Dean opened the front door to find Mae at the threshold, her hand frozen mid-air. Her eyes were wide with surprise, while his mind raced to fill in details on why she was out there and what risks she was facing. He did nothing to hide the surprise on his face either before it morphed to suspicion. She quickly raised her hands in surrender. His eyes immediately tracked to the glint of the steel blade still in her grasp.
"It's not what you think," Mae said, lowering the knife and holding it out to Dean, even though she knew it was exactly what he thought, at least the part he was going to get mad about. "I was making an offering to the kitsune."
"An offering?" Dean repeated, raising an eyebrow, taking the knife from her. "What kind of offering?"
"Rice," Mae replied, "It's what I had on hand and...well, the lore all said it responded well to something like food."
Mae pressed her lips together and shifted on her feet a bit. It felt rather like she was about to be yelled at by her dad for borrowing the car without permission. She knew he was worried about her, about Sam, more on guard about their safety than normal. She couldn't exactly push back on anything he might be mad about. That didn't make her less nervous.
"And you just decided to do this on your own? Dean asked, still eyeing her suspiciously.
"Yes," she sighed, "Can I come into my own house?"
He looked her over again. Her mannerisms and speech was the same as ever, unlike Sam when the kitsune had a hold of him. And she didn't seem like the manifestation the kitsune could use of her. She willingly gave him the knife, which according to Mae, she was able to kill the other kitsune by cutting off its tail.
After another moment, he step to the side but only enough to let her slip by, her body having to slide across his.
"Mae, what the hell are you doing?" he said gruffly as she closed the door.
"I told you-"
"No, this reckless bullshit." His voice was louder, harsher than he intended. He looked over his shoulder at Sam, who stirred a bit but didn't wake up fully.
Mae shifted back at it. "Okay pal, this was fairly controlled. And this isn't exactly a safe lifestyle."
"You know that's not what I mean. I thought we'd talked about this and... just what the hell are you doing?"
"I know you don't trust the kitsune. And I'm not saying I do either. But aren't you the one who's always saying that these kinds of creatures follow rules, there are some things we can anticipate. I made an agreement with the kitsune, and they hold up agreements. I think that's what's keeping us safe. And I don't think I'm ever going to convince you of this. I don't know what to tell you."
"Why are you so sure?"
She shook her head. "Any explanation I might be able to offer you wouldn't make you feel more confident. You're just going to have to trust me. That's the only way I see this working."
"You get that it's hard to trust you when you're not telling me shit?"
"Yeah, I get it. You were asleep."
Dean raised his eyebrows, unsure how to respond in the current situation. "You're lucky you didn't get hurt." he said, "Don't do something like this without me. It's too dangerous."
"Roger that. I'll do better. Do you want to keep lecturing me or..."
Mae stepped around him walking back towards the kitchen. Dean followed.
"I'm not lecturing. It's not like this whole thing didn't kick off because you thought you had things handled. I just want you, you know, safe and alive."
Mae pressed her lips together. "We're don't disagree. I'm not brand new to this job you know. I can read a situation and plan. And I did have the original situation handled. I didn't anticipate a second kitsune that wasn't trying to take out people." She walked to the sink and washed her hands, needing to do something to keep herself busy. "You can't always...protect me."
Dean set the knife on the counter and then was right next to her. "Yes, I can."
There was a certain kind of desperation in his plea, but she was unsure why until she remembered and could have smacked her forehead. It was hardly enough time since his Dad passed away for anything to be normal for him. She smiled a bit, softening. "Okay...there's...I don't want you to change who you are," she placed a hand on his chest, "trying to keep people safe is one of the best things about you. But I'm not some random chick who needs you to protect her because she doesn't know anything about what's really out there. You have got to trust me. You've got to see me as a hunter too, even if that means you can't control my safety the way you want."
Dean wanted to grumble about it, but he knew she was right. "I just..." He couldn't explain what he was feeling to her. He knew it was more than possible that she was right. The last group of vampires proved that. He placed his hand over hers. "I need..."
