Despite the look on Dean's face and the fact that he was alone, Brooke tried not to let herself think about what happened to Sam. Even when her eyes flickered briefly towards the Impala and she realized there was no outline of another person in the waning light, she still clung to some shred of hope that he was in New York with Claire. But in her gut, she knew that the only Winchester brother left standing was the one in front of her.
When her eyes settled on Dean's face again, all thoughts of Sam vanished as quickly as they'd come. Uncurling her fingers from the fists she didn't know she'd formed, Brooke finally snapped out of the shock enough to take a hesitant step forward.
There wasn't a lot of space between them, but it still felt like miles.
At first, she just lifted a hand to his cheek, letting it rest there as her thumb ran gently over his cheekbone. She wasn't trying to get him to look at her, even though she wanted him to, she was just checking to make sure he was really there. That he was solidIt didn't take long for
( ... )
The hand he passed through her hair helped quell some of her worries, but she knew it was only a matter of time before they surfaced again. She wanted so badly to be able to move past all of them completely, but it was going to take some time.
"You want me to?" It came out more surprised than Brooke had intended and she reached up, tucking some hair behind her ear. "I mean, I figured you'd want to talk to her by yourself."
If he really wanted her to, she'd go in a heartbeat, but she didn't want to intrude just because Dean felt she needed to be included.
"I do unless you don't want to," he said. It was the truth too: he wanted the girls to get along, and he knew there was a long hard road ahead for that too. And he had no desire to stick himself directly between them.
"Come on," he said, taking her hand and giving it a tug to direct her down the hallway. He shut the door behind her, and then moved down the unfamiliar hall to the door she'd gestured towards.
He rapped against it with the back of his knuckles.
Keeping her hand in his, Brooke smiled a little to herself as they walked down the hallway. There were faint outlines on the walls of where the pictures of Karen, Lucas and Keith used to hang and Brooke hoped that they wouldn't be noticeable to anyone but her. And possibly Cassie, since she'd seen the pictures before Brooke took the down.
As they stood in front of the bedroom door, she glanced over at Dean. It was weird, standing with him like this; she actually felt like they were parents, a team that had to work together to raise a kid.
She laced her fingers through his and gave his hand a brief squeeze, trying to make herself realize that this moment was actually happening. A small smile came to her face as she looked back towards the bedroom door.
Cassie had spent her entire time with Brooke sleeping. If it wasn't alcohol induced, it was just due to depression. She didn't want to be awake, especially not after the visions she had of Sam. The further away from reality she was, the better. Then she wouldn't have to lose anyone else, and she wouldn't have to face the fact that she was as good as alone
( ... )
Dean was a little surprise at first, and when she grabbed hold of him, his hand slipped out of Brooke's. He shot her a helpless look over Cassie's head, as he searched for what to do with his hands, before stroking them awkwardly through her hair like he had the last time.
This was going to take some serious getting used to.
"Hey," he said, over her stream of incoherent babble, in what was an obviously somewhat forced, but no less happy to see her tone, "it's okay."
Was it? Probably not. Her mom wasn't any less dead, Sam wasn't any less trapped with the devil for all eternity, the universe wasn't any more fair, and things weren't any more magically repaired with him and Brooke. Didn't matter though. At least there'd be a tomorrow - that much hadn't even be clear yesterday.
Dean carefully peeled Cassie back just enough to get her to look at him, and his smile widened slightly.
They didn't exactly get along, but the way Cassie reacted to seeing her with Dean and her pleas for him to stick around still stung. So when her hand slipped out of Dean's, Brooke crossed her arms over her chest and tried to offer him a reassuring smile
( ... )
When she was pulled away from him, Cassie just glared up at him, seething. She wanted to slap him, and wipe that stupid smile right off his face. She knew he was hurting, and that he was trying, but it wasn't going to take away from the fact that she was angry, and needed someone to take it out on. She couldn't do it to Brooke, no matter how much she instinctively distrusted any other female. Brooke so far had been the only one who hadn't up and left, to go off and do their own thing
( ... )
Dean didn't notice the sting of jealousy written all over Brooke's features, because he was too occupied with the tidal wave of feelings being flung at him. Blank desperation came over his face, mingled with confusion and uncertainty. He'd given her what she'd wanted, hadn't he? Come back? Not left? Sure he couldn't right all the wrongs in the world, but he'd held up his end of the bargain on that, so why did she think he was still gonna jet
( ... )
Brooke glanced over, wanting to back up Dean on what he was saying, but she had the same fears as Cassie did. She was terrified that the moment she got comfortable, he'd up and leave again, only this time she'd have to keep an eye on Cassie, too.
