enigmalynne

[enigmalynne]

A Witness to Protect

Word Count – 6,017 Warnings – Violence, shootings, cursing, bastardization of My Bloody Valentine Prompt – Witness Protection AU

Jared and Jensen were partners assigned to protect a client and ensure he made it to the courthouse, but Jared got hurt on an assignment a week prior. Jensen tries to convince Misha he can do the job alone, but he needs help. He calls in Y/N for assistance. 

They find out about each other when they show up at a meeting about the job with Misha, and chaos ensues. Jensen refuses to work with a “nobody who can’t play at their level,” while Y/N won’t work with “an immature hack with mashed potatoes for brains.” Misha makes an ultimatum. Either they work together, or they are both off the assignment. But what are Y/N and Misha hiding from Jensen? 

“But you’re okay otherwise, right? No long-term damage?” Jensen Ackles asked his best friend and partner over the phone. 

“Naw, man, bumps and bruises otherwise. Surgery is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, but they said I’ll be up and walking by the end of the week. Then it’s PT for four to six weeks after,” Jared said with a sigh. “Got the fucker though.”

“At the cost of your knee,” Jensen said with disdain. 

“Hey, I’m going to be fine. If we didn’t take Jackson down when we did, who knows how many other women he…” 

“I know,” Jensen interrupted him. “I know, Jay. Just hate that I wasn’t there to keep you from getting hurt.” 

“Because you did your job and kept Brianna safe. I don’t blame you, Jen.” 

“Y/L/N,” Jensen practically growled as he watched her walk up. Her blue eyes narrowed at the tall man before her, then she politely told the receptionist who she was and that Misha was waiting for her. 

“Of course, Miss Y/L/N. Misha has been expecting you. I’ll let him know you are here,” the pretty blonde said. Y/N offered her thanks and took a few steps back. She turned to look at Jensen, her kind smile dropping. 

“Ackles,” she greeted quietly, her voice emotionless. Jensen put his hands on his hips as he assessed her. She stood in a pair of pinstripe slacks, a white blouse that showed off her pale skin, and a fitted jacket. She had a badge and a holster at her waist, but he caught a glimpse of the shoulder holster she wore when she adjusted her coat. 

“Nice suit. Good to see you’ve decided to purchase something more fitting for your job,” Jensen snarked, causing her eyes to flare with agitation. At first, he thought she wouldn’t respond, but she smiled sweetly after a long stare at him with those emotionless eyes. 

“The khakis and polo shirt combo are a little too Best Buy, don’t you think, Geek Squad?” she retorted. Just as he was about to respond, the two heard someone clear their throat. 

“Both of you, in my office,” Misha said sharply. Y/N glanced at Jensen before moving forward. Jensen followed her, taking the free seat to her left. Misha sighed as he looked at an open folder behind his desk.

“I’m already aware that you two know each other despite the conversation I overheard, and we have more important things to discuss than your lack of respect for each other,” Misha said firmly. He handed both Y/N and Jensen a folder. The two of them opened the folders and looked over the paperwork. “Mark Sheppard is the prime witness in the murder trial against Mitch Pileggi. Pileggi, as you know, is on trial for murdering his son Gavin and his mother Ruth while they were out at a café in a drive-by, claimed to be retaliation for a failed business deal.”

Jensen looked over the file, studying the photos as Misha spoke. When he learned that both Sheppard’s son and mother were killed, he glanced at Y/N and watched as she winced slightly before looking at Misha herself. With a frown and a slight head shake, he turned and looked at Misha himself.

“Jared was originally assigned to this detail with Jensen, but since he’s out on medical leave, I have asked Y/N to come in and assist in making sure Sheppard makes it to the courthouse on Wednesday,” Misha explained. Cue an immediate uproar.

“Absolutely not! I can cover Sheppard on my own. I don’t need some nobody who isn’t even at the level of skill this agency requires to pretend to watch my back,” Jensen said firmly. Y/N scoffed at the accusation. 

“Seriously…?” 

“I said what I said.”

“Yeah, I heard you. Sir, I refuse to work with an immature hack with mashed potatoes where his brain should be. I’m happy to assist with this job, but not with the giant child beside me.” 

“You’re calling me a child?”

“Both of you, knock it off,” Misha shouted at the two. Jensen and Y/N instantly went quiet, glowering in their seats. “I know there is tension between you, but I need you to put your differences aside and figure out how to work together. With Jared out of action because of his knee, I need someone to step up and help Jensen.”

Jensen went to interrupt the man, but Misha held up a hand to stop him. 

“And despite what you think, Jensen, Y/N is a damn good agent. She’s one of the best at NCIS, and you need another person for this gig. Figure out how to work together, or neither of you will be on the job. I’ll pull you both and give it to Speight and his team.” Y/N snorted in an unladylike way.

“Give it to Dickard and see how well that works,” she said recklessly, her eyes growing wide when she realized she had said it aloud. Misha glared at her.

“I don’t care what you think of him; he’s good at what he does, and I will hand this over to him without a second thought if you two can’t figure out how to work together. Now, what’s it going to be?”

Y/N glared at Misha. Jensen looked down at his hands before turning to study Y/N.

“I can do it if you can,” he said quietly. Y/N looked at him with surprise in her eyes, then nodded.

“Alright,” she answered quietly. 

“Then it’s settled. You have the information you need,” Misha said, nodding at the folders in their hands. “Sheppard is in a safe house right now with the FBI, but they will be moving him to a hotel tomorrow night. You two will meet him there Wednesday morning and move him to the courthouse at 10 a.m.” 

The two agents stood and left the office without a word. 

“I guess we need to make a plan,” Y/N said. Jensen smirked at her. 

“The plan is simple. You do what I say, and we have no issues.”

“Um, that’s not how a partnership works.” 

“It is in this one.” 

“Is that how the CIA works? Demands things and just expects the experts to follow?”

“As if anyone from NCIS knows how to be a team player.”

Y/N glared at him, unusually silent. 

“Glad you see it my way,” he chirped before growing serious. “But you’re not wrong. We should have a plan, go over the move from the hotel to the courthouse, find out who’s on detail, and all that. What do you say? We can meet here at 8 a.m. tomorrow in one of the conference rooms and go over everything.” Y/N slowly nodded her head in agreement. 

  “Great, see you then,” he muttered, smacking his hand with the information folder.

“Jackass,” Y/N muttered, shaking her head, sliding the folder of information into her messenger bag. She watched as Jensen waited for the elevator, her arms crossed over her chest. Misha stood beside her with a frown on his face, his hands on his hips as he watched the elevator door slide closed behind Jensen. 

“I know you have tension with Jensen,” he said quietly. Y/N’s expression hardened as she turned to face Misha. “Is it going to be a problem?”

“No, sir,” she answered firmly. 

“So, you understand your assignment, Y/L/N?” Misha asked quietly. 

“I do,” she said softly. “But I still think it’s wrong…” 

“You made your point earlier, but our decision is firm. Jensen’s not to know anything about why you’re really there,” Misha muttered. Y/N shook her head with a frown, a heavy sigh escaping her. 

“I’ll report in when it’s done,” she said before turning and walking away. Misha nodded and turned back to his office. 

At 8 a.m. the next day, Jensen waited for Y/N to arrive in one of the main conference rooms. He stood at one of the dry-erase walls, switching back and forth between writing and looking over the paperwork in his hands. He had been there for at least half an hour, writing notes and timelines on the board so they could jump right in. His frustration grew, however, as the minute hand slowly ticked past 8 a.m., and she wasn’t there. 

The door opened at 8:04 a.m., and he snapped.

“Nice of you to show up on time,” Jensen snarked, turning around to look at her. Spotting the two large coffee cups in a drink carrier in one hand and a pastry bag in the other as he looked at her made him pause. Y/N squinted at him, scoffing. 

“Good morning to you too, asshole,” she greeted testily. Using her foot to kick the conference room door shut behind her, she dropped the pastry bag on the table before taking one of the paper cups out of the carrier and holding it out to him. “I assume you still drink coffee as black as your personality.” Jensen lifted his eyes from the cup and looked at Y/N’s impatient expression, her brow cocked in annoyance. 

With a sigh, he walked over to the table and tossed the items in his hands. He then slightly nodded and accepted the cup of coffee.

“There’s no poison in it?” he muttered, timidly sipping the hot liquid. As he set the cup down on the table, he was startled as something large, soft, and hot smacked him in the face. A moment later, he heard a thud hit the table, and when he looked down, he noticed what looked to be a breakfast sandwich wrapped in parchment paper in front of him. He looked at it confused before lifting his gaze to Y/N.

She still had her messenger bag strapped across her body as she stood there with her hands on her hips, the open pastry bag in front of her evidence of her childish antics. She tried not to look amused as she reached in and pulled out her bagel and cream cheese. 

“If I wanted to poison you, I wouldn’t do it with breakfast,” she replied, her tone filled with amusement. 

“How do you even know what I eat for breakfast?” Jensen asked, reaching for the sandwich. The package was an English muffin with Canadian bacon, a fried egg, Swiss cheese, and fresh spinach. “This is my favorite breakfast sandwich.” 

“I know. Our last mission together may have been a couple of years ago, but I do remember how you always got that sandwich with a large black coffee every fucking morning for five months straight. And sorry, I was five minutes late. Morning Joe’s was busy,” she said, spreading cream cheese on her toasted bagel. Her messenger bag was now on the table, the large pocket open with her notebook on top of it. She lifted her head and read his chicken scratches over the whiteboard. “Now, what hotel is Sheppard being moved to the night before the trial, and who is moving him?”

Y/N leaned back against the table, the paperwork in one hand and her latte in the other. She frowned as she listened to Jensen repeat the plan before finally shaking her head. 

“I know I commented about Speight and his team in our meeting yesterday, but I think you should swap Osric’s team out for his at the hotel,” Y/N suggested. “Osric and his team are young and still learning, and on this mission, we need people who aren’t green.” Jensen looked at Y/N like she suggested they wear bathing suits instead of bulletproof vests.

“Osric’s team won Rookie of the Year,” he said.

“I know.” 

“They handled the Grammy security without any issues.”

“I know.”

“They were personally requested to be the security detail for the top models' travel for Sports Illustrated.”

“I know.” 

“Then what makes you think they can’t handle this?”

“That team is all Hollywood glitz and glam. This assignment is far more dangerous. Four of the five witnesses in the Pileggi trial have already been killed, and Sheppard has to make it to the courthouse alive. Tell me how being a security detail for a bunch of models prepared them for what they will face with that?”

Jensen paused, looking back at the whiteboard, and thought about it. As much as he hated to admit it, Y/N had a point. While Osric’s team was one of the top teams handling paparazzi and fans trying to get to the famous people they were protecting, those details didn’t see much violence. This mission, however, was almost guaranteed to get bloody. Speight’s team, much like themselves, had military or law enforcement histories and understood what it took to protect the people they were told to protect. 

“Okay,” Jensen said. “Let’s swap out Osric’s team for Speight’s team.” Y/N nodded, pulled her phone from her back pocket, and started dialing. After a few moments, she smirked.

“Hey, Dickard. Team Speight doing anything important this week?”

“There’s one thing left to do, and that’s pick our team,” Jensen said, setting his stack of papers down and stretching his arms over his head. 

“What’d you have in mind?” she asked, looking back down at the papers in her hands. 

“How about you pick a person, and I pick a person? We each get one veto,” Jensen said. 

“What makes you think you’re going to need a veto?” she asked with a smirk. Jensen raised a brow at her. 

“What makes you think I’m the one who is going to need a veto?” he asked, causing her to snicker. 

“Alright, I’ll bite. Who is your pick?” Y/N asked. 

“Alex Calvert,” Jensen said, crossing his arms over his chest and preparing for an argument. Y/N thought for a long moment about the kid before nodding her head. 

“Deal,” she said. 

“What’s the catch?” Jensen asked suspiciously. Y/N shook her head. 

“No catch; I like the choice,” she explained. “Alex is a good shot, quick on his feet, and has smart reactions… He's a little green, but I think he’ll be an excellent addition to this team. We all have to learn sometime.” 

“Well, okay then. Who’s your pick?”

“You’re not gonna like it…” Y/N said in a sing-song voice, causing Jensen to curse under his breath.

“You can use your veto…”

“But…”

“But I’ll just repeat his name.” 

“Just because he was your partner in the Navy…”

“Hey, he was more than just my partner…”

“That’s beyond creepy, and you know that.”

“Jeff has saved my life so many times, I’ve lost count,” Y/N said quietly. “And I’ve saved him just as many. We can hold entire conversations with just a look. There’s a reason we’re on the same team back at NCIS, and there’s a reason why I always bring him with me when I do special assignments. We basically share a brain.”

“You know how I feel about him,” Jensen grumbled. 

“That sounds like a you problem, and honestly, it’s been 5 years. Get the fuck over it, pretty boy,” Y/N snarked. Jensen huffed a frustrated sigh.

“I’m not shaving for the two days before this mission,” he growled, causing Y/N to laugh. 

“You’ll still look like a pretty boy.”

On the day of the trial, in the early morning hours, Jensen, Y/N, Alex, and Jeffery stood in the conference room with Garth and Felicia, the tech gurus, as they geared up. Misha stood nearby, looking over the setup and paying close attention to the radio frequencies.

“What time are we meeting with the night crew and making the move?” Alex asked as he tucked the earwig behind his ear. He let Garth clip the slack to his collar and slide the battery pack into his belt. 

“We pick up at 8 a.m.,” Jensen answered as he rechecked his weapons. He had his agency-issued gun on his hip and his backup in his shoulder holster, with a spare strapped to his ankle. He glanced up at Y/N again, standing at the edge of the table in her dress pants, a white tank top, and a bulletproof vest, adjusting the straps so she could move better. She had her dress shirt and jacket laid over a chair next to her weapons. 

“Quit squirming,” Felicia grumped as she tried straightening the panel. 

“It’s not gonna smooth out,” she said.

“Not if you keep moving, it won’t.”

“Just let me wear my NCIS one.”

“Can’t,” Misha said with a shake of his head. “This is a CIA opp. You need to wear CIA gear.”

“Then I say I just go without the vest and chance it.” 

“Fuck no,” Misha growled. “You go with a vest or don’t go at all.”

“You’re gonna see the vest under my shirt unless you let me wear something other than a dress shirt,” Y/N grouched. 

“She’s not wrong, boss,” Felicia agreed. 

“Make it work the best you can, but you’re wearing the damn vest Y/N,” Misha said before turning and looking over the papers that were brought to him. Y/N glared at Misha, unaware of her audience. 

“What’s going on with them?” Alex asked Jensen quietly. Jensen just shook his head. 

“You’re awfully quiet,” Jeffrey told Y/N fifteen minutes later. She finally got the vest in a position where it wasn’t glaringly obvious she was wearing one, slipped on her dress shirt, and was fitted with her radio. She pulled her jacket over the radio that Garth had just clipped behind her, shifting grimly.

“I’m uncomfortable.”

“If you wanna swap out vests in the car, I won’t tell anyone.”

“You won’t, but they might,” Y/N said, nodding to the other two men on the team. 

“And complain about the chance to see a pretty girl almost topless? I doubt it,” Jeff said with a wink. That made Y/N smile. 

“You always say the sweetest things.”

“Only the best for you, darlin’, you know that,” he drawled. Y/N took a deep breath and stared at Jeff for a long moment. 

“You remember our mission in Beirut?” she asked suddenly. Jeff raised a brow, his eyes going dark. 

“Yeah, I remember Beirut,” he said quietly. Y/N nodded slightly. 

“Keep that in mind today, yeah?” she asked, her voice soft. 

“What aren’t you telling me?” “I’m under lock and key. Just keep an eye out.” The two shared one of their looks before turning to the other two team members. 

“Ya’ll ready?”

“Why are we stopping at a Starbucks?” Jensen complained. Y/N glared at him from the driver’s seat through the rearview mirror. 

