Come in With the Rain

Mabel was listening to the procedure that needed to be done in order to do the biology project correctly.

“All right,” Mr. Crowley orders. “Pair up.”

Dean turns to Mabel to ask her to be his partner but Mr. Crowley came up to them.

“Now, you two need a change of scenery,” He tells them. “Dean go work with Richard and Mabel go work with Lisa.” Dean makes a face when his teacher turns to go to the front. He apologizes to Mabel and leaps off his stool to go find his partner.

Lisa sits in Dean's seat and smiles, “Hi Mabel.”

“Hello Lisa,” Mabel greets.

Mabel puts in the glass piece under the microscope while Lisa goes in to look. Lisa gives her observations and then Mabel goes in.

“What's your relationship with Dean?” Lisa asks looking into the microscope.

Mabel looks at her confused, “What do you mean?”

Lisa jots down some notes, “The way you two are isn't quite a friendly relationship if you ask me.”

Mabel couldn't understand what Lisa was trying to say. Was she saying that Dean and her weren't really friends?

“Dean and I are good friends,” She states. “If you are implying that we aren't then I believe you are mistaken.”

Lisa looks up agitated, “That's not what I meant.” She twists so she's facing Mabel. “What I mean is that you two are awfully close for just being friends.”

“I..I don't understand.”

Lisa groans and tells her to forget it.

“What I think it means?” Adam asks. Mabel nods. “Uh, well if you've seen how you and Dean are together, no one would guess just friends.”

“Uh,” Mabel mutters. “Do they think that Dean and I are together? Like dating?” Adam nods. “But Dean and Lisa are dating. Not me and Dean.”

“Miss. Tippins,” Mr. Alastair calls. She looks to the front. “Maybe you'd like to solve the graph on the board for us.”

Chuck looks at her surprised, “Do I think you and Dean are a couple?”

Mabel nods scooting closer, “Yeah.”

Chuck looks over her shoulder and sees Dean talking to the other groups about a section they were having trouble on.

“Well,” He sighs. “I've known Dean for a long time now and I haven't seen him act the way he has when he's around you.”

“How does he act?”

He smirks, “Seriously? He's less open around us than he is with you.”

Mabel couldn't piece it together. She and Dean weren't involved romantically. Sometimes she'd consider what Sam says when Dean confuses reality with porn but over all there wasn't any thing romantic between them. They were neighbors and very good friends. But considering what Chuck told her about how he acts more open with her than with his other friends. He's probably told her things that he couldn't really tell other people. Should she talk to him about it? No, it'll probably make him uncomfortable.

“Lisa said something didn't she?” Tessa asks as she jogs next to Mabel.

Mabel breathes, “How did you know?”

Tessa looks ahead at the jogging brunette, “She's been giving you a nasty look for twenty minutes now.” Mabel frowns. “Plus everyone can tell when she's upset about someone by the way she talks to everyone. So what's up?”

“Well she told me in biology that the friendship that Dean and I have wasn't normal,” Huffs Mabel.

“It's not,” Tessa says. Mabel shoots her a worried look. “Look a normal friendship doesn't have two friends act the way you and Dean do. It's obvious one of you is pining after the other.”

“One of us is pining?” Mabel asks as they stop after hearing the whistle.

“I think it's Dean,” Becky breathes stopping next to them. “If not then it's definitely you.”

“How do you know you're pining after someone?”

Kevin looks at his student surprised, “What?”

“My friends told me I'm pining after my best friend Dean,” Mabel pouts while glaring intently at her workbook.

“Well,” Kevin sighs. “Pining is like having a crush on someone. Usually when someone crushes on someone, you can see signs. Like they're always staring at their person of interest. Get flustered whenever they're around. Their heart speeds up just a bit. And they always want to spend all their time with them.”

Mabel takes in the examples Kevin provides for her. She is always around Dean a lot. Sometimes he does and says things that make her feel embarrassed almost flustered at times. When he smiles or laughs she just wants to make him do it again. He'll sometimes get too close to her that she can't keep her heart calm.

