Turn the Page -Sequel to More Than a Feeling

Chapter 12

Ruthie pulled the cookie sheet out of the oven and set it on a cooling rack. At least snickerdoodles were one thing she hadn't yet managed to screw up. It was stupid, but the cookies were a small way for her to try and make it up to the boys for putting them through yesterday. Besides, it wasn't like she had much else to do, since Dean and Sam had agreed she wasn't allowed to leave the motel for the rest of the trip.

She hadn't put up much of a fight. Dean's anger could always get a defensive rise out of her, but the disappointment in Sam's eyes nearly broke her. He'd stood up for her so many times, and she'd betrayed his trust with her stunt.

They both believed she'd done it because she was trying to prove herself, like she thought she was some big shot hunter now. She hadn't corrected them.

Asking to come with them after the werewolf left that threat on her fridge was one thing. They had all understood it was a temporary arrangement, and besides, Dean owed her. But what she wanted now went far beyond the deal they'd made.

She knew they cared for her; that wasn't the issue. But asking two bachelors to essentially adopt her, to make her part of their family, to let her stay with them forever... She couldn't do it. She wouldn't put them in that position. It was simply too much to ask. And if she was honest with herself, she was afraid of what their answer might be. She'd imagined it so many times: the brothers exchanging awkward looks, avoiding eye contact with her. Dean clearing his throat. Sam trying to let her down gently. Just thinking about it made her face burn, her breath hitch in her throat. She wrapped her arms around her stomach.

Once they killed the werewolf, where would she have them take her? She had nowhere to go. She had no one else.

She didn't want anyone else.

"So, are those the kind of cookies you eat, or do you just stare at them all day?"

Dean's voice brought her back to the present. She opened a drawer and fished around for a spatula. "You can't rush perfection, Winchester. They need to cool."

He and Sam sat at the little table, where they'd been discussing their next steps. Sam ran a hand over his hair. "How many more motels and B&Bs do we have left to check?"

Dean consulted his laptop, then pushed it away. "More than we have time for."

Sam sighed. "And she might not even be here anymore. She may have gotten spooked and moved on."

"I still say we should be hunting that werewolf instead."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Dean, we know. You've only mentioned it a couple dozen times."

"And I'll keep saying it until you get it through your dense skull."

Sam leaned toward Dean and raised his voice. "That witch tried to kill Ruthie."

Dean's voice rose to meet his brother's. "And that wolf tried to kill all three of us. Do you even remember why Ruthie's stuck with us in the first place?"

She opened her mouth to object to his description of her situation, but Sam beat her.

"Yeah, Dean, I remember it more or less vowed revenge, then dropped off the grid for months. And now, suddenly a werewolf practically hangs an 'Open for Business' sign in the podunk town we happen to be in. It's baiting us, which means it's a trap."

Dean glowered at Sam. "Of course it's a trap. You think I don't know that?"

"So, what, you want to just walk into it? Is that your plan?"

Ruthie hurried to grab two little plates from the cabinet. Cooled or not, it was time for cookies. Using the spatula, she slid two big, soft cookies onto each plate and set one down in front of each of them. "Thanks," they said in unison, then continued bickering. She sat on the couch across from them since there were only two chairs.