"What's the matter, Sammy?" Dean asked his brother, handing him a drink and trying to make his voice sound normal. He was truly worried about Sam. He could sense his turmoil of emotions filling up the room - anger, confusion, concern.
"You're not going to be happy about this." Sam said cautiously, taking a swig to calm down.
"Whatever it is, I can handle it." Dean stated smugly, taking a seat on the sofa across from him.
"I got a visit from Olivia today. Looks like she's back in town." Sam told him, sighing heavily.
Dean ran a hand through his hair, feeling the anger slowly building. How dare that bitch show up at his little brother's place? "Unbelievable." He huffed."Guess, she'd hoped to get to you after I kicked her out."
"You kicked her out?" Sam asked, glad he was finally getting the information he needed. Not that he had believed Olivia before, but it was good to hear from his brother personally that she was lying.
"Yeah, of course. What did you think?" Dean wanted to know, not sure why his brother sounded so surprised. Then it dawned on him and he raised an eyebrow when he understood."I see. She told you I fucked her."
"That pretty much sums it up, yeah." Sam replied and Dean chuckled."She hasn't changed at all, has she? She tried to get in your pants, too, Sammy?"
"Yeah." Sam smiled a little, shaking his head."Actually, I woke up to find her naked in my bed."
"Really? Like naked naked?" Dean was intrigued, picturing Olivia in the nude. "She does have a great body, I have to admit. Shame, I didn't get to see it again."
"True, she does look amazing. Too bad it's her personality that's giving me a headache." Sam replied harshly. "And now she's on a mission to get you back, Dean."
Dean saw the burning questions in Sam's eyes and it made him smile."Oh, don't you worry, Sammy. I love my Carmen and am never gonna give her up."
Hearing Dean's admission left Sam baffled, he hadn't expected him to be so open. Dean grinned at his reaction, loving the fact that he wasn't as easy to read as his brother thought.
"Well, I'm sure she's long gone now. Believe it or not, I've had it and don't want her back in my life." Dean said honestly, looking at his brother intently. "But, maybe...it's not that easy for you to, you know, let go of her...?" He cautiously stated, waiting for Sam to catch on.
Sam eyes widened when he understood what his brother was implying. "What? No way, of course not, I don't want her, either. I..."
Suddenly Carmen stormed into the living room, ready to explode but then stopped hesitantly, looking at Sam first and then meeting Dean's gaze reluctantly. The brother's fell silent immediately, seeing the look on her face they broke off their conversation and focused on her.
Dean was alarmed, sensing how upset she was even though she tried her best to stay calm.
Carmen hadn't expected Sam to be there and was now a little insecure, not wanting him to find out about the latest drama in their lives. But the anger and hurt inside her was eating her alive and she found herself unable to hold all the frustration in any longer. She needed to yell at Dean, take her anger out on him to get some kind of release.
"Hi Sam." She greeted, quickly glancing at him and Sam simply nodded, seeing the storm that was about to break out and he feared for his brother at that moment.
Dean licked his lips and squinted his eyes, bravely awaiting the explosion.
Turning back to Dean, Carmen looked down at him menacingly and he could see the pure hate, but also hurt and vulnerability in her hazel eyes. For one second he thought this was the end. He had finally lost her.
"Your girlfriend is staying here for good!" She snapped."She holds a job at my workplace now and I'm forced to see her every day!" Apparently, Sam and Dean both needed a few minutes to process her words since they were staring at her in complete confusion.
"What?" They both exclaimed simultaneously. Dean had no idea what the hell she was talking about."I...what?" He stammered, looking at his brother for support, but Carmen continued with her rant, interrupting him again.
"She's here because of you, Dean. And she won't stop until you belong to her completely." Carmen's voice was trembling at this point. "This is all your fault, Dean. Why are you doing this to me? Why do you keep torturing me? You don't care about me at all, do you? I hate you so much." She ended hoarsely, tears glistening in her eyes.
Hearing her say those words, seeing the way she was looking at him hurt Dean deeply, the sharp sting he felt in his heart was echoing painfully through his whole body. Although he knew she was hurt and didn't really mean it, Dean wasn't able to defend himself or muster up a reply.
Sam thought about Carmen's words properly, letting them sink in and came to his own conclusion. Apparently, Olivia wasn't the biggest problem. His brother was unfaithful again and Carmen had found out about it.
Sam jumped up in utter shock."What the hell, Dean! What girlfriend? Are you sleeping around again? I thought you two have worked everything out!"