She looks up realizing it.

She likes Dean. Not just as a friend. But more.

She blushes thinking about it. They're just friends. She can't possibly tell him that she likes him. What if he says no to her and they just stay friends? That's not what she wants. Well it's bothering her. And the only person she can really talk to is Dean. Maybe he'll handle it better than what she's playing it out to be.

She sees Dean taking things out of his locker. Perfect. Now she can go over and settle the matter right away. She begins to walk to her friend. Maybe she doesn't really have feelings for her friend. Maybe it's just her friend's words that are making her think the way she was. Well, when she talks to Dean about it, he'll put her mind at ease.

Then she sees Lisa walk up behind Dean. Mabel stops a couple feet away from the two. She takes a step back and hides herself. They were talking and smiling. It only makes sense. After all they were dating.

From all her friends no one explained how one would feel when seeing their person of interest is around another person. They never said how it would hurt. Maybe it's not really affection. Just a sign that she should back off Dean for the sake of his relationship with Lisa.

Mabel turns and heads to the impala to wait for Dean there.

“Castiel,” Mabel calls as she sits at the kitchen island doing her homework like a good student. Castiel turns around putting a glass of juice down for her and himself. “Do you find my relationship with Dean, strange?”

“What do you mean?” He asks tilting his head to the side.

Mabel shifts, “Well everyone is telling me that me and Dean aren't particularly friends and that one of us is 'pining' after the other.” She puts air quotes around her emphasis of 'pining'.

Castiel moves around the island and seats himself next to her, “Do you believe them?”

She props her arm up and rests her chin in her palm, “I don't really know.”

“The main question here is,” He sighs. “Do you believe you have feelings for Dean?”

Mabel looks down at the counter, “I've thought about it. It's just that I’ve never had feelings for someone else before. I could be mistaking love and affection with feelings similar to the ones I show to you.”

“Me?”

“Like I care for you only as a friend and as a parent. Or with Sam as a friend and a neighbor,” She explains.

Castiel copies the way her arm is propped but rests his cheek on his knuckles, “I think your mind and your heart are not in the proper place when you think of things like love.” Mabel looks at him confused. “Put your mind and heart in the position of loving someone and ask yourself again, 'do I have feelings for Dean'.”

So she closes her eyes. Clears her mind and thinks. Do I have feelings for Dean? Thoughts begin to flow in. His smile. The way he laughs at his own jokes or the pranks he pulls on Sam. How soft and gentle he is when they talk about touchy subjects. The way he gets so manly when he feels like his very manhood may be threatened. How he trusts her with small simple secrets he doesn't share with anyone. All the time he spends with her when he's not with his brother or Lisa.

Mabel opens her eyes.

She's in love with Dean Winchester.

Ana squeals, “Your first love!” Mabel blushes. “This calls for a celebration!”

“Yeah!” Gabriel cheers. “But first things first!”

“What's that?” Mabel asks as she watches her uncle stand up from her bed. He pulls her to her feet and pulls her out of her room. Ana follows behind with her hands to her mouth to hold in her excitement.

“You go next door,” He starts. He spins her towards the front door. “And tell that boy how you feel.”

Mabel's face practically combusted, “What! N-no! I-I ...Can't!”

“Yes you can,” Ana smiles sliding up next to her niece.

Mabel stops walking and now Gabriel is just pushing her really hard across the floor. She protests, “I can't just go to him and tell him! That's too embarrassing!”

“Oh buck up!” Gabriel laughs when they reach the door. He opens it only to have Mabel slam it shut.

“I said I can't!” She shouts her face really pink. Her aunt and uncle backed away. She blushes, “Sorry.”

Ana bends to look at her niece, “Mabel, if you don't tell him, soon you'll never ever get the chance to.” Mabel squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head. “It's fine. We understand that this is all new to you. These feelings.” She puts her hand under Mabel's chin and tilts it up. “If he's really your friend, he'll still be your friend even if he rejects you.”

