Dean awoke with a yawn and stretched his arms. Liz was cuddled up to him and her head laid on his bare chest as she slept. He wrapped his arm around her and brought her close to him. It was true though, ever since she came back into his life he had actually become a lot happier considering everything else that had come down on him previously before. He was just happy that he had his best friend back, his girl. No other girl ever made him feel the way she did. Not ever. He was different around her, always had been. Hell, even Sam, Bobby, and Gabrielle could see the difference in his personality when Liz was around.
Liz yawned and Dean looked down to watch as she moved her head and opened her dark green eyes, then looked up at him and smiled, "Morning." She leaned up and kissed him on the lips, Dean closed his eyes and moaned at her kiss, then kissed back as a smile formed on the side of his face, she was the one to pull away from him though and give him a grin.
"Mmm, boy do I love waking up to your kisses." Liz rolled her eyes at Dean but then looked back at him and smiled, "So, should we get dressed or stay here until Elle comes and tries to break down the door?" He grinned, wanting to test Gabrielle.
Liz laid her chin on Deans chest continuing to look at him but pushed her lips out in a pucker as she thought then smiled and looked back at Dean, "I like the second suggestion better." She gave him a grin and then Dean leaned down and kissed her, he then moved her over onto her back and got on top of her as they continued to make out. Liz wrapped her arms around Dean and moved her hands down his back as he continued to kiss her softly and passionately, making sure to get her spots that made her go.
Dean pulled apart and looked down at Liz as she looked up to him, "I almost forgot how cheerful you get around Christmas." Liz giggled then pulled Dean's head down to kiss him more. Though, they were interrupted by Deans phone ringing, obviously it was Sam calling. Of course, he'd be the one to interrupt them. Well, it was better then being scared to death by Gabrielle slamming her fists on the door.
Dean pulled apart the kiss, but Liz leaned up and kissed him pulling him back down, "Lets," She kissed him again, "Ignore him." Oh, how Dean didn't want to end this moment. Liz was to into it now, but he knew if he ignored Sam, then Gabrielle would soon enough be at their door about to slam it open. Not that it was the first time she'd ever done that.
Dean pulled away, as much as he didn't want to and shook his head, "If I don't answer that then Elle's gonna barge in on us." Liz groaned and unwrapped her arms around Dean and pouted her lips, Dean gave her a smile and leaned down and kissed her one last time before rolling over on the bed off of Liz and grabbed his phone that laid next to the lamp on the table and flipped the phone open and answered it, "Yo, Sam, thanks for ruining a moment."
Liz giggled, "Yeah, thanks a lot Sam!" She yelled at the phone, Dean laughed and wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Would you have rather wanted Elle to come down to your room and break the door open? Because she was about to."
"I'm sure she wouldn't have if she knew what position Liz and I were getting into." Dean joked, Liz laughed at the come back.
"Dude, gross. I didn't want to know that."
Liz and Dean both laughed, imagining Sam's face right now from the image Dean had given him, "Sorry, Sam but, Deans been quite naughty this year." She said in a husky seductive tone then leaned in and gave Dean a kiss.
Dean grinned at her once they pulled apart, "Oh, I love when you talk dirty."
"Hey! I'm on the phone you know!" Sam yelled faintly from the phone.
Dean laughed, "Sorry Sammy."
"Look, can you guys just get dressed and meet Elle and I at the cars? Someone was just pulled up their chimney last night and we got to go investigate."
Liz groaned, she really didn't want to get out of bed and get dressed. She wanted to stay wrapped in Deans arms and get back to what they had been doing before Sam called, "Alright, we'll be there in fifteen minutes." Dean then closed his phone, not even hearing what Sam was starting to say to him back then put the phone back on the table next to the lamp and he turned to Liz, "Finish this later?" He asked, moving his lips in a puppy dog pout and giving Liz soft eyes.
