“Ari?” Dean said into her ear.
“Dean I saw him he is over there by the trees,” she said as she grabbed his arm.  He looked in the direction she pointed but saw no one.
Those who had gathered looked also but there was only a tree to be seen.  She looked wildly around, but did not see what she had seen originally then she felt stupid.  People had begun to stare.  Dean led her to the seat and everyone settled down again.  The service began but Ari looked at Dean, “You believe me right?”
He nodded as he squeezed her hand.  What could he say?  No Sweetie you are losing your mind.
 
    Afterward she and Dean sat still while those well-wishers who had not spoke with her earlier came by to say something.  Dean felt it was the longest day of his life.  Part of loving is sacrifice, he thought.  He could do this for her; she needed his compassion not just his passion.  When everyone had gone they still sat quietly by her mother’s grave.  Ari had begun to cry again once the last car had driven away.  Dean stroked her hair as he allowed her to cry on his shoulder.
“It’s okay we are on no hurry,” he said in her ear.
Suddenly the wind picked up to swirl the roses around that lay on top of the dirt that had been placed on the casket.  Ari looked up and couldn’t believe it.
“Dad?”
The ghost of her father stood in front of them, he looked the same as the last time she had seen him when he was buried.  Dean did not see him but he did believe that she did so he kept silent.
“I’m sorry,” was all her father said before he faded away.
After a minute Ari seemed calmer.
“He is gone.  He said he was sorry, that’s it,” she said as she stood to indicate she was ready to go.
“If you are not done we can stay longer,” Dean volunteered.
“No, I’m good.  Thank you for your patience,” she said as she took his hand so they could go to the car. 

    Neither had seen the shadow behind the tree as it watched them during the service or after the crowd had gone.  It stood now as it glared.  When it stepped out into the open it looked as if it was a beautiful woman.  Its hair was long and beautifully red.  The eyes though green were marred by the spirit that possessed it.  Not only had Dean been patient but this being was infinitely more patient.  The time schedule that was its guide was marked open to changes. 
“Poor Ann, if your husband had not been greedy you could have lived a full life,” it said over the grave where it picked up the roses only to crush the tender petals in its hand. 
Anyone watching would have assumed she was just another mourner wandering the cemetery. 
“Now your daughter’s time is limited too, the Winchesters can’t keep me from what is due me.”

    The first few days after Ann’s death Amber had slept with her mom at night. But the little girl believed in her independence and soon went back to her own bed.  Dean had suggested he sleep on the sofa because of Amber but Ari insisted it was okay. 
“Do you think I am being selfish?” Ari asked as Dean stood at the door after his shower.
“What do you mean?”
“Having you in her with me?  It’s a bad example right?”
“It’s your decision.  I am no moral compass for anyone.  I am not going to judge your decision.”
“Just enjoy it?”
“Absolutely,” he grinned. 
“Compromise, you can visit me but sleep on the sofa afterward,” she had said.
“So you want to have your cake and eat it too?” he teased.
“Absolutely.”

    So that was how the bedroom arrangements worked.  Though Sam and Dean switched sofa and guest bedroom every few nights.  After the funeral the boys had to decide what they were going to do.
“Dean I know you are attached to Ari but we need to get back to our lives,” Sam said as he sat on the floor by the sofa. 
Ari and Amber were already asleep for the night as the two spoken in low tones.
“That is all I have been able to think about, Sam.  First we need to get the interviews done before those people leave in the next couple of days.”
“So after this weekend we will decide something okay?”
Dean nodded.

***

    The two interviews they had set up were with former ministers who were friends of Ari’s father.  The first one was a seventy-year old Caucasian man who lived in Chicago.  They met him at the restaurant of the hotel where he was staying.
“Mr. Harris?” Dean asked as he walked up to the older man who was waiting for them at a table outside on the patio.
He was a tall man who wore khaki’s, a white shirt with suspenders and a wide brimmed hat.
“Nice hotel,” Sam said with a smile.
“It worked for my purposes,” Mr. Harris said.
“We need to ask some question about Reverend Darren Mayfield.  They may sound rather odd but it is important that you tell us what you remember,” Sam said.
“Okay, young man, I will do my best.”
“Mrs. Mayfield, mentioned that when her husband returned from a retreat ….”
“Wait what is this about?” the man asked suddenly uncomfortable with the mention of Ann.
“It’s about a retreat that you and several ministers attended several years ago,” Dean said as he noticed the older man stand up.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that is what you wanted to discuss,” he said as he looked around the area as though he thought someone might attack him. He had begun to sweat and he wiped his brow with his hand.
“Please, Mr. Harris, we need your help,” Sam insisted.
“What I can tell you is that you need to leave this alone,” he said as he walked hurriedly from the patio.
Sam shook his head, “That did not go well.”
“I just hope he doesn’t phone our other contact,” Dean said as they left the hotel.
Neither of them saw the red head follow the older man of the stairs.

