Author's Chapter Notes:
I thought I might let everyone know I love cliffhangers. :)
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Ari watched Dean as he slept; she could see the little crow’s feet around his eyes. The dimples in his cheeks that were visible even as he slept. The bruise on his cheek seemed to be fading, though he would have a scar from the cut above his eyebrow. But she knew it wouldn’t matter he would still be handsome. She saw various other scars on his body: one near his hip, quite a few on his arms and abdomen. He also looked as though he had endured heart surgery because of the scar line up the middle of his chest. She wondered about the hard life he led. She could only imagine what it was like to fight demons. She wished that she had done things in her life to help others instead of making money pleasing the depraved in society. Yes, her checks had been fat but she had put up with a lot to get that money and she could only hope the last pimp never found her. He had threatened to kill her if he did. He had insisted no one ever left the life alive.
She shook her head at her disturbing thoughts to go back to watch Dean. He seemed more comfortable in the hotel then he had in her bed. That was to be expected it was what he was used to. She liked the way his lips looked even in slumber; soft and full, she dearly wanted to kiss them again. For minutes, she considered it but he needed his rest. She wished she could stay but Sam was probably waiting for them to remove the do not disturb sign so he could come in to rest himself. She considered writing a note and leaving right away but another part of her wanted him to hold her again. She wanted to feel him inside her one more time before daylight.
They both lay naked on top of the sheet because the room had seemed warm. She had teased him it was them that was hot and he had laughed before he took her in his strong muscled arms. She hadn’t wanted to wake him but decided that she would surprise him. She got up and went to stand at the end of the bed then straddled her legs over his on the sheet before she took him in her mouth. He tasted salty but she got passed that easily as she went about sucking and rubbing him in concert. He woke up with a grin but said nothing even after she was done. He pulled her up his body to kiss her boldly on the mouth. She was certain he tasted himself in the process but didn’t seem to mind. He leaned up to lay her on her back as he continued the kiss while he stroked her with his hand going up and down her suddenly awakened body. He caressed and touched each part then moved his lips to her neck where he sucked readily as he persisted in leaving a mark. She liked the idea that he wanted to do that. It seemed sweet in a world where men’s only desire was to receive pleasure for themselves. His stroking between her thighs was insistent until she thought she would explode.
“Dean.”
“Go with the flow, okay.”
A few minutes later, the explosion inside her seem to rock her to the core. He smiled as he moved between her legs to enter her. From slow and gentle to deeper and more demanding. The double whammy of the invasion was something she enjoyed fully as she moaned against his neck. When the waves ceased he lay beside her again.
“One good turn deserves another,” he said with a smile as he kissed her lips again.
She bit her lip, “That was amazing, even better than last night.”
“I aim to please,” he teased as he moved her head against his shoulder.
She sighed, but she knew she should leave. She did not want to wear out her welcome as she began to worry about Sam again. She was in his space though Dean didn’t seem to mind.
“I should go so Sam can come back,” she said.
“Sam got another room.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t want you to rush off, and he felt better about the idea than waiting around for us.”
“So I can stay?”
“As long as you want. You don’t have to rush off do you?”
“I could leave early in the morning if that’s okay.”
“Fine with me,” he said before he got up to retrieve the comforter.
“Dean about earlier, does that make you uncomfortable?’
He looked in her eyes before he shook her head. She had revealed her past life to him over dinner with tears of regret. He hadn’t known what to say it was certainly not what he had expected to hear from the sweet quiet woman beside him.
{Flashback}
“So your father was a pastor but he exorcised people, to help them?”
“Yes, I don’t know how that all works but it sounds scary to me. I was surprised when I found out from Aunt Ellen. She had witnessed one as it happened and she never went back to my dad’s church. My mother never mentioned it.”
“It’s not for the faint of heart and all kinds of things can go wrong.”
“So you and Sam have done them too.”
“A few, I don’t recommend it at all. There is no way to predict the outcome.”
She had been quiet after that for a bit as she ate her soup. Dean watched her and could tell she wanted to say something else.
“Ari my brother is more of the counselor type he is the one that usually questions the witnesses. But even I can see there is something on your mind.”
She nodded but it seemed too soon to tell her past, he would just go running in the night like the last guy she told, she thought.
