Written by: gooberlanes13

Edited by: KariGorsuch

I exhaled sharply, glaring at the crooked circle of research spread around me. Everything was open- journals, books, notebooks, logs, even old recipes books. My eyes burned from the strain, but I pushed through, flipping another prittle page in the journal on my lap.

A small jerking sound broke the silence. I glanced toward the desk where Bobby sat, half-slumped over his laptop, fighting a losing battle against sleep. A faint grin tugged at my lips before I turned my head the other way.

Dean wasn't doing much better.

He was sprawled out in an armchair, legs draped over one arm, back wedged against the other. A book dangled loosely from one hand, the other still clutching a barely touched beer. His head bobbed slightly, jerking every few moments as he tried- and failed- to stay awake. His breathing was slow, steady, but every now and then, his eyes fluttered open in a stubborn attempt to keep reading.

Shaking my head, I turned back to the journal in my lap. The handwriting was sloppy, the ink uneven, like the writer had been in a hurry. That only fed my suspicion- this had to be the same journal Bri had mentioned before, or at least one from the same time period.

I flipped through its poorly labeled, yellowed pages, stained with what looked like tobacco residue, the paper crinkling beneath my fingers. Notes were scrawled in a mix of print and cursive, frantic scribbles filling the margins. Doodles, timestamps, old black and white photos shoved into the spine like makeshift bookmarks.

One of them caught my eye. A man- tall, broad shouldered, rugged. He had the same build as Sam, like he'd spent more nights reading than sleeping.

I kept flipping until a particular page stopped me cold. The handwriting was frantic, words practically clawing at the paper. My stomach tightened as I stroked each curve, each rushed letter, each period. A picture started forming, one I wasn't sure I wanted to see.

"...Created many monsters simply by touch. Invulnerability seems to be conventional weapons and most mystic ones did not have any effect. The only known thing that may - could - kill her was Phoenix ash, either by ingestion, injection, or being shot with shotgun shells filled with the ashes..."

I bit my lip, my pulse kicking up.

Then, a sudden snore shattered the silence.

I jumped, my head snapping up just in time to catch Dean blinking blearily at me. He squinted down at his watch, muttering a curse under his breath as he jolted upright, sloshing beer onto his jeans.

"You're still at it?" His voice was thick with sleep, rough around the edges. He ran a hand over his face, blinking hard. "Damn, it's almost two in the morning. Sammy and Bri back yet, or are they still out makin' bad decisions?"

"Not yet." I answered, watching as Dean stretched and pushed himself up from the chair. He made his way over, nudging a few scattered journals aside before settling in behind me, his legs bracketing mine. I leaned back against his chest instinctively, feeling the warmth of him wrap around me.

"That's better," I murmured, exhaling as I relaxed into him.

"Damn right it is," he hummed in my ear, pressing a slow kiss to my shoulder before resting his chin there. "Find anything?"

"Actually..." I sighed, a small, proud smile tugging at my lips. "I might actually be worth something to you guys."

Dean chuckled, low and amused. "Sweetheart, you were right about the werewolf," he pointed out, tightening his arms around my waist. "You were right about the vamp cult." He kissed my neck lightly, his voice dropping to a murmur. "And you were right about me."

I let out a breathy laugh, tilting my head slightly to rest against his shoulder.

Turning my focus back to the journal, I started reading aloud, careful to keep my voice low- Bobby had finally lost his fight with sleep, his forehead now firmly planted against the edge of his desk

"...Uncle Brad wrote that Phoenixes in mythology- Greek mythology, specifically- are birds that are reborn from their own ashes, symbolizing immortality and renewal. They show up in Egyptian and Persian myths too." I shifted, trying to get more comfortable as Dean adjusted with me, his chin still resting on my shoulder. "But here's the kicker- it says the status of phoenixes is unknown. They're presumed extinct."

Dean let out a quiet groan. "Awesome. So we need to find the ashes of something that doesn't even exist anymore."

I chewed on my lip, mulling it over. "At least we have somewhere to start now."

"Yeah, but where the hell do we even begin looking for Phoenix ashes?" Dean muttered.

I started to pull away, ready to dig for another book, but Dean was quicker, his arms tightened around me, yanking me right back before I could fully get up.

"What the hell?" I laughed, twisting in his grip.

