Retelling of the Red Riding Hood fairy tale. Dean Winchester is the wolf. Gabriel is the grandmother. Reader is Red Riding Hood.

Two months ago you were in love with Castiel, the tall broad wood cutter. Your parents were thrilled that you wanted to marry him, but he was not interested at all. When your father made the official proposal to Castiel's parents, he refused. You were devastated. Now, you just received the news that he was engaged to another. And it wasn't just anyone, it was your sister. She never told you before that she was in love with him. She let you swoon over him and raise your hopes up... while she was screwing him. The betrayal was worse because it was her. You would have accepted he'd marry anyone else.

Now you walk through the quiet woods. It's like nature knows what you are feeling. Your mind screams utter chaos, but your face is stoic. You are on your way to your grandmother's cabin. She always knew how to calm you down. She always knew what to say. You expect this will not be the exception. White snow is a contrast to your red hood. Your grandmother made it for you when you were 16, and you've never stopped wearing it ever since.

It's getting dark. You should not be in the woods right now. Your village has been stalked by a werewolf this past months. It hasn't killed anyone, but everyone is afraid to go into the woods past dawn. You don't care much. Your grandmother lives there, and she hasn't seen anything. Surely it's just superstition, or a wild wolf.

Snow crushes as you step on it. The sound is comforting until you hear it, and it doesn't come from your boots. You stop. The sound stops a second too late. Someone is following you. You turn your head, but there is nothing there. You are alone, or so it seems. It's still a few miles until you reach the cabin. You take a deep breath and relate the sound to paranoia.

You are mad, that's just your mind playing tricks. You start walking again and nothing follows. Before you left the village, you saw Castiel looking your way. You wished he would follow. Your mind is providing what you want. After Castiel rejected you, you did your best to forget him. You were doing pretty good, until today. You wish you...

The sound is there again. This time, you don't stop. You turn around immediately, and what you see makes your blood freeze. There is a giant sandy wolf a few feet from you. For a few seconds, you just stare. But then you sprint running. In your sprint through the woods, your basket falls to the ground. You barely notice. You are nearly at your grandmother's when you notice that the wolf isn't following you. You take a chance to glance back; you are alone. Still, you don't stop until you're inside the cabin.

"Grams, I'm here" you say. Your heart is still racing, but you don't want to scare your grandmother. You have to calm down.

"In the bed, darling" she murmurs. Her voice sounds weird. You approach and see her lying on her side, her back to you.

"Grams, are you ok? You sound strange."

"I'm fine darling, just a little sleepy" She turns around, and you can't help to scream. In her face, there's a big wolf mask.

"GRAMS!" You berate. She's always been quite the trickster. You are not surprised that she heard about the engagement and wanted to make you feel better. It worked.

For the next two hours, you talk about anything and everything. She feeds you oatmeal and apples. When it's time to go back to your house, she offers you to stay, but you refuse. You didn't tell your parents that you were going out. They must be worried sick. She waves you goodbye, and it's already dark when you leave Grandma Gabriela's house.

Your walk back to the village is surprisingly quiet. The only sounds are that of your steps. A wolf howls, but it's so far away you don't mind. Then your mind wanders back to the sandy furred wolf you saw. Werewolf , your mind supplies. You are not sure if it was a werewolf, but it was bigger than a common wolf. It had green eyes you'd seen before.

You pass the tree where you remember you dropped the basket, but there's nothing there. You are about to wander around looking for it when you hear steps. You turn, expecting to see the wolf. In its stead, there's a tall, handsome man with your basket in hand. His piercing eyes stare at you, and you shudder at the intensity. Or maybe it's the cold.

"Hi, I'm Dean," he says gently but doesn't step closer. As if trying not to scare you. "I thought this was yours," he gestures to the basket.

For a moment, you only stare at him. Of course, you know him! He is Dean Winchester, son of John, the blacksmith of your village. Problem is, he is supposed to be dead. You heard the news as soon as it happened a few months back. There was no body, but his father saw the blood and his torn out clothes. His mother had mourned, she still does. His brother isolated himself for days. Dean Winchester is supposed to be dead. Except, he isn't. You watch him with wide eyes. He must notice you recognize him, because he comes to you quickly. You take a few steps back and he stops.

"I- I'm not dead," he says as if that explains everything.

You still don't say anything, too scared to know if what you are seeing is a hallucination or real. You don't know what's worse. Suddenly, seeing him like that, in front of you, reminds you of the time when you used to be in love with him. It was a long time ago, long before you even felt attracted to Castiel. You were a kid back then, he was your first love. Your first kiss too, but you were five, and he was eight, and later you stopped talking to each other. You remember that you cried when you heard the news that he was dead. That day, you locked yourself in your tiny room and mourned him. Now Dean Winchester is alive and looking at you so sweetly...

But then, another realization strikes you. You remember seeing those green eyes, not back then when he used to be alive, but today. The wolf. You don't know if werewolves read minds, because he seems to know what you are thinking.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he says. "I-I just wanted to give you your basket back." He extends the item to you. You don't take it. "Look, I get why you're scared of me, but I've never hurt anyone."

He is right, the wolf has never killed, but people had seen him. Even if he didn't mean it, he made panic spread fast. However, those green eyes seem to be telling the truth. So you comply. Carefully, you take the basket from him. He smiles at you, but you quickly step back.

"If you wanted to give it to me, you could've just leave it here. I would've found it." You murmur. His ears redden a little, you think it's the cold, but perhaps it's what you just said, because he sheepishly grins at you.

"I know," he answers. "I wanted to give it to you. I wanted to see you." You think about what to say of his confession, but you don't need to, because he starts explaining. "I've seen you in the woods before, visiting your grandmother. I don't think you've noticed me, but I have."

The fact that you were never aware of a sandy werewolf following you, it's concerning, but not so much as the fact that you don't seem to care much. Instead, you blush like a teenage girl. Was your love for Dean never gone? You were a kid, but now you are a woman.

"I don't expect anything from you," he talks again. "I'll just like to... walk you home, if that's ok." It doesn't take long to make your decision. You take a step towards him and take his arm. He smiles at you.

"You may walk me home." You answer. And he does. It's then that you realize your story with Dean Winchester is just beginning.