    Once outside Sam hesitated to get in the car, then pain shot through his skull as he grabbed his head.  Flashes went through his mind, there was blood, or something red.  Then a man on the floor with a mark on his arm.  A lady laughing as she left a room.
“Sam, what’s the hold up?” Dean said since he saw Sam through the window as he stood by the door.
“We got to go back inside Mr. Harris in trouble,” he said as he raced around to the back of the car.
He hurriedly explained to Dean, while they grabbed the weapons and hoped it wasn’t too late.
 
    On the way back inside, they ran into Mr. Harris at the check in desk.  He told them he had forgotten his key inside the room.  They laughed with him for a moment.  Sam took a deep breath as the guided the older gentleman over to some chairs in the lobby. 
“Mr. Harris, I don’t know how to explain but I think you are in danger.”
The man shook his head.  “What do you mean?”
Dean told him about Sam’s visions just to make things simple to understand, Mr. Harris nodded after he finished explaining. 
“Do they always come true?” he asked as though he found the idea of visions fascinating.
“They do if I cannot prevent them.”
“Have you ever prevented a vision only for something worse to happen?”
Sam and Dean looked at one another.
"Not as far as I know."
“That is because things happen for a reason.   Even if you save me today who is to say something worse will not happen tomorrow?”
They couldn’t argue with the old man.  He thanked them for trying to help him as he went off to his room and possible death.

    They were silent in the car as the thought about the words of Mr. Harris.
Sam looked over at Dean’s determined expression.
“Do you think he is right?”
“No.  The reason is because we kill the things that we go after so that they cannot come back to harm anyone.”
“But okay say we save someone like …..”
”We cannot force anyone to let us help them but those that do trust us we have to do our best for them, enough said.”

    The next person they spoke with was a deaconess the one of the only two females that had gone on the infamous retreat.  She met them at the diner not far from her hotel. She waved to them as they came in the door. The place was almost empty which suited them considering the discussion they planned to have.
“Hi, Mrs. Jenkins?”
“Yes, that’s me.  Have a seat,” she said with a broad grin. 
She was a bit round but had a cheery brown face, that Sam liked right away.  It reminded him of a plumper version of Missouri.  He remembered he had meant to call her since he knew she worried about them.  He sat down near her and let Dean have the seat across him at the table.
“Our questions may sound odd or out of place but we are trying to find out about the retreat that you attended several years back with Mr.Mayfield and a few others.”
She pursed her lips and they thought she might bolt from the table but she didn’t.

“First of all it was not a retreat.  You know I heard you asking to talk with old associates of Darren's and I had a strange feeling it was about that incident.”
“Can you help us?  If you were there then you know that …..”
“I saw you with Ari, young man, I hope you plan on keeping her safe. She is a sweet girl and her daughter is just precious.”
“I plan to do whatever I can to help her,” Dean said as he cleared his throat.
No need for him to go into the fact that he had no desire to walk away from Ari, now or ever.
She sighed as she held her hands in her lap.
“What I know is I wish I had never gone that is for certain,” she looked around to be sure no one else was near them.
The diner remained mostly deserted, only a few customer near the other end by the door.  The waitress walked up a second later with assumption they needed her help.
“Coffee?”
They all nodded just to get it out of the way.
With the steaming mugs in front of them, Dean and Sam listened to her talk about that weekend.
 
    She shared it was not what they all said that it was to begin with.  Some of the young pastors and a couple of ladies, including her had gone.  The weekend they had was something out of Skull and Bones.  They talked and played like children.  It was debauchery at its most intense, she confessed.  There was nothing spiritual about it.  They were drunk on their freedom.  Freedom from spouses and significant others, all because they knew no one would tell a soul.  She imagined it was that way with the children of  Israel as they waited for Moses to come down from the mountain, they grew impatient with waiting and fell into sin.  The thought of it always made her ashamed. 

    Sam handed her a napkin to wipe her tears.  He felt bad that she had to relive that time that obviously had been completely kept secret from those who did not attend.
“So was there some kind of deal with the devil?” Dean asked.
“The billion dollar question,” she said before she blew her nose.
“We thought it was a joke.  A morbid ending to our time of immorality,” she said in a whisper.
“But it did take place some sort of exchange for each of you?”
“Each one of us took turns in the ritual.  And we were never to speak of it again, it was all so cloak and dagger.”
Dean nodded.  He had no idea how he was going to tell Ari or if he should. 
“Now that several have died do you think their deaths have anything to do with that weekend?”
“Oh because at least two of the people kept telling me they were hearing the sounds of dog’s barking, but when they looked around they were alone?  I thought they were losing it, totally going bonkers,”
Sam nodded.  She shrugged. She thought they may have felt guilty after all those years until she did some research. 
“I found all kinds of things about deals and devils but one thing stood out and that was hell hounds,” she informed them.
Dean and Sam looked at her, maybe they had found an ally.