He smirked, effortlessly wrestling me back down onto the hardwood floor beside him. The sound of our scuffling made Bobby stir, and I froze. "Shh, you'll wake Bobby."

Dean grinned, utterly unapologetic. "So?"

I rolled my eyes, settling against him again. His smirk lingered, but there was something else there too- something softer, more serious.

"Y'know," he murmured, "we gotta stop meeting like this."

"Like what?" I teased, tilting my head up at him

Dean's expression shifted, his cocky smirk fading into something deeper, something unreadable. "This close."

My breath caught. His eyes flickered, lingering on mine before dropping to my lips, and I instinctively bit down on them- a nervous habit.

Dean inhaled sharply. "You know what that does to me."

A quiet chuckle slipped from me as I propped myself up on my elbows, bringing our faces even closer. His breath was warm, his gaze intense, everything about him burning in that perfectly controlled way- just the right kind of heat, just the right kind of dangerous.

"Eve?"

"Yeah?"

"You trust me, right?" His voice was quieter, like he wasn't just talking about phoenixes or research anymore. His green eyes flicked between mine, searching for something, before dropping once again to my lips.

"Dean," I smiled, flipping some hair off my shoulder. "I do trust you."

His lips twitched into a half-smile. "Good."

That familiar heat settled between us again, thick and unspoken. His gaze flickered down to my lips just as mine dropped to his, and we both leaned in, our mouths barely brushing-

And then the front door slammed open.

Bobby jolted awake with a sharp snort, and Dean and I sprang apart, sharing a quiet chuckled at how short-lived the moment had been.

"Sammy!" Dean called, pushing himself to his feet before offering me and hand up. He turned to greet Sam and Bri, both standing in the doorway, looking flushed and tense. "What's wrong?"

I trailed my fingers along the nearest shelf, scanning the spines under the P section of the mythology books. Pulling a few, I set them down in Dean's abandoned chair just as I caught the tension in Sam's posture.

"Bri..." I said, my brow furrowing. "What's going on?"

Dean shot me a glance before gesturing for Sam to follow him into the kitchen, Bobby right behind them. I gently nudged Bri into the entryway, lowering my voice. "Talk to me."

She hesitated before exhaling sharply. "Dad called."

My eyes widened slightly, arms crossing over my chest. "And?"

Bri scoffed, shaking off her tension with a half-hearted impression of her father. "Brianna, I'm just trying to protect you. You can't just run away from everything."

I raised an eyebrow.

She sighed, dropping the act. "Or something like that."

I let out a breath, running a hand through my hair. "To be fair... you did tell them you were just coming to visit me. We've been so caught up in everything that neither of us has checked in with our families-"

Bri gave a small nod, frowning as she sat beside me on the stairs.

Then it hit me.

"Shit." I muttered, the realization smalling into me. "We haven't said anything to our families... and I haven't had a damn phone."

"They're bound to call me next." Bri said flatly, pulling out her phone and holding it out to me.

I shook my head, already trying to piece together what the hell I'd even say to my parents when they did.

Bri studied me for a moment before speaking. "I think I need to go back."

That snapped my attention back to her. "Back home?"

She nodded, but there was hesitation in her eyes.

I shook my head. "You're not going alone."

"- Eve -"

"- No." My voice came out sharper than I meant it to. "We went through some shit in the Army, Bri...but this is bigger than the be both of us -"

Bri exhaled through her nose, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's just Mom and Dad."

She pushed to her feet, moving to lean against the wall across from me. I rose too, gripping the railing as I fixed her with a pointed look.

"Just Mom and Dad?" I echoed, nodding sarcastically. "What happened the last time we split up, Bri?"

"This isn't the same thing, Eve." Bri started to protest, but I wasn't about to let her sidestep this.

"Yes, it is." I jabbed a finger toward the stairs. "Last time we split up-" I gestured toward the guys, my voice rising. "We divided and conquered, sure. And you saw your first dead body. Meanwhile, I became one."

Dean snorted. I shot him a pointed look, realizing the two had made their way into the entryway. But couldn't help the small smirk that slipped through before I turned back to Bri.

"We're better together." I stood firm.

"It's just easing my parents' minds, Eve. It's not saving humanity." Bri crossed her arms, but when her gaze flickered toward Sam, something clicked.

