A/N: Hello dear readers. This is just a one shot that I modified from my creative writing class. I thought it would make a nice read and hope you enjoy it. It is not what you think as you read. I do like reviews/comments. NC
Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of SPN, and this is my own creation. Any errors are my own.
The rain was cold as she hugged her arms around her body, shielding her eyes and jumping when a streak of lightning arced across the sky showing a cabin ahead of her. Her fingers were like icicles, numb from the cold and her entire body shook uncontrollably. She stumbled as she made her way toward it since this was the only house she had seen in her hours of walking.
After shaking off and wringing what water she could from her hair, the young woman knocked on the door and waited praying there was someone home. She didn't want to spend more time out in this storm. Knocking again and not getting an answer, she tried the knob to find it turned freely in her hand.
"Hello," she called stepping into a foyer and listened intently for an answer. Feeling warmth coming from a doorway on the left, she cautiously stepped that way and was met with a warm, cozy, room, thinking it was a living room. The large fireplace drew her quickly into the room as the flames danced merrily in the hearth. She held her cold hand out to warm them as she glanced around wondering where the owner was and hoping she wouldn't be shot for intruding.
Movement caught her attention and she looked to a large couch covered with blankets and pillows, as if someone had been resting there recently, to see two tabby cats raising their heads to stare at her with sleepy eyes. Decided she wasn't interesting; they laid their heads back down going back to sleep.
"Hi," she whispered softly. "Where's your master? You guys can't be alone here."
Her eyes took in the stacks of wood by the fireplace and to the side, thinking someone was prepared for a cold night. Soft lights cast shadows in the room, and she could barely make out several bookcases full of books but couldn't read the titles, and a telescope that was pointed toward the heavens.
After removing her small pack, she sat it on the stone hearth so not to mess up the hard wood flooring. She took off her jacket and draped it over the metal holder for the fireplace tools and removed her boots and sat them in front of the fire to dry. She turned to warm her back and watched out the glass walls as lightning streaked across the sky and thunder rumbled right behind it. Since the boots were waterproof, her feet weren't wet, just cold. She stepped to the couch to pick up a blanket to drape around her before sitting down.
Exhaustion took over and she dropped to the edge of the couch and curled her cold feet under her as she huddled in the blanket and leaned her head back against the pillows, sighing, so happy to be out of the fierce storm raging outside. Her eyelids grew heavy as her body warmed and relaxed sending her into dreamless sleep.
spn
The crackling of the fire and shifting of wood, along with the meows of the two cats, pulled the young woman from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and blinked to clear her vision. She sucked in a sharp breath when she saw the back of a tall, broad-shouldered man at the fireplace putting more wood on it to get it blazing again. Her body froze and she struggled to stop the cough that was tickling the back of her throat wanting to come out.
As if he knew she was awake and watching him, the man slowly turned, cocked his head, to look at the disheveled young woman he had found sleeping on his couch when he returned to the cabin. He waited for her to speak first as he arched an eyebrow and twitched the beginnings of a smile.
The young woman swallowed hard and wet her dry lips as she tried to find her voice. She stared hard at the man's enigmatic expression, uncertain of what it meant. She didn't know if he was angry at her for literally breaking into his home or just curious as to who she was.
"Hi," she finally squeaked out as she absently tried to tame her unruly hair and coughed lightly, clearing her throat.
"Hello," he replied in a deep, calm voice.
"My apologies for barging in like this," she tried to explain. "The door was not locked, and I was freezing out there from the downpour. I'm not a thief or anything like that."
"It's fine, I don't blame you wanting a warm, dry place to get out of the storm. My name is Dean, welcome to my home," he said. "I see you've met Sampson and Deliah," he chuckled seeing the cats cuddled around her legs.
"They make good hot water bottles. It's nice to meet you, Dean; I'm Storm, seems appropriate," she introduced herself. She stroked one of the cats and was rewarded with purring.
"What are you doing out in the middle of the night in this storm?" he asked as a loud crack of thunder echoed outside. "You're a long way from civilization."
Storm jumped and stared wide eyed at the glass windows hoping they would hold, and no trees would come crashing through them. You could hear the wind howling outside as it whipped around the cabin and through the tops of the trees. Her mind was racing as wild thoughts swept through it thinking this was a start to any good horror movie.
