Dean walked back into his study and Olivia's scent hit him right in the face. The rich and heavy odor had penetrated every corner of the room by now and Dean scrunched up his nose as it invaded his senses, making him dizzy. He had a hard time believing that once, a long long time ago, he had actually liked it.
But now in comparison to Carmen's fresh fragrance that still lingered on him and clouded his mind, Olivia's was too unbearable. He walked over and opened a few windows to let the fresh breeze clean the room off of it.
"So...you've got a mate." Olivia said quietly, her tone laced thick with anger. She made sure to show how upset she was about the news she has learned.
"You're repeating yourself, sweetheart." An amused smile played on Dean's lips as he watched Olivia narrowing her eyes at him. Suddenly, he felt very tired and had no desire to quarrel with her any longer. He wanted her to go already, so he could get back to work. Dean laid a hand on the small of Olivia's back and guided her outside onto the balcony.
"I can't believe you did this! You promised me you'd wait for me, you told me that you needed me." Olivia continued to fume, but once she realized where Dean had led her she stopped and looked at him with wide eyes. "What are you doing?"
"First of all, I'm pretty sure I've never said anything close to such things." Dean started, ignoring her question. "Secondly, I never ever make promises. I really appreciate your effort, but you can stop now. None of your little tricks is going to work on me." He grasped her arm roughly and pulled her towards the railing.
"What the hell, Dean?" She yelped and glanced down, seeing the yard below the balcony.
Dean flashed her a smile. "Well, since you apparently have no idea how to use the front door, you should leave the same way you came in."
Olivia's eyes were dark with anger, but she managed a mischievous smile. "You're making a huge mistake and sooner or later you're going to realize it, Dean Winchester."
Dean stepped closer to her, his body pressing her hard into the railing. Olivia had to suppress a cry when she felt her back hit the cold surface roughly. She grew nervous at his behaviour, seeing the resentment clearly in his eyes.
"Careful, sweetheart. If you pull another stunt like this again, I won't hesitate to make use of my knife and cut off that pretty little head of yours. Got it?"
He heard her swallow, a hint of fear starting to build inside her. Dean smiled a condescending smile. It was good to know that he could still make her anxious, spark trepidation inside her. He took a step back, releasing her and Olivia straightened up and exhaled a relieved breath.
"Don't you dare showing up at my house without an invitation ever again." Dean growled, towering menacingly over her. "Now get off my property."
Despite her fear, Olivia wasn't ready to accept her defeat. Walking into Dean's life again and seeing how happy he was with another woman, was like a stab in the back. But she wasn't willing to give him up.
Dean Winchester was the most amazing thing she had ever laid her eyes on - she had to have him.
"You're not going to stay happy with her forever, Dean. She'll make you miserable in the long run because she's not the one you're supposed to be with. I'm the woman you need." Olivia gave him a dazzling smile and vanished, Dean saw her shadow for a split second in the far distance before she disappeared out of his vision completely.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Dean shook his head wearily. He was strong enough not to let her play him; after everything he and Cramen had been through there wasn't anyone out there who could make him start to doubt their love. Especially not Olivia.
Still, he didn't know how far she would go to destroy his life. Right now, Dean's biggest fear was that she could hurt Carmen and he knew he had to look after her to keep her safe. However, Carmen was quick on the uptake and would notice that something was going on, so he had to involve Sam. His brother could help him keeping an eye on Carmen without getting her suspicious.
Dean stepped back into his study and took his laptop, deciding to work downstairs. He couldn't stay longer in the room; Olivia's scent was still present and gave him a headache. As he decended the stairs he tried to picture Sam's reaction when he told him that Olivia was back in their lives. He knew his little brother was going to have a nervous breakdown. She used to screw with both brothers and Sam wouldn't be happy to see her, either.
Dean sat down on the couch in the living room and opened his laptop, but couldn't focus on his work. Carmen was going to be back home in a few hours and he would have to face her soon. He had to figure out how he was going to explain everything to her.
He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. He was close to desperation. What trouble could one man get himself into only because he had wanted to get laid three centuries ago?
"Jason, coffee now!" Carmen yelled as she passed her assistant's desk and made her way to her own. She had to prepare for an annoying meeting and she already was on edge, so her voice had an angry tone to it. Poor Jason froze in shock in his chair, not daring to move. Carmen had never acted that way around him before; usually she was nice to him and treated him with respect. He wasn't sure what to do.
"Are you suddenly deaf?" She asked, stepping around his desk and looking down on him.
"N...no. Is-is everything okay?" Jason asked carefully, hoping not to upset her even more.
"I've a meeting in five minutes which I won't survive without a dose of caffeine, so move your ass, buddy!" Carmen replied, watching how the young man jumped off his seat to get her what she wanted. And she felt bad. She hadn't mean to take her anger out on him just because she was still upset about that tramp showing up.
