Save a Horse, Ride a Winchester
Save a Horse, Ride a Winchester
Chapter 3
Chapter Wordcount: 3771
“’Bout time,” Adrianna grinned, tightening the girth on Sin.
Dean held up his hand, tilting his head back to drain the mug of coffee he had brought out from the house.
He placed the empty cup on a fence post and clapped his hands together, walking over to where she was finishing tacking up the horses.
“Just gimme a minute to let the caffeine circulate,” he grinned, waving his hand.
Adrianna rolled her eyes and finished buckling the girth.
“Cheese is ready to go if you wanna mount up,” she said, tossing her head towards the gelding tied to the fence behind her.
Dean chuckled, “Mount up huh?”
“Pig.”
“Bitch.”
“Newbie.”
Dean stuck out his tongue but went over to palomino paint. He shoved his boot into the stirrup and then bounced around like an idiot for a minute before he finally managed to pull himself over, almost sliding over the other side.
Cheese snorted, bracing himself as Dean swayed over him.
“Smooth,” Adrianna grinned, easily climbing into Sin’s saddle.
“Shut up,” he mumbled, fidgeting in the saddle.
“First off, hold the reins in one hand, not two, pull your heels down and put the stirrup on the ball of your foot.”
Dean was tempted to shoot something back but he could tell she was really trying to help, so followed her example when she showed him what to do.
“Alright, I’m pretty sure you can handle a walk,” she grinned, leading them out to an empty pasture. “So let’s try a trot,” she said, nudging Sin with her boot and picking up the bouncy gait.
“Do I have to? If I do that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to have kids,” he said, watching her bounce in the saddle.
Adrianna laughed.
“It’s easier than it looks, promise. The horses butt will push you up and you just go with it and stand in the stirrups for a second and come back down easy.”
Dean shook his head but eased his horse out into the pasture with her and nudged him in the side.
Cheese pushed off and picked up a trot and quickly came back down to a walk when he felt Dean lose his balance a little bit.
“Fuck.”
“It’s alright,” Adrianna smiled, coming over next to him, “Just follow me,” she said.
“One, two, three, trot,” she counted off, keeping Sin next to Dean until he got the hang of it and was posting to the trot as he circled the pasture.
Adrianna made sure he was perfectly comfortable with it before she dismounted Sin and walked over to the fence line, grabbing the lunge line that was looped around a fence post.
“Alright, canter time,” she grinned, clipping the line onto Cheese’s bit.
“Canter?”
“It’s sort of…like a rocking horse motion, ‘cept…on steroids,” she laughed. “You don’t post like you do with the trot…and I’ve got control of him with this,” she said, waving the lunge line, “So don’t worry about that until you get the hang of it.”
“Aright,” he said, rocking with the motion of the horse as she pushed him out into a circle, with her at the center.
“’Kay, I’m gonna put him into a trot and when I say canter he’s gonna kinda come up in the front a little bit, when he does that, just sit back and rock your hips to follow the movement, try to keep your butt attached to the saddle.”
“That sounds vaguely dirty,” he grinned.
“Trust me, horseback riding does wonders for the legs and hips,” she winked, clucking at Cheese so he picked up a trot.
“You ready?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Cheese, canter!” she said, slight pull on the line.
Cheese immediately pushed off, picking up the faster gait. Dean managed to handle it for about one lap around the circle before Adrianna brought Cheese back down to a walk.
“Whattya think?”
“Weird, but yeah, I can deal.”
“Alright,” she smiled, prompting Cheese again.
Dean was surprisingly a very fast learner and after a couple more circles took over the reins for himself and was soon riding by himself as Adrianna went and remounted Sin.
“You good to go?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“I’m impressed Dean,” she smirked, leading Sin out of the gate ahead of him and towards the back pastures.
Dean grinned behind her.
The rain broke before Adrianna and Dean could make it back to the farm. They were both soaked to the bone by the time Adrianna was closing the gate behind the cattle they had herded home.
Dean groaned, sliding out of the saddle and stumbling.
“I think you broke my legs,” he groaned, walking bowlegged as they took the horses back to the barn.
“Honey, if I broke your legs you’d know,” she winked pulling the saddle down off Sin.
Dean smirked and untacked Cheese.
“Alright boys,” she grinned, slipping the bridle off and letting Sin trot out into the rain.
Cheese followed him as soon as she took his bridle off as well.
Dean stumbled, taking a couple steps towards the house, intent on a dry set of clothes, before he heard splashing and the horses screaming behind him.