Liz smiled and she leaned up and kissed him, Dean tried to kiss back but she pulled away before he could, "We'll see." She gave him a wink before getting out of the bed. Dean sighed then got out of the bed as well to get dressed.
xxxxxx
After Dean and Liz had gotten themselves dressed and met Sam and Gabrielle at the cars they drove to The Caldwells which was where the husband had been pulled up the chimney the previous night. The four walked through the house following Mrs. Caldwell who was terribly shaken up still after what had happened last night to her and explained to them what her son had described the attack, "So, that's how your son described the attack? Santa took daddy up the chimney?" Dean asked.
Mrs. Caldwell nodded, "That's what he says, yes."
"And where were you?"
"I was asleep and all of a sudden...I was being dragged out of bed, screaming."
Liz gave Mrs. Caldwell a soft smile, "Did you see the attacker?" Sam asked, Mrs. Caldwell shook her head.
"It was dark, and he hit me. He knocked me out."
"We know this is hard for you, Mrs. Caldwell and we're deeply sorry for your lose." Liz apologized to the woman in her most sympathetic voice.
"Mrs. Caldwell, can you tell us where you got that wreath above your fireplace?" Gabrielle spoke up and asked before Sam even could. Dean and Liz turned around to look at the wreath then turned back around and looked confused at Gabrielle's question.
"Excuse me?" Mrs. Caldwell asked in confusion.
"She's just really curious." Sam spoke up, Dean and Liz looked at each other and Dean shrugged, then they looked back to Sam and Gabrielle.
"One of the local Christmas shops in town, look what does that have to do with my husband?"
Gabrielle smiled, "Like my partner said, I'm just really curious." Dean nudged Liz to stop her from trying to laugh at Gabrielle and the look that Mrs. Caldwell was giving to her.
After they got some last details and Mrs. Caldwell told them the name to the Christmas shop that she had gotten the wreath from the four walked down the front-yard, Dean and Liz in front side by side, Sam and Gabrielle trailing right behind them.
"Wreaths, huh?" Dean asked Gabrielle and Sam, Gabrielle rolled her eyes, "Sure you didn't want to ask her about her shoes?"
Liz laughed, "Yeah, Dean and I saw some nice handbags in the foyer." She joked along and Dean laughed with her.
Sam shook his head, "Guys, we've seen that wreath before."
"Um, Sam, it's Christmas. People have wreaths everywhere."
"Liz, it's different. We saw it at the Walshs. Yesterday."
"Yeah, Liz. Didn't you see it?" Liz looked at Dean with a glare and he grinned at her. She scoffed and walked over to her Trans Am that was parked behind the Impala, Gabrielle snickered and walked over to the car and got in, following the Impala back to the motel.
When they got back to the motel, they all got together in Sam and Gabrielle's room to research. Gabrielle knew that meadowsweet was in the wreath, that's why she had asked Mrs. Caldwell where she got it because now she knew they weren't dealing with the Anti-Claus. Sam researched on his laptop as Gabrielle skimmed through a book, Dean sat across from her looking through another book while Liz walked around as she talked to Bobby on the phone, "Alright, Bobby can you put Robby on for me?" She asked, she missed her boy so much.
"Mommy!" She smiled as she heard Robby's squeal her name on the other end.
"Hey Robby, you excited for Santa to come see you tomorrow night?" She asked in a cheerful voice.
"Santa!" Liz laughed, she only hoped she'd be able to make it home by tomorrow or at least Christmas morning. Dean looked up and smiled as he listened to Liz talk to Robby on the phone.
"Alright honey, Mommy will be home by tomorrow. I'll make sure of it." She assured him, she wished that this job would've been quicker and they'd been back at Bobby's by now, but she'd have to drive through the night to make sure she got home tomorrow in time.
"Liz, think you'll be home by tomorrow night?" Bobby asked, since they had Liz on speaker so she could hear Robby talk to her.
"I'll try my best. I've driven through blizzards before in the Trans Am, I'll be fine."
"I don't want you getting yerself hurt."
"I'll be fine." She assured Bobby again, "I'm a good driver."
