Chapter 3: Cop Car
But there was somethin' bout the way
The blue lights were shinin'
Bringing out the freedom in your eyes.
I was too busy watching you
Going wild child
To be worried about going to jail
-Keith Urban
Shelby fiddled with her bra strap in front of the bathroom mirror. She tried to slow down, she really did. She was just too excited. She loved it when Dean surprised her. After adjusting her bra correctly, she slid a tight fitting orange tank top over her head and grabbed a slightly wrinkled ACDC half top. She grabbed her favorite leather watch and her guitar bracelet, slipping them over her right wrist. She rummaged through her black hole of a duffel bag until she pulled out her silver guitar necklace and her mom's old dream catcher earrings. She put some light makeup on and reviewed herself in the dirty vanity.
As soon Shelby was happy with her outfit for the night, she ran a comb through her hair and stepped out of the bathroom. Dean looked at her appreciatively as she sat on the bed and pulled her favorite brown boots on.
"If you take a picture it'll last longer." Dean looked away immediately as Shelby's words drifted softly through the stale motel air. He smirked and grabbed his leather jacket, moving to open the door for the birthday girl, not trusting his voice at the moment.
Shelby grinned triumphantly and stepped out of the door, waiting for Dean as he locked up. They walked in comfortable silence to the Camaro. Dean surprised Shelby by opening her door for her before sliding over the hood Duke style to his own door. His stomach fluttered as he heard Shelby laughing rather loudly in the front seat. Dean slide into the seat and clipped his seat belt in before turning the engine over.
The car was quiet while Dean drove. Shelby deep in thought. She didn't allow herself a lot of leeway when it came to having fun. The exceptions were birthdays and Christmas. Family was important, even if they weren't your own blood. And family in the world of Hunting was something to keep close. They could be swept away from you so easily. She felt so blessed in this moment, that this man driving considered her family and cared enough for her to take time out of their busy lives to let her enjoy herself. The girl next to Dean giggled softly before looking out of the window. He wondered what she was thinking about.
-TOL-
"Happy Birthday!" Shelby jumped as she opened the motel door only to be met with Sam and Dean Winchester standing under a disco ball that looked like it had been lifted out of an old party store dumpster. Johnny Cash played in the background softly. Her surprised face quickly turned to happiness as she rushed forward and engulfed the brothers in a tight hug. The three teenagers laughed heartily as Shelby pulled away.
"You guys, this is amazing! And here I thought you left with the old men!" Shelby smile brightly as she looked around at the brightly colored streamers hanging from the ceiling with duct tape. There was a sign hanging across the counter that read 'Happy 18th!' She loved these boys so much, they always made her feel needed.
She had the worst morning. Her father came back to the motel at six a.m., still drunk, mumbling about her mother. Shelby sighed as she pulled his boots and coat off after he fell into the full sized bed. This happened every once in a while. Shelby tried not to let it bother her. Hell, she agreed one hundred percent with her father. It was her fault her mother had died. If she hadn't have leaned too far over the dock, that thing would have never grabbed her. Her mother jumped in without a second thought to save her. Shaking her head, Shelby blinked away tears. Dean noticed and walked towards her.
"May I have the first dance mi'lady" He asked with a terrible British accent. Shelby smiled softly, laughed, and grabbed the boys hand. Sam walked over to the radio and turned up the song that was currently playing. After Dean danced a few songs with Shelby, Sam cut in. Then they spent the rest of the night playing poker and drinking up the rest of the bourbon that their dads had stashed in the bottom of their bags. That was one of the happiest nights of her life. A true reminder of what real family meant.
-TOL-
"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" Dean asked curiously. He'd been watching her for the ten minutes they had been driving. He started to get worried when a few tears trailed down Shelby's face, but it disappeared when she smiled and put her head down against the cool window. She jumped slightly at his voice, and wiped her face before answering him.
