Heart of a Hunter

13: The Edge of Something New

                                            Sam's POV:

I lay there, holding Blair close, listening to the rain as it slowly tapered off into a soft drizzle. Her breathing had evened out, the tension I'd felt in her body earlier slowly melting away. It felt good—having her here with me, knowing she wasn't pulling back. She didn't have to say it, but I could tell she was starting to trust this—trust us.

But as much as I wanted to stay in this quiet moment with her, part of me was restless. I couldn't help it. I'd spent years living on the edge, always waiting for the next shoe to drop. And as good as this felt, as much as I cared about Blair, I knew that the world outside this room wasn't going to give us much time to breathe.

Dean was now snoring away across the room, oblivious to everything, having had come in during the night while we slept, and a part of me was grateful for that. Dean had done his best to lighten the mood earlier, poking fun at Blair and me, but I knew how he really saw it—how he saw me. He was waiting for me to screw this up. Hell, maybe I was waiting for the same thing.

Blair shifted slightly in my arms, her fingers brushing against my chest as she let out a small, sleepy sigh. My heart clenched, and I tightened my hold on her, trying to push away the doubts that were creeping in. She deserved better than me second-guessing everything. She deserved someone who could give her more than a life on the run, more than the constant fear of what might come next.

But she wanted to be here. She'd made that clear. And I wasn't going to push her away just because I was scared.

I stared up at the ceiling, my mind racing with a thousand different thoughts, but none of them felt solid. None of them gave me any real answers.

What happens next?

It was the same question Blair had asked earlier, and even though I'd told her we'd figure it out, I wasn't sure if I had any idea what that meant. I didn't know how to balance this—the job, the life we lived, and... her. It wasn't that I didn't want to. I just didn't know how.

I was used to things falling apart. I was used to losing people, to shutting down and pushing everything away when it got too hard. But Blair... she was different. She was here, and she wanted to stay. That scared the hell out of me.

But it also gave me hope.

And maybe, just maybe, that was enough to keep me from messing this up.

The room was quiet, save for the occasional snore from Dean. I could feel Blair's breath, soft and steady against my skin, and for a moment, everything else faded into the background. I didn't want to let go of this feeling—the peace that came with knowing she was here, that she wanted to be here.

I gently brushed a strand of her red hair away from her face, my fingers lingering on her cheek. Even in sleep, she looked peaceful, her face relaxed in a way I hadn't seen much since we found her. I could still remember the look in her eyes when we first saw her—lost, terrified, broken. But now? Now she was something else entirely. Stronger. Braver. And somehow, I'd been lucky enough to be part of that.

For the first time in a long time, I felt like maybe I hadn't completely failed someone I cared about.

I shifted slightly, trying not to wake her as I lay back, staring at the ceiling again. There was still so much we hadn't talked about, so many things we hadn't figured out. But the truth was, I didn't want to think about that right now. I just wanted to stay in this moment, with her, and forget about everything else for a little while longer.

But, of course, that wasn't how our lives worked.

A sharp knock on the motel room door shattered the quiet, and I felt Blair tense against me immediately, her body going rigid. I sat up, instinctively moving between her and the door as Dean grumbled and rolled over, blinking blearily at the sudden noise.

"Who the hell...?" Dean muttered, rubbing his eyes as he stumbled out of bed.

I felt Blair shift behind me, sitting up slowly, her eyes wide with concern. She was still wearing my jacket, and for a second, I thought about how ridiculous it was that even now, with someone knocking on the door in the middle of the night, I couldn't help but think about how perfect she looked in it.

"Stay here," I said quietly, glancing over my shoulder at her before I moved toward the door.

Dean was already reaching for the knife he kept under his pillow, his movements slow but focused. "You expecting someone, Sammy?" he asked, his voice low.

I shook my head, my heart pounding as I moved closer to the door. "No."

Dean exchanged a glance with me, his hand tightening on the knife as he motioned for me to take position on the other side of the door. I nodded, slipping into the shadows, my eyes locked on the door as Dean opened it a crack, peeking through the gap.

"Who the hell are you?" Dean asked, his voice sharp.

Whoever was on the other side muttered something I couldn't hear, and Dean's expression darkened. He opened the door wider, stepping out of the way as a figure stepped into the room—a man, tall and broad-shouldered, his face hidden beneath the shadow of a hood.

"Sam Winchester?" the man asked, his voice low and gravelly.

My gut twisted. I didn't recognize him, but something about the way he said my name sent a chill down my spine.

"Yeah," I said, stepping forward, my hand instinctively moving to the gun tucked into the waistband of my jeans. "Who's asking?"

The man lifted his head, his eyes locking onto mine. "We need to talk."

Dean took a step closer, his hand still on the knife. "Talk about what?"

The man didn't break eye contact with me, his face unreadable. "It's about Blair."

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. Behind me, I could feel Blair stiffen, her breath catching in her throat.

"Whatever it is, you can talk to both of us," I said, my voice steady despite the growing unease in my gut.

The man's lips twisted into a faint smirk, but there was nothing friendly about it. "Oh, I intend to."

Dean exchanged a look with me, his eyes narrowing. "What the hell's going on, Sam?"

I didn't have an answer for him, but I knew one thing for sure: whoever this guy was, he wasn't here for a friendly chat.

And just like that, the fragile peace Blair and I had found was shattered.

Again.

Because in our world, that was just how it went.