"Don't worry, this place has seen worse than this," Dean assured her when he saw her distress.
"I was an idiot and went off trail and got lost," Storm answered him. "I wanted to find this waterfall I heard some people talking about. Darkness came quickly as the storm unleashed its fury and I got turned around and couldn't find my way back to the hiking trail. Seeing the lights of your cabin probably saved my life."
"How about a cup of hot tea or coffee if you prefer. I might even have some cocoa somewhere."
"Hot tea would be great, but don't go to any trouble," Storm told him.
"No trouble, I was going to make some for myself anyway." He walked from the room leaving her alone with her thoughts. She pulled the blanket closer around her and shivered.
Storm was gifted with being able to read people, well, most people, but this Dean guy, she couldn't get a read on him at all. The shining, as she called it, was passed down from her mother's side of the family who were from Romania. It skipped a generation, so her grandmother had it but not her mother and she was gifted with it.
This bothered her and wondered if she had walked into a dangerous situation. Who lives out in the middle of nowhere like this? A small voice whispered in her mind, 'Don't ever take an open drink from a stranger unless you see it being fixed'. It was her grandmother's voice passing on her wisdom of the dangers in the world. Storm's maternal grandparents had raised her after her mother's death when she was eight.
She caught her lower lip and bit it trying to decide what to do. Thinking it might be a good idea to put her boots back on, she stood and grabbed them, slipping them on and tying them. If she did have to defend herself booted feet would hurt worse than sock covered feet.
Mother Nature's fury seemed to intensify outside, and Storm knew going back out in storm was out of the question and that was confirmed when the loud cracking and sudden flash of lightning struck a tree by the house sending branches toppling to the ground.
"Here you go," Dean said as he held out a mug of tea for her. "I sweetened it with honey and added an ice cube so it wouldn't be too hot. Here's some sugar cookies if you'd like one," he offered sitting a plate where she could reach it.
"Thanks, that's how I take it." Storm accepted the mug and sniffed it as she watched him out of the corner of her eyes. He sat down beside her on the couch leaving ample room between them. Taking a breath, she sipped the brew and found it rather pleasant tasting. It was sweet from the honey and tasted like fruit and nuts. She reached for a cookie and quickly devoured it since she was hungry and took another one.
Neither said anything as they watched out the glass walls as the storm seemed to strengthen. Storm was pulled from her thoughts when something started dinging on the desk nearby. She watched Dean quickly get up, go to the desk, and open a laptop to tap a couple of keys.
"Shit!" he spat in anger as his whole demur suddenly changed. After quickly typing commands on the laptop, he closed and unplugged it, tucking it under his arm. Turning toward Storm with a stern look on his face and his body tense, ready for action, he spoke to her. "Storm, I need you to trust me and do exactly what I tell you. No questions asked."
Storm went on high alert knowing something was wrong. She could tell by his body language and facial expression. She drew in a short breath before answering, deciding to go with her gut instinct that Dean wasn't a bad person.
"Okay," she agreed. Storm grabbed her jacket and slipped it on and put her pack over her shoulders.
"Here, take Delia," Dean instructed her, putting the cat in her arms. He picked up Sampson and rushed out of the room, down a short hall to the kitchen.
Storm followed close behind him and gave the kitchen a quick glance, thinking it was simple, yet modern looking. She frowned when Dean opened one of three doors leading off the kitchen and motioned her inside.
"Take Sampson too," Dean told her handing over the other cat.
Storm juggled the two bodies before getting a better grip on them. She looked around the small room realizing it was a pantry with shelves of canned and boxed food neatly lining one side and non-food items and small appliances on the other side.
Dean picked up a flashlight and what looked like a remote and stepped to the rear wall. He pressed a button and the wall magically popped open revealing another area.
"Come on, we need to hurry," he insisted pushing Storm through the door and following her. Once they were on the other side, Dean pushed the door closed and picked up a strong metal bar to slip into brackets on either side of the door. It would stop anyone from easily accessing this area.
Storm saw steps winding downward and wondered where they were going. Dean took her elbow and guided them by the light down the steps until they came to a steel door. He opened this one with his thumb print and stepped inside to turn on a lantern.
The contents of the room surprised her, thinking it looked like a bunker or panic room. She sat the cats on a cot against one wall and watched Dean quickly move around the room.