    When they returned to Ari’s that night she sat in front of television sound asleep with Amber on her lap.  Dean wanted to cover them up but Sam thought they should wake them so they could get a good night sleep.  Dean rolled his eyes at his little brother as he went upstairs to the guest room.
“Ari, honey wake up,” Dean said as she lightly shook her.
“Hey, you made it finally,” she said as she adjusted Amber in her lap.
“Wake up sleepyhead,” she said to her daughter.
Dean picked up the little girl so Ari could get up to take her in the room.  He sat down and flipped the channels on the remote.  There wasn’t anything on so he went to the kitchen for a beer, but something on the kitchen table caught his attention.

    There was a letter with a flyer on top of it.
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?  The picture was of him plus an article about the killings.  He turned the envelope over to see who had sent it, but there was no name.  Dean looked up to see Ari stood in the door.  She did not say a word as she came into the kitchen to have a seat.  They only looked at one another for several moments.  He could see the hurt in her eyes and it frightened him.  This can’t be happening.

“I don’t usually get a sense about people, but I use the stereotypical method of judging, generally.  You know the way they walk, talk, dress or speak.  I rarely go to bars at all that one were you met me, I can count on one hand the times I had gone before that night….
Dean interrupted, “Ari…”
She put her hand up.
“I had talked to Rick a few times, dance with him but that is it, nothing more.  But you, I fell for you despite your arrogant walk, they way you wore the desire to get laid on your face, it didn’t matter.  I had a good feeling about you.”
She pursed her lips.
“I trusted you, can you tell me that I believed a lie?”


TBC

Ari grinned up at Dean as he hesitated.
“It’s okay for me to make love,” she said as she pulled his head down to hers. 
He kissed her lips thoroughly before he moved to her neck.  Ari sighed as she closed her eyes.  Thirty years and I finally found someone, please God gives us many years together.  I know I don’t deserve it, but please.  Dean leaned up to look in her eyes to see tears there.
“What?”
“Nothing, just glad to have you here.  Get used to tears, it’s a woman’s right,” she teased him before he went back to sucking her neck. 
She made a conscious effort to give him pleasure after that instead of just enjoying what he gave.  She caressed his hair as she arched her back to get closer to him.  Her fingers followed the line of his spine as she traced it and the muscles in his back.  Meanwhile Dean worked magic on her collarbone before tantalizing her breasts with his tongue.  She moaned because the build up seemed too long when she was aching to have him inside her.  She squeezed his tight butt to give him a hint to move it along but he only smiled to himself.
“This could be called torture,” she said with a giggle.
“Sweet Torture, maybe?”
“Um, yes,” she said with a moan.
“Turn on your stomach,” he said a moment later. 

Ari did as she was told with a smile at him.  She lay flat with her butt up in the air as she turned her head to look at him with a raised eyebrow.  He easily slid inside her from behind with his hands on her firm rump.  He closed his eyes as he imagined the look on her sweet face.   Ari met him on each thrust, as she pushed against him, if it weren’t for the fact that they were not face to face this would be her favorite position.  It definitely got straight to the heart of the matter and her orgasm came fast.  Dean speeded up a bit before his release came a few minutes later.  He admitted to himself that as far as sex went he enjoyed it more with Ari because he had strong feelings for her.  Maybe its psychological?  He wondered for a second; physically it’s the same, so emotional attachment was what had been missing in his dealings with women.  Of course, that would have been the main reason to avoid relationships since he had no time for them.  It’s probably a fundamental fact, his geeky brother had known all along, he thought.  He moved from behind her to beside her again as he looked in her eyes.  She leaned up to kiss him with her hands on his face, she assumed he was tired and ready to sleep so she was quiet.
“Thank you again,” she whispered as she buried her head in his chest and yawned. 
“My pleasure,” he said as he ran his hands over her hair.

    Sam tossed and turned after Paris left though he had no idea she was gone until the next morning when he found the note.