“We aren’t pulling up to the night crew empty-handed. Or did you forget how much nightshift sucks?” Y/N asked. “Hey, I have a mobile order for Y/N.”

“Okay, pull around to the window, please,” a tinny voice said. Once Y/N was at the window, a perky college kid with radically dyed hair handed over two trays of coffee cups. She handed one over to Alex before accepting the second. 

“Thank you!” she cheerfully told the barista before approaching the stop sign. “Okay, I have a large black coffee for Mr. Moody. Jeff, do you mind handing this to Jensen?”

“Sure thing, doll,” he said, taking the cup.

“M’not moody,” Jensen grumbled, accepting the coffee. 

“I’ve got a caramel ribbon frappuccino for the kid. Alex, here you go. Don’t you dare spill those drinks for the morning crew,” Y/N said, handing over the frozen coffee drink. Alex blinked a few times before accepting it. 

“How did you know my favorite Starbucks order?” 

“I’m Y/N; I know things. Jeff, babe, your vanilla latte,” she said, reaching back with the cup holder and his cup. “And my chai latte,” she said. 

She slowly pulled away from the curb just in time for the car behind her to start pulling up, making Jensen realize she had done all that in less than thirty seconds. He needed to stop underestimating her.

At approximately 8 a.m., Y/N, Jensen, and Jeff exited the elevator on the eighteenth floor of Hotel Genevieve. They spotted the overnight security team watching the door to room 1874 and headed in that direction. Samantha and Rob stood there and looked relieved when they saw the team walk up. 

“I bring sustenance for the night crew,” Y/N said with a smile as she held out the tray of coffees. Samantha took the tray of drinks and looked at what was written on the cups. She almost squealed in excitement when she realized the drinks were all correct.

“And they’re right,” she gushed.

“You are a saint among women, Y/N,” Rob said earnestly. Y/N laughed.

“Do enough overnights and learn what makes people happy,” she said with a shrug. “Everything kosher?”

“It was a quiet night—almost too quiet,” Rob said with a frown. “Speight and Jake are inside finalizing things for the move, but they’re on edge.”

“Something not sitting right with them?” Y/N asked, looking over at Jensen, who was frowning. 

“We’ll go check in with them,” Jensen said, moving toward the door. Jeff took the tray of drinks and patted Y/N on the shoulder before following him in. Once the door closed, Samantha turned to Y/N with a frown. 

“Did Jensen forget to shave or something?” she asked. Y/N laughed.

“He thinks not shaving is going to get him out of Jeff calling him a pretty boy,” Y/N explained. 

“Why would Jeff call him a pretty boy?” Rob asked, confused. Y/N shrugged. 

“Because it’s easy to get under his skin, and Jensen hasn’t realized that part yet. Every time Jeff works around Jensen, he calls him a pretty boy because it makes Jeff laugh at the reaction he gets from Jensen,” Y/N said with another laugh. 

“Does Jensen not realize that he is, in fact, a really good-looking guy, clean-shaven or not?” Samantha asked. 

“I think stubble makes him look even hotter, but that’s just me,” Y/N said, looking down the hall. She missed the look Rob and Samantha had. Suddenly, the room door opened, and Jeff nodded at Y/N.

“Duty calls. Let’s get this show on the road.”

Team Speight and the morning team surrounded Mark Shephard and escorted him into the armored vehicle waiting for him. With seven people surrounding him from the hotel room to the lobby, Mark felt safe enough to enter the van and head to the courthouse. Team Speight had a car escorting and tailing them in case assistance was needed. 

“Team Bravo, come in,” a voice said over their earwigs. Jensen glanced at Y/N before he responded. 

“This is Team Bravo; go ahead,” he responded. 

“Suspect is in custody at the courthouse; attempted access to secure entrance an hour ago. Advise to continue with the mission and provide security to Shephard until he takes the stand,” a voice said in their ears. Surprise colored their expressions. Y/N pulled out her phone and started texting immediately despite the communication in their ears. 

“Code word confirmation,” Jensen said sternly.

“Affirmative, Team Bravo. Codeword Omicron.” Jensen nodded once as they pulled up to the courthouse. 

“Good news, Mr. Shepherd. Looks like they caught Pileggi. We will stay with you to confirm your safety, but it looks like you are in the clear,” Jensen said to Mark. Y/N caught Jeff’s eye in the rearview mirror and shook her head slightly, giving the impression that things weren’t as complete as they appeared. With a frown, Y/N slid her phone back into her pocket and looked out the window, her eyes distant as she watched the world speed past them.

Once they arrived at the courthouse, the armored van made its way to the back of the building. Y/N noticed the snipers on the rooftops and glanced at Jeff to point them out to him. He gave a slight nod back, having already spotted them himself. Once the van came to a stop, the agents slipped from the vehicle and checked their sights. 

“Clear,” Jeff said quietly, looking down the alleyway behind the building. 

“Clear,” they heard Alex say a second later as he took in the opposite side. 

“Clear,” Y/N said as she looked behind the van to where they had just driven through. Jensen nodded his approval, and the three took their positions around Mark before escorting him into the building. Y/N looked around again to verify their safety and thought she spotted a dark jacket approaching them. She paused her steps, having taken up the rear of the quad, but shook her head and assumed it was nothing as she began walking again. 

While walking down the hallway, Y/N thought she saw the man again. This time, to their right, keeping pace with them far off down another hallway. She watched for the dark jacket through narrowed eyes, but only caught glimpses of something through the crowds of people making their way to different parts of the courthouse. It could be anyone, she thought. Or it could be him.

“I don’t like this,” Y/N’s soft voice sounded over the earwig tucked in Jensen’s ear, causing him to roll his eyes. With one hand on Mark’s shoulder, he guided the man through the courthouse halls with Alex next to him. Their eyes swiveled, surveying the area critically. Jeffrey was walking in front, eyes narrowed in concentration. 

“Something isn’t right,” Y/N muttered firmly. She was talking to herself, but thanks to the microphone she was wearing, her words went out to the whole team. Her tone made Jeff slow, almost causing Shepherd to run into the back of him. 

“This place is crawling with security,” Jensen finally said. “They caught Pileggi coming in from the back before we arrived this morning. You’re overreacting.” 

“What are you feeling?” Jeff asked as Y/N hurried her steps slightly, her head swaying. Suddenly, a man dressed in a long, dark trench coat stepped into their line of sight on a set of stairs in front of them and raised his arm to point a handgun toward them. 

“Fuck,” Y/N muttered. Everything that happened next happened fast. Jeff and Alex pulled Mark into a hall next to them to shield the man from the gunfire. Jensen was reaching into his jacket for his weapon, but knew he would be a second too slow. At the same time, something kicked at Jensen’s knee and sent him sprawling to the ground just as gunfire erupted above his head. His head bounced off the marble floor once, sending stars dancing in front of his eyes before he looked up to see a man on his back, unmoving, his arms flung out to the side. 

“Get him out of here!” Jensen shouted at his team, scrambling up and pulling his weapon simultaneously. Alex yanked on Mark, who was staring wide-eyed at the violence, and pulled him into an office nearby. Jeffrey turned and looked over at the man Jensen was moving to, then back at the woman who lay bleeding on the floor behind them. 

When Jensen got to the man, a neat hole stared back at him like a third eye. It was then that he realized who the man was. Tom Hanniger, the serial killer Jensen had been working on taking down before he left the force and joined the CIA. Surprise colored his face as he stared down at the man. 

“We need an ambulance at the courthouse now!” Jeff shouted, causing Jensen to turn around and look at what he was doing. That’s when he saw Y/N lying on the floor and Jeff kneeling in a puddle of blood. Cursing under his breath, Jensen darted over to where she was down and looked over Jeff’s shoulder to see her choking on her blood as Jeff pressed down on a wound in her collarbone near her neck. Stunned into silence, he stared as Y/N’s distant eyes teared up.

“Did I… did I get… ‘im?” she gargled, a tear breaking free as she blinked. Jeff pressed on the wound harder, causing Y/N to buck under his hands. Her face bunched up in pain, a whimper escaping her.

“Yeah… yeah, you got him,” Jeff said, causing Jensen to look over at the dead body not far from them. “Now relax so we can get you fixed up, alright?” Y/N smiled slightly, her bloody teeth showing before her eyes slipped shut and her body gave out. It felt like the world around Jensen suddenly went foggy and distant. Even as Jeff started shouting at her to open those baby blue eyes of hers, even as the ambulance showed up to haul her to the hospital, even as Misha showed up and started asking questions… Jensen made a steadfast and concrete realization: this case was not what he thought it was. 

Seven hours and thirty-six minutes of surgery, four pints of blood, two crashes, and two shocks to her heart later, Y/N lay unconscious in the critical care unit. Jeff and Alex sat in the waiting room, listening as Misha and Jensen shouted at each other in an empty hospital room nearby. 

“You didn’t think this was something I should have known about?” Jensen shouted, fury and confusion coloring his tone. 

“It wasn’t something we were ready to inform you about, no,” Misha explained calmly.

“Hanniger was someone from my past. My long past. How long has he been coming after me?”

“We intercepted it every time he tried to mess with you,” Misha said, skirting his question. “Y/N was the one who figured out who he was and when he was going to make his move.”

“She’s not CIA, Misha! Hell, she’s not even FBI!” Jensen shouted. 

“NCIS is a reputable agency, and you fucking know that!”

“Oh, give me a break. I’m not saying she isn’t fully qualified,” Jensen growled. “I’m saying you let her take a bullet for me, and it almost killed her. She isn’t a part of this!” 

“She chose this, Jensen.” 

“I don’t care what she chose! This wasn’t her decision to make. Somebody should have told me about it!” Jensen said, turning and swinging a fist at the wooden door behind him. Misha watched as Jensen cursed under his breath and shook out his hand. The room went quiet suddenly as his words sank into the man in charge of the mission. Jensen shook his head, a million different emotions in his eyes. 

“Someone should have told me,” he said quietly, turning to look at the man. After a long moment, Misha pressed the nurse’s button for that room.

“If it makes you feel any better, she wanted you to know. I was the one who told her not to tell you,” Misha explained before a nurse walked in. “Can you please look at his hand? I’m pretty sure he just broke it, punching your door.” He then strode out of the room. 

Jeff and Alex looked at him as he walked by the waiting room. Catching his eye, Misha stopped and looked at the two.

“You two have anything you want to add?” he asked, waving a hand at them before placing his hands on his hips. 

“He’s got a point,” an angry voice started. “A guy should know if there’s a hit out on him.” Misha turned and faced the group of people walking toward him and frowned. Jeff smirked slightly, watching the power play start to unfold in front of him. 

“Gibbs,” Misha said plainly. 

“Collins,” Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs said, stopping before the man. Those ice-blue eyes were cold as they stared down the CIA operative. “Why is my agent in a hospital room fighting for her life right now?”

“I was hoping to have more time before facing you and explaining everything,” Misha sighed, glaring at Jeff. Jeff simply shrugged his shoulders. 

“Bossman has a right to know,” he said, standing and walking to Gibbs’ side. 

“Hey, you’re awake,” Jensen said quietly, walking into the room with his hands stuffed into his pockets. His right hand barely fit around the cast to hold his broken hand in place.

“Barely,” Y/N muttered, her voice deep and congested sounding. Her eyes were open but hazy, glazed with the heaviness of drugs and exhaustion. She tracked Jensen, making his way next to her without moving her head. He picked up the styrofoam cup of ice water and gently placed the straw into her mouth so she could take a sip. She whispered her thanks when she was done. 

“Your boss is tearing my boss a new one right now,” Jensen said, dropping into one of the chairs beside the bed. Y/N smirked slightly but remained silent. She wondered why no one was in her room when she woke up. Usually, it was Jeff or Gibbs there, ready to lecture her on self-preservation. The boss’s fighting must have been quite the show if no one was there to berate her. Not that this was something she could have prevented…

“Why, Y/N? Why didn’t you tell me?” Jensen asked, interrupting her inner dialogue.

“Wasn’t allowed to. Misha told me no.”

“So? You’ve broken the rules before.”

“We needed you focused on the Shepherd case. That was real. Pileggi was a real threat.”

“I can focus on two things at once.”

“Maybe.”

“How did you even figure it out?”

��What? That it was Hanniger?” “Yeah. Hanniger and me.”

“Hanniger is a serial killer.”

“Yeah… I know,” 

“You used to track him back when you were on the force.”

“How did you know that?”

“You think you’re the only one from Valentine’s Bluff?”

Jensen stared at her silently, trying to remember if he had ever seen her somewhere in the small, sleepy town. Y/N took that time to close her eyes and recenter herself as the pain meds didn’t do as much as the doctor thought they would. 

“We moved there when I was in high school, and I didn’t go out much. You wouldn’t have seen me.”

“Doesn’t explain why you knew.”

Y/N turned slightly to stare at Jensen with a sad smile and teary eyes.

“He killed someone you knew. Someone close to you.” 

“It was a long time ago. I joined the military. I didn’t want to be trapped in a small mining town, but my big brother was happy there. He was one of the 22 killed on Valentine’s Day. To this day, I don’t celebrate the fucking holiday.”

Silence filled the room; both were lost in their thoughts. It was hard to believe they had been so close to each other all this time without even knowing it. Y/N had figured the whole thing out and never said a word, but now they were connected for a different reason. Jensen had a brand new respect for the woman, and he would treat her differently from here on out.

“Thank you for saving my life,” Jensen said, sincerity filling his voice. There was a gentle knock at the door before it opened, and Jeff stuck his head in.

“It was either going to be him or me, Jensen. It was never going to be you,” Y/N replied with a soft smile. Jensen nodded before looking over at Jeff, patting him on the back, and leaving the room altogether. Y/N’s eyes watched him go before drifting over to Jeff and Gibbs, a slight smile on her lips. 

“Hey, boss,” she said quietly. 

“I said you could do this so long as you didn’t end up hurt, Y/L/N,” Gibbs chided lightly. Y/N’s smile grew. She could see his concern right through his gruff exterior. 

She knew things were going to be okay.

[enigmalynne]

Red Eyes and Beers

Word Count – 3377 Warnings – Some kissing Prompt – Soulmate AU

Jensen, a tired actor navigating single fatherhood and co-parenting, and Y/N, a resilient veteran living with PTSD and her loyal service dog, meet on a red-eye flight. What begins as a simple act of kindness in first class unfolds into a powerful connection neither can ignore. After a missed opportunity, fate reappears at a family event at Jensen’s brewery, where Y/N reappears, revealing her hidden talent as a singer. As sparks fly and hearts open, they discover that love sometimes arrives exactly when and how it’s meant to.

Jensen boarded the plane with a baseball cap low over his eyes. Usually, when he caught the red eye, he didn’t have to worry about fans or paparazzi recognizing him, but old habits are hard to shake loose. The attendant took one look at him and smiled sympathetically as he showed his ticket to her. 

“Right this way, Mr. Ackles. You’re in 3A,” she said, escorting him to the seat. Nodding his thanks, he settled into his window seat after stuffing his backpack underneath. “Would you like a pre-flight cocktail?” 

“Whiskey, neat. Please,” he answered, his voice rough with exhaustion. The attendant nodded and stepped away. Minutes later, she walked back with his drink and a napkin. He muttered thanks as he accepted the glass and took a much-needed sip. 

“I have to ask you a question, Mr. Ackles,” the attendant started. Jensen raised a brow as he swallowed. “Are you allergic to or afraid of dogs?” 

“No…” he said, confused.

“I know, random question, but the person who has the seat next to you has a service dog, and she wanted me to ask you before coming to her seat. She requires the dog to always be with her,” the attendant explained. Jensen nodded in understanding. 

“Of course. I’m completely okay with her sitting here with her service dog,” he said. The attendant nodded and walked away. Moments later, Jensen was met with a beautiful black German Shepherd and an even more beautiful woman. 

