Class of '96 (spn/btvs) ch 3 wip
Title: Class of '96
Author: Noturbaby
Summary: Dean's being forced to take Buffy to his tenth reunion. Drinking, dining, dancing, complaining, cussing, and feel copping
Rating: T language
warnings: none really
Art by Awesome Geek
A/N: Names and places are completely fictional. Any similarities to living people is coincidental.
The following morning, Dean rolled out early, got breakfast, did some quick research of the country club at the library, then picked up breakfast for Sam and Buffy. When Dean returned to the room he was greeted with the sound of his brother dry heaving. "Aw, Sammy, do you have an upset tummy?" he asked in his most mocking tone.
"Fuck you, Dean," Sam garbled in reply.
"Oh, Sammy, you know how I like the morning sex, but you're not my type." Dean leaned against the counter outside the bathroom. "I got you some food." Sam groaned. "Greasy pork sausage biscuit, pickles," Dean smirked as Sam flipped him off and heaved again.
"Just kidding, kid. I got you some Seven-up, Saltines, stuff for pb and j, and some Alka-seltzer." Sam looked at Dean in bleary eyed gratitude. "Don't say I don't take care of you when you're hurtin', bro."
Dean looked at his brother and shook his head. "Can't believe little Kelly Fischer can out drink you."
Sam groaned, "I hate her."
"Sure you do."
"She got pretty cute, huh?" Sam attempted to smile at Dean.
"She was always cute," Dean chuckled. "Now she's hot and old enough for you to date." Sam smiled then turned green and heaved.
Dean pushed off the counter. "I got a delivery for Princess Buffy, too, so I'll see you in a bit." The only answer he got was a groan as Sam rested his head against the toilet.
Buffy was slow to open the door when Dean knocked, but she looked a little less green than Sam. "Got you breakfast," Dean said with a grin as he held up a bag.
Buffy's eyes widened until the brightness of the outside caused her to instantly wish she hadn't. She snatched the bag out of Dean's hand and allowed him to follow her into her room. Buffy opened the bag, retrieved a breakfast sandwich and made happy noises as she took a huge bite. Dean looked on in amusement. "If I knew those were the sounds you make for a McMuffin, I'd have gotten you one every day."
Buffy ignored his comment and pointed toward the coffee maker. "There'sh coffee if you wanch shome," she said over a mouthful of food.
Dean saw there wasn't much left. "Nah, I'm good. I grabbed a soda." Dean held up a can before he pulled a paper from his pocket. "So I did a little research -"
"You did research?" Buffy looked at him in shock. She didn't want to think about attempting to read, let alone doing research while her brain was pounding in her skull.
Dean misunderstood her question and expression completely so he sarcastically replied, "I didn't even need help with the big words."
Buffy laughed, then groaned and put a hand to her forehead. "I meant, what were you doing up so early. Why aren't you hung over, too?"
"I left, remember?"
"Yeah, why'd you do that?" Buffy asked, but she kept talking before Dean could answer. "You're supposed to have my back, you know, look out for me." Dean could tell she was teasing and he let it lighten his mood. "Instead, you leave me to the mercy of party girls and your weak-ass brother."
Dean quirked a brow. "Weak-ass brother?" he asked hoping to sound indignant.
"Yeah, when it comes to cute party girls buying him drinks - the boy has no will power." Buffy rubbed her temples.
Dean chuckled. "If they were buying for him, how come you got so drunk?" He gave in to the urge to touch her and brushed her hair over her shoulder.
Buffy moaned softly when Dean's hand touched her skin. "Mmm. Your hand feels good. It's nice and cool."
Dean let his hand rest gently at the back of her neck as he mind struggled to climb out of the gutter. Buffy closed her eyes and let her head fall back, fully resting on his hand. "God that feels good. I wish you could put your hands all over me."
Having been knocked back into the gutter with her statement, Dean smirked. "Is that an invitation, sweetheart?" He put his other hand on her bare leg.
"Mmmm." Buffy sighed enjoying the cool touch of Dean's hands. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. "Oh my god! How do you do that?" She moved out of his touch.
"Do what?" he asked innocently.
"Go from being a nice guy to turning me into 'hung over slut' with one question!" Buffy's embarrassment added color to her pale cheeks.
"I'm just sitting here. You're the one making the happy noises and wanting my hands all over you," he teased, laughing as she moved away from him.
"I hate you. I just wanna go back to bed," she whined, leaning against the headboard.