Dear Sam,
I think I love you but I do not think I can be what you need so I am leaving before both of us get hurt.  I will call to let you know I made it back safely.  Take care.
Love,
Paris
 
Sam frowned  as he laid the note on the nightstand.  He lay back in bed with his hands behind his head.  He figured if she had her mind made up then he would not try to change it especially since he knew he had feeling for Jo.  But what about Jo?  He slept with her because he felt a strong attraction and because he was weak in that area all of a sudden.  My subconscious must have known Paris was all wrong for me, he reasoned aloud to himself.  He wished that he had known the end from the beginning as he sighed, but that would make me God.

    There was a light tap, tap, tap on the door early that next morning.  Dean rubbed his eyes as he looked at the clock.  Seven o’clock, he groaned.
“Come in Amber,” he said after he gently shook Ari awake.  Ari looked at him with one eye opened then quirked her eyebrow.
 “Hey Sweetie,” Ari said as she sat up to greet her daughter.
Amber stood at he door with her new puppy under her arm, she was all grins.
“Thank you, Dean,” she said with appreciation.
“Well bring him here he said as she came in the room to hand the puppy to Ari.
Ari cuddled it as she put the little one in her arms.
“So what are you naming it?” Ari asked.
“Um, I think Midnight or Blackie.”
“I have an idea,” Dean said.
“What?”
“How about name it Sammy, since it has long legs like Sam.”
Amber laughed. 
Ari shook her head, Sam was going to freak.
“I’ll think about it,” she said like a big girl, before she took her puppy and left the room.

    Though they were awake, they did not want to get up.  Ari leaned her head against Dean’s shoulder.
“Do you ever think of me as a hooker?” she asked into the silence.
“No.” he said as he held her against him.
“I would understand if you do, maybe its only natural.”
“Ari if I thought of you that way I would not want to be with you.”
“Why?”
“Because I am a man, and men are selfish bastards.”
“You mean the thought of me with other men would be too much.”
“Exactly.”
“Oh.”
Dean looked down at her, he had not taken the time to picture her in her old life because they had fallen hard for one another.  He did not want to start doing it now either.  He kissed her nose.
“Maybe we should go join the others,” Dean suggested effectively ending the conversation. 
Ari watched him from the bed as he headed to the shower.
“You coming?” he asked before she followed him in the bathroom.

    They were under the water with his arms tightly around her before she spoke again.
“The other dream I had ….your mother was in it.”
“What? What did she say?” he asked.
Ari hesitated as he rubbed the conditioner through her hair.
“Um, she said you needed me.”
Dean smiled at her.
“But in the previous dream I was threatened by the yellow eyed demon.”
Dean swallowed as he held her again him as he finished rinsing her hair.
“But you want to be with me despite that?”
“Yes.”
“I know dreams are symbolic, but Ari I do need you.”
Ari smiled as she pushed him against the shower wall.

    Jo was in the kitchen at the table eating a muffin when Amber came in the room.
“Oh, how do you like your gift?”
“I love it, but what should I name it?  I think it’s a boy.”
Jo smiled.
“Yep. it’s a boy.  Maybe name it Sammy.”
Amber screwed her face up into a frown.
“That is what Dean said.”
“Oh.”
They both turned around when Sam walked in.
“What?”
“Can I name the puppy, Sammy?” Amber asked as she stood in front of the giant who was Sam.
He smiled at her as he picked her and the dog up.
“I would be honored if you named it Sammy, but he needs to have something to go with it since you call me Sammy too.”
“Okay,” she said after he put her down again.
She bit her lip as she sat down with the puppy in her lap to think.

    Chet came in while they sat around the table. 
“Morning.”
“Hey Chet,” Sam said as he got up to get a cereal bowl.
“Morning, Chet,” Jo said.
“Morning,” Dean said as he and Ari came in the kitchen together. 
Ari’s face was aglow and Dean was all smiles.  Jo surprised herself by asking a question without considering the implications first.
“Are you pregnant?” she asked as she looked questioningly at Ari.
Ari smiled.
“No, I am not.” Was her reply.
Dean was quiet as he retrieved two bowls from the cabinet.  Sam decided to make his announcement.
“Paris left last night to go back to Michigan.  It didn’t work out for us,” he said as he ate.
“I’m sorry to hear that, I mean if you are unhappy about it,” Ari said cautiously.
Everyone else said nothing.
“I think it was best for her to go back.  I mean I am going to be working anyway.”
That was the end of the subject.  Jo watched Sam from across the table though she pretended not to.   Dean had told Ari about Jo and Sam so she was far from surprised.  She believed Jo had some good qualities and some bad just like the rest of the human race.