"Just, have Dean with you."
Liz nodded, "Will do. Alright, well I better get off. Got a job here."
Bobby laughed, "See ya later girl."
"See ya Bobby." She closed her phone and Gabrielle and Sam looked at her, "Well, Elle you're right. Bobby said we're not dealing with the Anti-Claus anymore. That was definitely meadowsweet in those wreaths."
Gabrielle smirked, "See, told you guys. But, no you wanted to call Bobby and make sure I was right."
Liz rolled her eyes, "What the hell is meadowsweet?" Dean asked as Liz walked over to where he sat on the edge of the bed.
"It is really rare and the most powerful plant in pagan lore." Gabrielle tried to explain, "I hate pagans." She mumbled with a snarl to it.
Sam laughed, "See, they used meadowsweet for human sacrifices. It was kind of like a...chum for their Gods. Gods were drawn to it and they'd stop by and snack on whatever was the nearest human."
"Why would somebody be using that for Christmas wreaths?"
"Did somebody not know about the lore and made wreaths out of it because they liked the smell?" Liz asked with a shrug.
"You guys are thinking it's crazy, but in reality it's not all that crazy. I mean, almost every Christmas tradition ties to pagan lore." Gabrielle spoke up.
"Christmas is Jesus' birthday."
"Actually, Dean. Jesus' birthday was around the fall, it's just that people created the winter solstice festival but then later renamed it as 'Christmas'."
Sam nodded, "Yeah, Elle's right. All that Christmas stuff, York log, the tree, even Santa's suit, that's all remnants of pagan worship."
Liz sighed, "I have a totally different aspect towards Christmas now, thanks guys." She scoffed. Then again, she still found Christmas her favorite holiday noneless.
"How do you guys know all of that?" Dean asked the two who just shrugged, Dean shook his head.
Liz crossed her arms, "We're dealing with a pagan God then, aren't we?"
Sam turned to his laptop, "Well, not just any pagan God. We're probably dealing with Hold Nickar."
"Who?"
Gabrielle rolled her eyes, "God of the winter solstice! Moron." Liz gave Gabrielle a face, lifting her lip up and sticking her tongue slightly out. Gabrielle shook her head at her sister.
Dean chuckled, "Alright, so all these fancy wreaths being bought by these Martha Stewart wannabes..."
"They're pretty much putting a neon sign on their front doors saying "Come kill us."." Sam answered
"Great."
"And in return he gives you mild weather." Gabrielle added along to Sams answer.
"Like no snow in the middle of December."
Gabrielle nodded her head at Dean, "Yup."
"That's why there's no snow here in the middle Michigan." Liz spoke up and added, she sighed.
"Do we know how to kill it yet?" Dean asked.
Gabrielle nodded, "Mhm, evergreen stakes!"
"Are you sure?" Liz asked, not that she really doubted her sister, but she didn't want to just go into a fight and then the evergreen stakes not really work.
Gabrielle looked over at Liz giving her a serious look, "Wasn't I right about the pagan God?" She didn't know why her sister kept doubting her, when Liz barely picked up a book in her entire life, unless Bobby made her. She usually let Gabrielle do all the research for a hunt, then she'd be the one to do the monster slaying. Gabrielle had read up about pagan gods before, when they once had to go against one, not the same one they were hunting now though, so she got every little pagan lore she could find. Not caring which pagan it was, just encase they'd ever go up another again.
Liz sighed, "Okay, so then now what?" She asked, as she got up from her seat and crossed her arms.
Sam sighed, "We find out why whoever is selling those wreaths."
xxxxxx
The bell on the top of the door rang as Sam walked in, Gabrielle, Dean, and Liz trailed right behind. Liz softly smiled as she heard Deck The Halls being played on the stores radio and hummed softly along to it, Dean shook his head at her. They walked up to the counter where behind it stood an old man, "Can I help you four?" The guy asked the foursome.