“Hi,” she said, tucking a lock of dark brown hair behind her ear. The two stared briefly at each other before Y/N shook herself and spoke again. “Thank you so much for being so understanding. I can’t tell you how many people freak out when they see Chester with me, so now I just have the attendant ask before I even get on the plane.”  

Jensen was stunned into silence as he watched the woman stow her military-looking bag in the storage bin above them. Chester, a black German shepherd with piercing blue eyes, waited patiently next to her, observing her. She then dropped into her seat and allowed the dog to sit between her legs, facing her. Once buckled in and settled, she scratched behind the dog’s ear and grinned at Jensen. 

“I’m Y/N, by the way,” she said softly. Jensen blinked and gathered himself, shooting her a grin of his own. He pulled off his baseball cap and ran a hand through his longer-than-usual hair.

“Jensen,” he replied. His eyes darted to the dog, whose eyes were watching him curiously. 

“This is Chester. He looks mean, but I promise he’s a big ol’ softie most of the time,” Y/N said as she looked at the loving blue eyes that turned away from Jensen to look back up at her. 

“Most of the time?” Jensen asked. Y/N laughed lightly. 

“Well, when he’s not monitoring me for my panic attacks or anxiety, he does a wonderful job of keeping me safe from creepy guys,” she replied easily. “I was in the Special Forces for a long time and ended up a prisoner of war for a bit. Sometimes I still have flashbacks, and Chester here helps ground me in the present.”

“Thank you for your service,” Jensen said sincerely, causing Y/N’s smile to turn bashful. 

“Oh, thank you,” she said softly, brushing her hair behind her ear again. “I’ve been out for a few years now, but thank you.” 

The two continued talking as the other passengers boarded the plane. Some looked curiously at a dog in first class as they walked through; others looked disgusted. Y/N simply turned her head away, facing Jensen to ignore their looks. She was used to them by now, but that didn’t make them sting any less. Soon, the plane was fully boarded and backed away from the gate. Chester sensed Y/N’s nerves and leaped up to place his upper body against hers. It caused a slight laugh to escape Y/N. 

“Hey, you okay?” Jensen asked, eyeing Chester. Y/N wrapped an arm around the dog, scratching his neck. Her other hand gripped the armrest tightly.

“He knows I’m not a fan of flying,” she said. Jensen nodded, then took a chance and gently moved her hand from gripping the armrest, intertwining their fingers. Her grip was tight, but he brushed his thumb across the back of her hand in comfort. She smiled tightly, not letting go of his hand. 

After takeoff and the plane leveled out, Chester hopped back down and lay at their feet. Jensen and Y/N chatted until they fell asleep on the flight, their hands still intertwined.

“Mr. Ackles? Sir?”

Moving slowly in reaction to hearing his voice, Jensen opens his eyes to see a smiling attendant looking down at him. 

“Hi,” she said sweetly. “We’ve landed, and I think you’ll sleep more comfortably at home.” 

Looking around, he realized that Y/N and Chester were gone. Disappointment flooded him as he realized he had missed his chance at getting her information. He nodded at the attendant, pulled his bag under his seat, and moved to exit the plane. 

“Oh, and here. You might want this,” the attendant said, handing Jensen a note. He accepted the paper with a nod before exiting the plane, hiking his bag on his shoulder. 

“Did you give him the message?” one of the attendants asked. 

“No way. I gave him my number instead,” the other answered. The girls giggled as they went to work cleaning the plane before gathering their items and making their way home. 

“Dude, where are you? You were supposed to be here like an hour ago!” Danneel chirped as Jensen answered his phone with a gruff ‘yeah?’ 

“What?” he asked, his voice clogged with sleep. Danneel laughed heartily. 

“I know you caught the red eye back, and you’re probably exhausted, but you have three kids here looking for their daddy, and you promised to be here for Family Day,” Dee said politely. Jensen groaned as he rolled over and looked at the clock. 

“Dee, it’s not even nine a m,” Jensen grumbled. Dee laughed lightly in his ear. 

“Not my fault your kids are early risers,” she quipped. Jensen sighed as he hung up the phone with a huff. He and his ex-wife Danneel had been together for seven years until she found her true soulmate. They were at the Austin Zoo during one of Jensen’s random weekends home when their eyes met; that was all she wrote. Jensen recognized what had happened immediately.

Despite being heartbroken, Jensen gracefully left the marriage so Dee and Sean could explore their new bond. They remained close since they had three children together, and Sean gave the two space to figure out how the co-parenting would work. It took some time, but the three built a smooth dynamic.

He thought that was what happened with the girl on the plane, that he had found his soulmate. He had butterflies in his stomach, and his heart had started racing the moment he looked at her. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. But she was gone before he could speak to her about it.

“Maybe she didn’t feel it, and I’m imagining things,” he thought. 

Grumbling again about his bad luck, he pulled himself from his comfortable bed and headed for a shower. It was Family Day at the brewery, and he knew Dee had let him sleep a few extra hours because of the red eye, but she was probably up to her ears in chaos and could use an additional set of hands. 

When he finally got to Family Business Beer Company, the Family Day festivities were in full swing. There was live music, games, face painting for the kids, and various other activities for people coming to the brewery for the day. Jensen was stopped numerous times for photos and autographs as he entered the building to find Dee. 

“Daddy!!” a chorus of little voices screamed.

“Oof!” Jensen grunted as he knelt just in time for three little bodies to plow into him. He hugged his children tight as they wrapped their arms around his neck. He hugged them back in return, a warm smile brightening his face. 

“Hi, babies,” he crooned, kissing each of their heads. “You guys have grown since I last saw you two weeks ago! Who told you you were allowed to grow without me around?” Their giggles were like salve on a burn he didn’t even know he had. With one twin on each hip and JJ hanging on to his leg, he went further into the building. 

“I see the horde has found you,” Dee said, laughing as she leaned against the counter. Jensen leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. He then tilted his head in hello to Sean, who was behind the counter helping to serve drinks to people. 

“It’s a good turnout,” Dee commented, sipping from the beer she poured herself. “We’re already busier than last year.”

“I’m glad we went with a stage this year and live music instead of a DJ,” Jensen said. “These events always sound better when indie musicians are playing here.”

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Arrow cried, causing Jensen to look down at her. 

“Yes, baby,” he said patiently. 

“Can I get my face painted?” she asked politely. 

“Oooh! Me too! I wanna be a dinosaur!” Zepp said. 

“Well, I wanna be a princess!” Arrow answered. 

“Yes, you can go get your faces painted,” Jensen answered. “JJ, can you take the twins and go get in line for the face paint?”

“Yes, Daddy,” JJ answered, jumping up to grab the hands of the twins. 

“But Daddy, I don’t wanna wait in line!” wailed Arrow. Jensen frowned slightly. He set Zepp down for JJ but held onto Arrow so he could look her in the eye. 

“Now, we’ve talked about this Arrow. Just because Mommy and Daddy own the brewery does not mean you get special treatment. You can’t skip the line; you have to wait just like everyone else,” Jensen explained firmly. 

“But Daddy…!” 

“No,” he reaffirmed. “Either you wait in line like you are supposed to, or you don’t get your face painted. Now, which will it be?” 

“I’ll wait in line,” she said dejectedly. 

“That’s the right choice. Now go with JJ and Zepp.” The adults watched as the three children made their way to the line for face painting, and while Arrow was pouting at first, she quickly started laughing with her brother and sister at some of the things happening nearby. 

“She’s gonna be a troublemaker when she gets older,” a voice said, causing them to turn. Steve Carlson strode up to them, a drink in his hand and a smirk on his face. Jensen nodded. 

“When she’s older? Try since she was born. I don’t know where it comes from, but she’s been a little spitfire for a while now,” Dani said, a hand on her hip. 

“She’ll get over it. She’s still a baby,” Jensen said. “Hey Sean, pour me one?”

“Sure thing,” he said, pouring a beer for Jensen. 

“Mind if I steal this guy away? A new artist is starting on stage that I want him to take a listen to,” Steve asked Dani. Dani waved her hand with a smile, and the two men walked off. As they made their way to the stage, Jensen filled Steve in about Y/N, the girl he met on the plane. 

“Why didn’t you say anything on the plane then?” Steve asked, leading Jensen to the railing where they would be standing. Jensen shook his head. 

“I don’t know, I just wasn’t sure if it was real. I had just spent the day shooting and was exhausted. It could have been me imagining things,” he explained. 

“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” Steve laughed. 

“Yeah,” Jensen said dejectedly. 

“Well, if it’s meant to be, you’ll meet again, I’m sure,” Steve said as the musician Hunter Y/L/N started up with his set. The two men listened to him play mostly classic rock songs with an indie spin. 

“Kid’s not bad,” Jensen said, swallowing his beer. 

“Thought he could end up being a regular at the brewery, maybe a weekly thing,” Steve said. “During the day on Saturday or even a Sunday evening to get people in.”

“That’s a great idea,” Jensen said. “We’ll have to talk to Dani about it since she’s doing most of the work right now.”

“Alright, everyone, if you would indulge me… I’m going to invite a friend of mine up for this next song,” Hunter said with a smile as the crowd cheered. “If you follow me on Instagram and TikTok, you already know who she is. I force her to sing with me every chance I get.” 

Jensen glanced at Steve, and he shrugged when he caught the look. When the crowd calmed a little, Hunter laughed at something he heard behind him. Then, they all listened to a dog barking. 

“Chester, stay,” a female voice said before a few more barks were heard. The crowd cooed as they heard it, making Hunter shake his head at them. 

“Y’all are too easy,” he said into the microphone with a chuckle. “Okay, now please allow me to introduce my step-sister and best friend in the world… Y/N Y/L/N.” Y/N walked from the side of the stage and waved at the crowd scattered across the lawn before hugging Hunter tightly. Jensen watched as the two laughed and separated with surprise, slapping his hand against Steve’s arm. 

“Wait, wait a second! That’s her!” Jensen exclaimed, brightening as he saw her step away and grab a microphone. Steve looked over at Jensen in confusion. 

“Her who?” 

“The girl from the plane!” 

“From your flight?” 

“Yeah!” 

“What’s happening, you guys?” Y/N said into the microphone. “Y’all ready for a little bit of sibling rivalry?” Y/N and Hunter stared at each other as the crowd cheered. 

“Oh, it’s like that, is it?” 

“He may have that sweet, soulful voice that has you ladies falling in love… but I got the rawness you really want.”

As the crowd cheered again, Y/N stepped away and looked at her brother. A quick conversation, a nod, a laugh, and suddenly, the two got ready to sing. 

“Okay, we’re probably going to get ripped apart for starting with this song, but it’s one of my absolute favorites, so let’s hope the guys who actually sing it aren’t here yet, yeah?” Y/N said into the microphone before counting them in. The beginning notes of All My Living Time began, and the crowd went wild. Both Jensen and Steve looked on in surprise as Hunter started the song. That surprise turned to shock when they heard the smooth and smoky voice Y/N belted out as she picked up the second verse.

All My Livin’ Time Spent in my own way Whiskey, women, wine Morning, night, and day But you move me, baby All my livin’ time All my livin’ time

“Holy shit,” Jensen breathed, smiling widely. Her voice and how comfortable she looked behind a microphone blew him away. She hadn’t even hinted at being a singer on the plane, and to discover it like this… Jensen felt like he was in another universe altogether. 

When they finished the song, the crowd exploded into applause. Y/N’s smile was bright as she thanked them. Jensen looked on, eyes wide with wonder. 

“This next song is one of my favorites to play and sing. So I hope you’ll indulge me. Make sure you sing along at the right spots, alright?” she said, grabbing a purple acoustic guitar with a smattering of stickers all over it, and she began playing a Doobie Brothers song. Her voice played into the music perfectly; her brother partnered the song beautifully. 

“Go to the back of the stage and meet her when she’s done!” Steve said, elbowing him in the side. 

“Yeah,” Jensen said under his breath before moving. The two siblings played together for the next 20 minutes, and soon, she finally waved at the crowd. 

“Thank you!” she shouted to everyone before heading behind the stage, where she ran head-first into none other than Jensen Ackles. The two stared at each other, Y/N surprised and Jensen in hope. 

“Hi,” Y/N said timidly. Jensen’s smile grew as he stepped up to her slowly, a hand going to her neck and pulling her close, crashing his mouth to hers. A soft whimper escaped Y/N as she returned his passionate kiss. Her arms ended up wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. They only broke apart at Chester, barking at them incessantly. 

“You feel this, right?” Y/N asked breathlessly, her blue eyes wide. It was a stupid question, but she had to be sure. “Tell me I’m not the only one feeling this.” “You’re not the only one feeling this. I felt it on the plane,” Jensen sighed, a hand reaching up to brush her hair away from her face. Y/N smiled slightly.

“Why didn’t you say anything then?” she asked. 

“I wasn’t sure if you felt the same way. You acted so normal; I was afraid I was the only one who felt it,” he said quietly. Y/N shook her head. 

“I knew the moment our eyes met that you were my soulmate. I’ve just been so used to acting like everything is normal, and nothing bothers me. When you didn’t say anything…” she trailed off. 

“I should have said something. When I woke up and you were gone, my heart shattered. I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep on you,” he smirked. 

“You looked cute asleep,” she giggled. 

“You look cute now,” he whispered, pulling her close for another kiss, this one more gentle. When their lips touched, everything else faded away, and all they knew was each other. What started as a gentle touching of the lips soon turned deeper, less frantic, and they tasted each other for the first time. It was new and familiar all at the same time. Jensen’s hands wound into her hair as Y/N clutched at his waist. 

“Get a room, you two!” they heard a voice yell, causing them to break away, panting. Y/N escaped with a giggle as she ducked her head, her cheeks red in embarrassment. Jensen sent a mock glare over to whoever shouted at them. 

“Daddy! Daddy!” a small voice cried. The group looked down at Arrow, her little face painted with swirls of white and pink with glitter. “Who is she?” With a broad smile, Jensen picked up Arrow and placed her on his hip. 

“This is Y/N, Daddy’s soulmate,” he answered, looking at Y/N fondly. “Y/N, this is my daughter, Arrow. Can you say hi?”

“Hi,” she cooed quietly, waving shyly. Y/N grinned at the little girl, melting at the sight of Jensen holding a child. 

“Why, hello there, Arrow. I love your face paint,” Y/N said. Arrow giggled delightfully. 

“Can I pet your doggy!?” she asked excitedly. Y/N laughed lightly and nodded. 

“Of course, you can. Chester, come here. Sit…” 

Arrow dug her hands into Chester’s dark fur and giggled when Chester licked her on the nose, his tail wagging wildly. It was as if the dog knew these children would be important to Y/N. 

“I have so many people I want you to meet,” Jensen said, holding her hand. 

“Let’s get to know each other first,” she said, her eyes sparkling. “Now that I’ve found you, I want to know everything about you.” 

“Let’s start with a beer,” he said, gesturing to the brewery's main building. 

“And stories,” she added, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I want to know it all.” 

Jensen smiled again, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips. He scooped up Arrow, and Y/N called for Chester to follow her as they made their way to the brewery. Their hands found each other, fingers intertwining, and soon, it was as if they were in a world all their own. 

[enigmalynne]

(x)

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[enigmalynne]

War is Over (Let's Go Home) - Jensen x Y/N

Title – War Is Over (Let’s Go Home) Part 2 Pairings – Y/N x Jensen Word Count – 3,940 Warnings – angst, smut, badly written military retirement Prompt – Best Life

Y/N is home from war, and after surprising Jensen, they go home for some private time together. She has a surprise for her husband that she needs to talk to him about, but first, she needs a shower and a real welcome home.

You should read part one here: https://www.tumblr.com/enigmalynne/754359484581855232/war-is-over-and-i-wanna-go-home?source=share

Jensen nodded slightly and pulled her into his arms, holding her as close to him as possible. She also wrapped her arms around him, turning and hiding her head into his neck. One of his hands slipped up into her hair, cradling the back of her head.  

