How You & I Will Be - part one
Fandom: Supernatural7Please respect copyright.PENANAC67e8DmdJP
Timeframe: mid-season 27Please respect copyright.PENANA13otL8jiW3
Main characters: Reader, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Bobby Singer (mentioned), Ellen Harvelle (mentioned)7Please respect copyright.PENANAdtD8rY4bUC
Pairing: Dean x Reader 7Please respect copyright.PENANAMwyTj8QF33
Series summary: When a hellhound case in the mountains goes sideways, Dean and Y/N find themselves trapped in a small cabin, miles from civilization. A serious injury forces the two hunters to come to terms with their true feelings for each other. Rescue is on its way, but will it be in time?7Please respect copyright.PENANA5cuEGMDPvC
Warnings part one: angst, pining, canon typical violence, horror, and gore, anxiety attack, nightmares, swearing, description of blood and injury, possible character death. Some fluff, too.7Please respect copyright.PENANAbVUI7ANrb2
Word Count: 3636 words7Please respect copyright.PENANALtHJLYmeEv
Author’s note: Part one of a five-part mini-series, based on songs of Billy Joel. I’m warning you, this is an angst-fluff-angst sandwich and it’s meant to make you cry.
No wind, not even the slightest breeze. Evergreens stop whispering, night animals seem to have vanished in the deepest holes of the forest. The mountain has turned into the remains of a dead rock in a matter of seconds. No tree can grow, no life can live. Only pure evil lingers in these woods now. Dean has seen many things over the years, but this beats it all. Completely astounded by the phenomenon, he observes his surroundings, as the church bells in the valley begin to chime. He counts them to estimate the time.
Three… four… five…
Y/N draws his attention, backing out slowly and crunching the snow under her boots, as she nervously shines her flashlight around.7Please respect copyright.PENANAkglJLONswz
“The deal should be off, right?” Dean assumes, hinting at the dead body in the snow, a few yards away.7Please respect copyright.PENANAFxPU2HUira
She looks over, but doesn’t reply to the question.7Please respect copyright.PENANASV3uynvAy5
“Is it me, or is it like 20 degrees colder?”7Please respect copyright.PENANA6oannNXILz
The hunter looks around, his eyes darting to detect anything that moves, as he adjusts the backpack hanging from his shoulder. It was cold before, but now it feels like Hell froze over. Y/N has a point; something seems wrong. It doesn’t feel like this is over yet. Something dark is hanging over them. Black clouds, packing together before a storm.
Six… seven… eight…
This case started out with a bunch of crossroad deals in a quiet mountain village called Darlington. One of the unfortunate ones making deals was Jake Dinon. The desperate father bargained to save his son, who suffered from terminal leukemia ten years back. A noble deed, but nobility doesn’t get you anywhere in Hell. The hunters saved him from that fate, though, by negotiating with the demon that held his contract. Dean and Y/N trapped the thing, threatened to exorcise it if it didn’t break the pact, while Sam kept an eye on Jake and his family. Dean was reading the third verse of the ritual when the black-eyed monster finally cracked, but before it exited its already dead host, the demon muttered something in a language neither of them knew.
Nine… ten… eleven…
The belltower strikes midnight, then it’s quiet. A new day, a new beginning, but today might very well mean the opposite. Y/N has never felt so out in the open before, so unsafe, so… watched. All of a sudden, a howl echoes through the valley. Both freeze to the ground as they look at each other, eyes widened.7Please respect copyright.PENANAKVLw4y7QvM
“That ain’t no coyote,” Dean gulps.
