I'm Not Strong Enough to Stay Away

“I’m not happy about this,” I muttered to Ella as we walked down the sidewalk. “Why can’t we just sneak in through the fire escape? Why do I have to buy a dress?”

“C’mon!” Ella said cheerfully. “It’ll be fun! We can do each other’s hair and make-up and get mani-pedis and—“

“Okay, I am not getting a mani-pedi,” I interrupted. “I refuse.” Ella rolled her eyes and giggled. “Besides, it’s only for a night. And those pretty nails will get pretty fucked up if we end up burning a body.”

“C’mon, Gari!” Ella pleaded. “Please just look at this as a good thing! We never get to treat ourselves to anythin’ good! Don’t ya wanna play dress-up, just for a night?”

I sighed. “Sure, whatever.”

She squealed happily and led me into a store.

A few bells tinkled when the door swung open, announcing our presence. “Mom!” someone called from further back in the store. “Customers!” A girl came around the corner and I recognized her as Kaiti, the rude girl from earlier. “Oh,” she said dully. “It’s you.”

“Hey, there,” Ella said, instantly turning on her charm. “Kaiti, right?” Kaiti nodded. “We’re goin’ to the gala thingy tonight and we’re lookin’ for somethin’ to wear. Ya got anythin’ fancy?”

“Yeah, over there,” Kaiti said, pointing to the back corner of the shop.

“Thanks,” Ella said, smiling warmly. “How’s your friend?”

“Doing good, considering,” Kaiti replied, worry coloring her eyes and voice. “I just can’t believe she’s dead. I mean, she just moved here, didn’t have a lot of friends—honestly, she was kind of a bitch—but she was okay. And David finding her… That’s gonna stay with him for a while.” She stared off into space for a minute, seemingly lost in thought, then shook her head a little. “Sorry, d’you need help?”

“We’ll let you know if we do,” I said kindly. Her obvious concern for the boy moved me, and I couldn’t help but to hope David would eventually come to his senses and notice her.

“Hey, Kaiti, d’ya know any of the other victims?” Ella asked hopefully.

“No, I don’t,” Kaiti said. “I’ve only lived here a few years and, believe it or not, I still don’t know everyone. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” I said over my shoulder as Ella dragged me toward the dresses. As soon as we reached them, I sat down on the floor.

“What’re ya doin’?” Ella asked confusedly.

“Refusing to shop,” I said stubbornly. “You choose something for me.”

“’Kay!” Ella squealed, already looking through the selection of dresses. “I hope the boys rented tuxes,” she said. “I wonder how Dean’ll look in a tux…”

“Okay, can you not drool over him in front of me?” I said agitatedly. “He’ll look like everyone else: a douchey James Bond wannabe.”

She completely ignored my comment, continuing on to say, “I bet Sam’ll look like one of those celebrity’s puppies that gets dressed up all the time.” I opened my mouth to reply, but a sudden image of a puppy in a tuxedo popped into my head and I busted out laughing. Ella soon joined in, then choked out, “’Kay, I gotta focus now, since you’re not doin’ anythin’ to help!” I stuck my tongue out at her and fell into a bored silence. “Wonder if this is what shoppin’ for a prom dress is ‘sposed to feel like…” she mused quietly. “Always wanted to go to prom.”

I almost tried to comfort her, but she spun around at that moment, holding four or five dresses. “Here, go try these on!” she ordered, a smile stretching across her face. “And make sure to show me how ya look!”

“I’m never taking you shopping again,” I told her as I got up and took the garments.

About ten minutes later, I walked out in the final option: a form-fitting black dress with a plunging neckline and a slit that went halfway up my thigh. I immediately knew that this was the one I was getting, but decided to show Ella, anyway. 'God, I feel so vapid,' I thought disgustedly as I turned away from the mirror. 'I am never ever buying another dress as long as I live.'

“Holy crap, ya look sexy!” Ella exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly.

“If I flash someone, you’re on the top of my hit list,” I grumbled, still not happy that she was sending me hunting in a dress. “And so do you,” I said approvingly, taking in the sapphire blue dress that perfectly matched her eyes. “You look like a princess or something.”