“I missed you so much,” he whispered brokenly. It wasn’t until she felt his fine tremors that she realized he was crying, too. 

“I’m not going anywhere ever again,” she whispered back. 

The two ignored the crowd, despite so many voices wishing her a welcome home. Y/N didn’t want to be rude to them, but this was why whenever she arrived home from deployment, it was only Jensen picking her up. Because more than anything, she needed him. He had a way of reminding her that she was home, really and truly home and far away from the violence that was her military life. 

Add that she came home injured, and Jensen doesn’t know about that yet. Or that she just quit the Marines. She wanted to take him and get out of there as quickly as possible to start her new life with him.

“What do you need right now?” Jensen whispered in her ear as he ran his hands up and down her arms, and she rested her head against his chest. Y/N kind of wilted against him a little more before answering. 

“I need to take a shower,” she said quietly. “And I need you.”

“I can make both of those things happen,” Jensen said, his voice soft, his lips pressing against her forehead.

“Alright, everyone, listen up!” Robert said. Everyone quieted down on the set and turned to look at the man. “In honor of Y/N returning home safe and sound, I promised her that she could have Jensen for four days… but I decided everyone is getting a four-day weekend. You’ve been working hard these last few weeks, and we have a lot to do before the end of the season. So take advantage of this time off and rest up because once we are back, it’s all out to the finish line.”

There were cheers around them, but Jensen and Y/N didn’t hear a thing. 

“Hey, Cliff,” Y/N smiled as she climbed into the big black SUV for the second time that day. Cliff just smiled at her and clapped Jensen on the back as he climbed behind her. 

“Jared is getting a ride back to his place with someone else, so it’s just you two,” he said as he slid into the driver’s seat. Once the car was started, some smooth jazz started playing low on the radio. Y/N breathed a deep sigh of relief, resting her head on Jensen’s shoulder as she let the stress of the past few days escape her body. 

“Remind me to thank Jared later,” Jensen muttered as he wrapped an arm around Y/N, pressing his lips to her temple. She hummed in agreement. 

When they pulled up to the apartment Jensen was renting, Cliff exited the car and opened the trunk. Jensen slid out of the SUV first and took the duffle from him quickly to prevent Y/N from trying to carry her own things up the stairs to the apartment. Y/N scoffed when she saw him do it. 

“I’m not an invalid,” she said when she spotted what Jensen was doing.

“No, but something is wrong,” Jensen retorted, taking her pack as well. Y/N was about to say something back to that, thought better of it, and frowned as she looked at her husband. Jensen nodded. 

“You told me to hug you gently on set. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine why,” he said quietly. “Just let me do this, okay?” A soft, loving smile came over Y/N’s face. 

“Okay,” she whispered. 

“Okay,” Jensen said with a grin of his own. “We’ll see you on Tuesday, Cliff.” 

“Have a good weekend, you guys.” 

Once inside the apartment, Y/N couldn’t help but look around curiously. It had been more than a year since she had been there. 

“You barely changed anything since I’ve been gone,” she said with a smile. Jensen shook his head. 

“More pictures of us are up, but yeah—no reason to. I figured you’d put your touch on the place when you got here,” he said, setting her pack down by the couch. 

“Oh, you can leave the duffle there, too. It all needs to be laundered to get the stench of the desert off of it,” Y/N said, reaching for the duffle bag on Jensen’s shoulder. “If you have some T-shirts I can borrow for the next few days. I can just wear those until I find some clothes on Amazon or something.” 

Jensen set the duffle bag down and looked over his wife. He could hardly believe that she was back and home with him. Moving toward her carefully, he cradled her face and kissed her once again. This time, it was gentle and loving, filled with care and passion the first one didn’t have. He threaded his hands into her short hair, tilting her head slightly to deepen the kiss and taste her mouth, the same mouth he hadn’t had in over a year. Y/N whimpered, her hands going to his waist to pull him closer to her. They only broke apart when they needed air, and Jensen started to nibble down her neck. 

“Baby, I really need a shower first,” she gasped when he hit the sensitive spot behind her ear. “I’ve been on aircraft for 28 hours, wearing the same clothes since I left the desert.” 

“I don’t care,” Jensen muttered. Y/N giggled a little.

“Well, I do,” she said, pulling away reluctantly. “Plus, I have to talk to you about some things.” Jensen sighed, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips once more before scooping Y/N into his arms. He paused when she yelped, stiffening slightly.

“Honey?” he questioned, his eyes filled with worry and fear. 

“I’m okay,” she said quietly. “I’m just sore.” Jensen nodded, walking toward the bedroom. He felt her relax against him, pressing her face into his neck as she curled her arms around his neck. He carried her into the large bathroom and sat her gently on the counter. It took a moment to untangle her from around his neck.

“I miss being in your arms,” she whispered timidly. Jensen smiled. 

“I’m not going anywhere, honey. Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said softly. Once he was free from her grasp, Jensen reached under the counter and pulled out the make-up wipes she always used at home. 

“You have my make-up wipes? I don’t deserve you,” she said, pulling him in for a kiss. She tried to deepen it, but Jensen pulled away. 

“You said you wanted a shower,” he said, running his fingers through her hair. 

“I did say that, but I also said I wanted you,” Y/N said. Jensen smiled softly at her. 

“And you’ll have me, baby, but we need to shower,” he said gently. They stared at each other for a long moment before Y/N nodded slightly. 

“You’re right. I need a shower, and I’m sure you need one too,” she said. Jensen turned away from her to start the water. When he turned back, he found she had pulled her shirt off and was left in her sports bra. She moved to kneel and untie her boots when Jensen waved her away, knelt, and undid the ties himself. 

Soon, she was standing in front of him in her military-issue granny panties, as she called them, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her… until his eyes focused on her incision. Feeling exposed, Y/N wrapped her arms around her waist and looked away. 

“You were in the explosion,” Jensen said lowly. “And you were hurt.” Y/N nodded her head slowly. 

“No one told me anything.” 

“They weren’t allowed to, honey. It wasn’t even supposed to make it on the news here, and it did and the higher ups were pissed about that,” Y/N explained. 

“Was this what you wanted to talk about?” Jensen asked, his voice pained. Y/N nodded her head, and the bathroom started to fill with steam. 

“I was one of only three people who survived that explosion; everyone else died. I had to have surgery, but it’s okay because I made it out. I’m here, Jensen. I made it home,” Y/N explained. 

“But you almost didn’t,” Jensen bit out, his hurt showing in his voice. Y/N swallowed her own emotions back. She approached him and took his hand, putting it against her cheek.  

“I’m here, Jensen. And we can either focus on the accident and what could have happened, or we can celebrate that I made it home to you,” Y/N said. “I’d rather celebrate being home and never, ever going back there.” She kissed his cheek before turning, opening the shower door, and stepping in.

Y/N stood under the water with her eyes closed, letting it beat her shoulders and back. 

“So, this is what hot water feels like,” she moaned with a sigh of contentment. Tilting her head back, she let the water rush over her hair, soaking it to her scalp, and let out another sigh. 

“Water pressure and hot water? I’m so glad to be home,” she muttered. Once her hair was completely saturated, she opened her eyes and reached for Jensen’s shampoo, only to freeze in her motions, then letting her arm drop.

Sitting beside his toiletries was her shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. 

“I went to the house in Austin a few weekends ago,” Jensen said, climbing into the walk-in shower behind her. Y/N turned to look at him with tear-filled eyes. “I grabbed a few things as I was there.” He reached over and snagged her shampoo, squeezed some into his palm, then washed his wife’s hair. A low moan escaped her as his fingers massaged her scalp, making him chuckle. The coconut scent filled the steamy bathroom quickly. 

Once her hair was nice and foamy, he turned her and leaned her back into the water to rinse it out. He followed suit with the conditioner, finger-combing her shorter-than-usual locks before grabbing the body wash and squeezing some into a washcloth. Gently, he went about cleaning her body, pausing from time to time to press a kiss against a tender bruise when she flinched. When he got to her surgical incision, she pulled away slightly. 

“It needs to be cleaned, honey. I’ll be gentle,” he said in a hushed voice. He knelt in the shower, the water blocked by Y/N’s body, and used gentle fingers to rub the suds over the stitches holding her skin together. Y/N shuddered slightly; the sensitivity there heightened. Jensen then helped her rinse off before making quick work of washing himself. 

“A towel warmer? Look at you, mister high maintenance,” Y/N joked as she took the towel wrapped around her and started to pat herself dry. Jensen gave her a droll stare as he reached in and grabbed the second towel he threw in there. 

“Don’t start,” he playfully growled. 

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t dream of it,” she snickered, moving the towel to her head to rub it against her dripping hair. He chuckled lightly as he wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped over to his wife. He took the towel and wrapped it around her chest. 

“I don’t need to be covered up,” she said teasingly, unwrapping the towel and dropping it on the floor. Jensen grinned at her, cocking a brow at her throwing the towel aside. 

“You think you can just leave that wet towel on the bathroom floor, Captain?” he asked.

“Like you don’t have a maid coming in and cleaning up for you,” she scoffed playfully, walking toward him as Jensen slowly backed away. 

“The maid doesn’t come on Fridays, and what makes you think I don’t clean up around here?” he said with a laugh. He finally let her catch up to him, and she undid the towel around his waist, dropping it onto the floor as well. Jensen’s grin turned into a smirk, his fingers lifting to drag over her hardened nipples. Her breath caught as she bit her lip, eyes on his.

“Superstars like you clean your own apartments?” she said a little breathlessly. Jensen cupped one of her breasts in a warm hand, thumb rolling over a nipple as his other hand went to her hip to guide her closer toward him. 

“Superstars do a lot of things,” he muttered. The two kept touching each other, feeling each other, while walking backward into the bedroom. Her hand found the hardness between his legs while his hand cradled her breast fondly.

Finally, Jensen kissed his wife like he meant it. It was desperate and messy — nothing like the slow, sweet build-up Jensen had imagined. But when Y/N crashed her lips against his, pulling herself closer to him in a fit of need and want, he could do nothing but respond in kind. It had been so long since he felt his wife’s soft skin under his fingertips; he couldn’t resist even though he wanted to in order not to hurt her.  

Then, suddenly, her lips left his. Jensen gasped at the loss until he felt his wife move. He felt the warm brush of her breath against his throat. He groaned, deep and ragged, when she wrapped her fingers around him, stroking him slow, teasing. “Fuck, sweetheart…”

 Her mouth followed a long trail down his body, and he watched as she looked up at him with those blue eyes he loved so much as she settled on her knees in front of him. 

“Baby, no,” he said in a strangled voice. He cupped her jaw gently, reverently. “You do that, and this night will be over before it began.” He held his hands out to help her stand back up, and she took them graciously. But then, his hands moved along her body, skimming over her waist and tracing her ribs, being watchful of her incision. She shivered at the sensation. His eyes darkened at the sight of her trembling under his touch.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said gently, his hands resting on her shoulders. Y/N pushed Jensen down on the bed and forced him to lie down, looking over his body hungrily. His legs, bent at the knee, hung over the side of the bed, feet resting on the carpeted floor. She ran her hand up his length, and he hissed in pleasure as she enjoyed the feeling of his hardness. 

“Just let me do the work,” she whispered, climbing over him. She straddled his hips, and he couldn’t help but moan slightly at the warmth he felt coming from her core as she settled herself over him. His eyes widened, watching as she lined up his hardness with her wet heat. Then they rolled back into his head when she sank onto him, feeling every inch of him slide into her. His hips thrust upward just slightly, causing Y/N to whimper as he stretched her out, her tightness gripping him snugly.

“Oh, fuck,” she whined, settling on top of him, her hands resting on his muscular chest. 

“Jesus Christ, Y/N,” he breathed. His hands immediately gripped her hips, his body shaking as he forced himself not to move, his breath coming in gasps. 

“You feel so big,” she whispered, shifting her hips slightly. Y/N’s legs shook somewhat as she straddled him, her walls clenching tight around his cock.

Jensen’s hands ghosted up her body and cupped her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her pert nipples, causing her to shudder over him. She squeezed him deep inside her, causing him to groan.

“God, Y/N, you feel…. fuck, sweetheart,” he gritted out, a hand moving back to her hip to guide her over him. Y/N rose tentatively, feeling the drag of his hardness inside her, and gasped. She found a slow rhythm that satisfied them both, and she was moving over him smoothly. Jensen watched as Y/N threw her head back, riding him carefully in full-blown ecstasy. Her body clenched around him, gripping him so tight he groaned.

With eyes hooded with lust, Y/N looked down at Jensen and pulled one of his hands to her mouth, taking a finger and slipping it into her mouth. She swirled her tongue around the digit before sucking on it hard. Jensen felt his cock swell and twitch inside her, a groan escaping him.

“Holy shit, baby,” Jensen groaned. He moved his free hand to where they were joined in search of her clit, rubbing small circles there. 

“Oh, God, yes…” Y/N cried out, tightening on him. Her face twisted in pleasure, causing the desire to restrain himself to snap in Jensen. Suddenly, he couldn’t get enough of her. 

Moving carefully, Jensen flipped the two over so Y/N could lie on her back. Holding himself up over her, he pulled Y/N’s legs up over his hips and moved carefully to thrust deeply.

“Oh, God, Jen,” Y/N moaned, running a hand down his chest to where they met, taking over rubbing her clit. Her other hand grabbed her breast.

“You’re so fucking wet,” he groaned out, voice strangled. He thrust deeply, his cock dragging against every nerve inside Y/N, every sensitive place he could reach. He tore a cry from her lips, and she felt the coil start to tighten inside her. Jensen leaned down, keeping his weight off her, and pressed a messy kiss to her mouth. 

“God, you’re so deep inside me,” she whined. “Jen… I’m gonna…”

“Me, too,” Jensen whispered to his wife as his thrusts started to get sloppy. Y/N moved her hands to his face, cradling his jaw as she responded.

“I love you so much, Jen,” Y/N muttered back to him, her hands and eyes on his face. 

“Don’t ever leave me again,” he begged her. 

“Never again.”

“You’re mine now.”

“I’m yours, Jen… I’m all yours… Oh God, Jen…” she cried brokenly as she came hard, tears leaking from her open eyes. 

“I love you, Y/N,” Jensen groaned before he followed her over that cliff. 

After cleaning up, the two found themselves in bed, wrapped in each other under the sheet. Y/N rested on her uninjured side with her head on Jensen’s shoulder, her arm thrown across his chest. Jensen’s fingers were drawing figures along her arm, simply touching. They were quiet, enjoying being in each other’s arms again until…

“When do you think you’ll be done shooting?” Y/N asked suddenly. Jensen frowned before answering. 

“I don’t know. It will be three weeks, maybe? Why?” he asked. Y/N smiled. 

“I need to schedule my retirement ceremony, and I’d like you to be there. However, if you are going to be shooting back to back, then I won’t be able to have you there until you’re done,” she explained. Jensen looked down at her, confused. 

“Retirement ceremony?” 

“Well, yeah,” she said, tilting her head to look at him. “I said I wasn’t leaving again.”

“I just thought that meant you weren’t going to deploy again. I didn’t realize that meant you were retiring!” Jensen said. 

“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time,” she said quietly. “This last deployment was a hard one. I was gone for a year and missed so much. I’m done, babe. I’ve been active in the military since I was 18 and am ready to try something different. I’m ready to spend my time being a wife full time and see what I want to do next with my life.”

“So, you’d stay in Austin full time?”

“Or here in Vancouver.”

“I’d love that. I love you,” Jensen said, pressing an eager kiss to her mouth. Y/N laughed under his lips.

“I thought you might.” 

One month later, Y/N stood in her dress blues before her friends and loved ones. She had almost completely healed from the explosion in her last deployment, and was more than ready for the retirement ceremony that was about to occur. 

