Bound By Fire

10: The Calm Before

Dean's POV

I held her close, my heart still pounding in my chest like I'd just come out of a fight. And maybe I had. But this fight hadn't been just about killing some monster, or putting down another evil son of a bitch. This fight had been about her- about Stella- and making her believe that her life was worth fighting for. 

The room was finally still, the cold that had clung to us since the angra first showed its face now gone. But even though the danger had passed, the adrenaline still had its hold on me. Every nerve in my body was still on edge, as if I was waiting for something to go wrong.

But it didn't. Stella was alive. She was here, and she'd just stared down fate and won.

I loosened my grip on her slightly, just enough to pull back and look at her. She was pale, shaken, but there was something else in her eyes- something stronger than fear. I could see it. She'd fought, and she'd come out on the other side.

"You good?" I asked, my voice coming out more forceful than intended.

She nodded, her lips parting as she let out a shaky breath "yeah. I think...I think so."

The weight of everything that had just happened hung heavy between us, and I wasn't sure what to say, but I wasn't good at this part. At feelings. But I knew one things for damn sure- I wasn't going to lose her. Not after everything we'd been through. Not after all this.

Sam cleared his throat from across the room, breaking the moment. He'd been standing back, letting me and Stella have our space, but now he stepped forward, looking relieved but still cautions. 

"I think it's really gone" Sam said, flipping through the pages of the book he'd been glued to all night. "The lore says once you break the angra's hold, it can't come back. It was feeding off of Stella's fear, off her belief that she wasn't supposed to be here. But now that she's... well, now that she's fought back, it doesn't have any power over her."

I looked at Sam, grateful for the words but still feeling the tension in my chest. It didn't matter what the lore said- I wasn't ready to let my guard down. Not yet.

"Good" I muttered, giving a quick nod before turning back to Stella. I caught her eyes and gave her a half-smile, trying to reassure her. "You hear that? You're off the hook. No more ancient death spirits coming for you."

She let out a small laugh, but I could tell she was still processing everything. The weight of what had just happened wasn't something that was going to disappear overnight. She'd faced something that most people would never even believe existed, and she came out on the other side. But I knew that kind of fear didn't just fade away. Not easily.

I glanced at Sam, who gave me a knowing look before tilting his head toward the door. "I'm gonna... give you two a minute." he said, walking out of the room with the book under his arm. He was good at that- knowing when to step back, when to give space.

Once the door closed behind him, the room felt quieter, more intimate. It was just me and Stella now. No angra, no Sam. Just us.

Stella sat down on the edge of the bed, running a hand through her hair, her eyes distant as she tried to process everything. I watched her for a moment, unsure of what to say. I wasn't good at this part- the aftermath. I knew how to fight, how to protect, but the quiet moments afterward always tripped me up.

But I couldn't leave her hanging. Not now.

I walked over and sat beside her, the bed creaking under our weight. For a second, neither of us said anything, the silence between us heavy, but not uncomfortable. We'd been through too much together for there to be any awkwardness.

"You were amazing" I finally said, my voice quiet but steady. "You know that right?"

She looked at me, her eyes wide and soft, like she couldn't quite believe what she'd just done. "I don't feel amazing" she admitted, a small laugh escaping her. "I feel... scared. And tired. And a little lost."

I reached out, taking her hand in mine, my thumb brushing gently over her knuckles. "That's normal, Hell, after what you just went through, I'd be worried if you weren't feeling a little shaken. But you faced it, Stella. You stared that thing down and told it to fuck off. Not many people can do that."

She squeezed my hand, her eyes softening as she leaned into me slightly. "I don't think I could've done it without you." she whispered "you made me believe Dean"

Her words hit me harder than I expected, cutting through all the walls I'd built up over the years. I wasn't used to hearing stuff like that. I was the guy who fought monsters, who kept people safe. But her? She made me feel like I was more than just that. More than just some hunter destined to die young on the job.

I swallowed hard, feeling my chest tighten as I looked at her. "You would've done it, with or without me," I said, my voice low. "You're stronger than you think"

She looked up at me, her eyes full of something that I couldn't quite name. Something that made my heart race in a way I wasn't ready to deal with. But there it was, right in front of me, and I couldn't ignore it anymore. 

Slowly she leaned in, her forehead resting against mine. The warmth of her breath brushed against my lips, and I felt that familiar pull between us, the electricity that had been there from the start. My hand tightened around hers, my other hand finding the small of her back, pulling her just a little closer.

I kissed her.

This time there was no urgency, no desperation like before. It was soft, slow, and full of everything we hadn't said out loud. The fear, the relief, the unspoken bond that had been growing between us since the moment she walked back into my life.

Her fingers threaded through my hair, and I let myself get lost in the feeling of her, in the quiet after the storm.

When we finally pulled apart, her eyes were bright, and I could see the beginnings of a smile tugging at her lips. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Winchester"
she teased softly.

I chuckled, pressing another kiss to her forehead. "Good, because I wasn't planning on it."

We stayed like that for a while, just holding each other, letting the weight of everything that had happened settle around us. The bunker, for once, felt safe. The danger was gone, at least for now, and we had this moment- this calm between storms that seemed to follow us wherever we went.

But I knew better than anyone that the quiet wouldn't last forever. There was  always something else waiting around the corner. Another fight. Another hunt.

And maybe that was okay. Because as long as she was with me, I could handle whatever came next. 

As long as she was with me, I wasn't fighting alone.

The End.

Debating writing book #2 of their adventures. 

Started on a Sam x Blair Story! Go find it on my page! I hope ya'll enjoyed!