Dean smirked as he stood up. "Well, I can work past the hate if you can. Angry sex it is." He made to take off his jacket.
A stunned Buffy just stared at him until her synapses caught up to what was happening. "Dean!"
"What? Sex is the best hangover cure there is. I'll make you feel so good you'll forget how bad you felt." He failed at keeping a straight face when Buffy turned an even deeper red. "You mean you're not inviting me to bed?"
Buffy tried to look angry, she tried to roll her eyes in annoyance, but if she was being honest with herself, she was enjoying the return of flirty Dean. She huffed. "You think you're so - whatever."
Dean laughed and sat on the bed opposite her. "You must be hurting if that's the best come back you've got." Buffy pouted and nodded. "Hey, if you don't want to do this tonight, we don't have to." Dean knew he could probably handle the hunt alone, if it came to that.
Buffy lit up. "No, we absolutely have to go. I have an awesome dress and everything."
Dean shook his head completely amused by her. "That's not what I meant, but fine, I'll see you at six."
At six o'clock, Dean checked his gun and his silver knives under his suit coat then rolled his neck. "Come on, Dean, it won't be so bad," Sam said for the millionth time.
"Right," Dean grumbled. "A bunch of stuck up, rich bastards I can't stand, an Indian curse, and Buffy." With a bitter smile he turned to his brother. "Sounds like a perfect evening."
Sam smirked, "I thought you'd like a chance to be alone with Buffy."
"We'll probably kill each other by the end of the night."
Buffy opened her door a second after Dean knocked. She smiled like she always did when she saw him in a suit, and thought he should wear them more often. "Wow, don't you look lovely," Dean said as he watched her turn to grab a wrap off a nearby chair.
Hoping he was sincere, Buffy felt her cheeks warm with color, but she managed to say, "Thank you. You look quite nice, too."
Dean shook his head at the compliment and held the door for her. As they walked to the Impala, Dean had his hand on the small of her back. He opened the car door for her and Buffy smiled a gracious thank you. Dean turned to see Sam smirking at him from the motel window. Dean smirked back and flipped his brother the finger.
Dean slowly made his way around the car to open Buffy's door. The combination of how good Buffy looked and how good she smelled was causing Dean to lose focus on the job. He took a deep breath of fresh air as he opened the door. "What do you say we kill this thing and get out quick?"
Buffy paused. "What? What about the reunion? Drinking, dinner, dancing? Don't you want to do any of that?"
"No," Dean answered surprised that she seemed interested in the party.
"Oh," Buffy replied quietly.
Dean wondered why she looked disappointed. After a moment he offered, "Hey, if you want to stay, that's fine by me. I'm sure there'll be plenty of guys wanting to give you a ride home."
Buffy sighed, "Whatever, Dean. Fine, let's just kill the beastie and decide afterward."
After pulling into the country club parking lot, Dean put a hand on Buffy's arm to stop her from leaving the car. "Look, I know you and Sammy would probably have a great time at something like this reunion, but it's not me." He took his hand off her arm but kept his eyes straight ahead. "I hated this town, this school, the teachers and ninety percent of the kids that went here. And they felt the same way about me so, don't expect a fun evening." He left the car without another word and met Buffy on the other side.
Dean kept his hands in his pockets and some space between them as they walked towards the main entrance. There were several other couples arriving at the same time and Dean was becoming more apprehensive as they got closer. Suddenly, he felt Buffy's hand slip through his arm and she gave him a squeeze. "You know, this might not be as bad as you think." Dean huffed at her remark. "There is an open bar and something to kill," she gently reminded him. "Plus, I look great in this dress and you look pretty good in your suit. We need to go rub that in the faces of these jerks you went to school with." Her smile and determined nod had the desired effect of making Dean smirk.
"I do make this look good," he joked adjusting his tie.
"Damn straight you do," she said softly nudging him.
Buffy was amused by the look Dean was given when he registered. The couple working the table checked his name twice. The woman never took her eyes off Dean, while the man mumbled, "I don't remember a Dean Winchester."
"His name is on the invitation," Buffy said pointing to a copy of the flier on the table.
The man cocked a brow as he read it over. "Hm, right. Well, take a name tag and, uh, welcome back, I guess."
Buffy and Dean exchanged looks and decided against the name tags. Buffy wasn't about to ruin her dress with a sticker.
Struck with a sudden awful memory, Dean asked Buffy quietly, "Teachers don't come to these things, do they?"
Buffy shrugged. "I don't know why?"
Dean looked around. "Because there are a couple I would hate to see."