“He better or else I’ll beat some serious sense into that boy,” Gabriel says punching his palm. He smiles when he hears Mabel laugh.

“But he's dating someone,” Mabel brings up.

Ana shrugs, “He'll see that you're better than this Lisa chick and definitely go for you.” Mabel blushes thinking about it.

“When are you going to tell him?” Ellen asks polishing a glass cup before putting it down.

Mabel folds her arms on the counter and rests her head on them like a pillow, “I don't know. I've never told anyone I’ve liked them before.”

Jo stops after putting some plates into her bucket, “You should do it soon. The longer you wait the smaller your window gets.”

Suddenly Ash, a blonde man with an 80's style mullet, comes up behind Ellen and leans on the counter, “This is what you do kiddo.” He looks left and right then leans in. “Get him when he's alone or something yeah? And you talk to him get him all nice and comfy. Then BAM! Tell him.” Mabel looks at him confused as to what he was trying to tell her.

Ellen smacks Ash on the back of his head, “We're trying to help her not confuse her. Plus she should do it when she feels the most comfortable.”

'When I’m most comfortable. When I’m most comfortable,' Mabel thinks to herself as she walks towards her apartment.

She starts to round the corner when she sees Dean coming out of his apartment while on the phone. Mabel hides behind a wall as he walks.

“Yeah,” He says. “Alright I'm on my way.” Who was he talking to? “Yeah? You got your black Victoria Secret bra on? Yes, that one.” Lisa? Was he talking to Lisa?

“Uh huh. Sam's gone tomorrow for a couple hours I could come by for a quickie,” He says. Mabel's covering her mouth as she listens to him talk. They're talking about sex. She starts to scoot away from the wall so she could go hide somewhere else. Dean rounds the corner in time for Mabel to slip into the hallway over. “I can't that day. Ask Mark.” Mark?

Dean pushes the button to the elevator, “I'm hanging out with Mabel that day.” Mabel swallows hard. Who's Mark? “So? Lisa I thought we talked about this? This relationship is nothing. Just you and me fucking. Well you seem to keep forgetting that.” Mabel gasps quietly hearing this. “God you act as if I can't be around other girls that aren't you. Yeah, I’m still coming. Shut up.” He hangs up and puts his phone away.

Mabel decided to step out from the second hallway, “Dean?”

Dean snaps his head in the direction of the voice calling. Shock and surprise wash over his face, “Mabel?”

Mabel walks over to him slowly afraid that the Dean in front of her wasn't real, “Dean? W-what was that conversation?”

Dean curses to himself that she heard him talking to Lisa. He also curses to think that it was going to happen eventually.

“Dean! What was that conversation!” She's shouting now. She looks as if she were shaking.

Dean breathes, “Lisa and I aren't dating. We've been sleeping together just to feed our needs.”

Mabel blinks furiously fighting the urge to cry, “You've been lying to me? For...for two months now!” Dean only nods. “Dean! Why!”

“I didn't want to hurt you,” He states. He starts to walk to her but she backs away shaking her head. “Mabel, please. I didn't mean to do this to you.”

Mabel shakes her head at him, “I know Dean. It's why you did it. It only hurts because you hid it from me for so long.” The elevator doors finally ding open. “Goodbye Dean.” She pushes past her friend and walks towards her apartment.

Dean follows after her ignoring the elevator, “No! Mabel, please! Just listen to me!" Mabel stops and turns to him. He stops leaving a large gap between them. She's crying.

“I feel so stupid,” She cries.

“I'm sorry,” He tells her. “You have to believe me.”

“Like how I believed you were dating Lisa?” She says looking at him sadly. “How I’d believe everyday that when you two are together you are in a relationship. No Dean. I don't have to believe you."

“I don't understand why this is big deal to you,” He states.

“It's because I li...” Mabel stops. Dean's looking at her hopeful now. She couldn't do it. Not now. “Because you were my first friend who wasn't Castiel. My first real friend. Someone I could trust with anything. But it's quite obvious that I was wrong for putting my faith in you.”