"Here, put these on, they will keep you warm and dry," he said holding out a coat and watch cap for her. He took another coat and put it on and slipped the watch cap over his head.
"Thanks," Storm replied accepting the coat and hat. She slipped it on and rolled the sleeves up enough that her hands were exposed. The coat was too big on her but was better than the one she had on. She zipped it up and adjusted what she could. Finally, she twisted her hair into a bun before slipping the watch cap over her head, tucking her hair in where she needed to.
"Who's after you?" she asked before thinking about it.
"No questions, okay. The less you know the better."
"Sorry."
"Do you know how to use this?" Dean asked, holding out a handgun for her to take.
Storm looked at the gun for a moment before taking it and popping the clip out to be sure it was fully loaded. She checked the chamber for a round, clicked on the safety and dropped it into her right-hand pocket.
"I can handle it; my grandfather made sure that I could protect myself. He taught me to shoot when I was ten."
"Good. I hope you won't have to use it, but it's better to play it safe." He turned and pulled out another handgun, checking it and slipping it into his jacket pocket along with several extra clips. Knives went into his boot and jeans pocket before he grabbed a backpack and checked the contents.
Storm looked to the cats as they walked around on the cot meowing to the humans. They seemed to know something was happening and didn't want to be left out.
Dean picked up a disposable phone from a shelf and dialed a number, listening to it ring. When he was connected, he began to speak.
"Alpha, Foxtrot, Tango, Sierra, 4759, Operation Fire Fall." When he disconnected, he removed the battery and sim card, breaking the cell into. He dropped the sim card to the cement floor and ground it into tiny pieces. Taking another disposable cell, he dialed another number and waited until it was answered.
"Pick up, back door, two to transport, forty-eight hours." After hanging up, the cell went into an inside jacket pocket. He grabbed a waterproof bag to slip the laptop in before putting it in his pack. "Okay, you ready?" Dean asked, giving her a once over.
"Where are we going?"
"I'll take you somewhere safe and leave you…" Dean started but was interrupted by Storm.
"Hold on," she broke in holding up her hand up. "I know you said no questions, but will you answer one for me?"
"Maybe."
"Were you expecting trouble like this? Did you know someone was coming after you?"
"No," Dean said sincerely.
"I believe you. Now, I have a better idea. Can you get us to the trailhead of the hiking trails?"
"Well, yes but…"
"Good, then we go there since my SUV is parked there, and we go back to my place. We're not connected in any way so no one would be looking for you there. And then you're going to tell me what the hell is going on," Storm stated in a firm, determined voice placing her hands on her hips and daring him to contradict her.
"Fine," Dean finally agreed with a huff. He didn't have time to argue with her and couldn't leave her here. "It'll be a hard hike in the storm, but if that's what you want to do, I'll go along with it."
"What about the cats?"
"They have food and water and litter box in here. A trusted friend will be by to collect them in a couple of days. They'll be fine here."
Dean shouldered his pack, turned on the flashlight, and turned off the lantern. He took Storm's hand and led her to a door at the back of the room. It opened into a dark tunnel that the light barely penetrated.
"Crap," Storm muttered under her breath when the door closed behind them since she could barely see. The air in the tunnel was damp and musty smelling. She gripped Dean's hand tightly as he hurried down the tunnel, pulling her along with him.
They stepped from an opening in a cliff into the driving rain, almost blinding them. Dean got his bearings and headed into the forest away from the cabin.
Storm looked back when she heard what sounded like firecrackers or small explosions going off and saw flashes of light in the distance near the cabin. She quickly turned around and focused on jogging and not falling as it seemed every root, downed branch, and vine tried to trip her.
They started along a ridge when Storm lost her footing on the wet leaves and cried out as she slid and rolled to the bottom. She lay there a moment to get her breath and to make sure nothing was broken.
"Are you okay?" Dean questioned as he slipped down beside her.
"Yeah, the leaves and mud cushioned my fall." She groaned as she pushed herself from the ground and brushed her jeans off while looking up the hill in disgust. That hill was not going to get the best of her.
"Ready to try this again?" he asked.
"Yep, one spill isn't going to stop me." Once she got her footing, Storm started back up the hill digging her boots in and grabbing small trees or bushes to pull herself upward.
