The Calm Before the Storm

Tired body sinking into the velvet cushions of the chair she sat in, (y/n) watches silently as water begins to trickle down the length of the glass window, rain drops leaving shining trails as they race each other to the bottom.Through the muddled glass, (y/n) can make out the faint figure of Dean as he works tirelessly on the car he fondly referred to as 'baby' beneath a carport. Although she barely knew the man, she could get a good idea on who he was by just observing the car he was working on. Masculine and tough looking, the shiny black outside disguises a more battered inside. Leather seats scared, but fixable through tender love and care. Glancing to her left, her (e/c) eyes land on Bobby, studying his form as he hunches over a pile of books at his desk. Applying the same theory she had used on Dean, she scans the cluttered home. All around her laid messy heaps of books and papers, dark wooden floors barely peeking out from beneath an intricately designed oriental rug. Strangely enough, she finds herself admiring the almost beautifully chaotic organization he was using. She guesses that Bobby would be similar to her observations in that way. (y/n) knew she may have been completely incorrect, but she'd just have to wait and see. Suddenly, the low clearing of a throat catches her attention.

"Hey, uh, (y/n)" Sam emerges from the hallway, grey flannel sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Turning to face the man, she offers a kind smile. He seems surprised by this

"Hey, Sam" She replies softly ,"seems like you want to ask me something?"

"Yeah, I-uh-" He's hesitant to continue, seemingly lost in his own thoughts as if recalling a memory ,"-I just wanted to check in, make sure you were okay"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

I mean, when we first found you-" He furrows his eyebrows, hazel eyes glancing towards the floor nervously ,"-You're entire body looked like it was broken and you were covered in your own...blood?"

Chuckling lightly at the concerned look on his face, she shakes her head

"Phoenix's can easily heal from wounds" she reassures him, watching a small smile tug at his lips ,"You don't have to worry, Sam"

"What about your wrists?"

As if on cue, the exposed flesh from her burns begin to ache, the sting of the wounds making their way up the entire length of her arm. Her injury was something she was trying to conceal during her time here in Bobby's home. She avoids his gaze, turning to face the window again

"There's nothing wrong with my wrists-"

"(y/n)-" he moves closer to the girl, voice soft as he continues ,"-I saw you wince when you tried to open your beer earlier. If we're going to be on the same team, you gotta let us help you, okay?"

"You shouldn't waste your time worrying about me-" She sighs, finally meeting his hazel eyes ,"-we barely know each other"

"Then let me get to know you" His voice holds an unwavering confidence, words hitting a soft spot in the girls heart when they pass his lips. It was as if time froze for a moment, the pair staring into each other's eyes as the world was drowned out. (y/n) could barely believe it. In front of her was a person, a human no less, who was willing to put aside their differences to get to know her better. It was something she couldn't quite wrap her head around, but knew that she didn't want to lose it.

"...Okay" She clears her throat awkwardly, never being shown such kindness and unable to figure out how to properly respond. Luckily, Sam notices this and is quick to change the subject to ensure her comfortability.

"Here-" He gently motions for her to stand and leads her to the kitchen ,"-sit here for a second while I go get some stuff"

Slumping down into the wooden chair, she waits patiently for Sam to return. Large body reappearing beneath the pale archway near the fridge, he holds a small white box in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. She furrows her eyebrows at the liquor and he chuckles lightly

"Good for drinking and disinfecting" He explains through a crooked smile before pulling up a chair to sit in front of her. Placing the stuff onto the table, he opens the box and pulls out a few bandages. Taking this as her cue, (y/n) slowly rolls up her sleeves until they rest at her elbows. Sam's hazel eyes widen upon seeing her wounds. Beneath the soft fabric laid a mess of charred skin barely hanging onto the flesh of her wrists, bright red in color and leaking a clear liquid.

"Iron's the one thing I can't heal from very easily" (y/n) explains sadly, (e/c) eyes examining her own bubbled flesh as she twists her hands around. Sam gently grabs a hold of her soft fingers, leading one of her hands forward until her knuckles rest upon the cool wooden surface of the table. Popping the cap off of the whiskey bottle, amber liquid sloshing against the glass, he pours the alcohol into a small white rag.

"This might sting a little," he warns gently.

"I'll be okay-" her words are interrupted by a gasp suddenly escaping her mouth, (e/c) eyes glancing down to see him rubbing at the exposed flesh of her wrist.

"Son of a bitch!" She chuckles, nose scrunching up at the dull pain erupting from the burnt flesh ,"Funny how I can take a few bullets to the chest no problem, but a little whiskey makes me tear up"

Sam laughs lightly at her strong attempt at covering her slight embarrassment, glancing up to see her eyes squeezed shut as he continues his gentle cleaning. For a moment, Sam almost finds the action endearing, cute even. Quickly shaking the strange thought from his mind, he clears his throat quietly and begins to wrap up her hands and wrists with the white bandage. She winces slightly, but is ultimately able to push through, watching Sam work methodically.

"There!" he announces, leaning back into his own chair and smiling at his own work, hazel eyes glancing up to meet her as she offers a grateful smile ,"How long do you think they'll take to heal?"

"2 or 3 days, give or take" She responds casually with a sigh. He furrows his eyebrows and scoffs playfully

"Sounds like you're not used to having to wait that long"

"Any injury I get starts to heal the second I get it-" She explains ,"Clock hits midnight and I'm good as new"

Before Sam is able to respond, the faint ringing of a phone echoes throughout the home. The pair turn to face the direction the noise came from, eyes landing on Bobby who emerges from the living room. With his cell phone up to his ear, he eyes the two carefully as he listens to the voice sizzling over the other end of the call.

"Ellie?" Upon hearing the name leave Bobby's lips, Sam's eyes widen. (y/n) studies their faces as she tries to figure out what's going on. A few seconds pass before Bobby removes the phone from his ear. He stays silent. (y/n) leans towards Sam

"Who's Ellie?" She asks through a whisper, watching as Bobby suddenly leaves the room, body tense.

"Another monster that was helping us out-" he explains ,"-she was from purgatory"

"Purgatory?" The exclamation comes out louder than she expected and she's quick to lower her voice again ,"How did she get out?"

"You know about purgatory?"

"I know enough to know that if that door is open-" Her eyes glance worriedly around the room, suddenly feeling unsafe in such an open space, "-we're all in danger"

Sam seems surprisingly unfazed by this fact, as if he's heard it before. A disheartened look shows itself in his hazel eyes before he quickly tries to conceal it, replacing it with a false confidence in the hopes of it becoming real.

"Someone we know-" He begins with a sigh ,"-is trying to open up those doors. That's why we wanted you to join us. We need all the help we can get to stop him."

Bobby reemerges from the living room, clumsily yanking a coat on. He eyes the pair sitting in their chairs, worry evident in his face

"Ellie needs us to meet her somewhere"

"Is she okay?" Sam asks. Bobby shakes his head slowly

"Didn't sound like it"

"I'll go get Dean and we can head out" Sam is quick to stand from his chair to fetch his brother, front door left ajar as Bobby continues to get himself ready. Sitting silently with her fingers fidgeting in her lap, she observes the anxiety ridden man before her. Noticing her gaze, Bobby sighs

"You just gonna sit there with your thumb up your ass, or are you gonna get in the car?"

"I'm coming with?" Her voice is gentle, innocent, and Bobby finds himself softening slightly upon hearing it. He rolls his eyes to cover his crack in his stoic expression

"I don't like the idea of leaving you out of our sights yet, so yeah-" He motions towards the door ,"-you're coming with"