"I hope so, uh, we were playing jenga over at the Walsh's the other night and well," Dean chuckled, patting Liz in the back and she slightly jumped, "She hasn't shut up about this Christmas wreath, um I don't know. Lizzie, how about you tell him?" He turned his head to her and gave her a smile, she squinted her eyebrows slightly glaring at him for picking her out of the bunch.
She then turned her head to the guy and gave him a fake smile, "Yeah, it smelled amazing." She fake cooed, "I almost wanted to eat it." Gabrielle slightly chuckled and Sam nudged her in the arm to stop, making her roll her eyes at him.
The guy raised an eyebrow at Liz while she fake smiled at him, Dean was trying not to laugh at her. "I sell a lot of wreaths."
"Yeah, but you see this one would've been very special." Sam tried to explain, deciding he'd help Liz out. While the guy had his attention on Sam, Liz punched Dean in the arm, and he winced at how hard she hit him and took his other hand and rubbed it, Liz smirked, "It had um, green leaves, white buds on it, um might've been made of um, meadowsweet?"
"Well, aren't you two fussy." He then looked back over at Liz who took her smirk quickly away after punching Dean in the arm and gave the guy a fake smile again.
"They are." Dean replied, Liz looked over at him and glared. Dean moved a little closer over to Sam for protection, scared that she was going to punch him again. She was still after all, the only girl that could ever kick his ass.
"Anyway, I know the one you two are talking about and I'm all out."
"You know, it kinda seems that this meadowsweet stuff is very rare and quite expensive." Gabrielle spoke up.
"Yeah, why make wreaths out of them?" Dean asked.
The guy shrugged, "Beats me. I didn't make them."
Gabrielle crossed her arms, seeing that Liz's thought that the guy was using the meadowsweet and not knowing of it's power was wrong, and figuring whoever made the wreaths was the pagan god, "Then, who did?"
"Madge Carrigan, a local lady. Said the wreaths were so special she gave them to me for free."
Gabrielle nodded her head, "Hmm, I see."
"She didn't charge you?" Sam asked.
"Nope." The guy replied.
"Did you sell them for free?" Dean asked him this time.
"Hell no, it's Christmas. People pay a butt-load for this crap."
"That's the spirit." Liz snorted slightly, though even Dean, Sam, and Gabrielle knew that she was one of those people who did. Hell, she practically decorated most of Bobby's house, wanting to be the house with the most lights on the street. It's what she used to do before her and Gabrielle went off hunting alone, and what she did with Mark when they were together after she retired.
Their last Christmas together, Liz (who had just given birth to Robby three months before) had did the whole entire house up. Including a Santa and a sleigh with reindeer's on the roof. When it was Christmas time, she made sure she went all out, much to Mark's dismay and his wallet. In the end, they had been the house on their street with the most decorations and lights; even getting in their local newspaper.
Those were the times Liz was happy, but still during that whole time she did still miss hunting. She missed being on the road with her sister, fighting what lurked in the dark, and most of all she missed Dean. She loved Mark, she had, but as much as she told herself that she loved him, she still every now and then would think what Dean was doing. Even with the guys she dated before Mark, she always still thought of Dean. She never had been able to get over him even after eight years.
Dean closed the door of the Impala as he got in, then the other door closed shut as Sam got in, "So, did you get Liz anything for Christmas?" Sam asked, as Dean started the Impala up and followed the Trans Am back to the motel.
"What makes you think I did?"
"Well, you guys are practically together now." Sam shrugged, "I just thought that you probably got her something to...kinda remember you by." His voice was full of curiosity.
"Actually, I did get her somethin', but I'm not telling you. It's a secret." He gave Sam a wink, making Sam huff.
xxxxxx
"Alright, Bobby. We'll probably be back by Christmas morning. I'll make sure of it." Liz said as she walked over to the bed, where Dean was waiting for her as he listened to her talk to Bobby on the phone. She had just gotten her nightgown on for bed. She wasn't in the mood for anything tonight with Dean, she was too tired, "Yeah, see ya." She said her goodbye to her Uncle and closed her phone then she hooked it up on the charger and laid it on the nightstand next to the lamp. She then lifted the blanket up and crawled into the bed with Dean as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure we'll be back to watch Robby open his presents." Dean assured her as he pulled the blanket back over them and Liz laid her head on his shoulder.