He turned around in surprise. Adrianna had her shoulder leaned against the support beam at the back of the barn and was watching where Sin and Cheese were busy making a mess out of themselves. Rolling in the mud, only to stand up and splash in it playfully with their hooves.
She looked over her shoulder, quirking her brow at Dean.
He just grinned.
Despite the burn in his legs the next thing he knew he was toeing off his boots and tearing off his jacket as he went running out into the rain.
Adrianna laughed, pulling her shirt over her head and running out in front of him in her sports bra.
He laughed, grabbing her around her waist and crashing into the sludge.
She pushed him, laughing even harder when Sin and Cheese went playfully running around them and kicking up more mud.
“You asked for it,” he grinned, teeth blindingly white against the mess on his face as he launched himself at her, tackling her into the mud.
Adrianna - out of his view - grabbed a handful of the mud and pushed it into his face with a loud splat. “Much better. Now I don’t have to look at that ugly mug,” she laughed.
The two of them spent almost a half hour mud warring while the horses played nearby until Mr. Atkins came out to tell them the storm was supposed to get worse and that they should get in the house soon. He only hesitated to add that they should clean off before they went in.
*** Meanwhile ***
“So what’re we doing today?” Sam asked curiously, a yawn escaping him as he followed the brunette down the dirt path towards the barn.
“Probably not much,” she replied with a wary glance at the dark clouds hovering over the wooded area twenty yards from behind the house. “Storm’s on its way. And it looks pretty angry.”
“Didn’t know storms could do that.”
“Well, you’ve learned now, haven’t you?” she chuckled, casting a smile over her shoulder to him as she approached the barn. “Now, I want you to meet someone.” Nicole led him over to one of the stables just as the red roan appeared, long nose twitching for attention.
Sam couldn’t help but grin at the horse as she shook her head, red mane wafting around her neck.
“Sam, this is Rose and soon-to-be foal,” Nicole stated, patting the horse’s neck.
“I’ve gotta say, this is a first,” he chuckled. “Meeting a pregnant horse.”
“Well, it’s her first time meeting a giraffe,” she retorted, trying to hide the smirk that almost instantly appeared on her lips.
“Was that…” He made a face, his dimples indenting his cheeks. “Did you just call me a giraffe?”
“No,” she bit out, failing to mask her laughter.
“Nicole!”
“Yes!” She didn’t even have time to work out some sort of goofy apology, before he’d managed to corner her near the door of the barn, but not enough so she could escape through it. “Sam… Whatever you’re thinking about doing, stop thinking about doing it, please…”
“Giraffe’s are such gangly creatures…”
“And you’re not?” Before she could stop herself, the words had come out and she clapped her hands over her mouth - also stifling the giggles threatening to come bubbling to the surface at any second.
“Oh, so I’ve downgraded from giraffe to just gangly creature now?”
Nicole pretended to think about it for a second and nodded, finally giving up on covering the grin that spread across her face.
Sam grinned, slow and easy, and something in her stomach twisted.
He lifted his arms and braced his hands on the worn silver wood of the barn on either side of her head and leaned in, mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Sam,” she said quietly, all previous laughter gone.
Sam didn’t bother to say anything back, just leaned down slow and sealed his lips over hers.
She froze until he let his tongue sweep across the seam of her lips and she gasped against him. He used it against her and thrust his tongue into her mouth, twisting it around her own.
She sighed, letting her hands come up to curl into the sweat damp fabric of his t-shirt.
When his own hands slid down to cup her cheeks she let out a startled gasp, her fingers flattening out against his chest and she pushed.
She met his wide eyes, pupils blown open, for a split second before she went rushing out of the barn just short of running.
“Clean Rose’s stall!” she yelled, hoping he would listen instead of following her.
Both of them managed to avoid each other the rest of the afternoon until the storm rolled in.
Nicole heard the thunder rolling in from her bedroom window and the breeze that ominously rustled the leaves on the trees nearby. She slammed the wooden frame shut and snuck down the stairs cautiously to the kitchen. After all, she’d thought Sam too shy to kiss her like he had; but she was more surprised that afterwards, when she had came inside and fallen asleep in her room, she had a rather steamy dream about the two of them in the shower.
The dirty images clouded her mind again and she tried to shake them off, reaching into the fridge to grab a drink. Mentally making a note that they were almost out of beer, she grabbed the fruity drink her cousin had left in there and shut the door.
“HOLY SHIT!”
Sam was standing at the back door and just as she shut the refrigerator door, he knocked to get her attention and caused her to drop the open bottle, essentially spilling it all over the floor.
Without thinking about it, she unlocked the sliding glass door and went to pick up the jug off the tiles. When she reached over the counter to grab the paper towels, her hand met his, but she did her best to ignore it by avoiding eye contact.