    Sam was the one who noticed the ring on Ari’s finger.  She caught his eye and smiled.  He wasn’t sure if he should say anything or not so, he kept quiet.  Jo saw where he was looking and her eyes became round as saucers.
“So you are engaged?”
“Yes,” Dean said with a smile at Ari.
“Congratulations,” Chet said and Sam echoed his sentiments.
Jo seemed to be in shock.
“You okay?” Ari asked.
“Oh yeah, congratulations that’s nice,” she managed to say with what seemed like a smile. 
“Thank you,” Ari said as she continued to eat. 
Dean didn’t look up he only smiled as he continued to eat. 

    Later after she spent time outside with Sam and Amber, Jo came back inside to find Dean alone in the study.  She tapped on the door after she made certain no one else was around.
“Can I come in for a second?”
“Sure what’s up?” he asked as he put done the sheet he had been reading. 
“Um, you don’ t know Ari very well and you asked her to marry you just like that.  I mean I didn’t think you were the commitment type now you are engaged.  Is she pressuring you?...”
Dean interrupted her.
“First, I do not need you in my business.  Second, I am a grown man and didn’t ask your advice.  Third, get the hell out of here before I say something I will regret,” he said before going back to the research he had been working on. 
Jo swallowed hard before she got up from the chair were she had sat down only a moment before.
“I’m sorry Dean, I just don’t think she is who she claims to be.”
Dean did not dignify the comment with a reply or even a glance at Jo as she left the room.  He shook his head after she was gone, he had no doubts about Ari, plain and simple.

    Sam saw Jo as she came from the study, he could tell she was upset.
“Hey what’s going on?”
She tried to smile as she faced him.
“Nothing just a chat with Dean, you know how those can go,” she said.
“Yeah, hey let me take you and Amber out to lunch.”
Sam gave her a quick hug before she went to get her purse and shoes. 
“Hey Dean, Jo and I are taking Amber to eat do you want to go?” Sam asked as she put his head in the door. 
“No, have fun we will do the cake thing later tonight,” Dean said without looking up.
He had finally been able to trace the dead realtor in Chicago back to the town where they had met Ari.  He was glad to put that mystery to rest.  No more hellhounds. Since he had helped Ari with the journal entries that she had entered in the computer, he had begun to do research more often.  Though Sam was still the go to guy for anything that was needed on the spot, Dean had begun to catch up with his geeky brother. 

    Ari waved at Amber as they left for lunch, Sam had already asked her permission to take Amber. Ari grinned to herself, she though Sam and Jo looked good together despite her personal feelings for the girl.  She hoped that Jo truly liked Sam and did not have ulterior motives.  She bit her lip as she rinsed the cups in the sink before she went back upstairs.  She had done more cleaning as well as adding software to the desktop computer in the study, putting more books on the shelves, filling the kitchen cabinets with dishes, and little maintenance things like vacuuming.
 
    Upstairs she washed her hands and repaired the little make up she wore before she went to see Dean.  She found him with his feet up on the desk as he leaned back in the chair with his eyes closed.  She smiled to herself as she tiptoed into the room before she sat in front of him across the desk from him.  He must have dozed off because she was there a full five minutes before he opened his eyes.  When he did, she grinned at him.
“Hey sleepyhead?” she teased him.
He motioned for her to come around to sit in his lap.  She smiled as she put her arms around his neck.  He pushed his hands up her tee shirt to rub her stomach as he kissed her.  Neither of them heard Chet as he cleared his throat the first time.  He cleared it a second time before he got their attention.
“Sorry to interrupt, Sam is on the landline for you, Dean.”
“Thanks,” Dean said as he picked up the phone.
“Hey Sammy…,” he began.
“Dean is Ari with you?”
“Yeah, what’s going on?”
“We are at the hospital, Amber had to have her stomach pumped.”
“What?”
“She will be alright but you two should come, okay.”
“What happened?”
“She had a reaction to something she ate, Dean just come.”
“Okay we are on the way.”
Sam didn’t tell Dean Amber had also had a reaction to the painkiller.  He just needed them to get to the hospital so the doctors could talk to them. 

    When they arrived at the hospital, the spoke with the attending physician before they went into to see Amber who was awake.  She looked weak but she smiled when she saw Dean and her mother.
“Hey munchkin,” Dean said as he smiled at the little girl.
Her hair was wild on the pillows and she looked beautiful like her mother.
“You okay?’ Ari asked as she sat in the bedside chair.
Amber nodded.
“I itch Mommy.”
“Yeah, they will put something on you to make it better.”
Dean looked at Ari with a question in his eyes.
“She is allergic to some pain killers, a good thing this one only gave her a rash.”
“Oh okay, we should get her an alert tag with that on it,” Dean said.
“A good idea.”
“Sammy was sad,” Amber said with a worried expression on her face.
“He is fine now that you are okay.”
“Can I go home?”
“No, but we are staying here with you tonight okay.”