“Haven’t ya learned by now?” she said jokingly, spinning in a circle. “I am a princess!” She giggled a little, then said, “Ooh, I almost forgot!” She handed me a pair of stilettos with the tallest heels that I had ever seen. “You’re gonna be as tall as Sam!” she laughed.

“If you wanted to kill me, Elle,” I said, shaking my head and staring at the death-trap shoes, “you could’ve just shot me or something. This is torture. Pure, cruel, medieval torture.”

“Oh, shush! Ya hunt in heeled boots!”

“Yeah, but those are only a half an inch tall, and they’re boots!”

“Just wear the shoes, Gari!”

I gave a defeated sigh. “Fine…”

Ella grinned triumphantly and said, “Now, get outta that dress so I can go ring it up!”

Taking the stilettos with me, I stomped back to the dressing room. 'This is gonna be a long night.'

~Supernatural~Supernatural~Supernatural~

“Will you two hurry up?” Dean called from the bedroom, sounding extremely agitated. “This thing starts in fifteen minutes!”

“It’s called a ‘gala!’” Ella responded in a sing-song voice while dusting blush over her round cheeks.

“I’m not sayin’ that word,” Dean said stubbornly, and I could picture him crossing his arms in defiance. “That’d be like me speaking French: just not right.” I imagined him shaking his head and smirking as he said that, and I laughed a little at the thought of him seducing Ella in French.

“What’s wrong with French?” Ella asked me as I hooked her necklace. “I think it’s pretty.”

“That’s the problem, Elle. It’s too pretty,” I replied, running bright red lipstick across my lips.

Ella had done all of my make-up, and I was actually quite surprised at how good it had turned out. However, when it came to my hair, I refused to let her touch it. It was going to stay straight and hairspray-free, no matter what she said. “Ready?” I asked, and she nodded and opened the bathroom door.

“It’s about ti—!” Dean stopped abruptly at the sight of Ella, and she giggled in her adorable, little girl way and walked over to him.

“You look very classy,” she said sweetly, kissing his cheek. “Like a sexier James Bond.”

I pretended to gag and coughed, “Wannabe!” under my breath, and Ella rolled her eyes and laughed. “Get a room,” I joked.

“Hey, you guys ready?” Sam asked as he entered the motel room. “We don’t wanna be la—wow.” Sam’s jaw dropped a little when he saw me (which I absolutely loved), then he quickly stammered out, “You, uh—you look nice.” He blushed deeply and I grinned. I walked over to him and reached up to fix his collar. “Thanks,” he said weakly, then cleared his throat nervously and repeated it with more conviction.

Devious thoughts popped into my head, and I started to think, 'Maybe tonight doesn’t have to be all bad. He’s even more nervous around me than usual. Messing with him all night… Yeah, this could be fun.'

I decided to try out my newfound power and lifted up the slightest bit, stopping only when my lips were centimeters away from his. “No problem,” I whispered, licking my lips tauntingly, then turning to Ella and Dean as if nothing had happened. “So, are we leaving or what?” I asked them. Sam let out the breath that he had been holding and a satisfied grin crossed my face.

“Get a room,” Dean joked, repeating my words from earlier and smirking widely. He still looked majorly uncomfortable, though, and was trying his hardest to hide it.

“Can we go?” Sam asked, a slight tremor still in his voice. I glanced at him and noticed that his face was just fading back to its original color. 'Okay, this will definitely be fun.'

“We could’ve gone sooner,” Dean said slyly, “but you two were busy.”

The blush that had disappeared from Sam’s cheeks sprang up again, and I laughed out loud. “So not fair,” he mouthed at me.

“I know,” I mouthed back, winking at him, then I slid my arm through Ella’s and pulled her out the door.

“Dude, she’s feral,” I heard Dean say quietly as they followed us out. “She’s gonna eat you alive.” I grinned and waited for Sam’s irritated reply, but all I heard was a noncommittal grunt and Dean’s snort of laughter at his younger brother’s discomfort.

~Supernatural~Supernatural~Supernatural~

I never expected such a small town to become so crowded in less than four hours, but it did.