"Sam's going, isn't he?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"He invited himself!" Bri shot back, throwing a hand in Sam's direction. "I didn't ask him to come, didn't say anything about anyone coming- "

"- we're supposed to stick together Bri." I stepped off the lower step, closing the space between us. "I love you. And I'd hate for some shit to go down and none of us find out about it until it's too late."

"It's just a drive." Bri shook her head.

"It's just a drive?" I echoed, eyebrow raising. "A lot can happen in 'just a drive,' Bri. Anything from a normal car accident to the Vamp cult sniffing you our, to Eve tracking you down-"

"- Speaking of which -" Dean cut in.

Bri and I both turned to glare at him.

"Eve found out how to kill Eve."

"Well, not Eve." Sam clarified as Bri spun back to me, eyebrows raised.

"I was getting to that." I muttered, already leading the way back toward the office, where Bobby was shoving books back onto the shelves with an air of exasperation.

"You two done cluckin'?" Bobby grumbled.

Bri shot him a glare, but I ignored him, snatching up the journal and tossing it to her. "Page 68."

She caught it with a huff, flipping through as Sam leaned in to read over her shoulder. Meanwhile, Dean nudged me gently, pressing a book into my hands.

"This is gonna be harder than we thought..." Dean muttered, shifting beside me as he pointed to the passage in the book. He read aloud, "One would need to travel back in time to the location where Samuel Colt once killed a phoenix, which is mentioned in his journal as being in Sunrise, Wyoming. The ashes would be found at the site where the phoenix burned after being shot by Colt's gun."

I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. "Well, fuck" my glare shifted toward the kitchen. "I wish I could drink coffee."

"...one day." Dean grinned, patting my ass as he moved past me to show Sam the page. My eyes widened as a flush crept up my neck, but he just smirked like he hadn't just done that in front of everyone.

"Great. So what I'm hearing," Bri sighed, rubbing her temples, "Is we need a mythical creature's ashes. But to get them, we have to time travel. What is this- J.K. Rowling's world? What the fuck is this shit?"

"It's some crazy shit..." I admitted, flipping through the book Dean had just handed me. "Now we have to figure out how the hell we're supposed to time travel."

Bobby finally chimed in with a deep sigh, thumbing through another book. "Says here, time travel is usually done through powerful magic rituals. Needs specific ingredients, a sleep understanding of the supernatural... Usually performed with the help of a powerful entity or artifact, with the most prominent example being the "Tesseract" which allows manipulation of time and space when used correctly..."

I grinned, watching Bobby close the book and shelve it in the perfect alphabetical order. As he turned back the five of us let out a collective sigh. Processing.

"So, we need to go back in time," Sam cleared his throat, flipping a few more pages before passing the book over to Bri. "Find out where Samuel Colt killed a phoenix, and the ashes should be at the site where it burned."

Dean gestured toward the books Bobby was stacking back on the shelf. "According to Colt's journal- or that book- allegedly, it happened in Sunrise, Wyoming."

I groaned, dropping into the armchair Dean had been leaning against. "Jesus, that's alot..." My gaze fell to the semi-cleaned-up mess of journals and books on the floor. "My eyes are so damn heavy."

"It's also almost three." Dean glanced at his watch.

I sighed, nodding toward Bri. "As for your parents. You know the rule. Wherever one of us goes, the other does too."

"Eve-" Bri started, her voice edged with protest. She jumped slightly and moved a step away when Sam tried placing a hand at the small of her back.

"It's not just you two anymore." Sam added, glancing at Dean.

Dean tugged on my hand, pulling me to my feet- only to drop into the armchair and pull me down onto his lap. "See?"

Bri smirked, looking between the three of us. "I always had Eve." She nodded at me as I leaned into Dean's warmth, soaking in his steady presence. "We always had each other when we could, but you two..."

"We can handle Momma and Daddy." Dean grinned across the room, earning a small appreciative smile from Bri.

The moment was short- lived.

"Eve..." Bri's voice flattneed as she glanced at her phone, then up at me. "...Hello?"

The voice on the other end exploded through the speaker.

"Evelyn May Marks!" My mother's voice was sharp, filled with equal parts relief and exasperation. "Where the hell are you?"

"With friends," I answered simply.

Bri chuckled, but it quickly died under Sam's pointed stare.

"Eve, I've been worried sick! I haven't heard from you in weeks-"

I frowned at the concern in her voice but I could tell I was on speaker. A low murmur in the background confirmed my stepdad was listening too.