In the audience, Jensen, Jared, their families,, and many other people from the show watched as Y/N’s superior officers congratulated her on many years of service and expressed their pride in her. She tried to tell them it wasn’t essential to be there, that the after party at their home would be more than enough, but they argued and said they would be there anyway. 

Getting the list of names approved at the Joint Base San Antonio was a massive undertaking, but the good news was it was the safest place for the famous faces to be. The fanbase wasn’t allowed on or near the active military base.

“Congratulations, Captain Y/N Ackles. Happy Retirement,” she heard someone say, causing her to refocus. She smiled at the man and shook his hand. Cheers were heard around the room, and she nodded at them. Once the official ceremony was done, they were free to mingle and enjoy refreshments. 

“Looks like you did it!” Jared said. “But, why did you have the ceremony start at 11 a.m. and your party start at like 5?”

“It’s a 2-hour drive back to Austin from San Antonio,” Y/N said. “It gives us plenty of time to get back to the house.”

“We have someone setting up stuff while we are here,” Jensen commented, causing Y/N to smirk.

“Because superstars can’t set up their own parties,” she said. 

“Here we go,” Jensen muttered with a laugh. Jared just shook his head with a smile.

“Superstars use party planners and hire people to set things like that up.”

“We were all here for you today, who was gonna set up the party?”

“Okay, well that’s fair.” Everyone around her laughed at the comment. Jensen leaned over and kissed his wife on her temple before slipping away to say hello to someone. Robert Singer took that moment to walk up and offer his congratulations. 

“Thank you, Robert. And thank you for coming,” Y/N said, giving the man a hug. 

“You look better than you did last time I saw you,” Robert said. Y/N laughed lightly and nodded. 

“Well, it was like I said… some sleep and hot showers will do wonders,” she explained. “It helps that I have so much support here, too. All of you guys have been wonderful to both me and Jensen. We couldn’t have done it without you.” 

“You’re family, Y/N. And we take care of our family,” Robert said proudly. Y/N smiled widely at that. 

“You’re coming to the after party, right?” she asked. 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. We’ll see you tonight,” he said, nodding his head in the opposite direction. Y/N turned to look and saw Jensen standing off to the side with his hands in his pockets, watching with a smile. Y/N smiled back at him, walking his way. Everyone started to make their way to leave. Jensen leaned down and pressed a kiss to Y/N’s forehead. 

“I’m proud of you, you know that?” he asked.

“Yeah?” she asked back. 

“Yeah. You did some amazing things during your career. You’re a hero,” he said, wrapping her up in a hug. “You’re my hero.” 

“Well, this hero needs some help getting everything to the car, and then we need to start heading out. We have a house full of people to entertain tonight,” she chirped, smiling. Jensen nodded, following her to the table where her items were: a folded flag, a few plaques, a shadow box.

“You sure you’re ready to leave this behind?” Jensen asked, looking at the items before looking at his wife. 

“And be with you full time? Absolutely.”

[enigmalynne]

Goodbye To You - Dean x Y/N, Dean x Carmen

Title – Goodbye To You Pairings – DeanXCarmen, Y/N, Sam Word Count – 6,106 Warnings – ANGST, absolutely wrong use of medical terms and practices, confused Dean Prompt – Character A has to watch Character B fall in love with someone else.

“Hey, stranger,” Y/N said, coming up behind Sam at the bar. He turned and looked at you, a smile breaking across his face. He stood and pulled you into a tight hug. 

“Hey, sweetheart,” Sam says quietly.  Once they break, she pulls a stool beside her best friend. She and the brothers grew close after they showed up in her clinic one evening when a hunt went wrong. Being the only doctor on staff that night was a blessing as she grew up in the hunter’s world before breaking free for medical school. 

“How did you get here before your brother? Isn’t he the one who prefers the bar to being at home?” Y/N asked as she waved down the bartender. 

“There’s something you should know about Dean before he gets here,” Sam starts but gets interrupted by his brother walking up to them. 

“Y/N!!” Dean shouts. She turns and looks at him with bright, excited eyes and a wide smile. Jumping off her chair, she throws herself into Dean’s arms, and he spins her around, laughing. Before Y/N could lean in and kiss him, Dean turned and held his hand to a woman watching the interaction with amusement. 

“Y/N, I want you to meet someone. Someone important to me,” Dean said. Y/N watches as the dark-haired woman takes Dean’s hand, intertwining their fingers. Her smile falters slightly. “Y/N, this is Carmen. My fiancé.” Y/N’s mouth drops open in shock, her eyes wide as she takes in their linked hands, but she recovers quickly. 

“You… your fiancé…” Y/N stutters, glancing at Sam. He gives Y/N a sympathetic smile and nods. “I… I had no idea.” 

“I’ve heard so much about you from both these guys. I can’t wait to get to know the most important woman in their lives,” Carmen said, stepping forward and embracing Y/N in a hug. She startles but hugs Carmen. 

“Well, second most important now,” Dean says, and the pain that binds Y/N’s chest takes her breath away momentarily. Y/N blinks quickly to hide the tears that rush to her lash line. Dean watches the two girls hug before leaning over and ordering two beers. 

“I think we are going to become great friends,” Carmen said, pulling back but keeping her hands on Y/N’s shoulders. Y/N nodded, and a forced smile was on her face. 

“Yeah!” Y/N ground out in a happy voice. Dean handed Carmen her beer and then pointed over his shoulder. 

“We’re going to grab a pool table; join us.” 

“Oh, Sam and I need to get drinks first,” Y/N said, leaning on the bar top. She tried to make it look casual and not like it was holding her up. Dean’s expression dropped as he realized they didn’t have drinks before them. 

“Oh, shit. Sorry guys, lemme grab the first round,” he muttered, trying to flag the bartender down again. Y/N shook her head and waved her hand. 

“Don’t worry about it. Go grab a table, and we’ll be over there shortly.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay.”

Dean grabbed Carmen’s hand and kissed her forehead, leading her to the pool tables. Y/N watched them walk away before turning and facing the bar, her eyes burning.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Y/N breathed, her hands gripping the counter tightly. Sam frowned, observing her. He knew how deep Y/N’s feelings went for his older brother.

“I tried to get it out before he got here; he just was faster than I expected,” he said quietly. Y/N nodded, eyes staring blindly at the bar top. She barely hears Sam order two tequila shots, Y/N’s comfort liquor.

“How long?” she asked. 

“Almost a year,” Sam answered. Y/N laughed without humor. “What?” 

“We were still fucking around last year,” she said flatly, reaching for one of the shot glasses the bartender placed in front of them. She threw the tequila back and barely flinched at the burn, the pain in her heart far worse than that in her throat. 

“Yeah, I know,” Sam replied. “I told him if he was going to get serious with Carmen, he had to tell you and call it off. I guess he didn’t say anything to you, though.”

“No, he didn’t,” Y/N whispered, shaking her head. “But it explains why he’s been so distant. I don’t think he realizes that you and I talk more now.” Sam ran a hand up and down her back, offering subtle comfort. Y/N closed her eyes and took a shaky breath as she shook her head. A few stray tears filled her cheeks, and she wiped them away violently. 

Enough. He made his decision, and it wasn’t you. Be a big girl and get through tonight. You can cry about it back in the hotel room… her inner voice growled at her. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, a shiver going through her. When Y/N opened her eyes again, they were dry and distant. She lifted her head to look at Sam with a smile. Sam studied his friend with a frown. Y/N simply shrugged and reached for her glass. 

“What?” she asked. 

“What?” he parroted.

“Things happen for a reason, right?” Y/N asked quietly. She held her glass out for him to toast, and after a long pause, he picked up his glass and clinked it against hers. She threw back the second shot of tequila, wincing slightly, before ordering a beer and another round for Sam.

“C’mon. Now we have to beat them.”

“It’s been fun, you guys, but I need to call it a night.” 

“It’s only 9:30!” Dean exclaimed, one arm thrown around Carmen. 

“I’ve got an early morning tomorrow,” she said, reaching for her bag. 

“What could you possibly have tomorrow morning that is more important than hanging out with us right now?” Dean scoffed. Y/N threw a questioning look at Sam, who shook his head slightly. Looks like we are all keeping secrets now, she thought to herself with a sigh. Y/N shook her head and dug into her wallet for a couple of twenties to pay for her drinks. Sam placed a hand on hers to stop her.

“I’ve got you,” he said, causing her to look up. She shot him a soft smile. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Sam said with a smile, squeezing her hand. She nodded, closed her wallet, and shoved it back in her bag. “Are you staying with us or…” 

“I’ve got a hotel,” Y/N answered, her eyes darting to the couple across from her before returning to Sam. “They got me a hotel for a few nights, figured the least I can do is take them up on their hospitality.”

“Wait, so you aren’t staying with us?” Dean asked. He moved his arm from around Carmen and leaned forward on his elbows. “You always stay with us. And who is they? What’s going on?”

“Well,” Y/N hesitated, looking at Carmen, who watched the interaction quietly. “Things have changed now, Dean.” 

“Changed?” he muttered quietly, turning to look at Carmen. Carmen, who was now looking at Dean with a raised brow. “Oh.” 

“Here, let me walk you to your rental,” Sam said. Y/N nodded. 

“Okay. It was awesome meeting you, Carmen. Dean, don’t do anything stupid,” Y/N said with a tight smile. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow afternoon, okay? I’ll come by around five?”

“Sounds great, Y/N. See you then,” Carmen said, watching Sam walk her to the door. Once they were out of sight, she turned and looked at her unusually quiet fiancé and raised a brow. 

“So, babe,” she started, picking up her beer bottle. “Anything you want to fill me in on?” 

“What time is your interview at Lawrence Memorial?” Sam asked. Y/N smiled reluctantly.  

“Nine a.m. I was hoping to get into the emergency department here. It would have been nice to settle down here with you guys and grow some roots. But if he’s engaged to Carmen and it's serious, it might be for nothing,” Y/N said. The two walked up to a white Honda Accord.

“You could still come back, make a home here. It’d be awesome to see you more regularly,” Sam said. 

“I don’t know. The whole point was to come back here and commit to Dean, you know? Tell him how I feel and make a real go at it. There’s no point now,” she said dejectedly. When she realized what she said, her eyes flew open. “No, Sam, that’s not what I meant…”

“I know what you meant, don’t worry,” Sam said calmly, though he was slightly stung. “I know you’re hurting right now, so don’t worry about it.”

“I just don’t see the point,” Y/N said quietly. “I don’t want to be reminded about how little I meant to Dean every day.”

“You know what? Go through the interview anyway and see how you like it. You might find that the hospital is exactly what you want anyway. You’ve been talking about wanting a change for a long time, and this could be it. Besides, you need to do this for you, not for him. He doesn’t deserve you anyhow,” Sam reminded her. Y/N smiled and reached up to hug Sam tightly. 

“I love you, you know that?” she said quietly. 

“Of course you do,” he said, squeezing her back. “Now go get some rest and nail that interview.”

“Hi, I have a nine a.m. appointment with Doctor James Montgomery. I’m Y/N Y/L/N,” she said to the receptionist at the front of the hospital. Y/N watched as the kind older woman typed into the system and then nodded her head. 

“Yes, I see you right here. If you would take a seat, I’ll page Dr. Montgomery down, and he will be right with you,” she said, pointing to a row of chairs nearby. Y/N nodded her head and sat down. She brushed a strand of brown hair behind her ear, then smoothed out her skirt as she waited. 

“Dr. Y/L/N,” a handsome man said, dressed in scrubs and carrying a file. Y/N stood up and smiled at him. She accepted his handshake and nodded in greeting. “Welcome to Lawrence Memorial.”

A tour of the emergency department, an interview with Dr. Montgomery and three other doctors, and a review of her qualifications. Y/N walked out of the hospital three hours later, feeling confident that she had nailed the interview. The emergency department, while smaller than the one she worked at in Kentucky, was clean and state-of-the-art. They obviously cared about the patients that came into their hospital and were thorough in their caretaking. The hospital had some of the latest technology on the market and was in line to get some of the newest pieces. She watched how the doctors and nurses worked and recognized a seamless flow, a trust between everyone there that some ERs didn’t have… including her home in Kentucky. 

She could do good work here if she decided to take the job. 

If she was offered the job. 

Getting into her rental, she sped off to the hotel to change into something more casual before meeting Sam for lunch. The two book nerds would meet at their favorite cafe for sandwiches before hitting the old bookstore for research. Then, they would meet with Dean and Carmen, something she still had to work up the courage for. 

“It was 20 questions last night after you left,” Sam said casually, popping a potato chip into his mouth. Y/N’s eyes snapped to Sam’s face despite her sipping her sweet tea, her chicken salad sandwich and chips untouched. 

“Really? By who?” she asked. 

“Who do you think?” he replied with a smirk. “Carmen.” Y/N stared at Sam briefly, then smirked back at him. 

“She didn’t know about me either, did she?” Y/N asked. Sam shook his head. 

“Nope,” he grinned, tossing another chip into his mouth. Y/N laughed lightly as she picked up half of her sandwich. 

“Well, I’m kind of happy I’m not the only one who was blindsided last night then,” she said, biting into the chicken salad. She wiped her mouth with a napkin as she swallowed. “He deserves it for being a jerk about the whole situation. I hope it was uncomfortable as hell.” 

“Oh, it was. ‘You slept with her, didn’t you?’ ‘Was it while we were together?’ ‘Tell me the truth, you’re still in love with her, aren’t you?’” Sam quoted in a mocking tone. Y/N bit her lip as mixed feelings banged around her chest. She was glad Dean was getting lectured, but at the same time, she hated that this was why. 

“You’d think he’d have told his fiance the truth even though he didn’t have the balls to tell me,” she grumbled, again picking up her tea. She took a long sip and stared out the window at nothing in particular, pain flashing in her eyes as she thought about the two. No, we agreed we’d let it go, she told herself. Sam frowned and reached over to grab her hand. 

“Hey,” he said quietly. Y/N looked up at him and forced a smile on her face. 

“I’m fine. Really,” she said. “Let’s finish up. I want to hit up that bookstore so we can finish that research you need done.”

Ultimately, Y/N ended up taking the job with Lawrence Medical. The offer was too good to refuse, so she returned to Kentucky to pack her things. Sam flew out a week later, helped her pack her belongings into a Uhaul, hitch her old Mustang onto a trailer, and drove the hours away with her back to Lawrence. 

“I picked out an apartment for you,” Sam said a few hours into the drive, between bites of Twizzlers. “I know you’ll love it, so I dropped the deposit. It’s halfway between the hospital and our place, has two bedrooms, and is one of the few complexes with a fireplace.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Y/N said, a sweet smile on her face. 

“Don’t worry, I took the money out of Dean’s half of the savings,” he laughed. 

“Oh, well, in that case, I’m totally okay with it,” she said with a wave of a hand. She took a bite of the red licorice candy and stared out the window for some time before asking the question she didn’t want the answer to. “When is their wedding supposed to be?” 

“Sometime in the next four months. Carmen wants a winter wedding, and Dean will do whatever Carmen wants,” Sam said quietly. 

“Dean hates the cold. He prefers the summer,” she muttered under her breath. Sam glanced at her, taking notice of the sadness in her eyes. He frowned but didn’t say anything. 

“Whatever, it's not my problem, right? I’ll get over it,” she said to no one in particular. “I need to focus on getting to Lawrence and being ready to go to the hospital tomorrow to pick up my badge and schedule.” 

“I thought you had another week to get settled and everything?” Sam asked. Y/N shrugged. 

“The busier I am, the less I think about things,” she replied, pouting. “If I’m going to get over my feelings about Dean, I need other things to focus on. Throwing myself into work is a good start. Setting up my new apartment will be a good second. Did you say it has a fireplace?”