Chills run up and down his spine as Dean watches the horrified expression on Y/N’s face. He has heard the stories, it’s the last thing you hear before being ripped to pieces. Dean lifts the shotgun, engages the barrel breech lever, then opens the break-action and discards the empty casings. Without taking his eyes off the long shadows of the forest surrounding them, he digs two shells from his pocket, pushes them into the barrel, and brings it back up.7Please respect copyright.PENANAobcpKE1pyq
“Here.”7Please respect copyright.PENANARsyRlI6oto
His gaze meets hers again and Dean hands over the weapon, since her sawed-off malfunctioned earlier.7Please respect copyright.PENANAigV2lraFsr
“No, Dean. C’mon, you’ll be unarmed,” she objects.7Please respect copyright.PENANAcToHXl7wYZ
“Doesn’t matter. I much rather be sure you’re locked and loaded. Just uh…” he glances into the woods again. “Do me a favor? If you do see something coming at me, shoot it?”7Please respect copyright.PENANALEuKKrDsUx
She swallows down a lump in her throat.7Please respect copyright.PENANAmtILIpcDM2
“Will do,” she promises.7Please respect copyright.PENANAuIXeYIF1is
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The howl repeats several times, seeming to come from all directions. The silence returns, but then Dean’s eyes grow wide as they land on a black form on top of a large boulder. A pair of red orbs stand out in the darkness of the woods.7Please respect copyright.PENANAfb0yI05Mgf
“Are you seeing this?” he whispers breathlessly.7Please respect copyright.PENANA1vzgkrUp6X
Y/N just stands there, frozen in fear with her gun pointed down. Oh, she sees it, alright. She stares into the hypnotizing eyes, flames burning in them. Holding her breath she tries to move, but can’t. Like a deer in headlights, she is unable to bolt, unable to lift the gun and defend herself. The last time she felt so overcome was during her first hunt, but now all those years later, it happens again.7Please respect copyright.PENANAiNR9kDq0nd
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Then the creature steps from the shade, and Dean can solemnly swear he has never seen anything animal-like so evil than what is standing before him right now. The beast is big, about the size of an Irish wolfhound. It looks like one too, but its dark fur is anything but soft and cuddly. The hair on its back stands straight up, like splinters of obsidian. Growling, it halts, blood dripping down from his razor-sharp teeth. Dean calculates the risks of every move he could make. Shooting the damned dog will only piss it off. The one thing he does know is that they need to get the hell out of here. Without taking his eyes off the monster, he reaches for his companion. His fingers slip around her shaking arm, then he jerks her from her trance.7Please respect copyright.PENANAzUVGuBC3DT
“Run!”7Please respect copyright.PENANA3Cz3BcASfO
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As if they are both being chased by the devil himself, the hunters flee downhill through the forest, trying to avoid crashing into trees and rocks. In the chaos, Dean lets go of her hand. He monitors Y/N constantly, though, not letting her out of sight as she appears and disappears between the evergreens several yards ahead. Then he makes a mistake; he looks over his shoulder, realizing that it isn’t just one hellhound that chases them, there are at least three. He rights himself and cusses. Shit, we are so fucked!7Please respect copyright.PENANArLpmfbu14k
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Then Dean spots it, a small hunter’s cabin a bit further down the hill. Their safe house, their refuge. Dean leaps over a gap and continues running as fast as he possibly can, trying his very best not to trip, knowing that a single misstep will lead to certain death. Y/N reaches the small open space in front of the cabin first, when she’s tackled from the side by a hound that seems to come out of nowhere. Overpowered by her attacker, she slams into the icy surface and drops her only weapon. Desperately she tries to fight it off, but she doesn’t stand a chance.7Please respect copyright.PENANA4PwxcXnemk
“Y/N!!”7Please respect copyright.PENANAOoSp6GDDIv
Dean dashes towards her as fast as he can, but he’s not in time. The hellhound drags her towards the treeline and tears up her leg, pulling a scream of agony from the huntress. Dean’s heart stops then and there.7Please respect copyright.PENANAu63iQe0tqI
“NO!!!” he shouts.7Please respect copyright.PENANA7EdNMiIlpd
“Dean!!” she cries out desperately as she hopelessly digs her fingers into the snow, failing miserably to catch grip as the creature pulls her into the darkness.