When we arrived at the Square, the place was packed. Dean started bitching about finding a parking place, then finally found one behind the Opera House and had to race another car to it.

After walking up an impossibly large hill, we came to wait in an impossibly long line of people vouching to get into the building. “Hey, Sammy, got any razor wire?” Dean asked, sounding annoyed. I was with him there.

“No…” Sam said, a puzzled look on his face. “Why?”

“I was thinkin’ about pulling a Gordon Walker,” Dean said seriously. Sam snorted and grinned, looking pretty proud of himself.

“So, those 'Supernatural' books really are about you?” I asked curiously.

“Yeah, it’s a really long story,” Sam replied.

“I’m gonna have to hear it some time,” I said with a smile. “I wish I could’ve seen that, though,” I said wistfully. “Chopping off a vamp’s head with razor wire. Sounds… sexy.” I smirked at Sam flirtatiously and a faint blush crept onto his cheeks. I still couldn’t get over how easy it was for me to make him nervous. 'All this power is gonna go to my head,' I thought wryly.

Finally, after what seemed like years of waiting, the four of us made it into the audience chamber of the theater. It was bigger than I expected, looking capable of seating at least 200 people, if you added the balcony and box seats. The place was packed to the brim with attendees, and it was becoming difficult to stay together in the crowd.

Sam led us toward the back of the theater where the dressing rooms were located and we tried our best not to get separated.

“’Scuse me!” Ella said repeatedly as Dean shoved his way through the sea of people. “’Scuse me!” I looked behind me and saw how far away from us they were. I started to walk back toward them. “No, go on ahead!” Ella called, seeing what I was about to do. “We’ll interrogate!”

As I nodded, Sam grabbed my hand and said, “Try to keep up!” I grinned and allowed him to guide me through the crowd, occasionally using my free hand to push people out of the way. Most of them, thankfully, were smart enough to move when they saw a determined giant headed their way. “Back here!” Sam said, dragging me backstage, then through a door and up two flights of stairs. He released my hand and I found myself mourning the loss of contact.

I followed him down the deserted hallway and into an empty dressing room. “Hey, I’m wearing that shade!” I commented upon seeing Obadiah Wilson’s name scrawled across the mirror in Maya’s lipstick, and Sam chuckled.

He pulled the EMF meter from his pocket and it immediately started flashing and beeping. “EMF’s going nuts,” he said, seemingly to himself.

I shifted back and forth on my feet, grimacing as the stilettos rubbed blisters on my heels. 'Okay, I can’t deal with this anymore. Sorry, Ella.'

“Gimme a second,” I said to Sam, propping my right foot up on the cushioned bench and starting to unbuckle the accursed shoe. “These heels are killing me.”

As I propped up my left foot, the slit in my dress separated, falling on either side of my leg, and Sam let out a quiet groan. “I wish you’d stop doing that,” he said, a pleading note to his voice.

“Doing what?” I asked as I fiddled with the clasp on my shoe.

“That,” he said vaguely, and a quick glance showed me that he was staring up at the ceiling, seemingly in an attempt to avoid looking at me. “You’ve been messing with me all day.”

“Messing with you?” I asked innocently, dropping my shoes to the ground and standing up straight. I cocked my head to the side curiously and bit my lip in pretend confusion. I noticed excitedly that his eyes went immediately to my lips and he swallowed nervously. “How?”

“By doing…” He trailed off, trying to find the right word, then gestured wildly at me and said, “Everything!”

I walked up to him slowly and hooked my fingers through his belt loops, then looked at him from under my eyelashes and asked slyly, “You mean like this?” I rose up on tiptoes and briefly brushed my lips against his, grinning as he swallowed nervously again.

“Y—yes,” he stuttered, closing his eyes and exhaling deeply. “Like this.” I smirked and started to turn away, but he backed me up against the wall, his hands pressed against the plaster on either side of my head, and growled, “Stop doing it.”

My heart rate picked up to hyper speed at his sudden forcefulness, and I found myself unable to think of a witty retort. For the first time that night, he was making me nervous, and I found I rather enjoyed the sudden turn of events.

After a minute, I regained control and smirked again. “You like it,” I teased, but there was a slight, excited tremor under my confident, joking tone.