"My eighteenth birthday." She said with a smile. Dean smiled widely. That was a great night; for the most part. Long after the birthday girl had passed out, Sam and Dean were sitting at the counter, still sharing the bourbon. Sam had confessed his feelings for her. Dean hadn't said anything. It wasn't like Sam was asking his permission. Just thinking out loud. Not long after his speech, Sam had fallen asleep on one of the beds. Dean sat up all night, watching Shelby as she snored lightly, trying to ignore the burning pit in his stomach his younger brother had caused. The hunter cleared his throat before speaking,
"Well, it just so happens that I might have found the rest of that bourbon that our dads stocked away." Dean's smile grew when he heard Shelby laugh.
"Well Mr. Hot-shot, where do you propose we finish off this red-tagged bourbon?" Shelby raised an eyebrow towards the green-eyed man driving. She smirked as he veered off the road and drove right past a no-trespassing sign into a huge bean field. When Dean put the Camaro in park, Shelby pulled herself out of the open window and climbed onto the top of the car. Dean exited like a normal person would and popped the trunk. After grabbing the bourbon, he joined Shelby on the hood, where she had moved to during his search for the alcohol. She crossed her toned legs over each other and leaned back onto the windshield.
"Shooting star!" Shelby suddenly exclaimed, pointing up to the sky. Dean rolled his eyes and passed her the bottle.
"No way. That was an airplane." Shelby lightly slapped his arm and took a swig from the black and white labeled bottle.
"Well, then use your imagination. Pretend the airplanes are shooting stars. Make a wish." Shelby closed her eyes tightly as Dean grabbed the Jim Beam from her and took a long drink. He wished…
"Do you ever think about leaving?" Shelby opened her eyes slowly and tilted her head towards him. She had a small frown grace her sculpted eyebrows.
"What do you mean?"
"Just, leaving this all behind. This life. Hunting. Go start a family and get a normal job." His face was heating up as he said this.
"What normal things do we know how to do Dean? Besides, we're good at hunting things. We save people. It's kind of my family's business." Shelby chuckled lightly at her own sentence. She loved this life. There was never a dull moment; even with danger around every corner, she wouldn't trade it. She lived for the adrenaline rush. She looked over at Dean. His face stayed stoic.
"What was your wish, Princess?" Dean asked, silently dropping the subject. Shelby sighed and looked back up at the sky. She looked at Dean mischievously before stealing the alcohol from him and finishing it off with two big gulps.
"Well Mr. Hot-shot, if I told you it wouldn't be likely to come true, now would it?" Dean smiled and laughed softly, shaking his head at the girl as she laughed along. After a few minutes of silence, Shelby got off of the blue hood and reached through the window, turning on the radio. The song Eight Second Ride came on and Shelby pumped her tan fist in the air before she dragged Dean off of the hood.
"Oh my God Dean, I love this song! Dance with me." Dean smiled a little before putting his hands low on Shelby's waist and danced half-heartedly to the country song. Most of his attention was on the girl in his arms, dancing a little drunkenly into him. Even drunk, her voice was amazing. Dean sighed and pulled away when the song finished. Shelby whimpered pathetically when Dean reached in the window and turned the radio down. He checked his pocket for the bump of Shelby's birthday present before straightening back up and walking over to her. As he put his hand in his pocket to pull the ring out, red and blue lights lit up the plowed field.
"Oh, shit. Come on let's go!" Shelby yelled with laughter in her voice before running to the car. Dean ran a hand down his face and turned around, ready to run.
"Not so fast, little lady." The police megaphone blared out.
"Don't even think about it young man." Came a second voice.
"Come on Dean, they look like they've had one too many donuts today, let's go!" Dean looked at Shelby sidelong. He tried to hide the smile that wanted to break through. He failed.
"It'll only make it worse Princess." Dean said. Colt is gonna kill me.
The heavyweight, balding police officers lifted themselves out of the car and waddled over to the young couple.
"Did y'all not finish school or somethin'?" The bigger of the two asked, pointing to the 'NO TRESPASSING' sign. Dean was about to answer when Shelby's voice rang out.