In a matter of a second he’s with her, leaps for the shotgun, uses the momentum of his dive to position the two-barrel against his shoulder, rights himself, and fires. A loud yelp escapes the hellhound's mouth and for a brief moment, she seems free. Quickly Dean hooks his arms under hers and unceremoniously drags her onto the porch and inside the cabin. The door locks just in time, because the moment after he hastily pushes it in the lock, an incredibly strong force almost barges in from the other side.7Please respect copyright.PENANAiVEu7ONoMg
“Son of a bitch…” he curses under his breath.7Please respect copyright.PENANAoIgtZEFRAy
He tries to find the bag of goofer dust in his pocket while using all his strength to stop the door from tumbling over. When he finds the powerful magic dust, he pours the grey particles on the doorstep.7Please respect copyright.PENANAq3p0HUdypd
The moment the line connects both doorposts, the supernatural force is gone. Out of breath, Dean holds the door with both hands flat on the wood, making sure the dogs won’t come through. Jesus fucking Christ, that was way, way too close.
He hears Y/N squirm behind him and when he turns around, she attempts to crawl to the opposite wall, leaving a smear of blood on the wooden floor.7Please respect copyright.PENANA0RGOpYOIBv
“Y/N? Fuck, sweetheart…”7Please respect copyright.PENANAelRq5kRcSg
Worried sick, Dean hastens to her, helping her sit up against the back wall. Quickly he takes off his backpack, then his leather coat and his denim jacket. The last one he folds into a ball and applies on the wound with pressure in order to stop the bleeding. She barely feels the pain, though, adrenaline still rushing through her veins by her rapidly beating heart. While the creatures outside keep barking like mad, her focus darts from one window to the other, completely terrified. There’s no way they could come in, though. Every possible entry of this little cabin is sealed with the grey sand-like dust. The hunters made sure that if shit hit the fan, they would have a place to retreat.7Please respect copyright.PENANA7208IsSGVK
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Dean needs to keep the pressure on the wound, but he can tell she’s losing the battle with her anxiety. He takes the sleeves from the blood-stained jacket and uses them to tie the bundle of clothing to the wound. Still, she doesn’t respond to his actions, having other issues to deal with. Breathing for one, because whatever she tries, she can’t get air. Quivering even worse than before, she silently begs Dean for help.7Please respect copyright.PENANAVBkrHy9hSL
As if he heard her, the hunter looks up from his work after tightening the knot. “Y/N? Easy, it’s okay now.”7Please respect copyright.PENANAkUIfIhDRsP
Tears stream down her face and mix with the blood spatter on her cheeks, her respiration in overdrive. Dean doesn’t need to be a psychologist to see that she’s having a panic attack.7Please respect copyright.PENANAENn6jMcIce
“Hey hey hey… Look at me. Calm down,” he reaches for her hand and squeezes it. “I’m right here. Take a breath.”7Please respect copyright.PENANABemXCCGpqI
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Upset, she keeps searching for a possible way for the bastards to get in. When one of the hounds outside howls, she almost jumps out of her skin and can’t help but cry, anxiety overwhelming her.7Please respect copyright.PENANAHSLbE0UJFy
“It’s okay. It’s alright,” her friend hushes her. “It’s going to be fine. They can’t get in. I won’t let them get in. You’re safe.”7Please respect copyright.PENANAfcM7RBdlPA
Frightened, she tries to find protection with her hunting partner, and he answers her by pulling her close. Softly and calmly he caresses her back as she crawls into his sheltering arms. Y/N’s not the only one trembling like a leaf, because Dean can’t stop shaking either. Horrific images from moments ago are stuck on repeat in his head, images of that monster dragging her away from him, blood poisoning the pure snow, and the sound of absolute agony erupting from her throat. The hunter closes his eyes, trying to banish the haunting memories from his mind. Fuck, I almost lost her! He hugs her even tighter and sighs.7Please respect copyright.PENANAJrccbcKG0H
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She struggles to breathe, unable to fill her lungs with oxygen. Her entire body is quaking, yet her skin feels clammy. Dean never imagined that the powerful and fearless huntress could turn into this fragile thing she is right now, but he gets it. He completely gets it, because he’s scared shitless too.7Please respect copyright.PENANA1NLmjnOVuR