There was a small moment when we just stared at each other, both breathing hard and waiting to see who would make the first move.

It was Sam. He crushed his lips to mine fiercely, pinning me against the wall. My arms snaked around his neck and I rose up on tiptoes again, deepening the kiss even more. His arms went around my waist, almost lifting me off the floor and pulling me impossibly closer.

Suddenly, instead of feeling the wall behind me, I felt the velvety cushion of the dressing room’s bench against my back. His hand slid up my thigh, pushing my dress up around my waist. His jacket was on the floor, his shirt unbuttoned, exposing his muscular stomach. His mouth strayed to my neck, kissing the hollow of my throat. A shiver of absolute pleasure went up my spine, and a small moan escaped me.

The next thing I knew, there was a loud thud and we were on the ground.

After staring at Sam in utter shock for about a minute, I busted out laughing, laying my head on his chest and shaking with silent mirth until tears ran down my face. After a minute, he started laughing, too, and I could feel it rumbling in his chest.

“Perhaps a haunted dressing room isn’t the best place for this,” I said finally, my laughter fading to one of my rare giggles. I wiped the tears from my eyes and sat up.

“Maybe not,” he agreed with a lopsided grin, getting to his feet, then helping me to mine.

“Maybe we should try a hotel room next time,” I suggested, shrugging and smiling mischievously.

“Sounds like a plan,” he chuckled.

I laughed and attempted to smooth down my hair, then shivered a little. “Is is cold in—?” I started, then stopped abruptly as I realized what was happening. “Fuck,” I cursed, and a little cloud of fog came out of my mouth.

At that, Sam threw his arm out in front of me protectively, pushing me behind him. An eerily beautiful woman appeared in front of us, looking oddly peaceful for a murderous ghost. “Why?” she asked quietly, moving closer to us. Her serene expression twisted up into a grotesque mask of fury. “WHY?” she shrieked.

Sam lunged for his previously forgotten shotgun and pulled the trigger just in time, showering the spirit with rock salt. “Run!” he yelled, locking his hand around my wrist and dragging me after him. We descended the stairs rapidly, finally bursting out of the backstage area and running straight into Dean and Ella.

“What the hell took you so long?” Dean snapped. “I was gettin’ groped the whole time! Freakin’ cougars…”

“He was!” Ella laughed happily. “It was hilarious!” Dean shot her what was supposed to be a glare, but he just couldn’t get mad at her.

“You find anything?” Dean asked us.

“Besides a bloodthirsty ghost?” I said. “Nope.”

Ella gasped. “Y’all saw Emily?” she asked, her mouth hanging open in awe. “I spent every weekend up here my whole life and I never saw her! So not fair! Was she beautiful?”

“Before she tried to kill us, yeah, she was gorgeous,” I said, a slight sarcastic tone to my voice that Ella was completely oblivious to.

“Y’all are all covered in dirt,” she noted curiously. “And, Gari, what happened to your hair?”

I blanked, unable to think of an appropriate response. My cheeks burned furiously and I glanced at Sam, wordlessly pleading for help. He blushed a little, but with a surprisingly steady voice said, “We got thrown around. Emily’s tougher than she looks. And, man, they really need to sweep the floors around here.” I shot him a grateful look and started kicking myself for not being able to think of an excuse.

“Are y’all okay?” Ella asked worriedly. I nodded, relieved that she bought the lie. I glanced at Dean, wondering if he did, too. Despite looking faintly disgusted, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and grinned at me. 'Oh, God,' I thought, rolling my eyes. 'Just great.'

“Where is everybody?” Sam asked, looking around at the vacant building.

“It cleared out pretty quick,” Dean said. “Any idea where Emily’s buried?”

“Oh, I coulda told ya that!” Ella said with a giggle. “She’s buried in an unmarked grave at Trinity!”

“Well, why didn’t you tell us this before?” I asked, annoyance making my words harsh.

“Sorry,” Ella replied, unaffected. “Didn’t think about it. So, ya wanna go now, or later, when we’re not in floor-length dresses?”

“Let’s get it over with,” I sighed. “We already have everything we need in the trunk. Plus, I’ll feel pretty badass committing arson in a fancy dress.”