"You actually remember teachers from this school?"
Dean turned quickly to face her to see if she serious or if she was mocking him. Deciding she was serious, he answered, "Well, there was one that made my life a particular hell, so yeah, I remember."
Buffy was intrigued. "Dean Winchester, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you were," she leaned quite close to whisper, "afraid." She put her hand on his chest and looked up at him.
Dean's witty rejoinder was lost as his eyes fell to her lips. His mind wandered to what flavor lip gloss Buffy was wearing and if he'd be able to taste it for himself before the night was over. "Yeah, well you should know me better," he stammered. Buffy began to grin and let her eyes fall to his lips as she pushed herself back. Dean found his mouth becoming very dry. "Let's find that open bar," he suggested, leading her towards the main room, hoping he wasn't reading too much into her actions.
Buffy wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure I'm ready for a cocktail, yet."
"Still hurting from last night?"
"No," Buffy scoffed. Before she could utter another word, Dean had her pinned to the wall. He had a hand at the small of her back and the other at the nape of her neck. Instinctively, Buffy gasped and her hands went to his shoulders. With their lips almost touching Dean whispered, "Just go with this for a second." Buffy nodded but she wondered just what she was going with when Dean pressed impossibly closer and his hand on her back slipped lower to slide over her backside. He turned his head slightly, then, as suddenly as he pinned her, he released her and stepped back as if nothing happened.
Buffy blinked a few times and swallowed to regain her composure. She noticed Dean's attention was focused on a woman walking toward the main hall. "Want to explain what that was about?"
"No, not unless you get me blind drunk. Speaking of, want to hit the bar?" he suggested tilting his head in that direction.
Buffy looked at the retreating woman and back at Dean. "Definitely, but I'll meet you there." Dean gave her a questioning look. "I'm going to use the ladies room first," Buffy answered, hoping a bit of privacy would help her calm down.
"Okay," Dean mumbled, his interest already drawn to a series of papers decorating the wall.
Buffy sighed. One minute the guy is nearly groping me, the next I'm barely noticeable. I am in for a long evening, she thought to herself.
Once Buffy left, Dean walked over to a wall decorated with pictures and yearbook pages. How the hell had he gotten in a yearbook? he wondered. A sharp twinge of anger boiled up inside him as he read the list of least likely to's and the one most likely to. What the fuck did they know? He ripped the page off the wall. "least likely to be in class, least likely to get married, least likely to succeed. Most likely to end up in prison." He crumpled the paper into his pocket.
As Buffy entered the ladies room, she was nearly trampled by two other women. "All right, Chelsea, what has got you in such a tizzy?" the one being dragged asked.
Before Chelsea answered, she made a tiny squealing noise. "Eeeee, did you see who's here?"
"Sweetie, everybody's here. There's nothing else to do in this pathetic town," The first woman replied and leaned closer to the mirror to check her make up.
"Hm, well. I thought you might find it interesting that Dean Winchester is here." Chelsea teased.
Buffy recognized Chelsea as the woman from the registration table. While Buffy checked her hair, she was subtly watching the other woman's reaction in the mirror.
"Sweet Jesus, for real?"
"Mm-hm. And girl, he still looks like -"
"Sex on a stick?" the other finished.
Buffy's eyes widened as the woman named Chelsea answered, "Oh, hell, yes. But, it gets better."
"Better?" the other woman asked mimicking the question in Buffy's mind.
"Yeah, picture all that salty goodness in a suit. It's like he's channeling George Clooney's and Brad Pitt's love child," Chelsea answered. "I swear to god he only got hotter since high school."
The other woman exhaled, "Fuck." Then she and Chelsea giggled. "That boy could bring me to my knees with just a look in high school."
Chelsea gave her friend an pointed look. "Brittney, he did bring you to your knees in high school."
"Isn't that what I said?" Brittney said with a wink and a laugh. "But what about you? I seem to remember a few track practices you were quite late to."
Chelsea had turned a bright red. "Brittney, I was tutoring him, in -" she paused.
Brittney shook her head. "You don't even remember," she laughed. "Poor Brad," she sighed, "once again I'll be thinking of Dean Winchester while Brad's trying his best to get me to orgasm."
Chelsea chuckled, "Brittney, I'm sure Brad's used to you fantasizing about other men during sex. But wait 'til you see Dean. I'm telling you, even Brad will be fantasizing about Dean during sex."
The woman laughed. "Do you think Laura saw him, yet?"
