Real Love Never Dies

Falling for Him

It's been two months since Dean's deal came due. Two months without him, knowing she would never see his face, hear his voice, again. The pain Jo felt was like nothing she had ever felt before. There were endless nights of crying until she thought there were no more tears left to cry. But there always were. Night after night, the young hunter cried herself to sleep.

Her dreams were haunted by him, and most mornings she would wake up to find her cheeks damp with unshed tears.

They had never meant for things to get this far. Never meant to fall in love. Yet, somehow, during all those late nights of research as they tried desperately to find a way to get Dean out of the deal he made to save Sam's life, they had grown closer.

It started out innocently enough. They were left alone at Bobby's one night while Sam was chasing a lead and Bobby had gone out for more beer. Both had been drinking heavily, and as the night wore on, they became more than a little drunk. They had been up all night doing research, searching for the loophole that would save him. Finally, some time after 1am, Dean slammed the book he had in front of him shut.

"This is useless," he muttered, his words just beginning to slur. "Whatever we do won't matter. I'm going to Hell, and there's nothing we can do to stop it."

Jo stood up then, knocking her chair over and nearly falling as a result of her drunkenness. "Don't you dare talk like that, Dean Winchester! We're going to find a way to save you. And if we can't, then I'm going to find a way to bring you back, or die trying."

"Don't waste your breath sweetheart." He stood up and reached a hand out to steady her, letting himself enjoy the feel of her soft skin for just a moment. "I'm not worth it."

"To me, you are," she muttered, her gaze drifting down to his hand. It was no secret that she had a crush on him, though she never said the words aloud. She never dreamed that he would return those feelings, and with the current situation, it would be pointless to start something between them.

"Why?" He demanded. "Why do you care so much? You're going out of your way to help me. This is a lost cause. I'm a lost cause. So why are you even bothering?"

"Because, you stupid asshole," she blurted out. "I'm in love with you." She hadn't meant to say it. Jo had sworn that she would never say the words aloud. What would have been the point?

Dean looked at her, dumbfounded. He had always liked her. Hell, he wanted her, but he wasn't the type to settle down, especially not now. Something about hearing her say those words made him wish that he was, made him wish he had never made that damn deal in the first place, though it had been for the right reason.

In a flash, he had moved to her side of the table and pulled her to him. Jo gave a tiny gasp of surprise before wrapping her arms tightly around him. They gazed into each other's eyes for a long, heated moment before crushing their lips together in a passionate kiss. It was exactly as she had hoped it would be. The two let their unexpressed feelings for each other come through in that kiss, letting it go on until they were forced to come up for air.

Dean picked her up and carried her to her room, kicking the door shut behind them and setting her on her feet. Their lips met again as their hands grabbed at each other's clothes, pulling them off until they stood naked before each other. Dean met her eyes and raised his eyebrows as if he were asking if she was sure. She nodded and lead him to her bed, where they spent the night devouring each other. Every sound, every touch, every kiss was savored. They knew their time together would be fleeting, and they wanted to treasure every moment of it.

That was the first, but far from the last, time they made love in the next two months.

After that night, they were inseparable, and their efforts to save him were re-doubled. They spent their days working on a solution, and their nights in each other's arms.

It was like a dream, but like all dreams, it would eventually have to come to an end.