"-we couldn't get through on your phone-"

"Yeah, I don't have one anymore." The words tumbled out flatly. "I threw it into traffic."

"Why the fuck would you do that?!" My stepdad's voice snapped through the line.

I rolled my eyes. "Can we have a conversation without him hovering?"

A beat of silence.

"Nick showed up in Cripple Creek-"

"Nick?!" Mom gasped. There was a shuffle on the other end. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, Mom." My face fell as Dean gently tilted my chin, trying to get me to look at him. I frowned but let him. "He was taken care of."

"I'd say." My stepdads voice cut in, an edge of something unreadable lacing his words.

The room shifted. I felt it. Sam and Bri exchaned glanes, and Dean's grip on my waist subtly tightened.

My brows furrowed. "What do you mean by that?" I leaned forward slightly, still not leaving Dean's lap. His warmth, his presence- it was grounding. And right now, I needed that.

A heavy sigh from Mom. Another beat of silence.

"Sweetie... Nick got in a car accident on the way from the airport." She hesitated. "He didn't make it."

I blinked.

"Okay." The word left me before I even processed it.

Bri's eyes flickered with concern, but Sam and Dean barely reacted. Just small, knowing shrugs.

"What does that have to do with me-?"

"He was a human being!" My stepdad's voice boomed so loud the speaker crackled. "He was your first love, Eve-"

My jaw clenched. "Not really."

The words were sharper than I intended, and before I could stop myself, my gaze flicked to Dean.

His green eyes locked onto mine. My breath caught.

I looked away- too fast- finding Bri instead. Safety. "What do you want, guys? It's 3AM here."

"Where are you?" Mom's voice had softened slightly.

I leaned back into Dean, my exhaustion suddenly pressing down on me. "South Dakota."

Silence.

"Last I checked, I was an adult." I added, my voice steady. "I can be anywhere I want."

"You still should check in," my Stepdad's voice shot through again. "You went from texting your Momma a few times a week to nothing - then we couldn't get ahold of your phone and -"

"- I get it." I growled, pinching the bridge of my nose.

Dean shifted beneath me, rising from the chair. I frowned as he moved away, stepping toward Bobby's desk and whispering something low. The distance sent a prickle of unease through me, but before I could dwell on it, Bri slid into his place beside me.

"No need to repeat yourself."

"I can if I want -" my stepdad snapped, only for Mom to interject.

"- Jesus Christ, that's not the point." Her frustration was thick enough to cut. There was a muffled grumble on the other end before she spoke again. "Listen, we need to see you - and I don't mean by facetime or pictures...physically see you to make sure you're okay -"

"- I'm fine, Mom." I rolled my eyes.

"I don't care."

The room went still. Mom's voice had shifted- firm, unwavering. Sam and Bri exchanged wide-eyed glances, and even I straightened a little.

"You need to come home. At least for a day or two."

My fingers curled against my knee. I stared at the floorboards, watching Bobby and Dean slip out of the office, leaving just the three of us with the conversation I suddenly wanted no part of.

Dean didn't even look back.

Something heavy sank in my chest, but before I could process it-

"Eve!" My stepdad's voice barked through the phone, snapping me back.

My jaw clenched.

"Fine, fuck!" I snapped, shaking my head as I hung up before they could say another word.

I shoved the phone back into Bri's hands, letting out a sharp breath.

"Jesus." Sam exhaled sharply, arms crossed as he leaned against the desk. "Looks like you're both due for a home check-in."

"Apparently." I muttered, scowling at the floor.

My mind drifted to Dean—how fast he'd left the room the second first love was mentioned. That sinking feeling in my gut only deepened as my eyes found the door he disappeared through.

"I fucked up..." I sighed, my stomach twisting as I dropped my head into my hands. "Shit."

"What?" Bri pressed, rubbing a soothing hand up and down my back. "How?"

I groaned, launching to my feet and pacing the room. "For one, I snapped at you. Sorry about that, by the way."

Bri waved me off. "Eh, I know you love me."

Sam smirked at our easy resolution, but I kept going. "For two, I threw my phone into traffic and never bothered getting a new one. And for three..." I hesitated, running a hand through my hair before exhaling sharply. "...I might have accidentally implied feelings I don't even know are real for Dean. And I know he doesn't have them for me. Now I've probably scared him off."