The next morning

“I’m glad you came in today to get situated,” Dr. Montgomery said, escorting Y/N around the emergency room. “We can set up your locker and get you the necessary keys. Our dress code is ID’d scrubs, and while it will take a little while to get the embroidered ones with your name on them, you should be fine as long as you wear your ID badge. You don’t have to wear the white coat if you don’t want to… ”

“Mass trauma coming in!” the head nurse shouted. “City bus versus two cars. Unknown how many are hurt. Get the beds ready.” Everyone around them started to scramble, grabbing supplies and preparing the hospital beds for incoming patients. Doctor Montgomery looked over at Y/N, who was watching the organized chaos with barely controlled eagerness. 

“Can you start early?” the doctor asked, causing Y/N to grin slightly. 

“Just get me a clean pair of scrubs and some Crocs,” she replied. Doctor Montgomery nodded and ushered her toward the doctor’s lounge just as the first victims arrived. Grabbing a pair of teal scrubs and a pair of gray crocs, Y/N changed quickly and threw her items into an empty locker. She pulled her stethoscope out of her backpack and wrapped it around her neck before sliding a few pens into the pockets in her sleeves. 

“Doctor Y/L/N,” a voice said, causing her to pause and turn around. A man stood in the doorway and held out a plastic badge to her. She took it and looked at the front, noticing her photo. She looked confused. 

“Monty told me to give that to you. They took the photo you had on your driver’s license and used that to make a temporary ID so you can help out,” the man said. He flashed a bright smile toward her as she nodded. “I’m Damien, but everyone calls me DJ.”

“Y/N,” she said, clipping the ID to the front of her scrubs. DJ winked at her as they exited the doctor’s lounge. 

“Welcome to Lawrence.” 

The next few hours passed in a blur of patients, new nurses, and names she knew she’d never remember. Her once pristine makeup was now spotted with sweat, and her hair fell out of her once tidy bun. Y/N had just finished with a young girl who had a broken arm and a few lacerations that required stitches.

“Thank you so much, Doctor Y/L/N,” the weary and exhausted mother said as she cuddled her young daughter close to her. Y/N simply smiled and nodded, escorting them out of the emergency room. She made a few more notes in the chart in her hands before dropping them off at the desk nearby. 

“What’s next?” she asked, sliding up to DJ, who reviewed the patient list. Just then, the doors burst open, and she watched as two paramedics brought in another patient… or rather, two patients. One was on the gurney, and the other was running alongside it. 

“Dean?” Y/N questioned, watching as he ran past her. 

“What have you got?” DJ asked, turning to walk with the gurney. 

“Woman in her mid-thirties, BP is 175 over 96, the pulse is 120 and going up, she was trapped in one of the cars that was hit by the bus. They just got her out,” one of the paramedics rattled off. Y/N nodded as she listened and put on another pair of clean gloves. She frowned as she recognized Carmen on the gurney. 

“She awake at all, or been unconscious the entire time?” Y/N asked. 

“Boyfriend said she was awake for a few minutes but then blacked out and hasn’t woken up yet.”

“Trauma 2, make a hole, people!” DJ yelled, pushing the bed with them. Y/N hopped up on the gurney and started to do her checks. Suddenly, Dean was in the way, trying to get to Carmen.

“Dean, you gotta let me work,” Y/N said, pushing Dean’s hands away so she could get to Carmen and start an IV. “Dean, Stop! Fucking… DJ!!”

“On it,” the other doctor said, stepping away and pulling off his gloves. He stepped up to Dean and took a good look at him. Blood was coming from his hairline, and his eyes were wide and unfocused. The way he was holding his shoulder wasn’t good either. “C’mon, man, let’s get you checked out.” 

“I gotta stay with Carmen,” he slurred out. Check another box for a possible concussion, DJ thought. Gently taking the moving arm Dean had, DJ pulled the man away. 

“She’s in good hands with Doctor Y/L/N; why don’t we get you tended to? Does your head hurt you? What’s going on with this arm?” DJ tried again. Dean shook his head. 

“I’m fine, lemme go.”

“Dude, don’t make me sedate you,” DJ said with a bit of humor. Just then, Y/N came from the curtained room and stood aside as they watched the bed rush off to the elevators. 

“Don’t be a dick, Dean. You’re going to be no fucking good to her like this. Now get checked out, or I’m going to give DJ permission to sedate your ass and confine you to a bed,” Y/N snarked, her temper getting the best of her. DJ blinked at Y/N’s words to the patient. 

“But, Carmen…”

“...is going up to surgery and will be there for a few hours, which means we can focus on your dislocated shoulder and that concussion you're most certainly sporting. Now, let DJ work on you, and I’ll call Sam and get him down here to help you. You’re gonna be no damn good to anyone acting up like this,” Y/N said, filling out a form on a clipboard. “DJ, if he gives you any more shit, you have my permission to sedate his ass.” 

“Hey!” Dean shouted. 

“I’m still listed on your emergency contacts next to Sam,” she said in a sing-song voice before walking away. Dean stared at her deliriously before looking up at DJ, who shrugged his shoulders. 

“You heard her, man.” 

Dean slowly woke up in an unfamiliar room to steady beeping. He cautiously looked around, wincing when his head protested the movement. Just then, the door to the room quietly opened, and he noticed that Y/N stuck her head inside. 

“Looks like you got yourself a bed anyway,” Y/N said, walking into the dimly lit room. Dean grunted as he saw who it was. Sammy followed close behind. 

“How you feeling there, big guy?” Y/N asked, looking at the monitors attached to Dean. 

“Like I got hit by a city bus,” he groaned. Sam chuckled a bit, reaching over to squeeze Dean’s hand. Dean had a sling on one arm and a bandage on his forehead where the cut was made from the glass. 

“At least you weren’t driving the Impala,” Sam said, causing Dean to grunt in agreement. Y/N studiously ignored the two, checking Dean’s vitals and making notes in the chart. The brothers chatted, and soon, Y/N was finished. She placed her hands on her hips as she faced them. 

“Everything looks good,” she explained. “They will most likely keep you overnight for observation due to the severity of the concussion, which is normal, and I figure you’re going to want to be here anyway for Carmen. I arranged it so they can bring her here when she is out of recovery, and you two can share the room.” Surprise colored Sam’s expression while Dean stared at Y/N with worry. 

“How is she?” he asked. 

“She made it through the surgery just fine. They were able to isolate the internal bleeding and stop it, gave her some blood, and her vitals stabilized. She’s in recovery right now being monitored, and they should be coming down with her soon,” Y/N explained plainly. 

“Oh, thank God,” Dean breathed. Y/N looked over at Sam and nodded her head. 

“If there is anything else you need, just press the nurse’s button, and they can help you,” she explained, turning toward the door. 

“Wait, you’re not staying?” Dean asked. Y/N paused and turned back toward the man lying in the bed. She would stay with them any time one of them had been hurt.

“I’ve got work to do, Dean,” she explained gently, her voice soft. “I need to check on other patients from the crash.”

“So, you work here now? When did that happen?” he asked, his voice getting angry. “When did we start keeping secrets from each other, huh? You’ve been acting off ever since you got here.”

“Me,” Y/N scoffed, placing a hand on her chest. “I’ve been acting off.”

“You’ve been distant, you aren’t staying with us, you barely talk to me anymore,” Dean ticked off. Sam placed a hand on his brother’s arm, trying to stop him from carrying on. 

“Dean, c’mon man, now’s not the time,” Sam tried. Dean shook him off.

“You know you’ve noticed it, Sammy. She’s barely around us anymore; when she is, she clams up and barely speaks to us. What happened? We used to be best friends,” Dean said, looking at his brother. He turned to look at Y/N, staring at Dean, desperately trying to keep her emotions at bay. “You were my best friend. What happened to that?”

 “Dean…” Y/N started but was interrupted. 

“No, I don’t want to hear some stupid excuse. I want the truth, damnit,” Dean growled, a hand reaching his head. He leaned back onto the bed with his eyes closed, his breathing deepening as he tried to control the pain ricocheting in his head. Sam watched in sympathy as Y/N fought back overwhelming emotions, torn between lashing out and walking away.

“Oh, Dr. Y/L/N, you’re already here,” a voice said. “We were just about to have you paged.” She turned to the now open door and saw that two orderlies were bringing Carmen into the room as she slept off the anesthesia. She stepped out of the way and allowed them access to the opposite side of the room, watching as they connected the machines that would track her heart rate, blood pressure, and the like. Dean watched with interest the happenings in the room. 

“Is she okay? Why isn’t she awake yet?” he asked nervously. 

“She is still sleeping off the anesthesia,” Y/N answered quietly. One of the orderlies handed Y/N the chart just as a nurse walked in. 

“Dr. Y/L/N,” the cheerful voice said. Y/N shot the kind nurse a smile. “You’re still here.”

“I was just visiting some friends who happened to be in the crash,” she said, making a few notes. “Carmen is doing well; will just need to sleep off the anesthesia.” 

“Yes, doctor,” the nurse said, doing some checks on her own. Soon, both the orderlies and the nurse had left the room. Y/N took a deep breath and turned to look at Dean, who was eyeing Carmen with worry. 

“Dean,” Y/N started quietly. “This isn’t the place to have the conversation you are so intent on having.” Dean turned away from Carmen and looked at her, confused. 

“What?” he asked. Y/N just shook her head. 

“Get some rest. I’ll check back in a bit.” Dean watched her nod her head, glance at Sam, and offer a sad smile before leaving the room. Then, he turned to look at his little brother suspiciously. 

“You know what’s going on, don’t you?” he asked. Sam nodded. 

“You really should have told her about Carmen sooner, is all I’m saying,” Sam explained. “She is heartbroken and feeling betrayed, yet she still took the job here to be close to us. What does that say? It’s gonna take a while for her to get over you, but she’ll be okay.”

“She was in love with me?” Dean asked, his voice hurt and distant. 

“Is. Is in love with you,” Sam corrected. 

“Why didn’t she say anything?”

“She was going to at the bar that night when she first got into town. Then you sprung Carmen on her, and she kept her mouth shut instead.”

“And you knew all of this.”

“Yep.”

“How?”

“She’s my best friend, Dean. Who do you think she’s gonna talk to?” Dean grew quiet, lost in thought about how he should handle things. This new information now confused him. Sure, he loved Y/N, but was he in love with her? No, of course not; he was in love with Carmen. Right? Right. 

Right. 

A quiet moan from the bed next to them caught their attention, and Dean’s introspection of his love life was put on hold as he tried to get up and check on his fiance. Despite everything, she still needed him to be strong for her as she had just come out of surgery for internal bleeding. 

“Carmen,” he breathed as she opened her eyes.

Almost four hours later, Y/N finally had a moment to go back and check on Dean and Carmen. She quietly opened the door to the room and peeked her head in, finding both patients fast asleep. Sam looked up and smirked at her as she entered the room. 

“Lemme guess,” she started quietly. “Someone gave the nurses a hard time and got his ass sedated.” 

“Yup!” Sam answered cheerfully. The two shared a quiet laugh. Y/N walked to Dean’s side and gently ran her hand through his hair, looking at him affectionately. Dean shifted in his sleep, turning his head toward her, and the small gesture made her chest ache for something that was no longer hers. 

“I want to hate him so badly,” she whispered. “I want him to be happy; I just thought that meant with me. The whole point of me taking this job was to be closer to you guys and to give us a real go of it. Instead, he found someone else. He couldn’t even tell me until I didn’t have a chance.” 

“I told him everything,” Sam said softly. Y/N scoffed as she looked over at Sam, her shoulders dropping. 

“Sam,” she complained. 

“He needed to know,” he explained. Y/N shook her head. 

“No, he didn’t. I would have come up with something that could have explained everything that didn’t include my emotional trauma,” she answered. “God, Sam.” 

“Y/N…” he started.

“He’s gonna think I’m weak. He’s gonna think I’m pathetic.” Y/N’s eyes filled with tears.

“He doesn’t think either of those things.”

“Well, he should because I am weak and pathetic.”

“Y/N, this isn’t on you,” Sam explained. “This is on him. He’s the one who didn’t tell you about Carmen and, in turn, gave you false hope. You are allowed to feel betrayed and heartbroken. You are allowed to feel angry.”

“Oh, I feel angry. I'm angry at myself for ever believing this could have worked out in the first place,” Y/N whispered. Sam sighed. She looked at Dean for a long moment, then leaned over and kissed his temple. 

“I need to get back to the ER. Call me if you need anything,” Y/N said to Sam with a smile. Sam simply nodded. “Love you bestie,” she said in a sing-song voice, causing Sam to chuckle. 

“Yeah, love you too,” he responded. 

Y/N stepped out of the room, her smile fading as the door clicked softly shut behind her. She stood in the hallway momentarily, taking a deep breath to steady herself. The quiet hum of the hospital around her was familiar and grounding, even as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

It wasn’t the first time she’d had to put her feelings aside for the sake of others, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. But this time, it hurt more than she thought it would. She’d come back to be close to them, to him. And yet, here she was, realizing that her place wasn’t by Dean’s side after all.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, a reminder of the dozen other patients waiting for her care. With one last glance at the closed door, Y/N squared her shoulders and turned toward the ER. She had a job to do, and she wouldn’t let her heartbreak get in the way of helping people who needed her.

Back in the room, Sam watched as Dean stirred, waking slowly. Carmen’s soft breathing filled the space, her presence grounding him. Dean glanced at Sam, his eyes clouded with confusion and guilt.

“She was here, wasn’t she?” Dean asked, his voice rough from sleep.

“Yeah,” Sam said, keeping his tone even. “She’s got work to do, though. You know, saving lives and all.”

Dean let out a small, humorless laugh. “She always did have a way of putting everyone else first.”

Sam didn’t reply; he just leaned back in his chair and watched his brother carefully.

“She’ll be okay,” Sam said after a long pause. “She’s stronger than you think.”

Dean nodded but didn’t respond, his gaze shifting to Carmen. His hand moved instinctively to hers, squeezing gently. She was his future, and he knew he couldn’t let anything—or anyone—come between them.

Hours later, as Y/N’s shift finally ended, she checked on the brothers one last time before heading home for the night. It had been a quick 24-hour shift, and she was exhausted. Knocking on the door quietly, she walked into the room and saw that Sam was the only one awake again. She smiled at the younger brother. 

“You sleep at all?” She asked him. 

“A little,” Sam answered. “Dean got up and wanted to sit next to Carmen so we moved him over there. He’s been calmer since she woke up a few hours ago.” Y/N nodded and walked over to them to check on them. 

“Speaking of Dean, I’ve decided something,” she said. Sam raised an eyebrow at his best friend in anticipation, worried that he wasn’t going to like the words that came out of her mouth next.  

“I’m done waiting, Sam,” she said quietly, setting down the chart. She looked over at him with a sad smile. “Done hoping he’ll wake up and see me how I’ve always seen him. It’s not fair to him, to Carmen, or to me. I came here to start over, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Sam frowned, concern clouding his face. “You’re not leaving, are you?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m staying. But like you said, I’m doing this for me. This job, this place — it’s a chance for me to build a life on my terms. I don’t need to run just because he doesn’t love me back the way I wanted. He’s still one of my best friends.”

Sam nodded. “You’re stronger than you think, Y/N.”

Y/N gave him a small, bittersweet smile. “I’m starting to believe that.”

The two of them sat silently for a moment, the soft hum of hospital machines filling the room. Finally, Y/N glanced at Dean one last time. He looked peaceful, his hand resting protectively on Carmen’s, even asleep. It was a picture of the life he’d chosen, which didn’t include her.

And that was okay. It had to be.

“I’m gonna head out and get some sleep. It was a long shift,” she said softly, pulling her bag onto her shoulder. “Tell him I was here if he asks.”

Sam stood and followed her to the door. “He’s gonna feel bad, Y/N.”

“Good,” she said with a faint smirk, her old fire returning momentarily. “But don’t let him dwell on it too long. He’s got what he wants.”

Sam grinned despite himself, then sobered. “You’re still my best friend, you know.”

“And you’re still mine,” Y/N replied, her voice warm. The two hugged before Y/N slipped out of the room and left the hospital.