“I mean its up to you. I want to help you get pass these dreams and it seems you father may be a connection.”
“Why?”
“I am reaching at straws but his dealings with the supernatural could have opened him up to say opportunities or situations which he may have responded to in a negative way.”
“My father was a good man,” she insisted.
He didn’t know how to tell her that good men fell everyday without being judgmental so he took a bite of his burger to stall.
She sighed. “Dean my dad thought I was possessed.”
Dean swallowed hard, and then took a sip of his beer.
“Why?”
She licked her lips and stared him in the eyes.
“I was a call girl for a while.”
She put her head down then played with the salad on her plate.
“That does not make you possessed. That is a big jump to that state I am certain.”
He thought their might be more to the confession so he waited.
“He accused me of being a spawn of the devil more than once,” she said as the tears came and she tried to dab them away with her napkin.
Dean shook his head. Maybe he should just change the subject. He was at a loss for words. He needed to get to the bottom of the issue for her safety but he had no desire to discredit her father though he was convinced that was the problem.
“We can talk of this later,” he said as they got ready to leave the restaurant.
{End Flashback}
He wanted to console her but he had not idea how. He could only say that her past was not something he had the right to judge. She had assured him that she did not have any diseases or AIDS. He was convinced she was on the road to getting her life straight. It showed in her demeanor. She looked at him pleadingly. He felt useless all he had to offer was a bit of sexual pleasure. He had nothing else to give and it bothered him. All the time he had spent having one-night stands he had never gotten to know any of the woman. He was a man obsessed with the hunt and a little “nookie’ on the side was all he could afford to expend. Sam insisted it was for the sake of the people they met that they not get involved. He was certain all he could give Ari was freedom from bad dreams and hopefully her life if what he believed was true.”
“I am not going to judge you, what happened before is done. Your daughter needs you in the present.”
“Sounds pretty wise was for a non counselor type,” she said with a grin as she looked up into his hazel eyes.
She would miss him when he was gone. They held one another all night but before she left the next morning they did not make a date to see each other again. She assumed it was because of her confession. But, Dean surprised her that night by calling.
“Hey Ari, do you think your mother would consent to talk to me about your dad?”
“Yeah, sure um,,, you want to come over now?”
“No I was thinking tomorrow Sam and I could drop by.”
“Oh sure.”
“Good, I guess you did not have bad dreams last night, you didn’t wake up in your sleep,” he said in an effort to keep her on the line.
“No they are not every night just most. Maybe I was just too relaxed,” she teased.
“I have that effect on some,” he replied.
She didn’t want to think of him with anyone else but she said nothing.
“So what time?”
“After church for lunch if that is okay.”
“Sounds good, see you then,” he said before he hung up.
Sam watched him from across the room. He knew Dean liked Ari but he had spent all day giving him reasons to leave her alone. Dean had ended up going for a drive to get some peace. He knew Sam was right, maybe he just like the idea of saving the damsel in distress. Sam wasn’t convinced that Ari was a hunt yet. Maybe the heart flutters, and excitement he felt around her was all lust. He should phone Cassie that would bring him back down to earth, but he hadn’t phoned. He just sat in the park and daydreamed about Ari. He was turning into Sam despite his every attempt not to.
That night Dean went back to the bar, he wanted to prove to himself that he was fine. He wasn’t the commitment type and this was the place to prove it. The bar was packed since it was Saturday night. There were a few hot picks. A dark haired lady with long legs and tight jeans eyed him as he walked in. He smiled but kept going toward the bar. On his left was a couple of blondes, buxomy just the way he liked them. He smirked in their direction after he got the bartenders attention.
“Yeah.”
“One bud, please,” he said as he put a ten-dollar bill on the counter.
“Coming right up.”
Once he had the beer he turned to face the crowd, across the room a red head caught his eyes. She wore a short little skirt with a short top and red cowboy boots. Unfortunately the boots blew the deal. She is tryng to hard. He walked over to the jukebox to check it the “tune” selection. He was almost done scanning as he shook his head at the options when he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned around to see Ari on the dance floor with a tall blonde. He immediately disliked the way the man looked at his friend. She didn’t seem to mind as she closed her eyes to get into the beat, she seemed to just enjoy dancing. She is free to do as she pleases, breathe, breathe, you are the one who blew her off tonight, breathe. When the song was over she left the dance floor with the man and they sat at a table across the room. She laughed at something the man said then looked up to see that Dean stood at their table.