"I doubt that." Sam said instantly, shaking his head. "Dean's a lot of things, but he doesn't scare easy—except..."

He trailed off.

Bri and I both turned on him with identical glares.

"Not helping." Bri snapped, pushing to her feet.

Sam cleared his throat, suddenly very interested in the floor. "...Yeah. You're right."

Bri refocused on me, her grip firm as she placed both hands on my shoulders. "Look, I don't know what went down after you and Dean left the bar, but you two looked pretty damn cozy when we walked in."

She gave me a reassuring squeeze.

"We'll talk more upstairs. Let's just get some sleep before we turn into zombies."

Sam nodded, pointing after us.

"Good point." He mumbled, moving into the kitchen as Bri led me upstairs.

I barely waited for the door to click shut before throwing my hands up.

"Go figure," I huffed. "I finally prove I'm actually worth something to the team and BAM - my Mom calls and scrambles my brain."

Bri snorted, collapsing onto the edge of her bed. "Isn't that just our luck, though?" She stretched her arms back, bracing herself against her palms. "We finally get comfortable- somewhere- with someone - and family swoops in. But I can't tell if it's them butting in, or if it's reality reminding us we had a life before Sam and Dean."

I froze mid-shirt pull.

Her words hit me harder than I expected. I tugged my loose tee the rest of the way over my head, shoving down my jeans and swapping them for a pair of soft, worn shorts. When I sat down, I pulled my knees in, sitting cross-legged against the pillows.

"We did, didn't we?" I murmured.

I hadn't even thought about all of that in weeks. Dean was so damn distracting. This life was distracting.

"Looks like we really do have to check-in at home, then." Bri sighed, pulling on a tank top and mirroring my posture.

"We?" I arched a brow, pulling my hair into a messy half-ponytail.

"We." she shot back without hesitation, flipping her hair over her shoulder before reaching over to click off the lamp.

"Great job tonight, by the way. Finding that information about Eve-uh, not you Eve, the other Eve."

I chuckled at her correction, "We'll figure out a nickname for the Bitch."

The next morning, the house was buzzing with movement- voices overlapping, bodies moving fast, and an overwhelming sense of urgency.

Bri and I hauled out duffels into the Mustang, along with Uncle Brad's journals, stuffing the trunk to its limit. The real debate though, was whether to take both the Impala and the Mustang, or just the Mustang.

"She could use a break," Sam pointed out, arms crossed as the four of us stood on the porch, staring at the two cars. "And it's not like Bobby will let anything happen to her."

Dean frowned, clearly torn.

"I think it's our turn to chauffeur anyway." I grinned, twirling the Mustang keys between my fingers, watching Dean glance down at the Impala keys still in his hand.

"What about our weapons?" Dean asked, finally looking at me before shifting his gaze to Bri.

Bri shrugged, "We can always turn our trunk into a hunter's kit too." She shot Dean a teasing grin, clearly amused by his hesitation.

"Not to mention the amount of gas you'd save," I added, leaning against the column on Bobby's porch, watching Dean carefully. I was trying to get him to look at me- just once- but he wouldn't. His jaw was tight, eyes locked on the Impala like it was some kind of lifeline.

Fine. Whatever.

I pushed off the column with a sigh. "I'm going to grab the last few things upstairs." my voice was clipped as I moved past Dean- making sure my shoulder hit his on the way.

"What's up there?" Bri called after me.

With a small pause at the door, I answered, "Crystals."

Bobby, who had been lingering near the cars, added in a low voice, "Protection."

Upstairs, i grabbed the small bag Bobby had given us earlier this morning and slung it over my shoulder. But as I turned toward the door, something stopped me.

A scent.

Sharp.

Metallic.

The same scent I caught the other night when Dean cut himself- when my secret slipped out.

My breath hitched as an uneasy feeling crept up my spine. I scanned the room, my pulse quickening. The scent wasn't coming from here. It was stronger downstairs.

Slowly, I followed it.

Down the stairs.

Through the front door.

The second I stepped outside, all four of them turned to look at me.

Bri's expression shifted immediately. "Eve?" She was at my side in an instant, her hand on my arm, trying to guide me toward the porch steps. "What is it?"

I gripped the railing to steady myself, swallowing hard. "Blood." my voice was barely above a whisper as I shoved the bag of crystals into my hoodie pocket.

