We Ain't Ever Getting Older

Sam sighed, beginning to run his fingers through Raelynn's hair. He knew that it was likely overstepping quite a few different boundaries but he was determined to help her relax. Do anything that he could to help her. He shook his head, deciding that he could wait a bit to call Bobby. Not because he thought there was any chance in hell that Raelynn would change her mind but because he thought she may just need his company a bit more.

"Listen, we'll get everything sorted out. Okay? Even when you go to Bobby's, I will still come visit. I promise," Sam assured her, rubbing her side gently. He grumbled under his breath as he pulled out his cellphone, finally dialing Bobby's number. He gave their location and just said that Rae needed to get away from them for a few days. Later, Raelynn could fill in Bobby if she decided to. That was all up to her.

Sam dropped his phone to the bed beside them before looking over to Raelynn. "He'll be here in the morning."

Raelynn woke the next morning praying that everything that had happened was a terrible, terrible dream. But when she opened her eyes and saw she was in Sam’s bed, everything came back tenfold. Raelynn sighed a heavy sigh, not wanting to open her eyes and face the day. Bobby would be coming to get here and she would be leaving Sam… and Dean.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Sam sitting at the table, talking on the phone in a low voice. She pulled herself up so that she was sitting and rubbed at her eyes. She was sure she looked like hell, she could feel how puffy and swollen her lids were from crying and her eyes stung something vicious.

“Sam,” her voice croaked out. “Has Dean come back yet?” As stupid as it was, Raelynn wanted to tell Dean goodbye—she needed to see that the man was okay with her leaving, or if he was truly going to let her. Before, he had seem so hellbent on not allowing her to leave.

Sam's shoulders tensed as he looked up from his position at the table, his eyes narrowing a bit as he looked over to Raelynn. He only bothered to give her a sad sort of smile and a shake of his head before he pushed to the table. Sam trudged into the bathroom, only to return with a cold washcloth. He held it out to her, his mouth twisting into a small frown. "Here. It should help the sting," he murmured, moving to sit down beside her.

He reached out and set a hand on Rae's thigh as he hung up the phone. "Bobby should be here within the hour. He's stopping to grab us food and then..." he trailed off, unable to actually say the words. As much as it annoyed him that Dean and Rae always argued so much, her leaving upset him nearly as much as it would upset Dean.

"Bobby is going to take you home so that you can relax, alright? We'll figure out the rest along the way. Just like we always do."

Raelynn pressed the wash cloth to her eyes; it soothed a whole lot more than she though it would. She let out an exasperated sigh, flopping back on the bed. Her mind was running a million miles per hour. Maybe some time way from the Winchesters and some quality time spent with Bobby would ease some of the angst that had built in her heart the past year.

“Sam, I’m sorry.” She mumbled quietly. “I know a lot of this has been because of me.”

Raelynn removed the cloth from her eyes, looking over at Sam. “It’s gonna kill me to leave, Sam.” She gave him a weak smile, reaching out to touch his hand for a moment. “You’re my best friend. I wouldn’t be half the person I am today, or hunter for that matter, if it wasn’t for you. You know that right?”

Sam tossed the phone onto the bed, sighing as he pulled Raelynn back down onto the mattress with him. He began to play with her hair, just trying to help ease her nerves the best that he could. "It's not just on you, Rae. Dean is just as stubborn and dumb as you are," he paused, only to grin a bit when she looked up to him. "What?!"

He let out a small laugh, trying to push down the emotion that sparked with the words that fell from Rae's lips. Sam swallowed around the lump that formed in his throat and he had to take a moment before he could speak without worrying over whether his voice would crack or not.

"You're one of my best friends, too, Rae. That's not going to change just because you're leaving for awhile, okay? You will still have my number and you can call if you need to," Sam paused, hesitating as he looked down to her. "And knowing you, I'm sure you'll insist on helping Bobby so it's not like you'll be lying around doing nothing. Right? So don't get too down on yourself."

“I know, I know.” She mumbled as she laid her head down on Sam’s chest. She was so thankful to have him in her life, she honestly couldn’t imagine where she would be without him. “I mean, even if it is only for a couple of days, its still going to be the longest I have gone without seeing you in like two years.”

Raelyn huffed, leaning into Sam’s touch. She hated how both of the Winchester boys knew just how to sway her emotions. If she closed her eyes and pretended really hard…. Dean. Raelynn closed her eyes, begging the oldest Winchester to leave from her thoughts.

“But who am I kidding,” she said with a quietly laugh. “I know you are just itching to get me outta ya’lls hair for a little while, ain’t you?”

Sam scoffed, shaking his head as he gave her shoulder a light smack. "Shut up, Rae. You know damn well that isn't what this is about at all," he spoke, his eyes narrowing a bit. His voice took on a harder tone as he looked down to her. "Don't you ever say that again. You know that isn't true."

When a knock sounded at the door, Sam steeled himself as his gaze shot to the door. He stood, offering his hand to Raelynn. "Come on. I'll walk you guys down to Bobby's car, alright?"