Dean moved behind her to be sure she didn't start sliding again. He sighed with relief when they crested the ridge and looked back in the direction of the cabin. He didn't know if they were being followed or not but didn't want to take any chances. He had no idea how they had found him unless someone was paid off, confidential files were hacked, there was a leak somewhere along the line, or they just got damn lucky. That would be something he would look into when this situation was over.
When they were on stable ground, Dean took Storm's hand again and hurried away through the trees. He knew the storm would make tracking them almost impossible and was glad about that.
The winds from the storm almost knocked them over as they hiked through the forest but by the time they were nearing the parking lot, the worst of it had passed. Dean stopped at the edge of the forest and looked at the lone SUV sitting in the middle of the lot. Storm was panting hard and sweat trickled down her face as she zeroed in on her vehicle. She was relieved to see it after their treacherous hike through the woods.
"You stay here, and I'll go get my SUV and pull it over here," Storm told him, hurrying toward her vehicle before he could stop her.
"Wait!" Dean hissed in anger at Storm's recklessness and putting herself in harm's way. He didn't see any movement around the area but wasn't letting his guard down.
Storm stopped by her SUV and struggled out of the coat so she could get to her pack and keys in a side pocket. She opened the driver's door and tossed the coat in the passenger seat. Deciding not to turn on the lights for fear of attracting unwanted attention, she squinted to see as the vehicle rolled around to where Dean was hiding.
"Get in the back and lay down so you can't be seen," Storm told him when he opened the passenger door. "If anyone is watching, they'll only see me."
"Okay," Dean replied closing the door and opening the back one instead. He laid sideways in the back amazed that this young woman was keeping a level head in a bad situation. He hoped he wasn't putting her life in danger by letting her do this.
Storm was careful as she drove toward her house. She had to dodge broken branches and debris on the highway but was glad the rain was only a drizzle now.
"I don't know about you, but I am starved," Storm suddenly said. "How about pancakes and bacon when we get to my house?"
"Sure, that's fine with me," Dean replied. "How much longer?"
"We'll be there in about thirty minutes. I haven't seen anyone following us, just so you know."
"That's good. Hopefully, we got away without being detected. Can I sit up now?"
"No! Don't even think about it!" she insisted glancing back at him for a second. "I'll let you know when we're good."
"Yes ma'am," he chuckled at her outburst. She surprised him by her multilayered personality. He was liking her more than he wanted to and wondered if he was going soft in his old age. Dean looked at the back of Storm's head as she drove and wished they had met in different circumstances.
It bothered him that he was breaking Rule Four, don't involve innocent civilians if possible. Dean had a set of rules that he lived by, and it had worked for him over the years He shook his head and concentrated on his problem at hand as he counted off the time in his head, so he'd know when they were close.
"Okay," Storm called back to him. "You can sit up now."
"Great," Dean grunted as he sat up and stretched the kinks from his body. He looked around and saw they were driving up a long driveway to a one-story house surrounded by trees. He watched the garage door go up and Storm pulled into an empty bay, closing the door behind her.
"We're here. Welcome to my humble abode." Storm grabbed her borrowed coat, got out, and circled her SUV, waiting for Dean to follow her. After opening the door, she shut off the alarm and stopped in the laundry room to leave the coat on the washer. "You can leave your coat here if you like." Storm took the gun out of the pocket to take with her.
"Okay," Dean nodded removing his pack and then his coat. He slipped the gun into his pack and snagged a strap to take it with him.
"Let me change clothes and I'll get the food cooking. The guest bedroom is down the hall there on the right. It has its own bathroom."
"Thanks." Dean walked down the hall and found the bedroom. He stepped inside and took in the room, seeing a bathroom through a side door. He washed up and joined Storm back in the kitchen.
"Anything I can do to help?" Dean asked, seeing Storm moving around in the kitchen. He took a seat at the bar to watch her.
"No, I got it." Storm busied herself with putting the bacon in the oven to cook, heating the griddle, and mixing the batter. "Do you want hot tea, milk, or juice to drink?"
"Anything is fine. I'm not picky."
"If you want something a little stronger, I do have some whiskey in the cabinet."
"I think I can wait a while for that," he laughed as she giggled. "It's a bit early for a shot."