It was ridiculous, Dean had probably already gotten rid of her and Olivia wasn't even at the house anymore. But what if she was? The thought of Dean and her together...Maybe she was overreacting; Dean clearly wouldn't do anything. He wouldn't sleep with an ex at their house; he wouldn't hurt her like that.
Trust. She had to trust him, but it was hard.
Carmen had tried to keep it together in front of Dean, but as soon as she had left the house she lost it. She felt the need to kill everyone who got in her way and still had no clue how she had managed to stay out of trouble and not to hurt anyone.
But fury and pain still fought inside of her; some bitch wanted to steal her man, so she had the right to act irrational, didn't she? Jason didn't deserve her fury, however.
She looked up at him when he returned to place the cup onto her desk, his hands shaking terribly. Jason flinched when her eyes landed on him and quickly disappeared again. He was too afraid of her to stay longer than necessary. Carmen sighed and got back to studying her notes for the meeting. After she had finshed her coffee, she got up and headed to the conference room.
She couldn't believe it, but somehow time flew by; she survived the boring meeting and the rest of the day at work. However, she dreaded going home. Carmen feared what might be awaiting her there. She knew she wouldn't survive walking in on Dean and Olivia, so she delayed the moment and wandered through the dark streets for a while instead of going home to Dean.
Her heart was telling her to stop being so pathetic. Dean was waiting impatiently for her to get back, so they could finally spend the next hours having uncontrolled and passionate sex.
Her mind was screaming at her to face reality. As much as he loved her, Dean wouldn't miss the opportunity when a chick as hot as Olivia suddenly appeared in his room. Most likely, he had spent the whole day with her, fucking her remaining brains out.
Carmen wanted to cry out in frustration; her thoughts drove her crazy. She could have called him to check what the situation at home was like, but fear, pain and confusion stood in the way. So she proceeded wandering around aimlessly instead.
Eventually, she ended up at the bar in Sam's hotel. It was like a second home to her, she felt safe there and it was the perfect place to hide when she felt vulnerable and needed to be alone.
Luckily, she hadn't seen Sam anywhere and so far, had spared herself the trouble of explaining everything and pouring her heart out to him. Because if Sam had been there, he would have kept insisting until she spilled everything.
Sitting on one of the stools, sipping white wine, she glanced around the hotel as she tried to clear her mind off of everything. She wanted to shut all emotions and thoughts off in order to collect herself again. Only then she would be capable of going back to Dean.
But so far, she felt like crap. She was embarrassed how intimidated she was by Olivia, but couldn't fight it. Her worst nightmare had come true; a woman had showed up, claiming to be Dean's mate. It was only natural that she got thrown off track a little and needed time to recover.
She saw her reflection in the mirror behind the shelves and shuddered. No, she didn't want Dean to see her like that. She looked so scared and weak. Carmen took another sip from her glass, pondering whether she should stay at the hotel, get some sleep and face Dean in the morning. Until then she would hopefully be her usual self again. She could make up an excuse, tell him something about having to work late. Anything, except for the truth. She didn't want Dean to find out how the appearance of the vampire lady had affected her for real. Not ever.
Abby's work day was over; the concierge for the night had already started his shift and none of the guests had complains, so there was no need for her to stay any longer.
But on her way out, she spotted a young woman at the bar; it took Abby a second to recognize her. They had met only a few hours ago for the first time. She remembered that her name was Carmen.
Although she didn't know her, Abby sensed what state the young woman was in. She had seen the expression on her face on a lot of women's faces who had gotten their heart broken once. Wondering who could have hurt her, she walked over to the bar hesitantly.
"Rough day?" The soft and warm female voice wiped out Carmen's dark thoughts, forcing her back into reality and she turned around on the barstool to face the person who had addressed her.
Sam's mate was standing a few feet away from her, a friendly smile on her face. Carmen didn't try to appear jaunty, because she knew it was too late to cover her real feelings. Abby had already noticed how miserable she was, otherwise she wouldn't have come over.
"Yeah. You could say that." She replied with a sigh and looked away, not caring anymore that she was showing weakness and vulnerability. She didn't have the energy to pretend as if she was okay.
Abby stepped closer and when Carmen didn't protest, she took a seat next to her at the bar. She ordered herself a glass of wine and finally focused back on Carmen.
"Sometimes it's easier to talk to people you don't know." She said quietly, practically offering her a shoulder to cry on.
Carmen smiled weakly. "You're right."
"Sam told me you got called back into work and you had to leave again. That sucks."
"Yeah. But I came back here after work because I couldn't bring myself to..." Carmen trailed off when her voice broke. She stayed silent for a whole minute, amused by the fact that she was talking to Sam's girl. It was so surreal; they barely knew each other, Sam was the only thing that had sort of bonded and brought them together. She wanted to laugh at the thought, but managed to suppress it.