“What were you doing on the deck?” the brunette inquired, her tone coming off as fearful.
“I…just--”
“Avoiding me. Got it.” She didn’t seem angry about it, but as if she’d been doing the same.
The tense silence that took over could’ve told anyone something was going on between the two of them.
“Sam…about earlier,” Nicole started quietly.
“I shouldn’t have done it, Nik--”
“No, it wasn’t your fault… I didn’t mean to…react…like I did,” she stuttered out awkwardly. “I think you just startled me…”
“Startled you?” He cocked an eyebrow at her.
“I just…I don’t know… Everything was fine and then you got that look in your eye… I swear, for a second I thought you were gonna, like, rape me or something. It was that…” She shook her head. “I don’t know,” she repeated. “I might’ve just been freaked out that I wanted it.”
“Wait,” Sam bit the corner of his lip, confused, “what exactly did you want?”
“Oh for god’s sakes, Sam! I didn’t want you to rape me!” she exclaimed and immediately snapped her mouth shut when her father appeared in the doorway, about to say something before he heard her, then shook his head and walked away.
Sam couldn’t help but burst into a fit of laughter.
“Wait, Dad! I didn’t…” Nicole gave up and slumped down onto the floor next to Sam. The moment she glanced over at him in bouts of hysterical laughter, her own giggles bubbled to the top.
A few minutes later, they both settled into silence.
“If he’s suspicious of you for the next twenty four hours, don’t be worried,” she said with a tired sigh.
Sam looked over at her, a smirk tugging at his lips. He was very gradually leaning over to kiss her when the front door opened.
Adrianna and Dean stumbled in, soaking wet from the rain that was now pounding on the sliding glass door behind Sam and Nicole.
“What the hell happened in here?” Adrianna asked, laughing at the juice splattered across the floor and the two adults sitting on the floor, the ghost of laughter on their own faces.
“Nothing,” Nicole replied quickly, standing up to grab the paper towels again and wiping up the juice before it stained anything.
Dean shared a look with the brunette he’d just come in with and shook his head. “You want the shower first, Adri?”
“Nah, I’m gonna supervise these two. You go first,” she stated with a chuckle.
“Alright,” he sighed before jogging up the stairs towards the bathroom.
The storm passed within two hours and by this time, it was dark outside. Nicole was sitting by the pool listening to the crickets’ chirp, her head rested on her knees, the butt of her denim shorts nearly soaked through because of the wet concrete. The pale blue light of the pool reflected onto her skin, almost making it appear as if it were sparkling. After the rain, the temperature had cooled down drastically and the gentle breeze caressing her skin caused goosebumps to appear instantaneously.
The lanterns around the pool were lit now, to keep the bugs away, so when the lights by the house turned off, she didn’t notice much. That was until Sam quietly approached and threw his jacket over her shoulders before taking a seat next to her to dip his feet in the warm water.
“Thanks,” she murmured against her knee with a smile.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, returning the smile as he slipped his arm around her waist.
“How’d you know I was out here?”
“I looked,” he chuckled. “Your dad asked me to turn the light off. Thought you could use some company.”
“Of course I could.”
They both went quiet comfortably and Nicole found herself snuggling closer to him to get warm.
“If you’re really that cold, why don’t you just go inside?”
“Because,” she declared, “I like sitting out here cuddling with you.”
Sam felt his cheeks heat up, sliding her as close as she could get, without having to morph into his side or sit in his lap, and resting his chin on the top of her head. The arm he had curled around her hips took the liberty of playing with her long brown locks.
“Hey, Nik,” he piped up softly.
“Hmm?”
“Would you force me to clean out another disgusting horse stall if I try kissing you again?”
Niki tilted her head to look at him, a smile gracing her lips before his lips came crashing down on hers.
Dean was walking into the kitchen to grab a snack when he heard water sloshing around outside. He hadn’t remembered the rain starting up again so it confused him when a splash of water hit the back door.
“What the hell…” he muttered, approaching the door and peeking through the water droplets only to realize his brother and the elder of the two girls they were staying with, were in the pool, goofing around. By the time he noticed all their clothes strewn about the patio, Adrianna was standing next to him, wondering what he was doing.
“I’ll be damned,” she murmured with a laugh. She shook her head at the realization her cousin had finally warmed up to Sam to share a pool with him naked. The way she’d phrased her own thoughts made her laugh harder.
Nicole grinned at the man wading around her in the water, everything below her shoulders hidden in the moonlit pool and her hair floating around her shoulder blades. “Has anyone ever told you, you’re extremely buff for someone who seems to spend most of his time in a car?”