He keeps hushing her, running his fingers through her hair now, reminding her to calmly breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth, as he waits for the panic attack to pass. Slowly her respiration gets back to normal and over the course of several minutes, she’s able to gain control again. When she distances from him slightly, he dips his head to make eye contact, but she’s avoiding his gaze.7Please respect copyright.PENANA0gmh50XIX3
“Don’t ever tell Sam this,” she requests, wiping her tears and runny nose with her sleeve. “He’ll laugh his ass off.”7Please respect copyright.PENANA31XsfjRcZc
Dean smiles, comforted; she’s back.7Please respect copyright.PENANAFz51zPFq2a
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But as she slowly gets past her fear, the pain begins to set in. When she flinches and directs her attention down to her leg, Dean does the same. He folds the soaked fabric away, revealing the wound. The hound dug in deep; it’s bleeding badly. Dean takes off his leather belt and carefully lifts her leg in order to slip the belt underneath.7Please respect copyright.PENANApwmFs2hIoC
“Y’know, I normally don’t remove all my clothes on the first date,” he jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood.7Please respect copyright.PENANACbhggWqoah
He earns a scoff and a glint of a grin.7Please respect copyright.PENANAGauOQcC0rj
“Don’t think you’ve ever known a girl this long without taking your clothes off,” she responds, her voice still shaky.7Please respect copyright.PENANAq5r3XjlEZG
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He corks up his eyebrow and shoots her a look. She’s not wrong, but Dean has his reasons for that. Not that he doesn’t find her attractive. No, it’s quite the opposite, actually. The tough hunter, whose life motto is ‘no strings attached’, feels more for her than a man of his profession should. Whatever is going on between them, it’s growing stronger with every moment he spends with her. He tried to fight it, he tried to ignore it, he tried to push it down, but all his methods have been unsuccessful. Hell, he slept with numerous girls just to prove to himself that he still liked being the bachelor, that he still liked to pick up women. But ever since he found her at the end of the bar, he lost those urges. All he wants is Y/N and it’s scaring the shit out of him. He has to watch over Sam, that’s his legacy. Another liability would only endanger them both. What if he ever had to choose? What if some demon would put it up to the test; Sam’s life or Y/N’s? Dean can’t allow it to get that far. Either way, giving in to his feelings will either leave Y/N behind with a broken heart, or him. Staying apart would be less painful. At least, that’s what he keeps telling himself.
Carefully, Dean pushes her torn jeans up to her leg a little so that he can work. The hellhound ripped the flesh off the bone from below the knee all the way down to her ankle. By the looks of it, a vein got damaged, because there’s blood everywhere.7Please respect copyright.PENANAY2H5juJDMd
“Shit, Y/N… The nasty wound”, he makes a discontent noise with his mouth.7Please respect copyright.PENANATNF7nQ0rM7
She looks at him, fear in her eyes, a frown of concern puckered on her forehead, and Dean kicks himself mentally. Good job for scaring her, asshat, he scolds at himself.7Please respect copyright.PENANAepLLFt2GEx
“Nothing I can’t fix, though. You’ll be alright,” he promises.7Please respect copyright.PENANA7NFEOknibm
She nods bravely, forcing a smile. Then she hints at the belt.7Please respect copyright.PENANAU44nLsgtd0
“Pull it.”7Please respect copyright.PENANArfbhx5cVVW
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For a brief moment, Dean looks her in the eye, then he tightens the belt just above the laceration. Although it hurts, she doesn’t make a sound. Pain, she can handle. Hell, now that’s a whole other department. Once Dean has secured the self-made tourniquet, she rests her head against the wooden wall behind her, still shaky. Silently, he gets ready to patch up his partner, grabbing the backpack and rummaging through it, until he finds what he’s looking for; a first aid kit. He grabs a bottle of disinfectant solution, which he tips over as he presses some cotton wool on the opening.7Please respect copyright.PENANAXObJXwmz6D
“This is gonna hurt,” he warns, looking at her sympathetically.7Please respect copyright.PENANABU4yIrAJa8
Carefully, he proceeds to clean the wound, using all the disinfectant that’s left in the small bottle. Y/N flinches under his touch, but stays strong. Clenching her jaw she breathes through the pain, her eyes closed as she thinks of someplace nice. It takes about half an hour before the laceration is properly closed up.7Please respect copyright.PENANA9YbQ6K7KCQ
Dean sits back on his heels. “Not bad, uh?”7Please respect copyright.PENANAkyIxIHXk5t
She nods approving. “Not bad at all.”