"Did y'all not see the free donut sign on the way out here?" She mocked the man's deep southern accent with a smirk on her face and hands on her hips. Colt is definitely gonna to kill me. Dean grabbed Shelby and pulled her away from the officer. Dean clenched his jaw and looked hard at the girl in front of him. The blue lights lit up her green eyes as she glared at the officers. He could just hear her saying how easily they could outrun them. Before Dean could say or do anything to save the situation, he felt the cold sting of metal handcuffs locking onto his wrists. He chuckled as Shelby gave the officer a tough time, slipping out of the cuffs once.
The officers pushed them roughly into the back of the cop car and stood outside, doing some paperwork on the hood of the car. Shelby sat on Dean's right. She huffed loudly and slumped in her seat.
"Happy freakin' birthday to me." She said sarcastically. Dean found himself chuckling again. He finished picking the lock on his handcuffs and cut the zip ties the officer had been forced to use on Shelby. She rubbed her red wrists softly as she watched Dean pull something out of his pocket.
"Happy Birthday, Princess." Shelby gasped at the beautiful ring Dean held in his hand. A garnet heart was the focus, surrounded by black diamonds. There were intricate silver tendrils wrapped around the heart to hold it in place. She loved it.
"Dean... I, I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything." Shelby looked up at Dean, taken aback by the look in his eyes. She decided to look back at the ring again. It was so beautiful. She slipped it on her right ring finger. It fit perfectly.
"Alright kids, time to- Now how in the Hell did you get outta that?" The officer huffed from the open back door. Dean and Shelby smiled sheepishly. They held their hands up in defeat, laughing to themselves as the cops put zip ties on both their wrists. The ride to the station was rather quiet. Each fugitive off in their own mind. Her thinking about the beautiful ring resting on her finger, and the man who had gifted it to her. Him thinking about what her father would do when he got a phone call in an hour and deciding he didn't really care.
"You know, we should just call Bobby. Have him concoct something up. It could be my birthday present from him." God, this girl is a genius. Dean smiled down at the brunette next to him. She smiled back, a bit shyly. The alcohol was still affecting her. When the officer driving hit the curb and turned sharp into the station, she slammed into Dean and knocked him over in the seat. Looking down at Dean's surprised face, Shelby took in a deep breath. God, he was beautiful. The hunter underneath her might have had the same thing running through his mind, it was sure as hell running through his pants. He might not have had the courage without good ole Jim Beam egging him on., but Dean leaned up closer to Shelby's face and glanced at her lips as she nibbled on her bottom one.
"Shelby, I-"
"Alright you hooligans. Enough playin' around!" Shelby grunted loudly when a different officer than any of the ones they'd seen before pulled her out of the car roughly.
-TOL-
A couple of hours later Dean and Shelby walked out of the small town police station with a pep in their step. Bobby had begrudgingly agreed to assist them in getting out of the bind they got themselves into, only agreeing when Shelby pulled what Dean called her 'puppy-dog voice'; something she did over the phone. Dean had no idea how she did it. Sam had his puppy dog eyes. Shelby had surpassed the teacher it seemed.
"Damn it. It's like a ten mile walk back to the car." Shelby half-heartedly whined.
"Come on Princess, you run like ten miles a day, a ten mile walk should be nothing." Dean said with a smile. Shelby looked over at him agitatedly and punched him in the arm.
After a while of comfortable silence, Shelby knocked her shoulder into Dean's.
"So, what were you gonna say in the car?" Dean coughed a bit at Shelby's question. He looked up at the stars for a second before turning his attention back at her. How did he say this? The alcohol had made it's way out of his system. He wasn't someone who said what he was feeling out loud. His dad had taught him that. Feelings got people hurt.
"It can't be that bad, right?" Shelby asked, a little worry in her voice. Dean could see how she was closing herself up. He hated how self conscious she got around him sometimes. She deserved to feel amazing all the time. He just had to say it. Grow a pair Dean. He came to a stop, waiting for Shelby to follow suit. They stood under a willow tree on the side of the road by a small pond. The crickets were chirping and bull frogs called loudly for their mates. A flickering street light buzzed in the distance.