Sam didn't hesitate to lift Rae's bags from the floor, rolling his eyes when she tried to take them from him. "Don't even think about it, Rae. Come on, we can't keep Bobby waiting forever. You know how he is."

It had been almost three weeks since Raelynn settled in at Bobby’s. The pain in her heart was still there, but Bobby Singer sure knew how to keep a girl busy. She had made use of herself by cleaning up Bobby’s home, something that he grumbled and moaned and groaned about. However, Raelynn knew deep down that Bobby loved every minute of it.

When Bobby had advised Raelynn that the “idjits” would be stopping by for a case, Raelynn groaned—which only caused Bobby to tell her to grow up.

Raelynn had been sitting on Bobby’s couch, watching a rerun of Dr. Sexy M.D. when the front door flung open. The youngest Winchester broke through the threshold, causing Raelynn to jump from the couch. She ran to Sam, jumping into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist, almost causing them to fall backwards. She squeezed his neck, “I fucking missed you, you jerk!” She breathed into his hair.

When her eyes lifted and she looked over his shoulder, she saw Dean standing behind him. She bit her lip and unraveled herself from Sam, sliding back down onto the ground.

There was a certain sort of heavy feeling that followed Dean everywhere he went after Raelynn returned to Bobby's. Sam seemed to pick up on it and it was easy enough to blame on Rae not being with them any more. It was better that way, better that Sam didn't know. That way Bobby didn't, Rae didn't. No one but him and one particular asshole who would never tell another soul. Dean had made sure of it.

He had been reluctant to head to Bobby's because it would be the first time he saw Raelynn after everything had happened and he knew it would be difficult for the two of them. Sam and Bobby would be unwilling bystanders to the tension that spread through the home like wildfire - the moment his eyes landed on Raelynn. She was so happy to see his brother. Jealousy slivered down his spine but he was quick to stamp the feeling out. There was no room for it here.

Dean cleared his throat, squeezing through the space left in the doorway. He didn't linger, heading straight for Bobby. He gave the older man a quick, one armed hug before stepping back. "So... uh, what's the case, Bobby? Seemed pretty urgent over the phone."

Bobby Singer shrugged his shoulders as he sat down at a chair in the dining room. He poured a small glass of bourbon, bringing it to his lips. He sat a local newspaper down in front of Dean who was sat in front of him.

Raelynn’s brows pulled together as Dean spoke. Urgent? As far as Raelynn knew, it was only a weak ghoul that was located a couple miles out of town. Raelynn decided to linger in the kitchen as the three of them spoke. She leaned against the counter, her arms crossed. Every now and then her eyes would flicker towards Dean. She bit her lip, and cleared her throat, causing all three men to look at her.

“Sorry,” she squeaked. “Just a little thirsty.”

Raelynn busied herself by making herself a small drink, trying to ignore the feeling of eyes on her.

Dean was doing his best to ignore the woman in the kitchen. He wanted nothing more than to stand up and make his way over to her, wrap his arms around her waist, and pull her close. She was safe, she would always be safe. There would never be a worry for the rest of his life.

But he couldn't. That would be going against everything that he had worked so hard for. The space that he had managed to wedge between himself and Raelynn. There was a purpose for it, there was always a purpose with everything that Dean did, even if no one else quite understood what he was doing.

His eyes narrowed as he turned away from Raelynn, his attention focused on the man who had brought them here. "A single ghoul. What's the catch?" He didn't believe that it was just a ghoul, there was no way - no way that Bobby would call them over for such a simple case.

Dean huffed, pushing himself to his feet as he turned away. "I'm going to go take a shower," he muttered through gritted teeth, stalking toward th stairs.

Raelynn clamped down on her lip as she watched Dean stalk away. What the hell was going on and what was Bobby Singer thinking he was up to? She finished her drink and left the kitchen, as Bobby and Sam were speaking in hushed voices anyway. Raelynn decided that she would just make her way upstairs and relax in her room for a while.

As she got to the top of the stairs and went to turn the corner, she slammed right into Dean’s chest. She stumbled backward for a moment before she allowed her eyes to trail up to his face. She was wide-eyed, like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Dean,” she breathed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to run right into you—I was just going to go to my room and—“ she stammered and squeaked before finally casting her eyes down away from her, her face blown crimson red. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and place a kiss on his familiar lips, but the cold shoulder her was giving her told her that wouldn’t be welcomed.

Dean had realized all to late that he hadn't bothered to grab his bag after depositing it just inside the doorway so he had turned to head back downstairs to retrieve it, only for Raelynn to run right into his chest. He let out a huff, taking a few steps backward. His eyes narrowed as he studied her, not bothering to say a thing as she stammered, struggling to find her words.

"Get caught up on sleep," Dean spoke, his voice barely containing the rage that had balled inside of his chest. He motioned for her to continue on past him before turning to head back down the stairs. His foot lingered above the first step.