Staying still for over thirty minutes has brought out another enemy; the cold. Air forms clouds in front of their faces every time they exhale, as a thin layer of ice is starting to form on the inside of the windows. Now that her adrenaline isn’t pumping anymore, shock, fatigue, and hyperthermia are lurking around the corner. Her bottom lip is trembling, and she feels like sleeping.7Please respect copyright.PENANAaIJsr4QSYb
“Here.”7Please respect copyright.PENANAvmb0QaaczP
Dean is left in nothing but a long-sleeved henley and a pair of jeans, but he offers her his warm leather jacket either way. She leans forward a bit, allowing him to hang it over her shoulders, after which he wraps her in the several-sizes-too-big clothing. A small smile forms on Dean’s lips; she looks cute in it.7Please respect copyright.PENANAYYaGmwNeuj
“Thank you,” she says genuinely.7Please respect copyright.PENANAtyDtYkxayZ
He only nods, the kind that says ‘Don’t mention it.’7Please respect copyright.PENANAj4gTYARn03
“We’ll get out of here,” he adds.
Reassuringly, Dean gives her arm a little squeeze, after which he pulls the satellite phone from the backpack. He doesn’t even bother to try his cell, he hasn’t had a signal since they left the valley.7Please respect copyright.PENANAp6IsRhTPZ2
“Who are you calling?” Y/N asks, after Dean presses the digits and puts the large device to his ear.7Please respect copyright.PENANAyqqEPyFb0h
“The calvary.”7Please respect copyright.PENANAeNrin0tRWK
Tensed, he waits for his little brother to pick up as the connection is put through. The call will show up as ‘No ID’ on Sam’s display, so Dean prays that he won’t decline it. C’mon Sam, pick up.7Please respect copyright.PENANALsDRP5uU0M
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“Hello?”7Please respect copyright.PENANALlrvYiAR8t
Dean breathes out relieved, his shoulders relaxing the moment he hears Sam’s voice.7Please respect copyright.PENANADX58NeGzJT
“Hey, Sammy. It’s me.”7Please respect copyright.PENANA0WF14kpgMg
“Dean,” he sighs, too, seemingly glad to hear he’s alive. “I tried calling you.”7Please respect copyright.PENANAXgb0GhBF5C
“Yeah, my phone is useless to up here. Good thing we packed this astronaut thing,” he grins.7Please respect copyright.PENANADWWRZX9nNK
“Everything okay?”
The grin disappears and Dean swallows down the lump in his throat. For a second he looks at Y/N, who sits up against the wall, one knee pulled to her chest and her arms around it. She looks like a shot deer, the poor thing. Wounded, in shock, frightened. The tension returns to Dean’s posture, his jaw in particular.7Please respect copyright.PENANAAviGFKQU2l
“No. No, not at all,” he replies. “We’re in deep shit, Sam.”7Please respect copyright.PENANA0eyotcFJIq
“Why? What’s going on? What happened?” Sam stammers, clearly worried.7Please respect copyright.PENANAMttOBfshkz
“We - uh… We trapped the demon before midnight and tore up Jake’s contract, but it cast some kinda spell before it left. I think it set his hounds loose,” Dean tells him.7Please respect copyright.PENANA7Tkt0UKbgH
“But… Jake went home to his family. He never saw a hound.”7Please respect copyright.PENANAqbcUDAAu2A
“That’s because the dogs aren’t after him anymore,” he explains, turning towards the window, watching the gatekeepers of Hell circling around the cabin, their red eyes glowing in the night. “They are hunting us, Sam.”