Storm checked the griddle and began to pour the batter onto it. The bacon would be done by the time they were cooked. As the pancakes began to bubble and set, she turned each one to finish cooking. She filled two plates with pancakes and got out the bacon to add on the side.
"Here we go," Storm said happily. "Here's butter, syrup, jam, or honey for the pancakes. I'm having milk, how about you?"
"Milk is fine. This looks good," he told her after several bites.
Storm took a seat on the bar stool beside Dean and poured syrup over her pancakes so she could start eating. She hummed in delight as the tastes exploded in her mouth. After eating a few bites, she turned to Dean who was devouring his food.
"Alright, wanna tell me who we're running from?" she questioned as she continued to eat.
Dean stopped in mid bite and looked cautiously at her. He knew she deserved to know the truth, but should he tell her. Involving her in his problems could be dangerous to her.
"Well, don't leave me in suspense here. Spill it."
"Crap," Dean huffed, not like being put on the spot. He sipped his milk before continuing. "I work for an organization that sends me around the world to resolve sensitive military or political issues. I can't go into details because it's classified, but let's say I've made quite a few enemies over the years. It could be anyone I've had dealings with."
"Bingo! I was right about you," she cried excitedly. "You're a spy. Am I right?"
Dean laughed at her enthusiasm. "I guess that's close enough." He finished his pancakes and bacon and pushed his plate to the side. "Look, I'll be leaving now. I don't want to bring my problems down on you."
"Why would you leave? You're safe here."
"The longer I stay, the more danger you could be in. I don't want that for you."
"Let me worry about that. If you're as tired as I am, I think we both could use a nap. In separate bedrooms," she quickly added as her face reddened when she realized what she said seeing Dean arch his eyebrows at her.
"Thanks, I'll take you up on that. Can I do the dishes for you?"
"Nope, that's what a dishwasher is for," she told him. Storm put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and wiped the counters before excusing herself and heading for her bedroom.
Dean excused himself and went back to the bedroom pulling the door partly closed. He pulled some clean clothes from his pack and went into the bathroom to get a quick shower before laying down. He slipped into a light doze in matter of minutes, but his training kept him from going into a deep sleep.
"Dean!" Storm urgently called to him as she burst into his bedroom hours later. "Wake up!"
"What is it?" he asked instantly awake and zeroing in on her.
"There's someone trying to get into the house. I saw them in the trees at the front of the house when I went to get a drink."
"We need to leave before they break in," Dean answered jumping from the bed and putting on his clothes. "Where's your gun?"
"In my bedroom, come on, we can go out my window."
"Go on, I'm going to check the front of the house."
"Be careful, my bedroom is on the other side of the house."
Storm ran to her bedroom and grabbed her clothes putting them on over her pjs. She struggled into a jacket and looked up as Dean joined her.
"I counted four, but they're not attacking yet. They may be waiting on reinforcements."
"I've got another gun to take," Storm offered taking a gun from the nightstand and putting it in her pocket. She went to a window and opened it to put the screen up so they could slip out. They ran for the woods behind her house to escape. The fleeing couple ducked and dodged as bullets gouged and splintered the trees around them until they disappeared into the woods.
spn
Storm was panting hard and grabbed Dean's bicep to stop him and frowned in puzzlement when she felt something wet. When she took her hand away, she saw it was stained red from blood.
"You've been hit," she whispered urgently as she tried to look at his arm.
"It's only a graze," Dean replied in a low voice as he continued to scan the woods behind them for their attackers.
"At least let me wrap it to stop the bleeding. We don't want to leave a blood trail," she insisted. "May I see a knife?"
"Really? We need to keep moving."
"It won't take a moment." She held out her hand for a knife and smirked slightly when he grunted something under his breath but took out a small knife and opened it, handing it to her hilt first.
Storm jerked her jacket and shirt up so she could cut off a section of her pajama top.
"Take your jacket off so I can get to the injury."
Dean slipped the pack strap off and took his arm out of the sleeve of his jacket. He watched as Storm slit his shirt sleeve and quickly wrapped the makeshift bandage around his arm to cover the injured area. She tied it off and stepped back.
"Thanks," Dean nodded and put his jacket and pack strap back on. "Now can we move?"