“Hi,” he said calmly.
“Hey,” she said with a smile.
The blonde looked from Dean to Ari.
“Do you know this guy?”
“Yeah I do,” she said with a smile at Dean.
They just stared at one another as the guy started to get angry.
“So buddy, do you have something to say or you just looking?”
Dean glared at the guy.
“No, I just wanted to say hi.”
He smiled once more at her as he walked away with an ache in his heart.
“See you tomorrow,” she said to his retreating back, he nodded but did not turn around again.
He left after that, his mind was muddled. He had lost all desire for sex that night at least with a faceless stranger.
Sam was surprised when he arrived back at the hotel about an hour or so after he had left to go out.
“What happened? The bar closed?”
“No,” Dean said as he went in the bathroom to take a cold shower.
He stayed in the bath quite a while, Sam shook his head when Dean finally resurfaced.
“You want to talk about it?” Sam asked as he looked up from the laptop.
“No,” Dean said as he got under the covers.
“Ari was there right?”
“Good night Sammy.”
Sam shook his head, his brother had been bitten by the love bug, but he was convinced he could get over it. He had to, it was the only decent thing he could do.
At lunch the next day, Sammy charmed Amber with his puppy dog eyes from the moment they walked in the door.
“Hey cutie,” he said to the little girl as she looked up at him.
“You are a giraffe,” she said with a grin.
Sam smiled as he picked her up to give her a hug, he couldn’t resist her little smile. She giggled before her grandmother came in the room.
“Hey you two get in here the food is getting cold,” she said with a wink.
“You came for lunch, yeah,” Amber said once Sam put her down.
She reached for Dean’s hand as she led him to the kitchen. Ari was in the room putting the finishing touches on the salad.
“Hey you two,” she said cheerfully.
“Hey,” Dean said at her smile.
They all sat down before Amber took the lead and said grace.
“Dear God, thank you for this food and for Dean and his brother. I hope its good, Amen.”
Ari tried not to laugh but Sam pulled Amber’s hair and she giggled up at him. They were like a little family, Ari thought. Sam was the big kid she could see that right away where Dean was the protector with the hard shell around him that he rarely let go of. She looked at him under lowered lashes. He smiled but ate silently.
After lunch, Ari took Amber outside to play off some of her meal before her naptime. Sam and Dean sat with Ann around the table.
“Mrs. Mayfield, we need to ask you some questions about your late husband. Is that okay?” Sam asked in his soothing voice.
“What kind of questions?”
“I believe the nightmares that Ari is having has something to do with your husband’s past or possible someone else in your family.”
“We want to help her get rid of the nightmares,” Sam added.
“But they are just silly dreams,” Ann said defensively.
Dean shook his head; how were they going to learn anything without being upfront?
He decided to stop the beating around the bush.
“Ann, in your husband’s dealing he may have had occasion to encounter any other worldly beings?” Dean said as delicately as possible.
“What? He was a minister of course he dealt with spirits. They are all around us,” she said with anger in her voice.
Sam decided if she wasn’t afraid of the possibility of supernatural occurrences then they should just tell her what they did. He looked at Dean but Dean was looking longingly outside.
“Ann what we do for a living my help you understand our line of questions,” Sam said before he told his tale.
Dean wandered outside as he heard Sam going over their history with Ann.
Ari sat on the tire swing while Amber swang on the swingset.
“So how was your night?”
“Oh it was okay, I left not long after you,” she said as she moved her feet back and forth. Dean noticed she was barefoot which went with her lightweight shorts she wore. The day was hot and sunny just the kind he liked.
“Oh,” he said as he stood in front of her.
She smiled up at him, she leaned up to go into his arms. The high pitched scream came first a moment later then the back door flew open, Sam held Ann in his arms. There was blood dripping from her hand and her eyes were wild.
“I’ll explain in the car, we should take her to the hospital,” he said with a frown and concern in his eyes.
TBC