Brown Mountain Lights

Escape Attempts, Silent Treatment, and Men Who Won't Leave Me Alone

I unlocked the door of my apartment and pushed my way in, trying not to drop the armful of grocery bags as Emmy twined around my feet. "Munchkin," I said, looking down, "you're gonna get stepped on here in a minute. You'd best move." She meowed and didn't move, instead looking up at me hopefully.

I sighed, nudging her out of the way with my foot and dumping the bags on the kitchen counter. I'd almost accidentally killed this cat like five times because she'd walked under my feet. Apparently real cats were not very good at listening.

Once I'd gotten the groceries put away, I headed into the bedroom to change. I walked in and went straight for the closet, really wanting to take off my skirt and curl up in my sweatpants, but I froze when I heard the bedroom door slam.

I turned around slowly, and there was Dean Winchester, leaning against the doorframe. I rubbed my eyes and squinted. He was a hallucination, right? Brought on by – by overwork, and overtiredness, and maybe that pizza I'd eaten – well, picked at – for lunch had been off -

"Hello, kitten."

I swallowed, trying to get some saliva into my suddenly dry mouth, and said, "Get out."

"Aw, Kat. What kind of welcome is that?" he drawled. He strolled towards me, and I backed away, looking desperately around for an escape route. A third story apartment is only safer than ground floor if you don't want people getting in, Kat. It doesn't leave you many places to run!

"Please," I said softly. "Please, just go away, and let me be normal." My back hit the wall, and I closed my eyes and extended a trembling arm, waiting for him to yell, or grab me, or pick me up and carry me down the stairs to the Impala.

Instead, I felt his chest against my palm and gentle fingers lift my chin. "Not until you tell me why you left," he said in that dark, soft tone that used to mean I was in for pain if I didn't answer him.

Suddenly, I was pissed. I slapped his hand away and snarled, "I don't have to explain myself to you. Get the hell out of my apartment before I call the police."

Dean slammed his hands against the wall beside my head. "How, exactly, are you going to do that? I'm not letting you go anywhere, kitten." Then his eye was caught by my left arm, where a silver charm bracelet wrapped around my wrist. He pulled it up and examined the charms closely. "This is angel warding, isn't it? Is that how you hid from us?"

I didn't say anything, instead bringing my knee up between his spread legs, then jerking my arm away and darting around him when he hit the ground. I scooped Emmy up on my way out the door, bolting down the stairs and towards freedom.

Unfortunately, there was a six-foot-four plaid-wearing giant between me and the outside, and I ran right into him. Emmy hissed at the impact and climbed Sam like a tree, and while he was distracted by the eighteen sharp claws and innumerable teeth, I slid around him and kept going. She'd get loose, I'd find her later, it would be okay.

I got in my car, pulled the keys out of my cleavage, and started it. Nothing happened. I banged on the steering wheel in frustration. "No, no, no!" When it didn't start the third time I tried, I got out and bolted for the neighbors', a printing company's offices.

Three steps before their door, a hard arm grabbed me around the waist and pulled me over a shoulder. "No!" I screamed, pounding on Sam's back as he carried me back towards my apartment building. "Let me go, asshole!" When my fists had no effect, I leaned down a little further and bit him, right where his ribcage ended and there was some flesh to get my teeth into.

Sam swore and his grip loosened enough that I managed to roll off his shoulder and fall the six feet onto the ground. I was on my feet in a split second, sprinting for the office door again. I heard voices faintly behind me - "You dropped her?!" "She bit me!" - but I didn't care, because I had gotten my hand on the door and I was pulling it open -