"So did I!" Carmen yelled."But then this slut appears out of nowhere and invades my life! She wants to take everything away from me and so far she's been doing one hell of a job."
"Are you talking about Olivia?" Sam asked with an expression of pure horror. His brother had lied to him and he was totally confused again. He didn't know what to believe anymore."Dear God, Dean are you fucking her again? Are you really that blind to fall for her?"
"I'm not! I didn't sleep with her, I told you so like two minutes ago! And it was the truth, I didn't lie to you, Sammy!" Dean barked, finally finding his voice again and got up slowly, growing irritated. Carmen and Sam started to piss him off with their yelling and their reluctance to let him explain. And he was tired of doing all the explaining since no matter what he said, neither of them seemed to believe him.
"And why should I believe you?" Dean thought Sam must have read his mind when he heard his little brother's next words."We both know how persuasive Olivia can be, so chances are you've already fallen under her spell. And don't forget how eager you were to get rid of Carmen not that long ago."
"Thanks for reminding me, Sammy." Carmen grimaced, deliberately not looking Dean's way. "I've tried so hard to ignore her, but when I saw her today at work, I lost it." She swallowed and finally looked up at Dean. "She wants you and she won't stop until she's taken you from me."
"What'd she tell you, Dean? That she's your real mate? She's screwing with your mind and now you're doubting your own decision." Sam pushed, wanting Dean to deny everything. He felt like a scared little boy, fearing that Olivia would screw up his brother's life. He knew damn well how dangerous she was and he hated the way Dean had been acting back then when she had deceived him. He didn't want to see his brother so miserable again. This time it was even more complicated and Dean had a lot more to lose. Sam vowed to himself to make sure to protect his brother from that nasty bloodsucker because Dean tended to underestimate that bitch.
Sam was pressuring him again and it was too much for Dean, he couldn't take it anymore."Enough! For God's sake Sammy, just shut up!"
He saw Carmen's frighteningly pale face, the dark circles under her eyes and he knew she was suffering. He sighed and looked Sam who had finally stopped yelling straight in the eye."We need to calm down. That's exactly what she wants to achieve. She wants to drive a wedge between us by driving us crazy, so we need to get a grip. Everything I told you earlier was the truth, Sammy. She's trying to screw us both over because she's pissed. She wants revenge and thinks she's smart. Well, she's messing with the wrong guys."
Silence filled the room as everyone stopped talking and slowly calmed down after the first shock. Dean picked up his glass of whiskey and sat back down on the sofa, smiling devilishly. "We've learned a lot over the past few centuries and we're not newbies. Don't you worry Sammy, she won't get under my skin this time around. I've learned my lesson." He took a swig of whisky, his eyes turning dark and a dangerous glint appeared in the green depths. "Apparently, she hasn't heard about our reputation in this town. No one fucks with the Winchesters."
Sam closed his eyes and shook his head, taking a deep breath. He never lost his cool and this was definitely an exception. He took a seat again, feeling a little embarrassed about his reaction. He had believed every word his brother said, but when he saw Carmen he instantly thought Dean had been lying. "You're right. Sorry, Olivia can be really convincing."
"Yeah, I know." Dean nodded, frowning when he realized Carmen was still standing next to the sofa, staring blankly into the distance. Sam noticed too and spoke up, trying to get through to her. "Carmen? You okay?"
She didn't react and Dean was instantly worried, fighting the panic he felt. "Baby..." He reached out, taking her hand but she stood frozen on the spot and refused to look at him.
"Babe, come here. Talk to me." He said softly, pulling her closer and onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her, so she wouldn't try to flee. He kissed her softly on the lips and then placed a kiss to her forehead, comforting her. "I had no idea, but I promise, you have nothing to fear. This doesn't change anything." He cupped her face and smiled at her. "No one's going to take me away from you. Not ever."
Carmen swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes shut and fighting her feelings. She let his voice soothe the pain until she finally was able to nod faintly. "Okay." She chocked out and got off his lap, straightening up. She looked between the brothers, wanting to say something, but Dean pulled her down to him again for a kiss.
"I love you, baby." He whispered and Carmen's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting Dean to declare his love again and in front of Sam. She was utterly confused and speechless."I...I..." She leaned up but Dean didn't let go of her, still holding her hand. She looked over at Sam and he smiled at her, more than glad to see his brother was finaly opening up to Carmen.
She couldn't hold back the tears at this point and let them fall freely, not ashamed that she was crying in front of them. "I'm sorry for interrupting you guys. Excuse me, I'm going to go upstairs now." She managed to say and Dean stood up, gently wiping the tears off of her face. He placed a kiss onto her hand and then finally released her. "Okay, my love."
