're staying here? It looks expensive, Dean." She looked over at him as he pulled into a space near the end of the lot. He smirked, but didn't reply. They parked and he cut the engine before they got out, closing the doors behind them.
"Our bags?" Her voice stopped him and he paused.
"Let's just check in real quick. I wanted to take you out for dinner and that shop's only open until 6 o'clock." Dean held out a hand for her to take. "We can take a peek at the room real quick if you'd like."
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Sam glanced over at his older brother as they drove, his foot heavy on the accelerator. "Dean?"
The hunter had a closed fist to his mouth, staring at the windshield, lost in thought. His throat worked to swallow and he finally spoke. "Sam, this is exactly why." That wasn't what Sam expected to come out of his mouth. "Fuckin' exactly why I don't do relationships. This is what happens." His tone was dull, hopeless. "I'm poison."
"Stop." Sam was ever the voice of reason. "Brielle loves you and if this is anyone's fault, it's mine. I was the one, Dean," He waited until green eyes slid to him. "I dropped her off at the bookstore and left her alone. If you're looking for someone to blame, blame me."
Dean rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "It's not your fault Sam. It's mine. It's always mine." Bitterness crept into his voice. "I should've been the one in the bookstore with her, patiently waiting for her to read every back cover. Making sure she was safe." He swore again quietly. "Instead, I'm laying in bed sleeping, just leaving her out there for some monster like low hanging fruit."
"You know that's not true."
"It is." There was no reasoning with him.
"Dean," Sam passed a car on the two lane road into Ebson. "We'll find her. I have a tracker on the GPS on her phone. Instead of bitching about how toxic you think you are, fucking do something productive." Dean immediately thumbed on his phone and did just that.
"Her phone won't pick up. She's probably-,"
"Don't." Sam's voice was deadly. He pulled into the bookshop. "C'mon." He got out and jogged to the door without waiting for his brother. "Camille?"
"Hey Sam," She'd heard the bell jingle. "I was just getting ready to close up." Her eyes focused on his face, concern on his features. "Are you alright?" He shook his head.
"Was Brie in here an hour and a half ago?"
"Yeah, for a few minutes. Got a coffee and three books and left..." Camille and Sam both looked over at the brass bell jingled above the door again as Dean entered the shop. "With him." Her brow narrowed and she sounded confused. "Sam?"
"This guy here? She left with him?"
"Yes." Camille looked back and forth between the two men as they had a conversation with their eyes. "What the hell's going on?"
"You have video surveillance?" Within three minutes they were squeezed in her tiny, messy office, veiwng the last couple hours until they found Brielle, then Dean entering the shop. The two men behind her were leaning in, watching the monitor over her shoulder intently, although she wasn't even entirely sure what they were looking for, exactly.
"Shifter." Dean breathed, seeing the telltale retinal flash of the eyes. "How would she even know it wasn't me?"
"Shifter?" Camilla asked quietly, eyebrows raised as she turned in the squeaky wooden chair to look up at the two men, confusion on her features. "Sam?"
"Listen, shapeshifters are like," Sam struggled to explain this to the blonde bookstore owner in front of him. She was looking back and forth between the two men in the back room where they'd viewed the footage. "Evil twins. They're monsters." She took that piece of information in and nodded. "They take the shape of anyone they please."
"That's why you two always buy my ancient lore books... because that stuff's real?" Her flat statement made Sam smile a bit. "Holy shit." The blonde leaned back in her office chair, making it creak again as she digested the bizaare shit they were telling her. Sam watched her eyes move aorund as she weighed her opinion.
"Yeah." He sighed. "It's complicated."
"So you... hunt monsters?"
"Yeah." Sam didn't have time to explain much else; he wanted to get on the road almost as much as his brother to gank this sonovabitch and get Brielle back. "So he said they were going upstate?"
Camille frowned. "He told me upstate someplace... but the only place I can think of that does holiday decor is in Olath." Camille met Sam's gaze. "It's four hours east of here." Sam nodded and glanced at Dean.
"Olath it is." Sam pushed off the office desk. Camille grabbed her purse before she rose, pulling out the keys to lock up her shop.
"I'm going with you." The blonde said sharply and both men froze.
"The hell you are." Dean ground out, not wanting another person harmed because of him. She gave him a look of her own, then looked up at Sam.
"C'mon."
The trio locked up and headed for the impala, Dean driving this time. Camille slid in the backseat after Sam opened the rear passenger door for her. The engine came to life and the sleek black car tore out of the parking lot, heading east. Camille was still reeling from the information she'd been given in the last five minutes. Sam glanced over at her. She was looking at him and a small smile graced her lips. "Brie's gonna be okay, right?"
"Of course." Sam assured her and beside him, Dean's jaw muscle tightened. "We'll get her back."
"Are you guys... dating?" Camille directed her question at the older man, who hadn't really said much up until that point.
"Yeah." Was all Dean said. She nodded, her eyes moving back to Sam's.
"There are some hotels near that shop." Camille suddenly remembered. Dean glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Three or four of them. You think he might take her there?" Sam was already googling on his phone. "Sam?" She leaned forward to rest her forearms on the front seat, looking over his shoulder. "They're about twenty minutes from the shops."
"What was he driving?" Dean asked suddenly. Sam and Camille looked over when he spoke.
"This exact car." Was her soft reply.
"So we find the car and we gank that asshole after we get Brie." His tone was dark. "We'll be there around five." Dean's foot pressed the accelerator down even harder and a cloud of dust kicked up behind them as they headed down the two lane to rescue his Brielle. "If it's not too late already..." His murmur was soft and Sam shot him a look.
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Hello lovely readers!
I don't own anyone from Supernatural, only my OC Brielle. This chapter is a bit short, but never fear... the next one won't be far behind! *winks* I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas with their families and friends. Reviews are love!
CitrineMama