"I hope so, I really don't want to miss it." Dean gave a kiss on the head and she slightly smiled curling up to him.
"Believe me, I'll make sure that we make it in time. I promise you." And he was going to stay true to his promise, well...he would try to at least. He wanted his last Christmas to be spent with Liz and Robby, well Sam, Gabrielle, and Bobby as well, but mostly Liz and Robby. Robby had become like a son to him, and Liz noticed how much Dean had changed as well when it came to Robby. He helped her get food for him, clothes, diapers, everything and he didn't complain one bit. Which actually surprised the others, seeing how fatherly Dean had become but, then they knew it was all for Liz and Dean would pretty much do anything for her. Liz only wished that it could continue like this, but in five months Deans deal would be up, and she'd have to try to move on without him again.
"Liz, about Elle's vision." Dean decided he would finally bring it up, Liz had been avoiding it and he was done. He wanted to make sure that when he went to Hell that Liz wouldn't die from depression two months after.
Liz groaned, seeing he was bringing that up, "Dean, come on, I really don't want to talk about it. I'm tired and I want to go to sleep."
Dean sat up and Liz did as well, they turned to look at each other, "Lizzie, we have to. I don't want to know that you're gonna die two months after I go to Hell. No."
Liz sighed, "Look, now that I know about the vision, I'm gonna watch myself better. Okay? There's no need to worry."
"That doesn't cut it. I'm still going to worry about you, you know that."
"I know you are, but..." Liz reached over and held Deans hand, "I'm gonna be fine." She tried to assure him.
Dean shook his head, not believing a word Liz was saying, "No. You're not. I know you're not fine about my deal, I see how much you've been trying to lie and say you're okay so we don't have to talk about it. Lizzie, I can tell when you're lying. I know you better than anyone else does, and you're just like me. You're pretending that you're okay, though you're not,. I know you're not. Come on, all you gotta do is just talk to me."
"Why? All it's going to do is probably cause us to fight." Liz sighed, taking her hand from Dean and then running it through her hair, "Dean, I told you, if I could jump in that pit with you then I would. I've heard about Hell, and the things I've heard haven't been pleasant and I definitely wouldn't want to spend a vacation there. I wouldn't want you to go through it alone, and I also don't want to be up here knowing that you're down there being tortured." Dean looked away, a few tears started to form in Liz eyes, "I-I can't go on knowing that you're down there. I just can't. It's too much for me to handle."
Dean looked back over at Liz and frowned seeing her teary eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her close, resting his head over hers as she cried. He hated seeing her cry, especially when he knew it was his fault she was crying. He could even feel tears trying to break out himself, "Shh, Lizzie I know this will be hard, but think about Robby. He needs you more than I do and he already lost one parent, he shouldn't have to lose you too."
He lifted Liz's head up and she looked up at him, he took his hand and then with his thumb, wiped the tears from Liz's eyes, "Liz, you're the strongest woman that I've ever known. You're the only girl that can actually kick my ass. Probably Sammy's ass too if he gave you a shot." Liz slightly laughed, Dean smiled, "Now, that's the face I want to see." Liz looked up at him and smiled, "Promise me, for god sake promise me that you won't go off the deep end and you'll be strong and live without me, for Robby's sake."
Liz nodded her head and sniffled, "I promise." Dean smiled at her, moving his hand up and putting a piece of Liz's hair that hung in her face behind her ear, then leaned in and kissed her forehead.
"Come on, let's try to get some sleep." He said, continuing to give her a smile. Liz nodded, the two laid back down in the bed. Dean reached over and turned the lamp on the nightstand off, pulling the blanket over him and Liz, wrapping his arms around her and they snuggled up together before falling asleep.