“No, because most people who would tell me that know what I do,” he replied simply, bracing her against the wall of the pool with his knees. “Why? Is that what’s made you keep your eyes on me at all times? The muscles?”
“No,” she lied. “But it’s a huge bonus.”
“Oh really?” Sam smirked, pinning her wrists to his chest with one hand while the other tangled in the long, curly brown tresses growing at the nape of her neck.
“Yes, really,” she grinned, struggling to stay standing with the weakening of her knees. “Huge bonus.”
He leaned over to press his lips to hers, his grip around her hands loosening so she could wrap her arms around his neck as he pulled her into his lap, her legs tightening around his waist.
“Way to go, Sammy,” the elder Winchester chuckled inside, returning to the couch where Adrianna was sitting, flicking through channels on the TV. He could’ve easily stolen the remote from her hand but decided against it because she’d kick his ass.
“Are you sure we should be down here when they come in?” he asked with a sigh. “I mean, I don’t know about Nicole, but-”
“The last time she got laid was high school. When they come in, they’re most likely just gonna go upstairs and do it again so our best bet would be to stay right here on this couch simply because we can’t hear them - whether they’re outside or not.”
“You have a point.”
“Of course I do.”
Dean sighed.
Niki scrambled out of the pool, her clothes gathered messily in her arms as she ran to the sliding glass door, Sam right behind her, both giggling. She almost tripped on the two towels that were dropped in front of the threshold. Catching herself, she grabbed one up, wrapped it around herself before throwing the other one at Sam and ran through the living room, only stopping for a moment to shut off the TV. She didn’t bother to comment to Sam on the fact that Adrianna and Dean were curled up together on the couch, sleeping.
Nicole tried not to slam the door behind the two of them as Sam tackled her to the bed in her bedroom.
To move or not to move; that was the debate in mind. The window was open a crack in Nicole’s bedroom and the post-rain breeze was sending a chill down Sam’s back, but he knew she liked the scent that wafted in along with it. After a moment, he decided to stay put; he could always use the thick blanket that had landed by the foot of the bed. He wasn’t sure if she’d dozed off already, but he was thoroughly pleased with where he was spooned in behind her, his eyes wandering the room he hadn’t had the chance to explore yet.
A photograph in an old wooden frame on the nightstand caught his attention. It didn’t take Sam long to realize it was Mrs. Atkins and Nicole when she was a little girl; not older than the age of seven.
“You look just like her, ya know,” he whispered. “Your mom,” he clarified.
“Thanks,” she murmured quietly.
Both were silent for a moment before Nicole spoke up again.
“The last time I talked to anyone about my mom was at her funeral when I was seven.”
“What happened?” he asked gently.
“Inoperable tumor; Mom thought it better to keep me in the dark, but finding out your mom’s gonna die isn’t something you should learn about in a casual conversation with one of her friends. I still have no clue how they kept it from me. I mean, everyone else knew. It was a goddamn brain tumor for shit’s sake.” She sniffled, but her voice didn’t sound like she was giving in to tears just yet. “I’d give anything for those last couple months back.”
Sam tightened his arms around her torso, placing a kiss to the pulse in her neck as he murmured, “What do you remember about her?”
Nicole thought about it for a second. “She never wanted me to ride because she was afraid I’d get hurt. I remember her suddenly changing her mind a few months before she died and not figuring out why until my grandmother told me what really happened when I turned nine.” He noticed when she trailed off to think, she was trying to hide tears brimming in her eyes. “She loved the color blue. Her hair always smelled like strawberries, even after she was out with the animals all day,” she let a sad laugh escape her lips. “And I don’t think she could go a day without listening to ‘Strawberry Wine’ by Deana Carter… She loved that stupid song. I haven’t listened to it since the last time she played it. I’m not even sure I remember the words.”
“The only memory I have of my mom is photographs.”
She glanced over her shoulder to peer at him.
“She died when I was a baby; I don’t remember any of it.”
“How old were you?”
“Exactly six months.”
Nicole really wanted to ask what happened, but given the look on his face that clearly said he didn’t want to say anymore on the subject, at least at that point in time, she suppressed the question. “So I guess I got lucky with the memories, huh?” she said quietly, trying to force a small smile as she turned around to face him, dragging the blanket from the floor to cover them both.
“You guessed right,” he smiled faintly, kissing the top of her head as she settled to sleep, using his torso as a pillow. “Night, Niki.”
“G’night, Sam,” she mumbled against his skin.