    Dean went out in the hall to talk to Sam and Jo.
“What happened?”
“We were laughing and talking and I noticed she looked a bit sick.  I had no idea she food allergies.  No one said anything.  We called nine one one then the ambulance brought her here.  The paramedic could tell right away it was something she ate that made her sick.”
Dean shook his head as an indication for Sam to continue, but Jo took over.
“No one thought to tell us she had allergies,” Jo said incredulous.
“Oh,……. I think Ari thought Sam knew because I knew,”  Dean said with a sheepish look on his face.
“You never mentioned it to either of us.”
“You are right I’m sorry I should have said something since you spend so much time with her.   It is my fault…..Well what a wonderful birthday for a four year old huh?” Dean added sarcastically.
“Yeah, we need to make this up to her,” Sam said.
Sam remembered he hadn’t given Amber her gift yet as he went out to the Impala to get it out of the trunk. 

    He went into Amber’s room where Ari spoke quietly with her daughter.  Amber looked up with a smile for a friend.
“Hey Sammy, sorry for getting sick,” she said softly.
“It wasn’t your fault.  I have you gift here you want to unwrap it?”
She nodded as she bit her lip and took it from him.
“Thank you,” she said before she opened the pink wrapped box.
She shook it first with a grin on her face; Sam laughed.  Dean and Jo stood in the door as the watched the scene unfold before them.
“I do not want you to bad mouth Ari again, Jo.  What you said earlier was uncalled for and unappreciated,” Dean said out of the side of his mouth.
Jo was quiet, yeah its not like she was a hooker.

  Amber laughed aloud as she saw her little pink laptop with a Barbie label on it.  It was an educational toy but Sam knew she loved Barbie and enjoyed watching him on his computer. 
“Thanks Sammy and I want to name the puppy Sammy Doo kind of like Scooby Doo,” Amber said with a laugh.
Sam smile at her as he ruffled her hair.
“Sounds good, Amber I will see you later, okay.”


TBC
 

Thanks to Eboni Orchid for the Dean part of this banner. 

--

 Wynell followed Sam from Milwaukee where he had gone to meet her.  She was a middle-aged woman, average height, with bright red hair and blue eyes.  There was nothing outstanding about her features except she had the look of someone who led a hard life.  There was a scar along her cheekbone, a tattoo on each arm, and she had a heavy smoker’s voice.  Unless you spoke with her, you would not have been aware of her pleasant disposition.  She was friendly and loved to talk.  Sam thought perhaps that she talked too much for her profession.  He had only smiled when she introduced herself but two minutes later, he already knew her life story.  She was divorced, had a twenty five year old no-good son, a two-year old grandson and preferred menthols.  Sam had insisted they needed to get started back before it got dark so she could keep up with him on the road.  He rolled his eyes as he got in the Impala to head home.

    Back at the house, Dean had given Chet the warning that his ex was on the way.  Chet seemed calm to Dean who didn’t want to get into the older man’s business but was curious about the relationship between Chet and Wynell. Since Chet was not forthcoming with any additional insight, Dean went back upstairs.  Ari was with Amber in her room braiding her hair so she could go to bed.  Jo was in the den watching television.  Dean stood by the door as he peeked in the room to remind Jo that he wanted to watch the news at ten o’clock.
“Sure, my show will be over by then,” she said without a look in his direction.
“Okay,” he replied before she stopped him.
“Dean, I’m sorry about what I said about Ari.  You are right I have no business messing around in your affairs.’
“Exactly,” he said as he walked away with no intention of discussing the matter further with her.
Jo shrugged as he left; they were back where they had begun.  How could she have been so stupid?  Before the stupid comment, he had been almost nice to her even concerned with her well-being.  She determined she would find a way to make it up to him.

    Sam got out of the car and Wynell followed as he unlocked the back door to the downstairs.  He showed her where everything was kept in the kitchen, then gave her a tour of her bedrooms options, and explained about the internet connections.
“Any questions just call us upstairs or come up.  We usually have breakfast before nine in the morning if you want to join us.  If not well, the kitchen is stocked.”
She turned to him with a smile as she dropped her bag on the floor.   For a second he thought she might hug him.  She only touched his shoulder in a gesture of gratitude.
“Thank you Sam, I really think I will like it here.  So much so, I may not want to leave.  I also plan to leave a donation, don’t worry about that.” she said.
“We will not turn down a donation but it is not a requirement,”he said.
Sam smiled but inside he made a mental reminder to talk to the rest about time limits for their boarders.  Being set up like a Bed & Breakfast could cause problems.  At least at Harrell’s they did not have beds or many amenities so that once you had a drink and conversation you moved on.

