"I'll be gone in a minute", she informed him slightly annoyed, thinking he had only come to check that she was indeed packing, "And sorry I was just about to kill you."
"That was the ghost that doesn't like machos", he smiled and Josie looked to him with reddened eyes.
Dean sighed and stepped toward her. Unasked, he took her bag and dumped her belongings on the bed. Astonished, she watched and had no clue what was going on.
"Come with me, I'll make you some tea and maybe there's a piece of cake in the fridge", he said and gently took her hand.
Blinking and speechless, she padded after him and precariously sat down on a chair in the kitchen.
"Don't look at me like that. I realize I deserve it, and it would be overkill to kick you out. The bunker can stand a bit of femininity, you know", the Winchester explained, while putting on the kettle.
"So, I can stay?", she assured herself insecurely.
"On one condition", he grinned smugly and Josie expected another of his pick-up attempts, "No more made-up monsters, all right?", coming across seriously, though.
"I promise", she nodded, smiling with relief.
Dean, meanwhile, retrieved the cake from the fridge that he had actually bought for himself. Selflessly, he gave it to Josie to make up for what happened. She, however, did not touch it.
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"It's yours, you eat it", she refused, biting her lip shyly because it really looked delicious.
The hunter didn't let her say that twice and stuffed a forkful straight into his mouth. However, he saw her longing look at the cake.
"Get a fork", he instructed her with a sigh, "We'll share it."
With sparkling eyes she looked at him and hurried to the cutlery drawer. Satisfied, he took another bite and had to agree with Sam. He hadn't wanted to admit it himself, but Josie had found a way into his heart unnoticed. Which was why he'd gotten so angry earlier. The fact that she wanted to lecture him in this way hit him even harder than the invented ghost itself. Actually, he didn't want to play-act for a woman, but if she could show herself vulnerable to him, then he just had to drop his facade as well and let her get close to him. Only then would he have a chance. And now he understood why she had this bond with Sam from the beginning. He had never made a secret of what he felt and she therefore trusted him.
"If you want, I can teach you how to swim", Dean suggested out of the blue.
"Now what makes you think that?", she bristled, poking a small corner of the cake.
"Well, I don't think that you trust me and if I prove to you that I'm looking out for you, maybe you'll trust me then", he smiled tentatively.
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Josie paused and didn't even chew any more. Hastily, she swallowed the lump so she could speak.
"You've protected me several times, and I know you're that type of man. But this has absolutely nothing to do with me not trusting you. You just have to understand that it wasn't long ago that my fiancé was brutally killed. I left my whole life behind and ran away from New Orleans. Right now it's just too much for me. What I need right now is a friend, not a lover, you know?"
"I know I'm not for long conversations but you really could have told me, I get that you're still hung up on your ex and maybe it was inappropriate. And I'm not serious about getting you into bed, although I wouldn't mind you keeping me company", he winked, which finally made her smile.
"A hunter's life is pretty lonely, huh?", she muttered, referring to both herself and Dean.
"Well, the job comes first", he breathed wistfully.
Comfortingly, she put a hand on his and stroked the scraped knuckles with her thumb. She hadn't expected this side of Dean, and it only made her feel guiltier.
Later that evening, Sam and Dean had already disappeared into their bedrooms. Only Josie sat in the library, looking at the closed book in front of her the whole time. Pride and Prejudice. Fit really well, she thought to herself. The brunette took it and slipped through the halls. From Dean's room she could hear the TV playing as she passed, so she knocked confidently. Cautiously, she peered in and spotted the hunter's wide awake face.
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"What’s up?", he asked, assuming something was wrong.
"Well I thought maybe you'd like some company", she whispered suddenly yet uncertainly, clutching the book in front of her chest.
Inevitably, a delighted smile graced Dean's lips and he gestured with a nod to the place next to him in the bed. He scooted over to the side and handed her his pillow.
"What are you watching?", she inquired curiously, placing her book on her legs, which she had played into a cross-legged position.
"The Godfather", Dean replied.
"Oh, I know that one, in the end Michael Corleone dies lonely and alone in his mansion", Josie retaliated.
Slowly Dean turned his head to her and gave her a reproachful look, he knew it was payback for the spoiler he had given her.
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"What, be glad I didn't tell you how he dies!", she oozed, leaning back smugly with her book, "Not like you to take all the suspense away"
"C’mon, these romance novels always end the same way, it was to be expected", he defended himself and leaned his head against her shoulder.
Surprised but somehow delighted that it turned out to be a peaceful evening after all, she smiled and opened the book while Dean just enjoyed not being alone for once.