"Shelby, I... am not really good at this kinda thing." Dean laughed at himself and ran a sweaty hand down his face. Shelby waited calmly for him to continue. She really didn't know what else to do at this point.
"You're an amazing person; an even better hunter. And you've been there for me, so many times. Hell, I consider you more of a family than my old man..." Dean paused again. Shelby stepped a little closer to him; not quite sure if she wanted to hear what Dean had to say. Dean closed the gap between them. He gently brought his hand up to her tanned cheek. Shelby's lips parted as Dean leaned down slowly, not sure if this is what Shelby wanted.
It definitely was what she wanted, seeing as she grabbed Dean's neck and pulled him the rest of the way down to her. The air seemed to teem with electricity around them. Shelby's stomach was so full of butterflies she thought she might puke. Dean thought his eyes might pop out of his skull.
"Shelby," Dean started quietly as he pulled back gently.
"I'm sorry Dean, I should have known. How stupid could I be. God fucking damn it." Shelby pulled herself away and walked to the edge of the pond, staring down at the smooth, black surface. Tears were threatening to fall down her soft cheeks. She had grown up with Dean, they were treated like brother and sister more than anything. How could she think... Dean still stood in shock as she moved away. He regained his composure after a moment and stomped over to the brunette.
"God... Dean. I thought, maybe you might, ya know..."
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do know. It seems like you're the one who doesn't have a clue, for once." Dean grabbed Shelby's arm and turned her around quick enough to pull her off her feet and lightly fall into Dean's chest for the second time that night.
"I don't how else to say this and it's been killing me for a while now."
"Say what Dean?" Her heart was pounding in her ears. She knew what she wanted him to say and what he might say could very well be at opposite ends of the spectrum.
"I don't know what I'd do without you. And I don't wanna find out. I love you, Shelby." He whispered the last part. It was so quiet she almost didn't hear it. Shelby's mouth dropped open in a very un-lady like manner. Dean didn't wait for a response before he took his thumb and closed her mouth. Shelby really didn't know how to respond to that statement. She had always thought of Dean as someone who would be there. Forever. She never had to worry about what he thought about her. Her heart fluttered just thinking about his smile, his eyes, his strong jawline, his passion, and don't forget about his body. Every time she has to hustle men for money in the bars, she thinks about herself rubbing up against Dean. He has saved her ass a few times, not as many as her, him though, she thought smugly.
Thinking ahead, towards her future, she couldn't see anyone else in her life besides Dean. Fighting whatever came their way, together. Ever since she was ten years old, he had been there for her.
"Really?" She squeaked out. Dean laughed out loud before bringing his forehead to lay against hers.
"You know how hard this is for me, I know you do. So please, don't make me say it again." Shelby laughed, a single tear streaming down from her emerald eyes.
"I'm sorry-"
"Stop saying you're sorry."
"I'm so- I love you too." Dean was actually surprised by what she said. She always acted so off put by some of the things he said or did. But he knew at the end of the day, she was always there for him. More than his real family ever was.
"Really?" Dean's voice held a husky tone to it; deeper and scratchier than normal. He was nervous. Did she just say that back as a reflex? Or did she really mean it? Could she actually love him? It was the ideal reaction to his confession. Things just didn't usually go his way. Maybe someone was looking down on him.
"Yeah." Shelby replied quietly.
"Good." Dean brought his very kissable lips crashing down onto hers. He rested one hand on the small of Shelby's back and the other knotted itself in her long brown hair. She brought her delicate hands up to his chest as he pulled her closer. Dean's warm tongue glided over Shelby's lower lip. She gasped surprisingly at the unfamiliar sensation. He took the opportunity to roll his tongue over hers softly. Dean felt her shiver. When air became a necessary evil between the two, they pulled apart.
"We should probably get back to the car." Shelby stated breathlessly as she noticed a few rain drops ripple onto the pond's surface.
"Right. Last one there drives home." Dean yelled back at Shelby, leaving her in the dust. Shelby shook her head with a grin on her face. Yeah, this is love.
-TOL-
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