Supernatural: Hunting, Living and Love

Part 5

Dean stepped out of Theresa's house, the creakingwooden porch echoing beneath his boots. The crisp evening air greetedhim as he closed the door behind him. I had spent 4 hours daydreamingstaring at the dying grass. Happily ignoring the existence of theWinchesters.

"Hey, y/n," Dean said, his voicecarrying a mix of determination and weariness.

"Is the Truck ready to hit the road?"

A flicker of pride danced in Dean's eyes as hespoke "Yeah, she's purring like a kitten again. We're good togo."

"Then what's holding you back?" Iinquired, sensing there was more to Dean's hesitation.

Dean sighed, the weight of the hunt evident inthe furrow of his brow. "Thing is, Sam and I figured we'd waituntil nightfall before we make our move. The less attention we draw,the better."

I understood his reasoning. In the world ofhunters and hunted, stealth was often our greatest ally. "Playingit safe. Smart move."

Dean nodded, a ghost of a smile tugging at thecorners of his lips. "Yeah, well, you know how it goes. Bettersafe than sorry."

The evening cast long shadows across the front ofTheresa's house as Dean joined me sitting on the steps, a palpabletension hanging in the air. I wanted in that moment to move away fromDean. To stand up and run away, to hide away in Theresa's house whilewaiting for night to fall. And yet at the same time I wanted to movecloser to Dean, fall into his arms, rest against his warm, chiselledchest. I wanted to hold on to him and never let him go.

Leaning back against the weathered wood, Deancleared his throat, breaking the uneasy silence. "Hey, you'vebeen kinda all over the place and distant today. Everything okay?"

I shifted uncomfortably, my gaze fixed on theground as if searching for the right words. "Yeah, I'm fine,Dean. Just... thinking."

Dean arched an eyebrow, not convinced by myresponse. "Come on, don't give me that. I can tell something'sbeen bothering you. You've been acting off all day."

The words weighed heavily on my tongue as Igathered the courage to speak up to Dean.

"Dean, last night... I overheard yourconversation with Sam," I began, my voice trembling slightly.

His reaction was a mix of surprise and concern,his green eyes searching mine for any hint of what I might haveheard. "And... what did you hear?"

Taking a deep breath, I recounted the painfulrevelation. "Sam mentioned how he feels like I'm a distractionto you, that I might be holding you back from focusing on the hunt.And you saying you'd get over me, forget about me, once your back inthe US"

Dean's expression darkened with guilt, and Iimmediately regretted bringing up such a sensitive topic. "I'msorry you had to hear that. It wasn't fair to you."

I shook my head, reaching out to reassure him. Ahand resting firmly on his shoulder. "It's okay, Dean. Iunderstand. You and Sam have your own worries, your own struggles. Ijust wanted to be honest with you about what I overheard."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair infrustration. "I don't want you to ever feel like you're just adistraction, because you're not. You're a valuable member of theteam, and I'm glad you're here with us."

"Do you see me as just a part of the team,another hunter, and nothing more?" I blurted out, the questionlingering heavily between us.

Dean's expression softened, his eyes searchingmine with a depth of emotion that took me by surprise. "No, ofcourse not. You're more than that, you know?"