Buffy had washed up, checked her hair and touched up her lip gloss. When she followed the two women out of ladies room, Buffy found Dean leaning against the wall waiting for her. Buffy noticed Brittney grab Chelsea's arm. However, Dean's eyes seemed laser focused on Buffy as she made her way passed the other women. Buffy pressed herself into Dean, slipping an arm around him under his suit coat. "You really need to wear suits more often," she whispered.
"Right," Dean scofffed seeming unaffected by her sudden fondness.
Buffy glanced at the two women from the bathroom and found them staring at Dean and looking rather uncomfortable. Dean followed her eyes to the two women and a his eyebrow quirked. "Ladies," Dean drawled before he tightened his hold on Buffy, but his eyes were slowly undressing Chelsea. As the woman began to turn various shades of red, Dean smirked, "Good to see you." Keeping his arm around Buffy, he led her to the main room.
"Brittney and Chelsea were sharing fond memories of you in the bathroom," Buffy informed Dean, hoping to embarrass him a little.
Dean simply cleared his throat, "They lied." Buffy looked surprised. "I was never in a bathroom with either of them." Buffy rolled her eyes at him as he hid behind the rum and coke he sipped.
Buffy's nerves were still running high from the scene in the hallway. Dean holding her close and nearly kissing her, was not exactly awful in her book. She didn't know why Dean wanted to hide from that woman, but if he was going to make out with her to do it, well that was just fine with Buffy. At least this forced fake date gave her an excuse to be alone with Dean. She certainly didn't mind rubbing a hand down his back when she put her arm around him. She hoped she could convince him to stay after their job was done.
It was difficult for Dean to relax. This was not his type of crowd and definitely not his type of event. Though he tried for his normal nonchalance, he knew he was failing when Buffy slipped a hand into his. The reassuring expression she wore made him feel more self-loathing. It wasn't enough to feel like a loser at his reunion. Her presence also reminded him of how inadequate she thought he was as a hunter. He needed her as back up and as a pity date. Making it worse for Dean, Buffy looked incredible and was being nicer to him than she'd been in weeks. He was sure she was going to be pissed about what he pulled in the hallway, but he was willing to risk her anger at the time.
He looked toward the rear of the room for the exit he knew led to the service halls. That would be how they'd get to the sub basement. Once they were done with the job, this whole awful night could be over. He pointed toward the door. "That's the exit we need to take to get to the basement," he whispered to her.
Buffy's smile faded slightly. Right, the job, Dean would be concerned only about the job. Buffy nodded, "We have some time. Sam said nothing happens until moonrise." Trying to lighten his mood Buffy said, "Tell me some story about when you went here. You must remember something."
Dean shook his head, "I don't remember anything worth talking about."
Buffy pouted, "Come on, Dean. You have to have at least one story." Before she could go on, a voice from behind Dean spoke up.
"Dean? Dean Winchester what a pleasant surprise!"
Buffy noticed Dean's agitation the moment he heard the woman's voice. He squeezed Buffy's hand and cleared his throat as he turned to the person speaking. Knitting his brows in confusion he answered, "Yeah, I'm Dean Winchester, but, um, I'm sorry but I don't recognize you." He released Buffy's hand and casually slipped his arm around her waist holding her tightly to his side.
The woman evaluated him quickly. Her eyes cut to Buffy then returned to him. "Well, you weren't with us for long, but I remember you, Dean."
Keeping his face emotionless, Dean replied, "Well, I'm sure I was a bit of a trouble maker when I was a kid, so if I disrupted your class or showed you any sort of disrespect back then, I'm real sorry." His 'aw shucks' act seemed to be working.
The briefest flash of insult crossed the woman's face. "I'm sure you've matured in the past ten years, Dean. Maybe even settled down?" She tilted her head towards Buffy.
Buffy opened her mouth to speak but Dean gently squeezed her. "Yes, ma'am, Buffy here has spoiled me for all other women." He gave Buffy a quick kiss on her temple.
The woman gave him a phony smile and nodded. "That's nice. Well, I see some other alumni I need to speak with, so if you'll excuse me." She stepped around them, walking toward the main hall.
Dean released Buffy, heaved a huge sigh of relief, stepped back and muttered, "Thanks."
Buffy's interest was definitely piqued now. "That's it. You have to tell me the story behind her. That was the same woman from hallway, wasn't it?"
Dean watched the woman leave. "Like I said before, telling that story would require large amounts of alcohol."
"Then I guess I better order another round," Buffy smirked at him as she stepped toward the bar.