***
Cheese
India...this was supposed to be the horse Sam rode, but we never got around to writing anything that had him horseback
Previous: Chapter Two | Next: Chapter Four
Chapter 3
Chapter Wordcount: 3771
“’Bout time,” Adrianna grinned, tightening the girth on Sin.
Dean held up his hand, tilting his head back to drain the mug of coffee he had brought out from the house.
He placed the empty cup on a fence post and clapped his hands together, walking over to where she was finishing tacking up the horses.
“Just gimme a minute to let the caffeine circulate,” he grinned, waving his hand.
Adrianna rolled her eyes and finished buckling the girth.
“Cheese is ready to go if you wanna mount up,” she said, tossing her head towards the gelding tied to the fence behind her.
Dean chuckled, “Mount up huh?”
“Pig.”
“Bitch.”
“Newbie.”
Dean stuck out his tongue but went over to palomino paint. He shoved his boot into the stirrup and then bounced around like an idiot for a minute before he finally managed to pull himself over, almost sliding over the other side.
Cheese snorted, bracing himself as Dean swayed over him.
“Smooth,” Adrianna grinned, easily climbing into Sin’s saddle.
“Shut up,” he mumbled, fidgeting in the saddle.
“First off, hold the reins in one hand, not two, pull your heels down and put the stirrup on the ball of your foot.”
Dean was tempted to shoot something back but he could tell she was really trying to help, so followed her example when she showed him what to do.
“Alright, I’m pretty sure you can handle a walk,” she grinned, leading them out to an empty pasture. “So let’s try a trot,” she said, nudging Sin with her boot and picking up the bouncy gait.
“Do I have to? If I do that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to have kids,” he said, watching her bounce in the saddle.
Adrianna laughed.
“It’s easier than it looks, promise. The horses butt will push you up and you just go with it and stand in the stirrups for a second and come back down easy.”
Dean shook his head but eased his horse out into the pasture with her and nudged him in the side.
Cheese pushed off and picked up a trot and quickly came back down to a walk when he felt Dean lose his balance a little bit.
“Fuck.”
“It’s alright,” Adrianna smiled, coming over next to him, “Just follow me,” she said.
“One, two, three, trot,” she counted off, keeping Sin next to Dean until he got the hang of it and was posting to the trot as he circled the pasture.
Adrianna made sure he was perfectly comfortable with it before she dismounted Sin and walked over to the fence line, grabbing the lunge line that was looped around a fence post.
“Alright, canter time,” she grinned, clipping the line onto Cheese’s bit.
“Canter?”
“It’s sort of…like a rocking horse motion, ‘cept…on steroids,” she laughed. “You don’t post like you do with the trot…and I’ve got control of him with this,” she said, waving the lunge line, “So don’t worry about that until you get the hang of it.”
“Aright,” he said, rocking with the motion of the horse as she pushed him out into a circle, with her at the center.
“’Kay, I’m gonna put him into a trot and when I say canter he’s gonna kinda come up in the front a little bit, when he does that, just sit back and rock your hips to follow the movement, try to keep your butt attached to the saddle.”
“That sounds vaguely dirty,” he grinned.
“Trust me, horseback riding does wonders for the legs and hips,” she winked, clucking at Cheese so he picked up a trot.
“You ready?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Cheese, canter!” she said, slight pull on the line.
Cheese immediately pushed off, picking up the faster gait. Dean managed to handle it for about one lap around the circle before Adrianna brought Cheese back down to a walk.
“Whattya think?”
“Weird, but yeah, I can deal.”
“Alright,” she smiled, prompting Cheese again.
Dean was surprisingly a very fast learner and after a couple more circles took over the reins for himself and was soon riding by himself as Adrianna went and remounted Sin.
“You good to go?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“I’m impressed Dean,” she smirked, leading Sin out of the gate ahead of him and towards the back pastures.
Dean grinned behind her.
The rain broke before Adrianna and Dean could make it back to the farm. They were both soaked to the bone by the time Adrianna was closing the gate behind the cattle they had herded home.
Dean groaned, sliding out of the saddle and stumbling.
“I think you broke my legs,” he groaned, walking bowlegged as they took the horses back to the barn.
“Honey, if I broke your legs you’d know,” she winked pulling the saddle down off Sin.
Dean smirked and untacked Cheese.
“Alright boys,” she grinned, slipping the bridle off and letting Sin trot out into the rain.
Cheese followed him as soon as she took his bridle off as well.
Dean stumbled, taking a couple steps towards the house, intent on a dry set of clothes, before he heard splashing and the horses screaming behind him.
He turned around in surprise. Adrianna had her shoulder leaned against the support beam at the back of the barn and was watching where Sin and Cheese were busy making a mess out of themselves. Rolling in the mud, only to stand up and splash in it playfully with their hooves.