"I am certain that there will be something that comes up that will swap our positions and I will be begging you to be safer, smarter, less reckless. You'll tell me all the same stuff I just said, and I'll get to be huffy. There's nothing I can say or do that's going to make you worry less. We've had this discussion, this fight over and over. I don't want to fight, it's not fun and we're not going to get anywhere. So..."
Mae trailed off, looking at him expectantly. Dean reached out to stroke her hair. Logically, de knew he couldn't always protect Mae from everything, no matter how hard he tried. And she was stubborn enough to keep going after what she wanted, no matter the risks.
"So?" he said finally.
Mae grinned, feeling some of the tension in her shoulders dissipate. "So... we could either make breakfast or... we could go back to bed."
Dean chuckled, shaking his head. "You're lucky I can't get enough of you," he said, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around her waist. He leaned in to nip at lip delicately. "But...I have to admit, I might be a little hungrier for actual food."
"I won't take it personally. I'm starving."
He let her go, somewhat reluctantly, and she walked over to the refrigerator. Mae took out a plastic wrapped dish out of the freezer. After unwrapping it, She placed it in the microwave over the stove and set it to defrost. She turned the oven on to pre-heat it. Dean couldn't help but watch her, admiring the way she moved around the kitchen with such ease.
"I still can't believe you made a deal with a kitsune," Dean said, breaking the silence.
"Me either, honestly. It would have been a lot easier if it was just something we had to hunt and kill. But...if this thing isn't evil...it doesn't feel right to take it out. You see that right?"
"Yeah, I'm not... I'm not saying we kill things that don't need killing but..." He raked a hand through his hair. "It used to be simpler, and we just don't know if you're right or not."
Mae turned to face him. "But all the things we hunt, we hunt because they hurt people. So how many things have we hunted that...were just living and maybe we're on the wrong side of things."
"So, we just let demons and vampires and rawheads run rampant on people?"
"Of course not. I'm just... I want to think a little more about these things."
"You're not wrong. But I don't know how to figure this out..."
She shrugged. "I'm making me crazy with it too, you know."
Dean looked at her, realizing that she was right. They were making themselves mad trying to figure out what the right response without any of the details they needed. To add, the line between good and evil was getting blurrier every day in their line of work, and it was starting to take her too. Sam seemed much more comfortable than he was at considering the grey, rather than his black and white. It was reassuring to see Mae there too.
"Mae, listen," he said, stepping to her. "I trust your judgement. I do. I don't want you to get hurt. And I don't want Sam to get hurt. I hate feeling out of my depth. Since dad...I just don't know how to fix any of this."
"I know," she said softly, leaning into him. She reached up to stroke his jaw, a gesture he leaned into as his lids dropped a bit. Her hands were soft and gentle. "Look at us, talking like grown up."
He smirked. "I'm pretty sure we could work it all out with sex."
"Uh huh. That does sound like a fun, if terrible plan."
Dean sighed, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He kissed her nose. She made him feel better somehow. That made him happy and unsettled but no longer in even measures. "Just promise me you'll be careful, okay?"
"I promise. You ever worry you're getting soft here, Deany." The quirk of her lips offered a flirtatious challenge.
"I tend to have the opposite situation with you, Red."
"Pervert." She teased.
"You love it."
The microwave beep and Mae turned to take it out. Dean didn't let her go, only loosened his grip so she could turn. He buried his nose in her hair. She smelled good, a fading herbal scent of her shampoo and her natural scent. When she bent to slide the dish in the oven, he couldn't help but grind his hips against her back side.
"Seriously, dude?"
"Yeah. Pervert, remember?"
"A sausage and egg casserole really gets you goin', huh?"
"Guess so."
He spun them both, lifting her up in the process and placing her on the butcher block island. He enjoyed the feminine squeak she gave at the unexpected move.
"I appreciate the enthusiasm, I really do, but we aren't about to do this here. Your brother is like feet away and I'm not into...that."
Dean chuckled, running his hands over the curves of her thighs. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll behave. For now."
