Fallen [Dean Winchester FanFiction]

XXV

Twenty-Five

The first thing Dean and Alaine had done when they arrived in Sweet Springs, Missouri was to set up base at the cheapest motel they could find. She'd internally hoped for a room of her own, yet relief had swept through her when they'd been assigned a room with a single bed in it. Since their exchange of words in the garage back home, her emotions had been running damn near rampant. One minute she'd feel hurt, the next it was like her heart was going to explode from either uncontrollable longing or rage. Being around Dean was proving far too difficult for her and it was just like her father used to say, "Mija, your temper comes from the Ventura blood running through your veins. You can be as sweet as you can be deadly."

If he were to still be alive, he'd be proud to see just how much she turned out to be like him. She was strong, fearless, smart, but most of all, she was selfless, which had been his most prominent characteristic. He'd always put family first, caring not of himself but for those he loved most. Everything Alaine turned out to be had been inherited from her father. However, just as it had been a curse for Ivan, she believed she was now doomed to the same misfortune.

She remembered how much he'd loved her mother; the sacrifices he made to keep her happy and safe. None of his efforts though had been enough to keep her from abandoning not only the hunter's life, but her entire family. She'd left him without a word, leaving behind her two children as well. She didn't think about her father, or of Alaine and her brother for that matter. It was a bitter memory she hated reliving, but given the irony of her life it was all she could think of.

What if things now turned out just as they had back then? What if her love wasn't enough for Dean? What if he left? What if she couldn't make him stay?

"Alaine."

She'd been sitting at the table, eyes staring off into the distance. She blinked at the sound of her name and flickered her gaze over to Dean. "Yeah?"

He sighed impatiently. He'd just gotten finished changing out of his FBI getup and was slipping into a flannel shirt. "I just asked you if you wanted to grab something to eat."

"Oh. Sorry. I was spaced out."

"I figured. Are you hungry or not?"

"Uh, sure."

"Go get changed then."

She glanced down at what she was wearing, wondering why she couldn't go out the way she was dressed. One look at her navy pantsuit reminded her where she'd spent half of her day. She'd gone off to the scene of the crime with Dean to try to acquire some intel, then got held back at the Sheriff's station questioning two of the witnesses to the potential werewolf mauling.

Rising to her feet, she grabbed a change of clothes from her duffle bag and slipped into the bathroom. After five minutes she came back out dressed into a plain white tee and some blue jeans. She'd let her hair down from the bun she'd had it in all day, and from his place by the door, Dean's eyes scrutinized her closely. He watched the subtle sway of her wide hips as she sauntered toward the table to scoop up her leather jacket. She slipped it on, her eyes finding his as she glanced over in his direction.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yeah. Let's go."

*     *     *

After driving around town aimlessly for over twenty minutes looking for a place to eat, they agreed on hitting the small dive bar by the station. They found two empty seats at table near the front and sat quietly for a few minutes until the barmaid approached to take their orders. They asked for a round of beers along with a plate of boneless wings and some nachos.