"Whatever Bobby is planning, we're probably going to need all the damn sleep we can get," Dean grumbled under his breath before heading down the stairs.

Raelynn laid down in her bed and tried to will herself to sleep, but the knowledge that the Winchester’s (especially the eldest one) were down stairs was eating at her. The hurt and confusion of everything that had transpired between the pair of them was weighing heavy in her heart, keeping her from being able to relax back into the mattress.

When Raelynn did finally doze off, she woke up only an hour later, feeling worse that she had before. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes. Soon enough, she was padding down the stairs. When she entered the kitchen, all the talking ceased and Bobby’s eyes were trained on her.

Raelynn’s brows pulled together in confusion, “What the hell is going on? Did I interrupt a damn tea party or something?”

Bobby cleared his throat, straightening up and readjusting in his seat as he looked over to Raelynn. He glanced over to the other two hunters before he returned his attention to the girl standing in front of him. "We were just discussing a case that just popped up. I'm going to settle the ghoul case myself and you're going to go with the brothers to the shapeshifter case that was just called in."

He paused just long enough to note just how unhappy Raelynn was with what he was telling her. He held up a hand, silencing her. "Shapeshifters are dangerous creatures. I can handle one ghoul on my own, Rae. I don't want you worrying and.." he trailed off, glancing over to Dean.

"And you need to go on the road for a bit, Rae. You're deteriorating and this old man, he doesn't like it. So go rest up and be ready to go in the morning."

Raelynn felt the sudden urge to scream at Bobby Singer. She didn’t know what the hell he was up to but she sure as hell wasn’t ready for whatever was about to happen. She brought her hands up to her face, the heels of her palms pressing into her eye sockets. Another case? With Dean of all fucking people? And a shapeshifter?! Raelynn knew damn well that the brothers could take care of that themselves.

When Raelynn removed her hands from her face, she made a beeline for dean, immediately grabbing a hold of his arm and dragging him towards the stairs. “We need to talk,” she mentioned as she stalked towards her room.

Once they got into her room, she shut the door and crossed her arms at him. “Dean, are we going to be able to do this…?”

Of all the reactions that Dean had been expecting from Raelynn, he hadn't been ready to be dragged out of the room. He wasn't given enough time to consider so he simply followed after her, trying to form a strong enough thought to present when Raelynn finally came to a halt in her room.

Dean couldn't even begin to describe how weary he was, watching Raelynn as she spoke. Grinding his teeth together, Dean shrugged as he looked away from her.

"It's just one hunt. It'll take a few days at most," Dean answered after a moment, giving a shrug of his shoulders. Nothing would happen to Raelynn, Dean knew, but he couldn't exactly open his mouth and run around with his dirty little secret to her of all people. "We're adults. We can handle a day or two, right?"

Raelynn looked away from Dean as she backed up to sit on her bed. She ran a hand through her messy, blonde hair as she allowed a sigh to escape her lips. “I don’t want to have to handle a day or two, Dean.” She hissed quietly. Raelynn was trying to keep herself composed, she had worked so hard the past few weeks to push her thoughts and feelings away from the eldest Winchester.

“I just got into a good place—as good as I can get. I mean, fuck, I just stopped crying over you last week.” Raelynn let out a pathetic laugh as she heard how weak the words sounded coming out of her mouth. “Can’t you convince Bobby to let me and Sam take it alone? Or for you and Sam to take it alone? I don’t want to have to deal with this right now… I still love you Dean, more than anything, but… I can’t. I don’t want to.”

(bae I know I said shapeshifter but I realize it gotta be a demon for this to work sooo, pretend it's been a demon all along)

Dean rolled his eyes, ignoring the clenching of his heart inside of his chest. He wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them, wrap his arms around her, and love her. Make her forget how much pain he had caused for her, make her aware of just how sorry he really was. There wasn't really a day that went by that Dean didn't think about how things would be if life had turned out a little different.

"Grow up, Raelynn," Dean forced the words out, refusing to actually look over at the woman. He knew his words would end up destroying her but he thought it was better to keep as much distance between the two as possible.

Crossing his arms, he turned to her but kept his eyes focused on her forehead. "It's going to be a few days at most, if we bust our asses. So quit complaining and let's just get through this. That way we can go back to pretending each other doesn't exist."

It was at that point were Raelynn’s heart finally iced over. The Winchester had spent the better part of the past year pushing her away. Raelynn wanted to think that deep down, he still loved her. She wanted to think that part of him still longed for her the way she did for him. But hearing his voice spew venom at her one more time was all she needed.

“Fuck you, Winchester.” She spat coldly, not caring if it angered him. “I’ll be more than happy to start carrying on like you don’t exist. I’m sure my life will be a whole hell of a lot easier that way. I mean, fuck, you’ve made it blatantly clear that I was just another fuck to you.”

Raelynn pushed passed him to get through the threshold of the door. She looked back at him, “Sam was the only one who truly cared for me anyways. I was just too blind and dumb to see it until now.”