Previous chapters
Chapter 4
Author: Noturbaby
Summary: Dean's being forced to take Buffy to his tenth reunion. Drinking, dining, dancing, complaining, cussing, and feel copping
Rating: T language
warnings: none really
Art by Awesome Geek
A/N: Names and places are completely fictional. Any similarities to living people is coincidental.
The following morning, Dean rolled out early, got breakfast, did some quick research of the country club at the library, then picked up breakfast for Sam and Buffy. When Dean returned to the room he was greeted with the sound of his brother dry heaving. "Aw, Sammy, do you have an upset tummy?" he asked in his most mocking tone.
"Fuck you, Dean," Sam garbled in reply.
"Oh, Sammy, you know how I like the morning sex, but you're not my type." Dean leaned against the counter outside the bathroom. "I got you some food." Sam groaned. "Greasy pork sausage biscuit, pickles," Dean smirked as Sam flipped him off and heaved again.
"Just kidding, kid. I got you some Seven-up, Saltines, stuff for pb and j, and some Alka-seltzer." Sam looked at Dean in bleary eyed gratitude. "Don't say I don't take care of you when you're hurtin', bro."
Dean looked at his brother and shook his head. "Can't believe little Kelly Fischer can out drink you."
Sam groaned, "I hate her."
"Sure you do."
"She got pretty cute, huh?" Sam attempted to smile at Dean.
"She was always cute," Dean chuckled. "Now she's hot and old enough for you to date." Sam smiled then turned green and heaved.
Dean pushed off the counter. "I got a delivery for Princess Buffy, too, so I'll see you in a bit." The only answer he got was a groan as Sam rested his head against the toilet.
Buffy was slow to open the door when Dean knocked, but she looked a little less green than Sam. "Got you breakfast," Dean said with a grin as he held up a bag.
Buffy's eyes widened until the brightness of the outside caused her to instantly wish she hadn't. She snatched the bag out of Dean's hand and allowed him to follow her into her room. Buffy opened the bag, retrieved a breakfast sandwich and made happy noises as she took a huge bite. Dean looked on in amusement. "If I knew those were the sounds you make for a McMuffin, I'd have gotten you one every day."
Buffy ignored his comment and pointed toward the coffee maker. "There'sh coffee if you wanch shome," she said over a mouthful of food.
Dean saw there wasn't much left. "Nah, I'm good. I grabbed a soda." Dean held up a can before he pulled a paper from his pocket. "So I did a little research -"
"You did research?" Buffy looked at him in shock. She didn't want to think about attempting to read, let alone doing research while her brain was pounding in her skull.
Dean misunderstood her question and expression completely so he sarcastically replied, "I didn't even need help with the big words."
Buffy laughed, then groaned and put a hand to her forehead. "I meant, what were you doing up so early. Why aren't you hung over, too?"
"I left, remember?"
"Yeah, why'd you do that?" Buffy asked, but she kept talking before Dean could answer. "You're supposed to have my back, you know, look out for me." Dean could tell she was teasing and he let it lighten his mood. "Instead, you leave me to the mercy of party girls and your weak-ass brother."
Dean quirked a brow. "Weak-ass brother?" he asked hoping to sound indignant.
"Yeah, when it comes to cute party girls buying him drinks - the boy has no will power." Buffy rubbed her temples.
Dean chuckled. "If they were buying for him, how come you got so drunk?" He gave in to the urge to touch her and brushed her hair over her shoulder.
Buffy moaned softly when Dean's hand touched her skin. "Mmm. Your hand feels good. It's nice and cool."
Dean let his hand rest gently at the back of her neck as he mind struggled to climb out of the gutter. Buffy closed her eyes and let her head fall back, fully resting on his hand. "God that feels good. I wish you could put your hands all over me."
Having been knocked back into the gutter with her statement, Dean smirked. "Is that an invitation, sweetheart?" He put his other hand on her bare leg.
"Mmmm." Buffy sighed enjoying the cool touch of Dean's hands. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. "Oh my god! How do you do that?" She moved out of his touch.
"Do what?" he asked innocently.
"Go from being a nice guy to turning me into 'hung over slut' with one question!" Buffy's embarrassment added color to her pale cheeks.
"I'm just sitting here. You're the one making the happy noises and wanting my hands all over you," he teased, laughing as she moved away from him.
"I hate you. I just wanna go back to bed," she whined, leaning against the headboard.
Dean smirked as he stood up. "Well, I can work past the hate if you can. Angry sex it is." He made to take off his jacket.