She smiled weakly at him and then started to back out of the room, confusion written all over her face. She had never seen Dean being so open, expressing so much love for her outside the bedroom and she didn't know how to handle it. Reaching the staircase, she quickly turned around and rushed up the stairs into the bedroom, aching for some alone time in order to get her feelings under control.
Dean watched her with an undefinable expression on his face until she was out of sight. When she was finally gone he let the mask he had kept on in her presence fall.
"I'll hunt that bitch down and kill her, Sammy." He growled."My Carmen has already been through enough."
Sam realized that his brother wasn't nearly as cool as he pretended to be and had only been playing it off because of Carmen. In fact, he was terrified and now Sam understood.
"You think she'll try to harm her." Sam stated and Dean nodded."Yeah, she's crazy. I'm not sure how far she's willing to go to destroy me, so we better be prepared."
Sam had that look on his face again and Dean waited patiently for him to speak up."She's going rogue, Dean. Look how desperate and unhappy she is. So many centuries and she still hasn't found her mate. It's pretty damn scary how loneliness can change you."
"Yeah." Dean replied, taking in a deep breath."As if living amongst vamps isn't already dangerous enough and now we all need to be even more careful."
"Yeah, we're going to have to walk a tightrope." Sam agreed, taking a sip from his drink to calm his nerves. He thought about Abby, she wasn't even a vampire and he knew he had to turn her soon. He had wanted to delay that moment for as long as possible, but he knew eventually he had to confess to her that he was a vampire. The sooner the better.
"You and Abby stay safe, okay?" Dean said, knowing that his brother was worried about his mate. Abby was the most vulnerable out of all of them.
"You and Carmen, too." Sam replied."You two tend to act especially reckless." He added jokingly, trying to lighten the mood and was happy when he saw his brother smile a little.
Dean walked into the bedroom, finding Carmen asleep in the bed. He had been worried that she was avoiding him and didn't want to talk to him after Sam had left. Now he was relieved to see that she looked so peaceful, he couldn't sense agony or dark emotions inside of her and hoped it was a good sign. But he couldn't tell whether she was still upset or blamed him for everything.
He carefully sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Carmen let out a tiny sigh and turned onto her back without waking up. It sure had been one hell of a night, no wonder Carmen was so exhausted.
Dean's eyes turned dark with lust when he saw the marks he had left on the soft skin of her neck. She was his. Everyone could smell and see it. And no one else would ever get to touch her. He had told Sam the truth when he said he was never going to give her up. He would rather die than see her with somebody else and if for some reason Carmen was to leave him one day, he knew he wouldn't survive it. Losing his girl was his worst fear. It would be his end.
Dean leaned in and kissed her lips softly, smiling when she mumbled his name in her sleep. She could feel his presence in the room and Dean felt ridiculously happy as suddenly a pleasant warmth spread through his body. It didn't matter that his past was haunting him or that Olivia was back, their bond was getting stronger and deeper with every passing day. Though it was nowhere near perfection like it had used to be, it was apparent that they were close again for the first time in decades. They got a second chance and wouldn't make the same mistakes twice. No one could break their tie.
Dean found himself grinning stupidly and realized he had to get out of the room before Carmen caught him watching her sleep. She would never let him live that one down and would tease him about it for all eternity.
He kissed her one last time and wanted to get up, but it was too late. Carmen opened her eyes, looked up at him sleepily and smiled when she saw his face."Dean..." She breathed out, causing all the blood in his system to go south. He let out a tortured groan, leaning his forehead against hers. She was unintentionally driving him wild, her hot breath, those sleep-dazed hazel eyes and that deliciously warm body were so inviting, calling out to him.
"I love you so much." She whispered against his lips and Dean felt a shiver run down his spine at her words. Before he met her, he had never thought how much of turn on those words could be. He wanted nothing more than to be inside of her again, to be wrapped up in her. Wanted and needed to hear her whisper how much she loved him over and over again.
"I know, baby." He finally managed to say. "I love you, too."
Carmen smiled happily, running a hand softly through his hair and then turning onto her side, instantly going back to sleep. Dean sighed, knowing she was probably too dazed and wouldn't remember this particularly intimate moment when she woke up again.
He got up and quietly left the bedroom.
A/N: Hi! First of all, Happy New Year, everyone! Hope you guys aren't too tired or having a killer headache.
Thank you all for reading this story and big thanks to Subtlelife and Violet Jayde Elizabeth Rose for reviewing the last chapter!