    Chet had been quiet as Sam showed Wynell around and though he wasn’t exactly hiding he had stayed in his room with the door shut.  Unfortunately, the urge to go to the restroom came on strong once Sam had gone back upstairs.  He took a deep breath as he left the safety of his room.  He pulled the door shut quietly but when he turned her ran smack into Wynell.
“Chet?”
“Hi,” he said as his cheeks burned with embarrassment.

    Sam found Dean in the study on the internet.  His brother looked almost scholarly as he furrowed his brow while he scanned the pages in front of him.  Sam tried not to laugh.
“Hey, I made it back,” he said as he had a seat across from Dean.
“Good to know,” Dean said without a glance in his brother’s direction.
“What has your rapt attention?” Sam asked as he got up to see what Dean was reading.
“You ever wonder how Ellen’s husband was a hunter and had a family.  I mean we have not people like that.  Hunting is hard work, we are on the road all the time, things are bound to happen to take your attention away from those left behind.”
“Dean don’t,” Sam said because he had an idea about where his brother head was on the matter.
“Listen, looks like Ellen’s husband had a few affairs and Dad knew about them.”
Sam shook his head.
“That was in Dad’s journal?”
“Surprising huh?”

    Wynell was shocked to see her former lover.
“Hey Chet, this is a surprise.  How did you find out about this place?” she said with a grin as Chet tried to pull himself together.
He and Wynell had been hot and heavy for several months before she caught him in the sack with another woman.  That was over ten years ago.  They had not laid eyes on one another since.
“Um, I spoke with Ellen and she told me about it.  You know the Winchesters are known in our business,” he said as he tried a smile.
Wynell dropped her smile.
“Yeah, well I am glad they set up shop where they did. I am getting tired of motels, I needed a break before I head North up to Bayfield.”
“What’s going on up there?”      
“Actually I am going to see a Shaman on Madeline Island.  I’m taking a break for a bit from hunting unless I run into a hunt while I am there.”
“Sounds like an interesting trip.”
“Well, I would ask you to tag along but I am sure you have plans.”
“Wy, about before I am sorry.”
“Sorry you got caught with your pants down or before you were done with your business?” she said as she walked away from him to go into the bedroom she had chosen.
“Touché,” Chet said aloud as he finally went to relieve himself.

    “So those notes where in Dad’s journal?”
“Yep, I noticed there was a mix of personal notes among the other stuff,” Dean said as he pursed his lips.
“Wow, well no use in telling Ellen now since her husband is dead.”
“No, I just wonder if I will do any better than he did on the road.”
“You can do it if you really want to.  I mean this is the first time in our lives that we have a home to come back to.  Dean, you will have someone waiting for you who loves you.  It may take maturity to make that work for you.”
“You have a doubt that I am a grown up, Sammy?”
“Hey you are the one questioning if you can do it, I think you have potential.  But, Dean it won’t be easy.  I think you will be tempted to slip into old habits, man.”
Dean sighed.  He had thought the same thing when they bought the house.  It wasn’t that he hadn’t looked at women since he had met Ari.  He just hadn’t felt the need to pursue them.  Part of him wondered if he were the kind of man that could be faithful to one woman, the other part of him was awed that Ari loved him at all.  Still another part of him wanted very much to be the man that was satisfied with the one woman he had allowed to get truly close to him.  When he was at home now days he was content, he didn’t mind that there was a little kid in the house or that he had only slept with one woman in the last couple of months.  He actually liked it but that frightened him.  He had asked Ari to marry him because he wanted to change. To be a man that was willing to love not someone who avoided intimacy.  When Ari was near him he didn’t have doubts about his desire to be with her, she allowed him to be the man he wanted to be, not the man he had become over the years.  He believed it was because she accepted him as he was; faults and all.  He knew Sam had gotten comfortable once with a woman then she had been killed.  He tried not to consider that angle because Ari was aware of that danger as well as equipped to handle the Demon if he came along.  

    Jo stepped into the study after she tapped on the open door.
“Hey guys, the news is on,” she said with a smile at Sam.
Dean and Sam looked at one another.  Had she heard their conversation?
“Thanks,” Dean said as he got up.
Sam followed Jo out of the room before Ari came to the door. She smiled at Dean as he came toward her.  He took her hand to lead her back into the hall so they could watch the news together.  So many habits they had acquired in the few weeks that had been together were domestic.  Sam smiled to himself when he looked over to see Ari and Dean on the loveseat.  He shook his head, it constantly surprised him to see Dean in there new environment.  He did believe his older brother had the potential to be good for Ari and Amber.  He prayed that Dean would give it a real shot.  