A stunned Buffy just stared at him until her synapses caught up to what was happening. "Dean!"
"What? Sex is the best hangover cure there is. I'll make you feel so good you'll forget how bad you felt." He failed at keeping a straight face when Buffy turned an even deeper red. "You mean you're not inviting me to bed?"
Buffy tried to look angry, she tried to roll her eyes in annoyance, but if she was being honest with herself, she was enjoying the return of flirty Dean. She huffed. "You think you're so - whatever."
Dean laughed and sat on the bed opposite her. "You must be hurting if that's the best come back you've got." Buffy pouted and nodded. "Hey, if you don't want to do this tonight, we don't have to." Dean knew he could probably handle the hunt alone, if it came to that.
Buffy lit up. "No, we absolutely have to go. I have an awesome dress and everything."
Dean shook his head completely amused by her. "That's not what I meant, but fine, I'll see you at six."
At six o'clock, Dean checked his gun and his silver knives under his suit coat then rolled his neck. "Come on, Dean, it won't be so bad," Sam said for the millionth time.
"Right," Dean grumbled. "A bunch of stuck up, rich bastards I can't stand, an Indian curse, and Buffy." With a bitter smile he turned to his brother. "Sounds like a perfect evening."
Sam smirked, "I thought you'd like a chance to be alone with Buffy."
"We'll probably kill each other by the end of the night."
Buffy opened her door a second after Dean knocked. She smiled like she always did when she saw him in a suit, and thought he should wear them more often. "Wow, don't you look lovely," Dean said as he watched her turn to grab a wrap off a nearby chair.
Hoping he was sincere, Buffy felt her cheeks warm with color, but she managed to say, "Thank you. You look quite nice, too."
Dean shook his head at the compliment and held the door for her. As they walked to the Impala, Dean had his hand on the small of her back. He opened the car door for her and Buffy smiled a gracious thank you. Dean turned to see Sam smirking at him from the motel window. Dean smirked back and flipped his brother the finger.
Dean slowly made his way around the car to open Buffy's door. The combination of how good Buffy looked and how good she smelled was causing Dean to lose focus on the job. He took a deep breath of fresh air as he opened the door. "What do you say we kill this thing and get out quick?"
Buffy paused. "What? What about the reunion? Drinking, dinner, dancing? Don't you want to do any of that?"
"No," Dean answered surprised that she seemed interested in the party.
"Oh," Buffy replied quietly.
Dean wondered why she looked disappointed. After a moment he offered, "Hey, if you want to stay, that's fine by me. I'm sure there'll be plenty of guys wanting to give you a ride home."
Buffy sighed, "Whatever, Dean. Fine, let's just kill the beastie and decide afterward."
After pulling into the country club parking lot, Dean put a hand on Buffy's arm to stop her from leaving the car. "Look, I know you and Sammy would probably have a great time at something like this reunion, but it's not me." He took his hand off her arm but kept his eyes straight ahead. "I hated this town, this school, the teachers and ninety percent of the kids that went here. And they felt the same way about me so, don't expect a fun evening." He left the car without another word and met Buffy on the other side.
Dean kept his hands in his pockets and some space between them as they walked towards the main entrance. There were several other couples arriving at the same time and Dean was becoming more apprehensive as they got closer. Suddenly, he felt Buffy's hand slip through his arm and she gave him a squeeze. "You know, this might not be as bad as you think." Dean huffed at her remark. "There is an open bar and something to kill," she gently reminded him. "Plus, I look great in this dress and you look pretty good in your suit. We need to go rub that in the faces of these jerks you went to school with." Her smile and determined nod had the desired effect of making Dean smirk.
"I do make this look good," he joked adjusting his tie.
"Damn straight you do," she said softly nudging him.
Buffy was amused by the look Dean was given when he registered. The couple working the table checked his name twice. The woman never took her eyes off Dean, while the man mumbled, "I don't remember a Dean Winchester."
"His name is on the invitation," Buffy said pointing to a copy of the flier on the table.
The man cocked a brow as he read it over. "Hm, right. Well, take a name tag and, uh, welcome back, I guess."
Buffy and Dean exchanged looks and decided against the name tags. Buffy wasn't about to ruin her dress with a sticker.
Struck with a sudden awful memory, Dean asked Buffy quietly, "Teachers don't come to these things, do they?"
Buffy shrugged. "I don't know why?"
Dean looked around. "Because there are a couple I would hate to see."