Dean straightened. Sam's eyes darkened. Bobby muttered a curse under his breath.

Bri tightened her grip on my arm. "Where?"

I lifted my head, scanning the yard. My senses were buzzing now. The smell was strong- too strong to ignore.

"Close." I exhaled sharply, bracing myself. "Really damn close."

Bobby, Dean and Sam sprang into action, drawing their guns as they swept the yard. Bri stayed at my side, frowning as I wavered slightly. I took a cautious step forward, only to immediately flinch as the morning sun broke through the clouds.

"Shit!" I hissed, jerking back. My skin tingled, then sizzled.

"Did it burn?" Bri grabbed my hand, turning it over to check.

I winced, shaking my fingers like that would somehow stop the sting. "More like a bad sunburn- but really fucking fast." My breath hitched as another sensation hit me- a shift, deep in my bones. Not as violent as before, but still unmistakable. My skin prickled, my senses sharpened.

Not now.

"Bri, back up." My voice came out tighter than I intended.

"Eve-" She started, concern laced in her town.

"Bri, please." I shot her a look, and after a moment she took a few careful steps away.

That's when the guys returned. And they weren't empty-handed.

"What was it?" I asked, eager for an answer- but when Sam lifted the dead rabbit, my excitement died in my throat.

It's body was limp, soaked in its own blood. It had been attacked in the night, torn open.

I barely noticed Bobby and Sam standing closer to the porch. My eyes flicked past them- out to where Dean stood. He was farther away. Still. Watching.

Distant.

Like he was suddenly reminded of exactly what I was.

A low growl rumbled in my stomach, so faint I almost convinced myself it wasn't real. But Bobby caught it. He glanced between me and the rabbit in Sam's hand, a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips..

"She's hungry," he said matter-of-factly. "Hasn't eaten in days."

Bobby tugged the rabbit from Sam's grip. "I'll cook this up for you guys-" he nodded toward Dean, Sam and Bri before shifting his gaze to me. "- but I'll leave some of the raw stuff for you."

My stomach twisted at the thought. I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay in control as I dropped onto the top porch step. My eyes flicked toward Dean just in time to catch him looking at me- briefly, barely- before he turned on his heel and followed Bobby inside.

Bri and I exchanged a look- silent understanding passing between us- before something took over me. Courage? Confidence? Maybe just pure instinct.

Before I could second-guess it, I shot up to my feet and reached out, catching the edge of Dean's leather jacket just as he was about to disappear inside.

Dean stopped mid-step, stiffening under my grip. Bobby and Sam exchanged a quick glance but didn't intervene. Unsteady, Bobby let out a knowing grunt and stepped inside, allowing Bri to step past him, leaving just the two of us on the porch.

The morning chill settled between us, thick with unspoken words.

I crossed my arms, fixing Dean with a glare, though I kept my voice even. "So... what the hell?"

His jaw tensed. "What the hell, what?" he slid his hands into his jacket pockets, eyes darting toward the yard instead of looking at me.

"Yesterday, I couldn't get you to leave me alone. Now you'd rather watch Bobby cook rabbit than look at me?"

Dean finally met my eyes, but his usual confidence was missing. Instead, there was conflict- something raw and unsettled. I'd never seen that look on him before.

A lump formed in my throat as the silence stretched, heavier than any conversation we'd had before.

I exhaled sharply, dropping onto the first step, feeling the cold wood press against my palms. "Dean." His name left my lips softer than before, less accusation, more exhaustion.

He leaned against the column across from me, his body language casual- but the tension in his shoulders betrayed him.

"Look, I get it." I shrugged. "I'm flexible, I'm understanding- Hell, maybe I'm too forgiving. But I'm a person you can talk to. Or at least someone you keep in the damn loop."

Dean's brow furrowed. His gaze flicked back to the yard, like he was hoping something- anything- would happen to pull him out of this conversation.

"You're confusing me." The words came out softer than I expected, considering the storm raging in my head. "I'm already lost in this new body, these impulses- I thought you'd be the one thing keeping me grounded."

Dean exhaled sharply, his shoulders tightening. "Eve..." His voice was low, like he was searching for the right words, but all he did was stare at his boots. "I- I don't know what to..."

"What? One day, you want me. You want me to want you. Then the next, because you're not comfortable or don't understand something, you pull away?"

His jaw clenched, but he still didn't answer me.