"We should head in that direction," Storm indicated pointing off to their right. "It will take us back to town and people. I doubt they will try and kill us in a crowd."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I know these woods. I've lived here my whole life."
"Why don't you take the lead and I'll cover our backs?"
"Okay." Storm picked what looked the easiest route through the underbrush and trees as she headed for the town.
Dean followed her as he used all his senses and training to determine if they were being followed. So far, he wasn't hearing anything, but that could change in a heartbeat. He was running everything through his mind about what had happened, trying to figure out how they found them at Storm's house. Whoever they were, they were professionals, and backed with a lot of money, and this worried him.
When they could, Storm set a fast pace trying to put as much distance between them and their pursuers. Knowing time was of the essence, she took every short cut she could remember. What seemed like hours but was less, Storm stopped at a rock wall about four feet tall.
"We need to go through there," she indicated before throwing a leg over the wall and boosting herself over.
Dean looked over the wall and was surprised to see a large graveyard. It will filled with all kinds of tombstones, large and small. He didn't question Storm's actions and quickly followed her over the wall.
They began to walk through the tombstones when they heard voices heading their way. Dean grabbed Storm's hand and ran with her toward mausoleums near the middle of the cemetery. The voices were getting louder, and he knew they needed to hide before being seen.
Deciding his next course of action, Dean pulled Storm into some shrubs by one of the mausoleums and pushed her into a corner.
"You stay here out of sight," he ordered her as he stripped off his pack and jacket and dropped them by her. "Shoot anyone that is not me."
"No, you can't," Storm cried, fear and worry laced in her words as she clung to his arm.
He looked at her for a moment before pulling her trembling body to his and kissing her hard. He let his lips trail upward and gently kissed her forehead before stepping away.
Storm was breathless and speechless as he let go and winked at her.
"Don't worry, this is what I do best," he teased before rounding the corner of the building and disappearing. He now became the hunter.
Storm leaned back against the wall and brought her fingers to her lips to feel where he had kissed her. She smiled and blinked back the tears that filled her eyes. Why couldn't they have met in a grocery store, or restaurant, she thought to herself, not in a life and death situation. She pulled her handgun out and took the safety off, so she'd be ready if she needed to use it.
spn
Dean made a large circle through the cemetery to get behind the attackers. He listened carefully to pinpoint their location before moving from one tombstone to another. He saw the backs of the men and watched as they were ordered to split up by one of them, evidently their leader.
The first one was easy. Dean silently moved behind him and wrapped one arm around his neck and used the other one to jerk his head sideways, breaking his neck. He quickly dragged the body behind a tombstone and relieved him of his weapon, a handgun with a silencer.
It didn't take Dean long to find the next bad guy and pulled out a K-Bar knife as he ran parallel with him until there was a good place to attack. He clamped a hand over his mouth and drove the knife between the guy's ribs and into his heart, twisting it hard. The guy was dead before he slumped to the ground as blood poured from the wound. He rolled the body out of sight and continued his search.
Whispering reached his ears and Dean ducked behind a large tombstone before inching forward and taking a quick look. He saw two men dressed in black talking and gesturing like they were arguing. Taking a deep breath, he stepped from behind the tombstone and fired four rounds. Two bullets hit each guy making them gasp as they fell to the ground.
Dean ran to the bodies and took an AK-47 off one of the guys before continuing after the last one. He moved from one tombstone to another as his eyes continued to search for the leader. He saw something move out of the corner of his eye and zeroed in on it. Like a spirit haunting the cemetery, Dean moved into a better position and fired a short burst, watching as the body jerked a few times before face planting on the ground. Dean knew he was dead without even checking him and went back to get Storm so they could leave. He didn't know if there was backup coming and didn't want to hang around to find out.
spn
Storm was trying to see as she strained to hear any movement around her. Small pops could be heard somewhere behind her, but she didn't recognize it as a gun with a silencer. Her body tensed in anticipation of being attacked and made ready to defend herself. It seemed like Dean had been gone a long time until when she peeked around the shrubs saw him walking her way.
A sigh of relief escaped from between her lips, and she stepped from her hiding place. She smiled at him as he started to wave when suddenly he jerked twice and looked down at his shirt in surprise.
Storm watched in horror as the blossoming of two red stains began to spread over his shirt. His knees gave way as he dropped hard to the ground and then fell over on his stomach.