"You actually remember teachers from this school?"
Dean turned quickly to face her to see if she serious or if she was mocking him. Deciding she was serious, he answered, "Well, there was one that made my life a particular hell, so yeah, I remember."
Buffy was intrigued. "Dean Winchester, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you were," she leaned quite close to whisper, "afraid." She put her hand on his chest and looked up at him.
Dean's witty rejoinder was lost as his eyes fell to her lips. His mind wandered to what flavor lip gloss Buffy was wearing and if he'd be able to taste it for himself before the night was over. "Yeah, well you should know me better," he stammered. Buffy began to grin and let her eyes fall to his lips as she pushed herself back. Dean found his mouth becoming very dry. "Let's find that open bar," he suggested, leading her towards the main room, hoping he wasn't reading too much into her actions.
Buffy wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure I'm ready for a cocktail, yet."
"Still hurting from last night?"
"No," Buffy scoffed. Before she could utter another word, Dean had her pinned to the wall. He had a hand at the small of her back and the other at the nape of her neck. Instinctively, Buffy gasped and her hands went to his shoulders. With their lips almost touching Dean whispered, "Just go with this for a second." Buffy nodded but she wondered just what she was going with when Dean pressed impossibly closer and his hand on her back slipped lower to slide over her backside. He turned his head slightly, then, as suddenly as he pinned her, he released her and stepped back as if nothing happened.
Buffy blinked a few times and swallowed to regain her composure. She noticed Dean's attention was focused on a woman walking toward the main hall. "Want to explain what that was about?"
"No, not unless you get me blind drunk. Speaking of, want to hit the bar?" he suggested tilting his head in that direction.
Buffy looked at the retreating woman and back at Dean. "Definitely, but I'll meet you there." Dean gave her a questioning look. "I'm going to use the ladies room first," Buffy answered, hoping a bit of privacy would help her calm down.
"Okay," Dean mumbled, his interest already drawn to a series of papers decorating the wall.
Buffy sighed. One minute the guy is nearly groping me, the next I'm barely noticeable. I am in for a long evening, she thought to herself.
Once Buffy left, Dean walked over to a wall decorated with pictures and yearbook pages. How the hell had he gotten in a yearbook? he wondered. A sharp twinge of anger boiled up inside him as he read the list of least likely to's and the one most likely to. What the fuck did they know? He ripped the page off the wall. "least likely to be in class, least likely to get married, least likely to succeed. Most likely to end up in prison." He crumpled the paper into his pocket.
As Buffy entered the ladies room, she was nearly trampled by two other women. "All right, Chelsea, what has got you in such a tizzy?" the one being dragged asked.
Before Chelsea answered, she made a tiny squealing noise. "Eeeee, did you see who's here?"
"Sweetie, everybody's here. There's nothing else to do in this pathetic town," The first woman replied and leaned closer to the mirror to check her make up.
"Hm, well. I thought you might find it interesting that Dean Winchester is here." Chelsea teased.
Buffy recognized Chelsea as the woman from the registration table. While Buffy checked her hair, she was subtly watching the other woman's reaction in the mirror.
"Sweet Jesus, for real?"
"Mm-hm. And girl, he still looks like -"
"Sex on a stick?" the other finished.
Buffy's eyes widened as the woman named Chelsea answered, "Oh, hell, yes. But, it gets better."
"Better?" the other woman asked mimicking the question in Buffy's mind.
"Yeah, picture all that salty goodness in a suit. It's like he's channeling George Clooney's and Brad Pitt's love child," Chelsea answered. "I swear to god he only got hotter since high school."
The other woman exhaled, "Fuck." Then she and Chelsea giggled. "That boy could bring me to my knees with just a look in high school."
Chelsea gave her friend an pointed look. "Brittney, he did bring you to your knees in high school."
"Isn't that what I said?" Brittney said with a wink and a laugh. "But what about you? I seem to remember a few track practices you were quite late to."
Chelsea had turned a bright red. "Brittney, I was tutoring him, in -" she paused.
Brittney shook her head. "You don't even remember," she laughed. "Poor Brad," she sighed, "once again I'll be thinking of Dean Winchester while Brad's trying his best to get me to orgasm."
Chelsea chuckled, "Brittney, I'm sure Brad's used to you fantasizing about other men during sex. But wait 'til you see Dean. I'm telling you, even Brad will be fantasizing about Dean during sex."
The woman laughed. "Do you think Laura saw him, yet?"