"You couldn't bring yourself to do what?" Abby pushed gently, looking at Carmen. And this time she held the eye contact; letting Abby's warm grey eyes comfort her. It couldn't hurt to get her opinion although she knew nothing about vampires or about her and Dean's relationship.
"Go home."
"Oh." Abby was visibly surprised, she clearly hadn't expected that reply.
"For fear of facing Dean. It's a long story, but err...my boyfriend and I, we always had some sort of trust issue. Recently, everything's been fine, great actually. And then...that woman appeared on the scene."
Abby let Carmen's words sink in, frowning as she pondered about their meaning. "So you think he's cheating on you? With her?"
The shadow appearing in Carmen's eyes was a sufficient answer. "But you don't know for sure." Abby added.
"I'm acting ridiculous, right?" Carmen replied, letting out a bitter laugh and clutched her hands nervously. "I'm hiding here because I'm too scared to talk to him about it. So cowardly."
"It's understandable though." Abby said and Carmen waited for her to continue. "It's hard to gather enough courage to be able to trust again once you got hurt before."
She was right, but Abby couldn't have known that it was Dean who had hurt her in the past. Carmen closed her eyes for a moment, analyzing her feelings.
"Dean loves me, I'm sure of it. And he'd never hurt me intentionally. I'm just insecure because of the past...but I know he'd never cheat on me with her."
"Well, then you should get your head out of your ass and go home already."
"Huh?" Carmen replied in astonishment.
"Don't let your past get in the way. Stop torturing yourself with 'what ifs' and 'maybes' and go talk to your man about your fears." Abby encouraged and Carmen stared at her, fascinated. Never had a human being talked to her that way; they usually held her in high esteem since they sensed that she was different. But Abby didn't seem intimidated by her.
She could understand why Sam had fallen for her; Abby was definitely one of a kind.
"Thanks, you're right. But...it's so hard to trust sometimes, isn't it?"
"Oh yeah." Abby sighed heavily. "Take me for instance, you know how I freaked when I saw you with Sam."
"It's Sammy's fault; he should've told you about me." Carmen chuckled and Abby looked away, clearly embarrassed. "Well...about that. Thank you for...clarifying everything."
"No problem, glad I could help." Carmen smiled and cleared her throat nervously before continuing. "So, I guess I should get going. Or maybe I should stay here for the night?"
Abby's eyes widened and she looked at her in shock. "What? No way!"
Carmen blushed at her indignant reaction, deeply ashamed of herself. In fact, she couldn't believe herself that it was really her acting that way. Normally, she faced every problem fearlessly and never backed out. But right now, she was unable to cope with anything.
"Avoiding Dean won't solve the problem. Do you really think when you get home you'll find them doing it on the couch in the living room?"
Carmen was speechless, hearing Abby voicing her thoughts. That was exactly what she was afraid of. When Abby saw the pain in Carmen's eyes, she realized what she had said and got quiet.
"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate. Don't listen to me, okay? I can be a little pushy sometimes. It's been a long day and I'm tired and everything I say doesn't make any sense...I'm sorry, I..." Abby ranted awkwardly but Carmen cut her off by placing a hand onto her shoulder.
"No, it's okay. You didn't say anything wrong." Carmen said with a friendly smile, but then it disappeared again. "Please don't tell Sam that I was here, okay?" She didn't want him to find out about Olivia; he had endured enough because of her and Dean in the past. He was happy at the moment and she wanted it to stay that way.
Abby listened to Carmen intently; she spoke quiet but her tone was urgent and her eyes were sparkling threatiningly. Her hand laid firmly on Abby's arm, emphasizing her words. She could see how important it was for Carmen that Sam didn't find out.
"But Dean's his brother, so..."
"No!" Carmen growled, gripping her arm tighter. Abby winced at her touch.
"Sorry, did I hurt you?" Carmen quickly let go of her, taking a deep breath. Sometimes she tended to underestimate her strength.
Abby shook her head, looking at her speechless.
"Thanks for your concern, Abby. But I don't want Sam to worry. Hell, I don't even know if there's something to worry. Listen, talking to you helped, but I still need to think about it. Can you keep a secret?"
"Okay. But you should really go home." Carmen started to scare her a little, but Abby bit her bottom lip and then continued bravely. "I bet Dean's wondering where you are right now. Don't avoid him, he doesn't deserve it."
Abby's words hit her hard and left Carmen with a realization. She was right, she thought as she watched Abby walk away, Dean didn't deserve to be avoided.
A/N: Hey guys! Big thanks to everyone who's still reading this story, hope you liked this chapter!
Also big special thanks to ImpalaAngel13, Dean's Dirty Little Secret and Violet Jayde Elizabeth Rose for reviewing, you guys made my day:)
So, what do you think? Big Dean and Carmen fight in the next chapter? Stay tuned to find out!