As she searched Cassie's face, something clicked inside of her; she realized that she couldn't let her fears control her. At least, not in front of Cassie. She needed strength and support, and Brooke didn't know if she could do that, but she'd sure as hell try.
She already knew that agreeing to this wasn't something she was going to take lightly.
"We can tie him to a chair if it'll make you feel better," she said, hoping it would lighten the mood even though her tone wasn't exactly cheery.
When she pushed off the wall, Brooke noticed the blood coming from Cassie's hands. Without saying another word, she walked down the hallway and into the bathroom to grab some peroxide and bandages.
It was hard for Cassie to look at Dean, hard for her to be ready to admit that she could trust him. She had trusted Gabriel with everything, and he had just left her like she was some kind of wasted attempt at a family. She was afraid that both Dean and Brooke would eventually think the same thing to. But after everything, and through all of her emotions, she was just tired. She didn't want to fight Dean, because she didn't want to push him away. So when he made her look at him, she reluctantly did so, her expression skittish and unsure of his promise
( ... )
The kiss brought a puzzled look to his face, but it almost warmed his heart slightly, which was a nice reminder that it was still in there somewhere.
Maybe this would all work out somehow, after all.
And if it took the two women in his life bonding over tying him to a chair in order to make it work, he could deal with that.
He released her wrist, letting her ease away without a struggle, but his eyes scraped the floor at the mention of Bobby, as he found himself at the bottom of a hill he had to climb all over again.
"Not goin' back to Bobby's. He's gonna... keep hunting." The silent implication was that Dean wasn't, and he hoped she was sharp enough to pick that much up. He glanced down the hall after Brooke. Eventually he had to explain that to her too - that he was done with that life.
Brooke came out a few moments later, wound cleaning supplies in hand. All she caught of the conversation was keep hunting and her stomach instantly felt like it had dropped to her feet. She wanted to say something, to yell at Dean for saying he'd try to do right by her and then not even an hour later say he was going to keep hunting, but it wasn't the right time.
Her eyes glanced briefly at the blood on his cheek, jaw clenching slightly. Then she looked over at Cassie and did her best to offer the girl a smile as she held up her hands, showing her the supplies.
"Figured we should clean your hands up," she said. It would be just as easy to walk into the bedroom and sit down on the bed, but she gestured over her shoulder. "Kitchen?"
Cassie really just wanted to ball her hands back up into fists and back away from the both of them, but she bit back her need to close herself off and nodded. She couldn't believe that Dean wasn't going to hunt anymore, that he was just going to leave it behind. In Cassie's eyes, Dean was almost like Superman, and hunting made him strong. It was alarming to suddenly have to view him as just a normal guy.
"Maybe we could eat too? I think it's been a couple of days since I've eaten anything." It was her own fault and she shrugged, and proceeded to move in to stand at Dean's side. If he was going to walk, she was going to follow close on his heels.
"You don't have to bandage my hands, either. I'm already hurt worse than my hands ever could be. You can't re-hurt damaged goods."
"Eating," Dean repeated, some cheer leaking into his tone. "Now that sounds like a damn good idea."
Not that he had an extensive appetite right now. But if he didn't force it down, he'd be regretting it, and it was a nice normal step. Easier to pretend that way.
It struck him that he had no idea whether Brooke cooked or not, and his eyes turned towards her.
"We'll bandage her up," he repeated, not letting Cassie's emo crap win this round, "and then you want me to order something or...?"
The cheer in Dean's voice, though good to hear, didn't really do much to quell the worry in Brooke's stomach. Had she really been that focused on Rachel and trying not to think about Dean that she'd missed Cassie not eating?
At least Dean agreed about her needing her hands bandaged.
She glanced over and was about to say yes when she realized that the likelihood of the delivery person being someone she knew - and someone who knew it was Lucas' house - was really high. She really didn't want to have to deal with Lucas drama on top of everything else, so she mentally went through the food they had in the house.
"I think there's a couple boxes of mac and cheese?" she suggested, glancing between Cassie and Dean. "It's not lobster and steak, but it's edible."
When her eyes settled on Dean's face again, all thoughts of Sam vanished as quickly as they'd come. Uncurling her fingers from the fists she didn't know she'd formed, Brooke finally snapped out of the shock enough to take a hesitant step forward.
There wasn't a lot of space between them, but it still felt like miles.