Buffy had washed up, checked her hair and touched up her lip gloss. When she followed the two women out of ladies room, Buffy found Dean leaning against the wall waiting for her. Buffy noticed Brittney grab Chelsea's arm. However, Dean's eyes seemed laser focused on Buffy as she made her way passed the other women. Buffy pressed herself into Dean, slipping an arm around him under his suit coat. "You really need to wear suits more often," she whispered.
"Right," Dean scofffed seeming unaffected by her sudden fondness.
Buffy glanced at the two women from the bathroom and found them staring at Dean and looking rather uncomfortable. Dean followed her eyes to the two women and a his eyebrow quirked. "Ladies," Dean drawled before he tightened his hold on Buffy, but his eyes were slowly undressing Chelsea. As the woman began to turn various shades of red, Dean smirked, "Good to see you." Keeping his arm around Buffy, he led her to the main room.
"Brittney and Chelsea were sharing fond memories of you in the bathroom," Buffy informed Dean, hoping to embarrass him a little.
Dean simply cleared his throat, "They lied." Buffy looked surprised. "I was never in a bathroom with either of them." Buffy rolled her eyes at him as he hid behind the rum and coke he sipped.
Buffy's nerves were still running high from the scene in the hallway. Dean holding her close and nearly kissing her, was not exactly awful in her book. She didn't know why Dean wanted to hide from that woman, but if he was going to make out with her to do it, well that was just fine with Buffy. At least this forced fake date gave her an excuse to be alone with Dean. She certainly didn't mind rubbing a hand down his back when she put her arm around him. She hoped she could convince him to stay after their job was done.
It was difficult for Dean to relax. This was not his type of crowd and definitely not his type of event. Though he tried for his normal nonchalance, he knew he was failing when Buffy slipped a hand into his. The reassuring expression she wore made him feel more self-loathing. It wasn't enough to feel like a loser at his reunion. Her presence also reminded him of how inadequate she thought he was as a hunter. He needed her as back up and as a pity date. Making it worse for Dean, Buffy looked incredible and was being nicer to him than she'd been in weeks. He was sure she was going to be pissed about what he pulled in the hallway, but he was willing to risk her anger at the time.
He looked toward the rear of the room for the exit he knew led to the service halls. That would be how they'd get to the sub basement. Once they were done with the job, this whole awful night could be over. He pointed toward the door. "That's the exit we need to take to get to the basement," he whispered to her.
Buffy's smile faded slightly. Right, the job, Dean would be concerned only about the job. Buffy nodded, "We have some time. Sam said nothing happens until moonrise." Trying to lighten his mood Buffy said, "Tell me some story about when you went here. You must remember something."
Dean shook his head, "I don't remember anything worth talking about."
Buffy pouted, "Come on, Dean. You have to have at least one story." Before she could go on, a voice from behind Dean spoke up.
"Dean? Dean Winchester what a pleasant surprise!"
Buffy noticed Dean's agitation the moment he heard the woman's voice. He squeezed Buffy's hand and cleared his throat as he turned to the person speaking. Knitting his brows in confusion he answered, "Yeah, I'm Dean Winchester, but, um, I'm sorry but I don't recognize you." He released Buffy's hand and casually slipped his arm around her waist holding her tightly to his side.
The woman evaluated him quickly. Her eyes cut to Buffy then returned to him. "Well, you weren't with us for long, but I remember you, Dean."
Keeping his face emotionless, Dean replied, "Well, I'm sure I was a bit of a trouble maker when I was a kid, so if I disrupted your class or showed you any sort of disrespect back then, I'm real sorry." His 'aw shucks' act seemed to be working.
The briefest flash of insult crossed the woman's face. "I'm sure you've matured in the past ten years, Dean. Maybe even settled down?" She tilted her head towards Buffy.
Buffy opened her mouth to speak but Dean gently squeezed her. "Yes, ma'am, Buffy here has spoiled me for all other women." He gave Buffy a quick kiss on her temple.
The woman gave him a phony smile and nodded. "That's nice. Well, I see some other alumni I need to speak with, so if you'll excuse me." She stepped around them, walking toward the main hall.
Dean released Buffy, heaved a huge sigh of relief, stepped back and muttered, "Thanks."
Buffy's interest was definitely piqued now. "That's it. You have to tell me the story behind her. That was the same woman from hallway, wasn't it?"
Dean watched the woman leave. "Like I said before, telling that story would require large amounts of alcohol."
"Then I guess I better order another round," Buffy smirked at him as she stepped toward the bar.
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Chapter 4