The air was suddenly sucked out of Storm's chest as she watched in horror as the scene played out in front of her. At first, she didn't know what happened until she saw the spreading stain of red on Dean's shirt. Her brain couldn't comprehend at first or get her body to respond. It was like she was in a tunnel as the pressure around her changed. Finally, Storm broke from her trance and ran to the body, dropping beside it and pulling him over onto his back.
"No, no, no," Storm begged as she pressed a hand over one of the wounds. She watched as blood leaked between her finger and couldn't stop the tears trailing down her face. The flow of blood wouldn't stop, and she knew he was bleeding out.
Dean coughed and sent a spray of blood droplets into the air while a stream of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth to run down his chin and neck.
"I'm…I'm…so…so…ry…" he managed to gasp out looking at her with pain filled, sorrowful eyes. With one final intake of breath, his eyes dropped closed and his spirit left his body. Dean's head rolled to the side and his body went limp.
"Hey, no you can't do this," Storm whispered in despair as she cupped his cheek and sobbed. "We just met. I wanted to get to know you better…"
A bubble began to grow inside of her chest that continued to expand. It was filled with intense rage and a need for revenge. When it popped, adrenaline and a surge of energy coursed through every nerve in her body making her suck in a hard breath. It felt like she had been electrified.
Storm pulled the handgun from the waistband of Dean's jeans and pulled the other one from her pocket. She caught movement and glanced up to see figures dressed in dark clothes approaching her. Her expression was dark and menacing as she glared at them. They thought she was some helpless, weak female who wouldn't cause any problems, she thought. They were going to find out how wrong they were. When they were close enough for her liking, she sprang up screaming a warrior's cry that echoed around her as she opened fire.
Several of the attackers went down, wounded, or dead, as the others dived for cover trying to avoid the spray of bullets. Storm didn't stop firing even when her guns were empty.
There was no pain when two bullets ripped into her flesh making her jerk and drop the guns. She dropped to her knees and fell across the lifeless body at her feet as if trying to protect it from any other abuse.
"I tried," Storm mumbled into Dean's ear and kissed his cheek as everything went black.
Storm sprang to a sitting position as she gasped for air and ran her hands over her chest looking for blood or wounds. She pulled deep breaths into her lungs trying to calm herself. A book fell from her lap making a soft plop on the hardwood floor. Her heart was pounding in her chest so hard she thought it would explode. Every sense in her body was hyperalert as her eyes roamed over the room realizing it was her bedroom and couldn't believe how vivid, intense, and real her dream had been.
"Are you okay?" Dean mumbled a he reached for Storm to cuddle.
"I'm okay Babe," she smiled looking down at her lover, husband, friend, and soulmate.
She reached and picked up the book she had been reading to look at the cover. It depicted a dark, stormy night with lightening dancing in the clouds and a cabin set among the trees. A lone light glowed from a window like a beacon to anyone who might be lost.
"I swear, no more late-night snacks and binge reading a thriller," she said to Dean with a soft laugh. "You know, now that I think about it, that dream could be the makings of a decent short story."
"What are you talking about?" Dean slurred burying his head into her side and taking in her scent. "Lay back down."
"Just a minute. I need to make a few notes," she replied kissing his head and cupping his cheek for a moment.
She found her pad and pen on the nightstand and began to scribble frantically, afraid if she didn't get everything down she would forget it. After filling three pages with notes, she sat back sighing happily with what she had managed to remember and put to paper.
Storm had been writing short stories for a while to help deal with the stress and anxiety she faced when the guys hunted. With that accomplished, she laid the pad aside and slipped back down in the bed beside Dean.
"I love you," Dean whispered as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. He kissed the back of her neck and hummed happily in her ear.
"And I you, my love," she cooed to him. She thought about her dream and wondered what it could mean. Losing Dean would kill her, and she prayed every time him and Sam were on a hunt. Storm went into this relationship and marriage with eyes wide open so there were no surprises. After reading some of John's journal that stormy night she let Dean stay, and him giving her 'The Talk', opened her mind to what was out there in the dark.
Dean's soft, even breathing tickled the back of her neck and she smiled knowing she wouldn't want to be anywhere else or be with anyone else than Dean Winchester. He was her world and she was his.