    After Ari and Dean went off to bed, Sam decided he needed to have a talk with Jo.  He cut off the television before he sat across from her in the chair while she had her feet up on the sofa.
“What’s up Sam?”
“Jo, I think we should take it slow.”
“Take what slow?” she asked as she raised an eyebrow at him.
“This thing that is going on with us, I..,” he began.
“The thing?  You mean the sex?” Jo asked.
“I, uh, thought we had more than sex, Jo.”
“Oh, I mean I like you but I thought we were sleeping together because it felt good.”
Sam frowned.  He had not been with many women in his life but he was surprised to hear that Jo was just enjoying their time together with no thoughts of a relationship. He felt like a girl.  How could he have misread the situation so badly?  Jo smirked.

    Ari serviced Dean that night.  She had her mouth around his erection as she stroked, sucked and licked it.  Dean made appreciative sounds as he encouraged her until he came in her mouth.  She swallowed with a smile as he grinned at her.
“You don’t have to do that,” he said as he pushed her on her back.
“Why wouldn’t I?” she said before he kissed her.  
He leaned up after a few minutes he was distracted despite the fact that he had enjoyed her efforts to please him.
“Looks like we found evidence that Jo’s father cheated on Ellen,” he said.
As he returned to his melancholy mood.  Can I avoid cheating too?
“Oh, really.”
She raked her hands through his hair as she looked in his sad eyes.
“It seems to concern you, why?  I mean the man is dead right?”
“Yeah, he is.  He was killed because of Dad’s negligence.”
“From what I have heard I am sure your Dad did what he could.”
“Dad could be determined when he wanted something done and damn anyone or anything that got in his way.”
Ari waited to hear the rest of the story or the real reason why he seemed down but it did not come.  

    He touched her face as he traced the lines of her cheek.  He licked his lips as he could see the concern on his face.  After a moment he leaned down to kiss his neck, he peppered kisses over her until he reached her firm breasts.  He took her flesh in his hands while he leaned down to engulf take the nipple in his mouth.  Her hands went back into his hair as she arched her back.  He nipped at her warm flesh as his arousal came back to life.  
“Dean,” she murmured though it came out like purr.
When he finished with the other nipple he straddled her hips with a smile on his face. His kissing continued as he moved down her body over her belly button until he was between her legs.  He tickled her bush with his nose as he took in her smell.  He let his tongue roam around her nether lips.  It hit him that he could smell his odor on her.  A sweet mix of them both accosted his senses.  He fingered her with two then three fingers and back again.  She wriggled under his ministrations as he watched her expressions though her eyes were closed.  Her heart raced as she moaned in appreciation while she pushed against his hand before he rose up to go inside her.  He went in slow the first time as he leaned down to go back to kissing her while she encouraged him to go faster, deeper and harder.  He smirked at her as he complied with her wishes.   He was more than willing as she panted with him as they stayed in rhythm.  She raised one leg up on his shoulder to use as advantage to move freely against him.  He put the other leg up so he could retain control of her pleasure.  She bit her lip as he held her legs up as he went in and out of her.  She came hard as she trembled as the ripples of pleasure over took her.  Dean was next as he exploded inside her with a smile on his face as he looked into her eyes.  His heart was full of love and he was temporarily satiated.  That was the first time in a long night of intense lovemaking.

    Downstairs Chet laid in his bed as she thought of Wynell.  Years ago, their relationship had been hot and heavy.  They had both been in their early thirties and newly single again.  Visions of them in bed together roamed through his mind as his hand settled on his erection.  He grabbed it tightly as Wynell’s image evoked desire all through his body.  It wasn’t that he loved her but their time together had been the best sex in his life.  He was in his own world when the door opened and the object of his desire walked in the room with only a smile on.   
“I might forgive you if you let me in the bed,” she said.
Chet moved over so she could slide in beside him but he was speechless.  She laughed.
“I won’t bite you, unless you want me to,” she said with a grin.

    Jo gave Sam his room back so she made her way downstairs after she had watched a movie with him.  He let her know there was only one room available besides the study but she decided it was best for her to be in the other part of the building since he wouldn’t be tempted to get in the bed with him.  Sam frowned.  He still didn’t find it funny they she could be so nonchalant about sex.
 
    Once she found her room, she snuggled under the covers as she tried to go to sleep.  When she remembered the night she had sex with Sam she became a bit sad.  Then she had thought they might have something special.  Now she was certain but she didn’t want him to know yet.  She was glad he felt that making love should be special, earlier when he mentioned it she almost admitted that she had begun to fall for him.  She wanted time to get Dean out of her system.  She needed that time because when she and Sam were together again she wanted it to be because she loved him, not just because of mere attraction.  
    

End of Story One, the Road House series.