At first, she just lifted a hand to his cheek, letting it rest there as her thumb ran gently over his cheekbone. She wasn't trying to get him to look at her, even though she wanted him to, she was just checking to make sure he was really there. That he was solidIt didn't take long for ( ... )
Reply
"You want me to?" It came out more surprised than Brooke had intended and she reached up, tucking some hair behind her ear. "I mean, I figured you'd want to talk to her by yourself."
If he really wanted her to, she'd go in a heartbeat, but she didn't want to intrude just because Dean felt she needed to be included.
Reply
"Come on," he said, taking her hand and giving it a tug to direct her down the hallway. He shut the door behind her, and then moved down the unfamiliar hall to the door she'd gestured towards.
He rapped against it with the back of his knuckles.
"Anybody home?"
Reply
Keeping her hand in his, Brooke smiled a little to herself as they walked down the hallway. There were faint outlines on the walls of where the pictures of Karen, Lucas and Keith used to hang and Brooke hoped that they wouldn't be noticeable to anyone but her. And possibly Cassie, since she'd seen the pictures before Brooke took the down.
As they stood in front of the bedroom door, she glanced over at Dean. It was weird, standing with him like this; she actually felt like they were parents, a team that had to work together to raise a kid.
She laced her fingers through his and gave his hand a brief squeeze, trying to make herself realize that this moment was actually happening. A small smile came to her face as she looked back towards the bedroom door.
Reply
Reply
This was going to take some serious getting used to.
"Hey," he said, over her stream of incoherent babble, in what was an obviously somewhat forced, but no less happy to see her tone, "it's okay."
Was it? Probably not. Her mom wasn't any less dead, Sam wasn't any less trapped with the devil for all eternity, the universe wasn't any more fair, and things weren't any more magically repaired with him and Brooke. Didn't matter though. At least there'd be a tomorrow - that much hadn't even be clear yesterday.
Dean carefully peeled Cassie back just enough to get her to look at him, and his smile widened slightly.
"And here you didn't think I'd keep my word."
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
As she searched Cassie's face, something clicked inside of her; she realized that she couldn't let her fears control her. At least, not in front of Cassie. She needed strength and support, and Brooke didn't know if she could do that, but she'd sure as hell try.
She already knew that agreeing to this wasn't something she was going to take lightly.
"We can tie him to a chair if it'll make you feel better," she said, hoping it would lighten the mood even though her tone wasn't exactly cheery.
When she pushed off the wall, Brooke noticed the blood coming from Cassie's hands. Without saying another word, she walked down the hallway and into the bathroom to grab some peroxide and bandages.
Reply
Reply
Maybe this would all work out somehow, after all.
And if it took the two women in his life bonding over tying him to a chair in order to make it work, he could deal with that.
He released her wrist, letting her ease away without a struggle, but his eyes scraped the floor at the mention of Bobby, as he found himself at the bottom of a hill he had to climb all over again.
"Not goin' back to Bobby's. He's gonna... keep hunting." The silent implication was that Dean wasn't, and he hoped she was sharp enough to pick that much up. He glanced down the hall after Brooke. Eventually he had to explain that to her too - that he was done with that life.
Reply
Her eyes glanced briefly at the blood on his cheek, jaw clenching slightly. Then she looked over at Cassie and did her best to offer the girl a smile as she held up her hands, showing her the supplies.
"Figured we should clean your hands up," she said. It would be just as easy to walk into the bedroom and sit down on the bed, but she gestured over her shoulder. "Kitchen?"
Reply
"Maybe we could eat too? I think it's been a couple of days since I've eaten anything." It was her own fault and she shrugged, and proceeded to move in to stand at Dean's side. If he was going to walk, she was going to follow close on his heels.
"You don't have to bandage my hands, either. I'm already hurt worse than my hands ever could be. You can't re-hurt damaged goods."
Reply
Not that he had an extensive appetite right now. But if he didn't force it down, he'd be regretting it, and it was a nice normal step. Easier to pretend that way.
It struck him that he had no idea whether Brooke cooked or not, and his eyes turned towards her.
"We'll bandage her up," he repeated, not letting Cassie's emo crap win this round, "and then you want me to order something or...?"
Reply
At least Dean agreed about her needing her hands bandaged.
She glanced over and was about to say yes when she realized that the likelihood of the delivery person being someone she knew - and someone who knew it was Lucas' house - was really high. She really didn't want to have to deal with Lucas drama on top of everything else, so she mentally went through the food they had in the house.
"I think there's a couple boxes of mac and cheese?" she suggested, glancing between Cassie and Dean. "It's not lobster and steak, but it's edible."
Reply
Leave a comment