Mae rolled her eyes playfully, but a shiver ran through her body at his touch. She loved the way he made her feel, the way he knew just how to touch her to drive her wild. "Okay well, breakfast will be ready in about an hour."
"An hour?" Dean asked, contemplating all the things they could do in an hour.
"Yeah. This isn't a gas station."
His brows quirked in amusement. "Then it seems like I don't have to behave that long."
She push him back a bit with a hand to his chest. "Alight," she said, extending the word with a laugh, "cool down stud. I've got some things to do. Then I'm all yours."
He kissed her neck, letting his lips linger on her skin as he spoke. "What do you have to do? There's nothing out here."
As his stubble brushed her skin, she shivered. Damn, she thought, he knew all the ways to get her going. She wasn't sure if he was in tune with her that much or if he was like this with every girl. Mae cleared her throat and leaned back. "Laundry. Pay bills. It's not a lot but I like to get it done early so that once I find a job, I'm ready to go. I've got a routine." She said a bit defensively.
His fingers slid down the other side of her neck, tracing the tendon tenderly. "I can help with laundry. You don't mind if I do some of mine, do you?"
"Why would I?"
"Then I guess let's do your weird house shit."
Mae laughed, hopping off the island. "It's not weird house shit, it's just being responsible. But sure, you can help me with the laundry."
Dean made his way upstairs since he brought his bag to the bedroom as Mae unpacked what clothes she still had from hers in the living room, uncertain if she wanted to keep any of them. They met back up in the laundry room which was in the main floor bathroom. They had enough for several loads, not counting Sam's dirty laundry so they decided not to touch his yet.
That task started, Dean grabbed Mae's wrist as she got to the bathroom door, closed it, and pinned her against it.
"Mmm, Dean," Mae moaned as he kissed her hard. She ran her hands through his hair, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. The sound of the washing machine filled the small space.
"I couldn't wait any longer," Dean said, his voice rough with desire.
Mae giggled, nibbling on his earlobe. "You made it maybe 15 minutes."
"You're the one who drives me crazy," he said, sliding a hand down to cup her ass.
By the time they collected themselves, redressed, and exited the bathroom, the house smelled fantastic, air laced with the savory scent of eggs, sausage, and potatoes. Dean's stomach growled its eagerness. Mae got the breakfast out of the oven as well as plates while Dean check on his brother. Not much change there. He sighed but joined Mae at the table to eat. It was nice, he supposed to have a home cooked meal.
"So..." Mae said, after chewing her first bite, "how likely are you to go along with me going out to get groceries?"
"We're not out of food, are we?"
"No, I've got a deep freeze too. I just like eggs and fresh veggies. I think it's safe enough, but I'll leave that decision up to you. See, reasonable. I even promise not to argue with you."
With a chuckle, he took another bite. "Well now I'm not so sure you're not possessed."
"Haha. What do you want me to do? I can be out and back in an hour and a half or so."
"Okay the town can't be that big."
"It's because the town isn't that big. The store is down in Livingston, which is about 30 minutes away. I could be pretty quick and right back here."
Dean contemplated the risks. Oddly, he hated the idea of telling her no, like he'd be disappointing her. "I'd feel better if we waited, maybe until Sam is coherent. Or this thing leaves or ascends."
"Fair enough. Then it's reheated means and pasta for however long that takes."
"This is good." He said, taking another bite, "And you'll really...just let me make this call?"
"Dude, I just told you I would."
Dean cleared his throat. This new dynamic might take some getting used to. "So... did you see or sense or whatever happens because of the weird connection you have with the kitsune when you were out there?"
"Yeah, it was weird. It was just a little fox, with a bunch of tails, before you think I'm excited about a regular fox. So put down the rice and it comes up all foxed out, is kind of cagey about it. I eat some rice to show it the rice was safe. Then that asshole steals my bowl."
He laughed a bit. "You seem more upset about that than you were worried about going out there."
"I was still worried. I brought my knife and everything. But that's one of the bowls I use regularly. So now I have go to search the property for my stuff?"
Dean shook his head. "You're a super weird chick."
"You love it."