Walking out to her car, she felt a strange sense of peace. The air was cool, and the stars were just beginning to peek through the darkening sky. She paused by her car, looking up at the vast expanse above her.

It would take some time for her to get over her romantic feelings for Dean, but they had been friends for a long time. She wouldn’t abandon decades of friendship because he chose another woman as his wife. But she was going to have to find closure on her own.

And as she drove home, she resolved to do just that.

Tomorrow would be another day—a day to heal, to grow, and to focus on what really mattered. She felt ready to let go for the first time in a long time.

And that was enough.

[enigmalynne]

Goodbye To You - Dean x Y/N, Dean x Carmen

Title – Goodbye To You Pairings – DeanXCarmen, Y/N, Sam Word Count – 6,106 Warnings – ANGST, absolutely wrong use of medical terms and practices, confused Dean Prompt – Character A has to watch Character B fall in love with someone else.

“Hey, stranger,” Y/N said, coming up behind Sam at the bar. He turned and looked at you, a smile breaking across his face. He stood and pulled you into a tight hug. 

“Hey, sweetheart,” Sam says quietly.  Once they break, she pulls a stool beside her best friend. She and the brothers grew close after they showed up in her clinic one evening when a hunt went wrong. Being the only doctor on staff that night was a blessing as she grew up in the hunter’s world before breaking free for medical school. 

“How did you get here before your brother? Isn’t he the one who prefers the bar to being at home?” Y/N asked as she waved down the bartender. 

“There’s something you should know about Dean before he gets here,” Sam starts but gets interrupted by his brother walking up to them. 

“Y/N!!” Dean shouts. She turns and looks at him with bright, excited eyes and a wide smile. Jumping off her chair, she throws herself into Dean’s arms, and he spins her around, laughing. Before Y/N could lean in and kiss him, Dean turned and held his hand to a woman watching the interaction with amusement. 

“Y/N, I want you to meet someone. Someone important to me,” Dean said. Y/N watches as the dark-haired woman takes Dean’s hand, intertwining their fingers. Her smile falters slightly. “Y/N, this is Carmen. My fiancé.” Y/N’s mouth drops open in shock, her eyes wide as she takes in their linked hands, but she recovers quickly. 

“You… your fiancé…” Y/N stutters, glancing at Sam. He gives Y/N a sympathetic smile and nods. “I… I had no idea.” 

“I’ve heard so much about you from both these guys. I can’t wait to get to know the most important woman in their lives,” Carmen said, stepping forward and embracing Y/N in a hug. She startles but hugs Carmen. 

“Well, second most important now,” Dean says, and the pain that binds Y/N’s chest takes her breath away momentarily. Y/N blinks quickly to hide the tears that rush to her lash line. Dean watches the two girls hug before leaning over and ordering two beers. 

“I think we are going to become great friends,” Carmen said, pulling back but keeping her hands on Y/N’s shoulders. Y/N nodded, and a forced smile was on her face. 

“Yeah!” Y/N ground out in a happy voice. Dean handed Carmen her beer and then pointed over his shoulder. 

“We’re going to grab a pool table; join us.” 

“Oh, Sam and I need to get drinks first,” Y/N said, leaning on the bar top. She tried to make it look casual and not like it was holding her up. Dean’s expression dropped as he realized they didn’t have drinks before them. 

“Oh, shit. Sorry guys, lemme grab the first round,” he muttered, trying to flag the bartender down again. Y/N shook her head and waved her hand. 

“Don’t worry about it. Go grab a table, and we’ll be over there shortly.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay.”

Dean grabbed Carmen’s hand and kissed her forehead, leading her to the pool tables. Y/N watched them walk away before turning and facing the bar, her eyes burning.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Y/N breathed, her hands gripping the counter tightly. Sam frowned, observing her. He knew how deep Y/N’s feelings went for his older brother.

“I tried to get it out before he got here; he just was faster than I expected,” he said quietly. Y/N nodded, eyes staring blindly at the bar top. She barely hears Sam order two tequila shots, Y/N’s comfort liquor.

“How long?” she asked. 

“Almost a year,” Sam answered. Y/N laughed without humor. “What?” 

“We were still fucking around last year,” she said flatly, reaching for one of the shot glasses the bartender placed in front of them. She threw the tequila back and barely flinched at the burn, the pain in her heart far worse than that in her throat. 

“Yeah, I know,” Sam replied. “I told him if he was going to get serious with Carmen, he had to tell you and call it off. I guess he didn’t say anything to you, though.”

“No, he didn’t,” Y/N whispered, shaking her head. “But it explains why he’s been so distant. I don’t think he realizes that you and I talk more now.” Sam ran a hand up and down her back, offering subtle comfort. Y/N closed her eyes and took a shaky breath as she shook her head. A few stray tears filled her cheeks, and she wiped them away violently. 

Enough. He made his decision, and it wasn’t you. Be a big girl and get through tonight. You can cry about it back in the hotel room… her inner voice growled at her. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, a shiver going through her. When Y/N opened her eyes again, they were dry and distant. She lifted her head to look at Sam with a smile. Sam studied his friend with a frown. Y/N simply shrugged and reached for her glass. 

“What?” she asked. 

“What?” he parroted.

“Things happen for a reason, right?” Y/N asked quietly. She held her glass out for him to toast, and after a long pause, he picked up his glass and clinked it against hers. She threw back the second shot of tequila, wincing slightly, before ordering a beer and another round for Sam.

“C’mon. Now we have to beat them.”

“It’s been fun, you guys, but I need to call it a night.” 

“It’s only 9:30!” Dean exclaimed, one arm thrown around Carmen. 

“I’ve got an early morning tomorrow,” she said, reaching for her bag. 

“What could you possibly have tomorrow morning that is more important than hanging out with us right now?” Dean scoffed. Y/N threw a questioning look at Sam, who shook his head slightly. Looks like we are all keeping secrets now, she thought to herself with a sigh. Y/N shook her head and dug into her wallet for a couple of twenties to pay for her drinks. Sam placed a hand on hers to stop her.

“I’ve got you,” he said, causing her to look up. She shot him a soft smile. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Sam said with a smile, squeezing her hand. She nodded, closed her wallet, and shoved it back in her bag. “Are you staying with us or…” 

“I’ve got a hotel,” Y/N answered, her eyes darting to the couple across from her before returning to Sam. “They got me a hotel for a few nights, figured the least I can do is take them up on their hospitality.”

“Wait, so you aren’t staying with us?” Dean asked. He moved his arm from around Carmen and leaned forward on his elbows. “You always stay with us. And who is they? What’s going on?”

“Well,” Y/N hesitated, looking at Carmen, who watched the interaction quietly. “Things have changed now, Dean.” 

“Changed?” he muttered quietly, turning to look at Carmen. Carmen, who was now looking at Dean with a raised brow. “Oh.” 

“Here, let me walk you to your rental,” Sam said. Y/N nodded. 

“Okay. It was awesome meeting you, Carmen. Dean, don’t do anything stupid,” Y/N said with a tight smile. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow afternoon, okay? I’ll come by around five?”

“Sounds great, Y/N. See you then,” Carmen said, watching Sam walk her to the door. Once they were out of sight, she turned and looked at her unusually quiet fiancé and raised a brow. 

“So, babe,” she started, picking up her beer bottle. “Anything you want to fill me in on?” 

“What time is your interview at Lawrence Memorial?” Sam asked. Y/N smiled reluctantly.  

“Nine a.m. I was hoping to get into the emergency department here. It would have been nice to settle down here with you guys and grow some roots. But if he’s engaged to Carmen and it's serious, it might be for nothing,” Y/N said. The two walked up to a white Honda Accord.

“You could still come back, make a home here. It’d be awesome to see you more regularly,” Sam said. 

“I don’t know. The whole point was to come back here and commit to Dean, you know? Tell him how I feel and make a real go at it. There’s no point now,” she said dejectedly. When she realized what she said, her eyes flew open. “No, Sam, that’s not what I meant…”

“I know what you meant, don’t worry,” Sam said calmly, though he was slightly stung. “I know you’re hurting right now, so don’t worry about it.”

“I just don’t see the point,” Y/N said quietly. “I don’t want to be reminded about how little I meant to Dean every day.”

“You know what? Go through the interview anyway and see how you like it. You might find that the hospital is exactly what you want anyway. You’ve been talking about wanting a change for a long time, and this could be it. Besides, you need to do this for you, not for him. He doesn’t deserve you anyhow,” Sam reminded her. Y/N smiled and reached up to hug Sam tightly. 

“I love you, you know that?” she said quietly. 

“Of course you do,” he said, squeezing her back. “Now go get some rest and nail that interview.”

“Hi, I have a nine a.m. appointment with Doctor James Montgomery. I’m Y/N Y/L/N,” she said to the receptionist at the front of the hospital. Y/N watched as the kind older woman typed into the system and then nodded her head. 

“Yes, I see you right here. If you would take a seat, I’ll page Dr. Montgomery down, and he will be right with you,” she said, pointing to a row of chairs nearby. Y/N nodded her head and sat down. She brushed a strand of brown hair behind her ear, then smoothed out her skirt as she waited. 

“Dr. Y/L/N,” a handsome man said, dressed in scrubs and carrying a file. Y/N stood up and smiled at him. She accepted his handshake and nodded in greeting. “Welcome to Lawrence Memorial.”

A tour of the emergency department, an interview with Dr. Montgomery and three other doctors, and a review of her qualifications. Y/N walked out of the hospital three hours later, feeling confident that she had nailed the interview. The emergency department, while smaller than the one she worked at in Kentucky, was clean and state-of-the-art. They obviously cared about the patients that came into their hospital and were thorough in their caretaking. The hospital had some of the latest technology on the market and was in line to get some of the newest pieces. She watched how the doctors and nurses worked and recognized a seamless flow, a trust between everyone there that some ERs didn’t have… including her home in Kentucky. 

She could do good work here if she decided to take the job. 

If she was offered the job. 

Getting into her rental, she sped off to the hotel to change into something more casual before meeting Sam for lunch. The two book nerds would meet at their favorite cafe for sandwiches before hitting the old bookstore for research. Then, they would meet with Dean and Carmen, something she still had to work up the courage for. 

“It was 20 questions last night after you left,” Sam said casually, popping a potato chip into his mouth. Y/N’s eyes snapped to Sam’s face despite her sipping her sweet tea, her chicken salad sandwich and chips untouched. 

“Really? By who?” she asked. 

“Who do you think?” he replied with a smirk. “Carmen.” Y/N stared at Sam briefly, then smirked back at him. 

“She didn’t know about me either, did she?” Y/N asked. Sam shook his head. 

“Nope,” he grinned, tossing another chip into his mouth. Y/N laughed lightly as she picked up half of her sandwich. 

“Well, I’m kind of happy I’m not the only one who was blindsided last night then,” she said, biting into the chicken salad. She wiped her mouth with a napkin as she swallowed. “He deserves it for being a jerk about the whole situation. I hope it was uncomfortable as hell.” 

“Oh, it was. ‘You slept with her, didn’t you?’ ‘Was it while we were together?’ ‘Tell me the truth, you’re still in love with her, aren’t you?’” Sam quoted in a mocking tone. Y/N bit her lip as mixed feelings banged around her chest. She was glad Dean was getting lectured, but at the same time, she hated that this was why. 

“You’d think he’d have told his fiance the truth even though he didn’t have the balls to tell me,” she grumbled, again picking up her tea. She took a long sip and stared out the window at nothing in particular, pain flashing in her eyes as she thought about the two. No, we agreed we’d let it go, she told herself. Sam frowned and reached over to grab her hand. 

“Hey,” he said quietly. Y/N looked up at him and forced a smile on her face. 

“I’m fine. Really,” she said. “Let’s finish up. I want to hit up that bookstore so we can finish that research you need done.”

Ultimately, Y/N ended up taking the job with Lawrence Medical. The offer was too good to refuse, so she returned to Kentucky to pack her things. Sam flew out a week later, helped her pack her belongings into a Uhaul, hitch her old Mustang onto a trailer, and drove the hours away with her back to Lawrence. 

“I picked out an apartment for you,” Sam said a few hours into the drive, between bites of Twizzlers. “I know you’ll love it, so I dropped the deposit. It’s halfway between the hospital and our place, has two bedrooms, and is one of the few complexes with a fireplace.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Y/N said, a sweet smile on her face. 

“Don’t worry, I took the money out of Dean’s half of the savings,” he laughed. 

“Oh, well, in that case, I’m totally okay with it,” she said with a wave of a hand. She took a bite of the red licorice candy and stared out the window for some time before asking the question she didn’t want the answer to. “When is their wedding supposed to be?” 

“Sometime in the next four months. Carmen wants a winter wedding, and Dean will do whatever Carmen wants,” Sam said quietly. 

“Dean hates the cold. He prefers the summer,” she muttered under her breath. Sam glanced at her, taking notice of the sadness in her eyes. He frowned but didn’t say anything. 

“Whatever, it's not my problem, right? I’ll get over it,” she said to no one in particular. “I need to focus on getting to Lawrence and being ready to go to the hospital tomorrow to pick up my badge and schedule.” 

“I thought you had another week to get settled and everything?” Sam asked. Y/N shrugged. 

“The busier I am, the less I think about things,” she replied, pouting. “If I’m going to get over my feelings about Dean, I need other things to focus on. Throwing myself into work is a good start. Setting up my new apartment will be a good second. Did you say it has a fireplace?”

The next morning

“I’m glad you came in today to get situated,” Dr. Montgomery said, escorting Y/N around the emergency room. “We can set up your locker and get you the necessary keys. Our dress code is ID’d scrubs, and while it will take a little while to get the embroidered ones with your name on them, you should be fine as long as you wear your ID badge. You don’t have to wear the white coat if you don’t want to… ”

“Mass trauma coming in!” the head nurse shouted. “City bus versus two cars. Unknown how many are hurt. Get the beds ready.” Everyone around them started to scramble, grabbing supplies and preparing the hospital beds for incoming patients. Doctor Montgomery looked over at Y/N, who was watching the organized chaos with barely controlled eagerness. 

“Can you start early?” the doctor asked, causing Y/N to grin slightly. 

“Just get me a clean pair of scrubs and some Crocs,” she replied. Doctor Montgomery nodded and ushered her toward the doctor’s lounge just as the first victims arrived. Grabbing a pair of teal scrubs and a pair of gray crocs, Y/N changed quickly and threw her items into an empty locker. She pulled her stethoscope out of her backpack and wrapped it around her neck before sliding a few pens into the pockets in her sleeves. 

“Doctor Y/L/N,” a voice said, causing her to pause and turn around. A man stood in the doorway and held out a plastic badge to her. She took it and looked at the front, noticing her photo. She looked confused. 

“Monty told me to give that to you. They took the photo you had on your driver’s license and used that to make a temporary ID so you can help out,” the man said. He flashed a bright smile toward her as she nodded. “I’m Damien, but everyone calls me DJ.”

“Y/N,” she said, clipping the ID to the front of her scrubs. DJ winked at her as they exited the doctor’s lounge. 

“Welcome to Lawrence.” 

The next few hours passed in a blur of patients, new nurses, and names she knew she’d never remember. Her once pristine makeup was now spotted with sweat, and her hair fell out of her once tidy bun. Y/N had just finished with a young girl who had a broken arm and a few lacerations that required stitches.

“Thank you so much, Doctor Y/L/N,” the weary and exhausted mother said as she cuddled her young daughter close to her. Y/N simply smiled and nodded, escorting them out of the emergency room. She made a few more notes in the chart in her hands before dropping them off at the desk nearby. 

“What’s next?” she asked, sliding up to DJ, who reviewed the patient list. Just then, the doors burst open, and she watched as two paramedics brought in another patient… or rather, two patients. One was on the gurney, and the other was running alongside it. 