She looked over her shoulder, quirking her brow at Dean.
He just grinned.
Despite the burn in his legs the next thing he knew he was toeing off his boots and tearing off his jacket as he went running out into the rain.
Adrianna laughed, pulling her shirt over her head and running out in front of him in her sports bra.
He laughed, grabbing her around her waist and crashing into the sludge.
She pushed him, laughing even harder when Sin and Cheese went playfully running around them and kicking up more mud.
“You asked for it,” he grinned, teeth blindingly white against the mess on his face as he launched himself at her, tackling her into the mud.
Adrianna - out of his view - grabbed a handful of the mud and pushed it into his face with a loud splat. “Much better. Now I don’t have to look at that ugly mug,” she laughed.
The two of them spent almost a half hour mud warring while the horses played nearby until Mr. Atkins came out to tell them the storm was supposed to get worse and that they should get in the house soon. He only hesitated to add that they should clean off before they went in.
*** Meanwhile ***
“So what’re we doing today?” Sam asked curiously, a yawn escaping him as he followed the brunette down the dirt path towards the barn.
“Probably not much,” she replied with a wary glance at the dark clouds hovering over the wooded area twenty yards from behind the house. “Storm’s on its way. And it looks pretty angry.”
“Didn’t know storms could do that.”
“Well, you’ve learned now, haven’t you?” she chuckled, casting a smile over her shoulder to him as she approached the barn. “Now, I want you to meet someone.” Nicole led him over to one of the stables just as the red roan appeared, long nose twitching for attention.
Sam couldn’t help but grin at the horse as she shook her head, red mane wafting around her neck.
“Sam, this is Rose and soon-to-be foal,” Nicole stated, patting the horse’s neck.
“I’ve gotta say, this is a first,” he chuckled. “Meeting a pregnant horse.”
“Well, it’s her first time meeting a giraffe,” she retorted, trying to hide the smirk that almost instantly appeared on her lips.
“Was that…” He made a face, his dimples indenting his cheeks. “Did you just call me a giraffe?”
“No,” she bit out, failing to mask her laughter.
“Nicole!”
“Yes!” She didn’t even have time to work out some sort of goofy apology, before he’d managed to corner her near the door of the barn, but not enough so she could escape through it. “Sam… Whatever you’re thinking about doing, stop thinking about doing it, please…”
“Giraffe’s are such gangly creatures…”
“And you’re not?” Before she could stop herself, the words had come out and she clapped her hands over her mouth - also stifling the giggles threatening to come bubbling to the surface at any second.
“Oh, so I’ve downgraded from giraffe to just gangly creature now?”
Nicole pretended to think about it for a second and nodded, finally giving up on covering the grin that spread across her face.
Sam grinned, slow and easy, and something in her stomach twisted.
He lifted his arms and braced his hands on the worn silver wood of the barn on either side of her head and leaned in, mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Sam,” she said quietly, all previous laughter gone.
Sam didn’t bother to say anything back, just leaned down slow and sealed his lips over hers.
She froze until he let his tongue sweep across the seam of her lips and she gasped against him. He used it against her and thrust his tongue into her mouth, twisting it around her own.
She sighed, letting her hands come up to curl into the sweat damp fabric of his t-shirt.
When his own hands slid down to cup her cheeks she let out a startled gasp, her fingers flattening out against his chest and she pushed.
She met his wide eyes, pupils blown open, for a split second before she went rushing out of the barn just short of running.
“Clean Rose’s stall!” she yelled, hoping he would listen instead of following her.
Both of them managed to avoid each other the rest of the afternoon until the storm rolled in.
Nicole heard the thunder rolling in from her bedroom window and the breeze that ominously rustled the leaves on the trees nearby. She slammed the wooden frame shut and snuck down the stairs cautiously to the kitchen. After all, she’d thought Sam too shy to kiss her like he had; but she was more surprised that afterwards, when she had came inside and fallen asleep in her room, she had a rather steamy dream about the two of them in the shower.
The dirty images clouded her mind again and she tried to shake them off, reaching into the fridge to grab a drink. Mentally making a note that they were almost out of beer, she grabbed the fruity drink her cousin had left in there and shut the door.
“HOLY SHIT!”
Sam was standing at the back door and just as she shut the refrigerator door, he knocked to get her attention and caused her to drop the open bottle, essentially spilling it all over the floor.
Without thinking about it, she unlocked the sliding glass door and went to pick up the jug off the tiles. When she reached over the counter to grab the paper towels, her hand met his, but she did her best to ignore it by avoiding eye contact.