Static cracks the line, only audible because the youngest Winchester fell silent.7Please respect copyright.PENANAKMHOZRykik
“Y-you can see them?” Sam asks staggered.7Please respect copyright.PENANAqVx5F1B1LI
“Yeah, we both can,” Dean confirms, watching the supernatural beings. “Ugly motherfuckers, I tell ya.”7Please respect copyright.PENANA1hR7jf9HLa
“How?” his brother tries to wrap his head around the situation. “How is that even possible? You’re not under contract!”7Please respect copyright.PENANAJvwdm2AklO
“Yeah, well, those Goddamn Pitbulls really don’t seem to give a rat’s ass about that,” Dean returns, gesturing at the demonic dogs in frustration, even though Sam can’t see it. “We barely made it to the safe house.”7Please respect copyright.PENANA6KXEVwj8D3
“Did you get hurt?”
Another silence. More static. Dean looks down at the floorboards, biting the inside of his lip. Just the plain fact that he has to admit to his sibling that Y/N was injured, is something he finds difficult. What makes it even worse is that he feels like this happened on his watch. He held on to her and he let her go. If this ends badly, that will be on him. No matter how hard, he needs to be honest with Sam. He has to know how urgent this is.7Please respect copyright.PENANAGD3cJoP3kO
“I didn’t… Y/N did.”7Please respect copyright.PENANA4Eb8IQSLW9
Dean sighs as he rests his forearm above his head against the window, careful not to disturb the goofer dust. He keeps his voice down as he continues, not wanting to upset his partner in the same room. 7Please respect copyright.PENANAnQ91QLuBjC
“She got hurt bad, Sam.” 7Please respect copyright.PENANALyRuOFYr61
“How bad?”7Please respect copyright.PENANAkwZCOxAiEf
“It’s her leg. Damn mutt got her pretty good. I stitched her up for now, but she lost a lot of blood. Plus it’s freezing cold up here, we don’t have much food and… She needs medical care, Sam. Fast,” he elaborates, helplessness and desperation seeping through the words. “You have to find out a way to kill them. Call Bobby, call Ellen, I don’t care who you involve - ”7Please respect copyright.PENANAROrMNhBzRw
“You can’t kill hellhounds, Dean.”7Please respect copyright.PENANAe2bnKQHTDN
“No, you don’t understand. You have to find a way to kill them”, Dean repeats slowly, making sure his younger brother understands.
The realization sinks in and Sam begins to grasp the magnitude of their problems. How unlikely it is that they will make it out of there alive. Sammy is smart, he’s read plenty of books on Hell and its creatures. He knows the stories too, what the hounds are capable of. How they leave their victims, or what’s left of them.7Please respect copyright.PENANAPYJCGBmMFY
“Hurry it up, will ya?”, Dean tells him, adding: “No pressure or anything.”7Please respect copyright.PENANAd5ZhzCZ3Gd
Sam scoffs. “Yeah, right.”7Please respect copyright.PENANAiqfi4zjzOc
The oldest of the two smiles against the phone. Just hearing his little brother’s voice, knowing he will always have his back, comforts Dean. That reassurance fades, though, the moment he stares outside into the dark forest again. One of the hellhounds has spotted the hunter and stares him down. The thing doesn’t move, just observes, waiting for an opening, a chance to tear him apart. The hair on the back of Dean’s neck stands up, and it’s not from the cold. 7Please respect copyright.PENANAsU0ZfmyL7g
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“You do know what happens when these things catch you. You don’t just die….”7Please respect copyright.PENANAUnT0wk61uv
Sammy doesn’t have to fill in the blanks, Dean knows exactly what he’s trying to say and so he finishes his line.7Please respect copyright.PENANA6esNP58mNW
“You go to hell.”7Please respect copyright.PENANAvj0Avwxraq
Sam sighs, accepting the huge burden on his shoulder. Y/N and Dean, are trapped, with no way of getting out of there by themselves. It will come down to Sam to figure something out. There’s got to be away. There always is. Dean believes that, and Sam believes it too. A short silence follows, after which the oldest sibling ends the conversation.7Please respect copyright.PENANAkrkjxCqr2K
“See you soon, Sammy.”
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