"Do I have to get hit on? Be attacked? Kidnapped? Is that what it takes for you to want me?" I crossed my arms, my heart pounding. "Is that it? You only want me if someone else does? If I'm not some damsel in distress, you just- what? Feel nothing?"

"Eve, that's not fair." His voice was rough, but there was something almost desperate underneath it. "What I said last night- every word of it was true..."

I arched a brow, waiting.

"But..." he trailed off, and that was the last thing I wanted to hear.

"But what?" I pressed, stepping closer to him, challenging him to look at me. When he didn't, when the silence stretched too long, I let out a sharp, humorless laugh, tilting my head back in frustration.

The worst part wasn't the mixed signals- it was the fact that I felt what he wasn't saying. The weight of it, the hesitation. And I was exhausted from trying to pull the truth out of him.

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to steady. "Dean, can I ask you something? And I need you to answer me. Honestly?"

Dean's face softened, his eyes finally meeting mine.

I took a breath, knowing this was it. "Do you want me? Or not?"

My voice wavered, just a little. I hated it.

"Because I've told you how I feel. I've shown you how I feel." I gestured between us. "And you? You've told me you choose me. You've shown me you choose me. And now- this?"

Dean shifted, looking anywhere but at me.

"Which is it?" My voice rose slightly as I searched his face. "I can't keep doing this. You push, you pull- you're sending me in different directions and I might be dead, but I still have feelings."

A small grin flickered across his lips at that, a rare crack in the tension. I couldn't help but chuckle too, just for a second. But then, just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

He stood there, fidgeting with his pockets, rolling the Impala's key between his fingers. Like he was thinking about answering but still trying to decide if he actually would.

I turned to leave, swallowing down the lump forming in my throat.

"You scare me, Eve."

The words stopped me in my tracks. I turned slowly, staring. "What?"

Dean let out a breath, finally meeting my eyes. "I meant that in ways I don't even know how to explain."

I blinked, trying to process that. "Is it the fangs?"

"No." He chuckled dryly, pushing off the column. "It's this." His hand hovered between us, gesturing at something invisible but impossible to ignore. "Whatever this is, it's strong. And I've never had to deal with anything like it before. I don't know how to handle it."

I exhaled, arms crossing. "And then there's the fangs."

Dean hesitated—too long.

My chest tightened as my face fell. "I can't help what I am, Dean. I told you that already."

"And that's on me." He admitted, pointing at himself.

My eyes narrowed. "It's not your fault." I stepped closer, jabbing a finger at the porch floorboards. "And it's not mine either. This job? It screws people over. Shit happens—"

"How would you know?" Dean snapped, cutting me off. "You've been hunting for what—a few weeks? And in that time, you've been turned, beaten, bitten, and God knows what else. Why the hell would you stay after all that?"

I sucked in a breath, my heartbeat roaring in my ears.

"Is that what this is about?" My voice softened, but it wasn't relief—it was realization. I held his gaze, watching the war in his eyes. "You don't want me to stay, do you?"

Dean opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His eyes flicked away from mine, scanning the salvage yard like he was searching for something- anything- to latch onto, to pull him out of this conversation.

I followed his gaze instinctively, trying to find whatever distraction he was clinging to, but all it did was make the silence stretch thicker between us.

And then, just like that, it hit me.

His whispers, his touch, his kiss, the way his eyes had held mine just nights before- every moment with him rushed through my mind, swirling together into a truth I hadn't wanted to see.

It was over before it even started.

I swallowed hard, dropping my gaze. "You don't want me to stay because of the danger..." my voice was quieter now, more measured. "Or is it because you don't want me?"

Dean's jaw tightened. His silence burned hotter than any words could.

I forced myself to look at him, to give him the chance to prove me wrong. But he wouldn't even meet my eyes.

That was my answer.

My chest clenched painfully as I forced a sharp breath in. "Answer me." The demand came out rougher than I intended, but I didn't care.

Dean shifted on his feet, his shoulders rigid, his fingers twitching at his sides like he wanted to reach for something but couldn't.

I waited.

Nothing.

I exhaled, nodding once. "Okay." My jaw locked as I turned on my heel, storming toward the house. "Message received."

I didn't look back.

Didn't give him another second to keep breaking me.

I shoved my way inside, leaving Dean alone to stew in the wreckage he'd created.