“What were you doing on the deck?” the brunette inquired, her tone coming off as fearful.
“I…just--”
“Avoiding me. Got it.” She didn’t seem angry about it, but as if she’d been doing the same.
The tense silence that took over could’ve told anyone something was going on between the two of them.
“Sam…about earlier,” Nicole started quietly.
“I shouldn’t have done it, Nik--”
“No, it wasn’t your fault… I didn’t mean to…react…like I did,” she stuttered out awkwardly. “I think you just startled me…”
“Startled you?” He cocked an eyebrow at her.
“I just…I don’t know… Everything was fine and then you got that look in your eye… I swear, for a second I thought you were gonna, like, rape me or something. It was that…” She shook her head. “I don’t know,” she repeated. “I might’ve just been freaked out that I wanted it.”
“Wait,” Sam bit the corner of his lip, confused, “what exactly did you want?”
“Oh for god’s sakes, Sam! I didn’t want you to rape me!” she exclaimed and immediately snapped her mouth shut when her father appeared in the doorway, about to say something before he heard her, then shook his head and walked away.
Sam couldn’t help but burst into a fit of laughter.
“Wait, Dad! I didn’t…” Nicole gave up and slumped down onto the floor next to Sam. The moment she glanced over at him in bouts of hysterical laughter, her own giggles bubbled to the top.
A few minutes later, they both settled into silence.
“If he’s suspicious of you for the next twenty four hours, don’t be worried,” she said with a tired sigh.
Sam looked over at her, a smirk tugging at his lips. He was very gradually leaning over to kiss her when the front door opened.
Adrianna and Dean stumbled in, soaking wet from the rain that was now pounding on the sliding glass door behind Sam and Nicole.
“What the hell happened in here?” Adrianna asked, laughing at the juice splattered across the floor and the two adults sitting on the floor, the ghost of laughter on their own faces.
“Nothing,” Nicole replied quickly, standing up to grab the paper towels again and wiping up the juice before it stained anything.
Dean shared a look with the brunette he’d just come in with and shook his head. “You want the shower first, Adri?”
“Nah, I’m gonna supervise these two. You go first,” she stated with a chuckle.
“Alright,” he sighed before jogging up the stairs towards the bathroom.
The storm passed within two hours and by this time, it was dark outside. Nicole was sitting by the pool listening to the crickets’ chirp, her head rested on her knees, the butt of her denim shorts nearly soaked through because of the wet concrete. The pale blue light of the pool reflected onto her skin, almost making it appear as if it were sparkling. After the rain, the temperature had cooled down drastically and the gentle breeze caressing her skin caused goosebumps to appear instantaneously.
The lanterns around the pool were lit now, to keep the bugs away, so when the lights by the house turned off, she didn’t notice much. That was until Sam quietly approached and threw his jacket over her shoulders before taking a seat next to her to dip his feet in the warm water.
“Thanks,” she murmured against her knee with a smile.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, returning the smile as he slipped his arm around her waist.
“How’d you know I was out here?”
“I looked,” he chuckled. “Your dad asked me to turn the light off. Thought you could use some company.”
“Of course I could.”
They both went quiet comfortably and Nicole found herself snuggling closer to him to get warm.
“If you’re really that cold, why don’t you just go inside?”
“Because,” she declared, “I like sitting out here cuddling with you.”
Sam felt his cheeks heat up, sliding her as close as she could get, without having to morph into his side or sit in his lap, and resting his chin on the top of her head. The arm he had curled around her hips took the liberty of playing with her long brown locks.
“Hey, Nik,” he piped up softly.
“Hmm?”
“Would you force me to clean out another disgusting horse stall if I try kissing you again?”
Niki tilted her head to look at him, a smile gracing her lips before his lips came crashing down on hers.
Dean was walking into the kitchen to grab a snack when he heard water sloshing around outside. He hadn’t remembered the rain starting up again so it confused him when a splash of water hit the back door.
“What the hell…” he muttered, approaching the door and peeking through the water droplets only to realize his brother and the elder of the two girls they were staying with, were in the pool, goofing around. By the time he noticed all their clothes strewn about the patio, Adrianna was standing next to him, wondering what he was doing.
“I’ll be damned,” she murmured with a laugh. She shook her head at the realization her cousin had finally warmed up to Sam to share a pool with him naked. The way she’d phrased her own thoughts made her laugh harder.
Nicole grinned at the man wading around her in the water, everything below her shoulders hidden in the moonlit pool and her hair floating around her shoulder blades. “Has anyone ever told you, you’re extremely buff for someone who seems to spend most of his time in a car?”