Ella laughed and nodded in agreement. “Then let’s go!”

“Where’s Trinity?” Sam asked her.

“Right outside the Square,” she replied. “It’s a big pink church. Can’t miss it!”

Sam and Dean shared a look, clearly thinking, 'Pink?' They shrugged simultaneously and headed toward the door. Ella ran to catch up with Dean and Sam fell back a little to wait for me.

Right as Dean and Ella crossed the threshold, the doors slammed closed. They spun around, pulling on the door handles, as Sam and I tried fruitlessly to push the doors open. “It’s no good,” Sam told them through the glass. “Go burn her bones!” Dean nodded and started walking away, and, with a reluctant glance at me, Ella did the same.

“So, what now?” I asked, leaning up against one of the doors.

“Now we wait,” Sam replied, tightening his hold on his shotgun. “She locked us in for a reason. She’ll show up soon.”

“Actresses are such divas,” I said jokingly, and he grinned. I tilted my head back against the door and closed my eyes, wishing Dean and Ella would hurry up so we could leave this pathetic little town behind us. 'If I never come back,' I thought, 'it’ll be too soon.'

“She said it’s an unmarked grave, right?” Sam asked.

“Yep.”

“So, this is gonna take a while.” He leaned against the door as well, and I could feel him watching me.

“I can think of a few ways to pass the time,” I said slyly, opening my eyes to watch his reaction.

His cheeks turned slightly pink and he said teasingly, “I thought we were waiting for a hotel room?”

“Eh, I changed my mind,” I replied. “I do that a lot.”

“I noticed,” he chuckled. Just then, the lights started flickering, finally going out completely. The moonlight coming through the windows illuminated just a few feet in front of us. “Shit,” Sam hissed under his breath.

Emily appeared, looking just as beautiful as before. “Why?” she asked softly, staring up at
Sam. “Why did you kill him?”

“I didn’t kill him,” Sam said calmly. “He was killed a century ago. There’s no way it could’ve been me.”

“LIES!” Emily screeched, her face becoming twisted and ugly. She shoved Sam forcefully, sending him flying back into the door, and the glass cracked where his head hit it. His shotgun skidded across the floor, stopping at my feet, and I hurriedly picked it up and fired at Emily, who disappeared.

I ran to Sam and knelt down beside him. “You okay?” I asked, and he groaned.

“Ow,” he said, then his eyes widened. “Gari, behind you!” I fired at Emily again, then helped Sam to his feet.

“Here,” I said, touching his head where it had hit the window and willing it to heal.

“Thanks,” he said, and I nodded. “What the hell’s taking them so long?”

Emily popped up again, this time right in front of me, and she knocked me out of the way. I threw my hand out to catch myself and suppressed an agonized yell as my left wrist cracked. I cradled it against my chest and slid away from Emily, who continued to advance on me. I looked around wildly for Sam, finally seeing him lying unconscious on the opposite side of the lobby.

Right as Emily leaned over me, she let out a shriek and went up in flames.

“It’s about damn time!” I grumbled as I got to my feet and walked over to check on Sam again. I shook him roughly and his eyes popped open. “Today is just not your day, is it?” I teased, grinning, and he glared at me weakly. “Are you bleeding anywhere?”

“No, don’t think so,” he replied, pushing himself into a sitting position. “What’s wrong?” he asked, stretching my arm out and touching my wrist gently.

I winced a little and said, “I think I broke it when I tried to catch myself.” He rotated it slowly and I let out a gasp of pain. “Yep, definitely broken. I hope my whole ‘advanced healing process’ is still working. Otherwise, I’m stuck with a broken wrist because I can’t fucking heal myself. Yet again, I am reminded of how much my powers suck.”

“Just a little,” Sam said with a small grin. “But only to you.”

I smiled back and said, “Let’s get out of here.” He nodded in agreement. “I cannot wait to put this town in my rearview mirror.”

“I’m with you on that one,” he said as he helped me to my feet. “Now let’s see if we can get Ella to leave without insulting her.”

“Sounds like a challenge,” I said. “I accept.”

He laughed and shook his head, then we walked out of the Opera House.