“No, because most people who would tell me that know what I do,” he replied simply, bracing her against the wall of the pool with his knees. “Why? Is that what’s made you keep your eyes on me at all times? The muscles?”
“No,” she lied. “But it’s a huge bonus.”
“Oh really?” Sam smirked, pinning her wrists to his chest with one hand while the other tangled in the long, curly brown tresses growing at the nape of her neck.
“Yes, really,” she grinned, struggling to stay standing with the weakening of her knees. “Huge bonus.”
He leaned over to press his lips to hers, his grip around her hands loosening so she could wrap her arms around his neck as he pulled her into his lap, her legs tightening around his waist.
“Way to go, Sammy,” the elder Winchester chuckled inside, returning to the couch where Adrianna was sitting, flicking through channels on the TV. He could’ve easily stolen the remote from her hand but decided against it because she’d kick his ass.
“Are you sure we should be down here when they come in?” he asked with a sigh. “I mean, I don’t know about Nicole, but-”
“The last time she got laid was high school. When they come in, they’re most likely just gonna go upstairs and do it again so our best bet would be to stay right here on this couch simply because we can’t hear them - whether they’re outside or not.”
“You have a point.”
“Of course I do.”
Dean sighed.
Niki scrambled out of the pool, her clothes gathered messily in her arms as she ran to the sliding glass door, Sam right behind her, both giggling. She almost tripped on the two towels that were dropped in front of the threshold. Catching herself, she grabbed one up, wrapped it around herself before throwing the other one at Sam and ran through the living room, only stopping for a moment to shut off the TV. She didn’t bother to comment to Sam on the fact that Adrianna and Dean were curled up together on the couch, sleeping.
Nicole tried not to slam the door behind the two of them as Sam tackled her to the bed in her bedroom.
To move or not to move; that was the debate in mind. The window was open a crack in Nicole’s bedroom and the post-rain breeze was sending a chill down Sam’s back, but he knew she liked the scent that wafted in along with it. After a moment, he decided to stay put; he could always use the thick blanket that had landed by the foot of the bed. He wasn’t sure if she’d dozed off already, but he was thoroughly pleased with where he was spooned in behind her, his eyes wandering the room he hadn’t had the chance to explore yet.
A photograph in an old wooden frame on the nightstand caught his attention. It didn’t take Sam long to realize it was Mrs. Atkins and Nicole when she was a little girl; not older than the age of seven.
“You look just like her, ya know,” he whispered. “Your mom,” he clarified.
“Thanks,” she murmured quietly.
Both were silent for a moment before Nicole spoke up again.
“The last time I talked to anyone about my mom was at her funeral when I was seven.”
“What happened?” he asked gently.
“Inoperable tumor; Mom thought it better to keep me in the dark, but finding out your mom’s gonna die isn’t something you should learn about in a casual conversation with one of her friends. I still have no clue how they kept it from me. I mean, everyone else knew. It was a goddamn brain tumor for shit’s sake.” She sniffled, but her voice didn’t sound like she was giving in to tears just yet. “I’d give anything for those last couple months back.”
Sam tightened his arms around her torso, placing a kiss to the pulse in her neck as he murmured, “What do you remember about her?”
Nicole thought about it for a second. “She never wanted me to ride because she was afraid I’d get hurt. I remember her suddenly changing her mind a few months before she died and not figuring out why until my grandmother told me what really happened when I turned nine.” He noticed when she trailed off to think, she was trying to hide tears brimming in her eyes. “She loved the color blue. Her hair always smelled like strawberries, even after she was out with the animals all day,” she let a sad laugh escape her lips. “And I don’t think she could go a day without listening to ‘Strawberry Wine’ by Deana Carter… She loved that stupid song. I haven’t listened to it since the last time she played it. I’m not even sure I remember the words.”
“The only memory I have of my mom is photographs.”
She glanced over her shoulder to peer at him.
“She died when I was a baby; I don’t remember any of it.”
“How old were you?”
“Exactly six months.”
Nicole really wanted to ask what happened, but given the look on his face that clearly said he didn’t want to say anymore on the subject, at least at that point in time, she suppressed the question. “So I guess I got lucky with the memories, huh?” she said quietly, trying to force a small smile as she turned around to face him, dragging the blanket from the floor to cover them both.
“You guessed right,” he smiled faintly, kissing the top of her head as she settled to sleep, using his torso as a pillow. “Night, Niki.”
“G’night, Sam,” she mumbled against his skin.
***
Cheese
India...this was supposed to be the horse Sam rode, but we never got around to writing anything that had him horseback
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