“Dean?” Y/N questioned, watching as he ran past her. 

“What have you got?” DJ asked, turning to walk with the gurney. 

“Woman in her mid-thirties, BP is 175 over 96, the pulse is 120 and going up, she was trapped in one of the cars that was hit by the bus. They just got her out,” one of the paramedics rattled off. Y/N nodded as she listened and put on another pair of clean gloves. She frowned as she recognized Carmen on the gurney. 

“She awake at all, or been unconscious the entire time?” Y/N asked. 

“Boyfriend said she was awake for a few minutes but then blacked out and hasn’t woken up yet.”

“Trauma 2, make a hole, people!” DJ yelled, pushing the bed with them. Y/N hopped up on the gurney and started to do her checks. Suddenly, Dean was in the way, trying to get to Carmen.

“Dean, you gotta let me work,” Y/N said, pushing Dean’s hands away so she could get to Carmen and start an IV. “Dean, Stop! Fucking… DJ!!”

“On it,” the other doctor said, stepping away and pulling off his gloves. He stepped up to Dean and took a good look at him. Blood was coming from his hairline, and his eyes were wide and unfocused. The way he was holding his shoulder wasn’t good either. “C’mon, man, let’s get you checked out.” 

“I gotta stay with Carmen,” he slurred out. Check another box for a possible concussion, DJ thought. Gently taking the moving arm Dean had, DJ pulled the man away. 

“She’s in good hands with Doctor Y/L/N; why don’t we get you tended to? Does your head hurt you? What’s going on with this arm?” DJ tried again. Dean shook his head. 

“I’m fine, lemme go.”

“Dude, don’t make me sedate you,” DJ said with a bit of humor. Just then, Y/N came from the curtained room and stood aside as they watched the bed rush off to the elevators. 

“Don’t be a dick, Dean. You’re going to be no fucking good to her like this. Now get checked out, or I’m going to give DJ permission to sedate your ass and confine you to a bed,” Y/N snarked, her temper getting the best of her. DJ blinked at Y/N’s words to the patient. 

“But, Carmen…”

“...is going up to surgery and will be there for a few hours, which means we can focus on your dislocated shoulder and that concussion you're most certainly sporting. Now, let DJ work on you, and I’ll call Sam and get him down here to help you. You’re gonna be no damn good to anyone acting up like this,” Y/N said, filling out a form on a clipboard. “DJ, if he gives you any more shit, you have my permission to sedate his ass.” 

“Hey!” Dean shouted. 

“I’m still listed on your emergency contacts next to Sam,” she said in a sing-song voice before walking away. Dean stared at her deliriously before looking up at DJ, who shrugged his shoulders. 

“You heard her, man.” 

Dean slowly woke up in an unfamiliar room to steady beeping. He cautiously looked around, wincing when his head protested the movement. Just then, the door to the room quietly opened, and he noticed that Y/N stuck her head inside. 

“Looks like you got yourself a bed anyway,” Y/N said, walking into the dimly lit room. Dean grunted as he saw who it was. Sammy followed close behind. 

“How you feeling there, big guy?” Y/N asked, looking at the monitors attached to Dean. 

“Like I got hit by a city bus,” he groaned. Sam chuckled a bit, reaching over to squeeze Dean’s hand. Dean had a sling on one arm and a bandage on his forehead where the cut was made from the glass. 

“At least you weren’t driving the Impala,” Sam said, causing Dean to grunt in agreement. Y/N studiously ignored the two, checking Dean’s vitals and making notes in the chart. The brothers chatted, and soon, Y/N was finished. She placed her hands on her hips as she faced them. 

“Everything looks good,” she explained. “They will most likely keep you overnight for observation due to the severity of the concussion, which is normal, and I figure you’re going to want to be here anyway for Carmen. I arranged it so they can bring her here when she is out of recovery, and you two can share the room.” Surprise colored Sam’s expression while Dean stared at Y/N with worry. 

“How is she?” he asked. 

“She made it through the surgery just fine. They were able to isolate the internal bleeding and stop it, gave her some blood, and her vitals stabilized. She’s in recovery right now being monitored, and they should be coming down with her soon,” Y/N explained plainly. 

“Oh, thank God,” Dean breathed. Y/N looked over at Sam and nodded her head. 

“If there is anything else you need, just press the nurse’s button, and they can help you,” she explained, turning toward the door. 

“Wait, you’re not staying?” Dean asked. Y/N paused and turned back toward the man lying in the bed. She would stay with them any time one of them had been hurt.

“I’ve got work to do, Dean,” she explained gently, her voice soft. “I need to check on other patients from the crash.”

“So, you work here now? When did that happen?” he asked, his voice getting angry. “When did we start keeping secrets from each other, huh? You’ve been acting off ever since you got here.”

“Me,” Y/N scoffed, placing a hand on her chest. “I’ve been acting off.”

“You’ve been distant, you aren’t staying with us, you barely talk to me anymore,” Dean ticked off. Sam placed a hand on his brother’s arm, trying to stop him from carrying on. 

“Dean, c’mon man, now’s not the time,” Sam tried. Dean shook him off.

“You know you’ve noticed it, Sammy. She’s barely around us anymore; when she is, she clams up and barely speaks to us. What happened? We used to be best friends,” Dean said, looking at his brother. He turned to look at Y/N, staring at Dean, desperately trying to keep her emotions at bay. “You were my best friend. What happened to that?”

 “Dean…” Y/N started but was interrupted. 

“No, I don’t want to hear some stupid excuse. I want the truth, damnit,” Dean growled, a hand reaching his head. He leaned back onto the bed with his eyes closed, his breathing deepening as he tried to control the pain ricocheting in his head. Sam watched in sympathy as Y/N fought back overwhelming emotions, torn between lashing out and walking away.

“Oh, Dr. Y/L/N, you’re already here,” a voice said. “We were just about to have you paged.” She turned to the now open door and saw that two orderlies were bringing Carmen into the room as she slept off the anesthesia. She stepped out of the way and allowed them access to the opposite side of the room, watching as they connected the machines that would track her heart rate, blood pressure, and the like. Dean watched with interest the happenings in the room. 

“Is she okay? Why isn’t she awake yet?” he asked nervously. 

“She is still sleeping off the anesthesia,” Y/N answered quietly. One of the orderlies handed Y/N the chart just as a nurse walked in. 

“Dr. Y/L/N,” the cheerful voice said. Y/N shot the kind nurse a smile. “You’re still here.”

“I was just visiting some friends who happened to be in the crash,” she said, making a few notes. “Carmen is doing well; will just need to sleep off the anesthesia.” 

“Yes, doctor,” the nurse said, doing some checks on her own. Soon, both the orderlies and the nurse had left the room. Y/N took a deep breath and turned to look at Dean, who was eyeing Carmen with worry. 

“Dean,” Y/N started quietly. “This isn’t the place to have the conversation you are so intent on having.” Dean turned away from Carmen and looked at her, confused. 

“What?” he asked. Y/N just shook her head. 

“Get some rest. I’ll check back in a bit.” Dean watched her nod her head, glance at Sam, and offer a sad smile before leaving the room. Then, he turned to look at his little brother suspiciously. 

“You know what’s going on, don’t you?” he asked. Sam nodded. 

“You really should have told her about Carmen sooner, is all I’m saying,” Sam explained. “She is heartbroken and feeling betrayed, yet she still took the job here to be close to us. What does that say? It’s gonna take a while for her to get over you, but she’ll be okay.”

“She was in love with me?” Dean asked, his voice hurt and distant. 

“Is. Is in love with you,” Sam corrected. 

“Why didn’t she say anything?”

“She was going to at the bar that night when she first got into town. Then you sprung Carmen on her, and she kept her mouth shut instead.”

“And you knew all of this.”

“Yep.”

“How?”

“She’s my best friend, Dean. Who do you think she’s gonna talk to?” Dean grew quiet, lost in thought about how he should handle things. This new information now confused him. Sure, he loved Y/N, but was he in love with her? No, of course not; he was in love with Carmen. Right? Right. 

Right. 

A quiet moan from the bed next to them caught their attention, and Dean’s introspection of his love life was put on hold as he tried to get up and check on his fiance. Despite everything, she still needed him to be strong for her as she had just come out of surgery for internal bleeding. 

“Carmen,” he breathed as she opened her eyes.

Almost four hours later, Y/N finally had a moment to go back and check on Dean and Carmen. She quietly opened the door to the room and peeked her head in, finding both patients fast asleep. Sam looked up and smirked at her as she entered the room. 

“Lemme guess,” she started quietly. “Someone gave the nurses a hard time and got his ass sedated.” 

“Yup!” Sam answered cheerfully. The two shared a quiet laugh. Y/N walked to Dean’s side and gently ran her hand through his hair, looking at him affectionately. Dean shifted in his sleep, turning his head toward her, and the small gesture made her chest ache for something that was no longer hers. 

“I want to hate him so badly,” she whispered. “I want him to be happy; I just thought that meant with me. The whole point of me taking this job was to be closer to you guys and to give us a real go of it. Instead, he found someone else. He couldn’t even tell me until I didn’t have a chance.” 

“I told him everything,” Sam said softly. Y/N scoffed as she looked over at Sam, her shoulders dropping. 

“Sam,” she complained. 

“He needed to know,” he explained. Y/N shook her head. 

“No, he didn’t. I would have come up with something that could have explained everything that didn’t include my emotional trauma,” she answered. “God, Sam.” 

“Y/N…” he started.

“He’s gonna think I’m weak. He’s gonna think I’m pathetic.” Y/N’s eyes filled with tears.

“He doesn’t think either of those things.”

“Well, he should because I am weak and pathetic.”

“Y/N, this isn’t on you,” Sam explained. “This is on him. He’s the one who didn’t tell you about Carmen and, in turn, gave you false hope. You are allowed to feel betrayed and heartbroken. You are allowed to feel angry.”

“Oh, I feel angry. I'm angry at myself for ever believing this could have worked out in the first place,” Y/N whispered. Sam sighed. She looked at Dean for a long moment, then leaned over and kissed his temple. 

“I need to get back to the ER. Call me if you need anything,” Y/N said to Sam with a smile. Sam simply nodded. “Love you bestie,” she said in a sing-song voice, causing Sam to chuckle. 

“Yeah, love you too,” he responded. 

Y/N stepped out of the room, her smile fading as the door clicked softly shut behind her. She stood in the hallway momentarily, taking a deep breath to steady herself. The quiet hum of the hospital around her was familiar and grounding, even as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

It wasn’t the first time she’d had to put her feelings aside for the sake of others, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. But this time, it hurt more than she thought it would. She’d come back to be close to them, to him. And yet, here she was, realizing that her place wasn’t by Dean’s side after all.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, a reminder of the dozen other patients waiting for her care. With one last glance at the closed door, Y/N squared her shoulders and turned toward the ER. She had a job to do, and she wouldn’t let her heartbreak get in the way of helping people who needed her.

Back in the room, Sam watched as Dean stirred, waking slowly. Carmen’s soft breathing filled the space, her presence grounding him. Dean glanced at Sam, his eyes clouded with confusion and guilt.

“She was here, wasn’t she?” Dean asked, his voice rough from sleep.

“Yeah,” Sam said, keeping his tone even. “She’s got work to do, though. You know, saving lives and all.”

Dean let out a small, humorless laugh. “She always did have a way of putting everyone else first.”

Sam didn’t reply; he just leaned back in his chair and watched his brother carefully.

“She’ll be okay,” Sam said after a long pause. “She’s stronger than you think.”

Dean nodded but didn’t respond, his gaze shifting to Carmen. His hand moved instinctively to hers, squeezing gently. She was his future, and he knew he couldn’t let anything—or anyone—come between them.

Hours later, as Y/N’s shift finally ended, she checked on the brothers one last time before heading home for the night. It had been a quick 24-hour shift, and she was exhausted. Knocking on the door quietly, she walked into the room and saw that Sam was the only one awake again. She smiled at the younger brother. 

“You sleep at all?” She asked him. 

“A little,” Sam answered. “Dean got up and wanted to sit next to Carmen so we moved him over there. He’s been calmer since she woke up a few hours ago.” Y/N nodded and walked over to them to check on them. 

“Speaking of Dean, I’ve decided something,” she said. Sam raised an eyebrow at his best friend in anticipation, worried that he wasn’t going to like the words that came out of her mouth next.  

“I’m done waiting, Sam,” she said quietly, setting down the chart. She looked over at him with a sad smile. “Done hoping he’ll wake up and see me how I’ve always seen him. It’s not fair to him, to Carmen, or to me. I came here to start over, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Sam frowned, concern clouding his face. “You’re not leaving, are you?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m staying. But like you said, I’m doing this for me. This job, this place — it’s a chance for me to build a life on my terms. I don’t need to run just because he doesn’t love me back the way I wanted. He’s still one of my best friends.”

Sam nodded. “You’re stronger than you think, Y/N.”

Y/N gave him a small, bittersweet smile. “I’m starting to believe that.”

The two of them sat silently for a moment, the soft hum of hospital machines filling the room. Finally, Y/N glanced at Dean one last time. He looked peaceful, his hand resting protectively on Carmen’s, even asleep. It was a picture of the life he’d chosen, which didn’t include her.

And that was okay. It had to be.

“I’m gonna head out and get some sleep. It was a long shift,” she said softly, pulling her bag onto her shoulder. “Tell him I was here if he asks.”

Sam stood and followed her to the door. “He’s gonna feel bad, Y/N.”

“Good,” she said with a faint smirk, her old fire returning momentarily. “But don’t let him dwell on it too long. He’s got what he wants.”

Sam grinned despite himself, then sobered. “You’re still my best friend, you know.”

“And you’re still mine,” Y/N replied, her voice warm. The two hugged before Y/N slipped out of the room and left the hospital.

Walking out to her car, she felt a strange sense of peace. The air was cool, and the stars were just beginning to peek through the darkening sky. She paused by her car, looking up at the vast expanse above her.

It would take some time for her to get over her romantic feelings for Dean, but they had been friends for a long time. She wouldn’t abandon decades of friendship because he chose another woman as his wife. But she was going to have to find closure on her own.

And as she drove home, she resolved to do just that.

Tomorrow would be another day—a day to heal, to grow, and to focus on what really mattered. She felt ready to let go for the first time in a long time.

And that was enough.

[enigmalynne]

It's my 14 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

[enigmalynne]

Time for another BINGO! I have some squares already in the works and plots written out for others. Who is ready for some #JAcklesverseBingo24 fun??

[enigmalynne]

Supernatural Survival: The Last Hunt

Title – Supernatural Survival: The Last Hunt Pairings – Cannon Word Count – 6,782 Warnings – violence, monsters from The Last of Us AND Supernatural, shooting and Molotov cocktail throwing, cursing. JAcklesverseBingo Prompt – Parallel Universe AU

Summary: Sam and Dean find themselves in the middle of the apocalypse—an apocalypse riddled with cordyceps and monsters they have never had to battle before. While searching for items that could help make some weapons, they run into someone who knows what hunting used to mean. She takes them under her wing, bringing them home to Jackson.

The building was in ruins, left for nature to take back after the world fell apart. The floors were filled with holes where rotted wood gave way, and broken furniture and windows littered the rooms the brothers crawled through. Sam and Dean moved carefully through the silence, kicking up dust and mold from time to time despite their planned steps. 

“This is disgusting,” Dean muttered, going through the drawers of a worn desk in search of anything they could use.  

“You know the deal, Dean. We search everything we come across,” Sam said quietly, his hand resting on the rifle across his chest. He kept his head on a swivel for anything that might come their way. Dean closed the drawer harder than he meant to. 

“This place is picked over already. We’re wasting our time,” Dean said in a frustrated huff. The packs on their back carried everything they currently owned, so they’d have to make do with what they had.  Sam glared at his older brother, his narrowed eyes being the only part of his face showing as the scarf he had covered his nose and mouth. 

“Keep looking anyway,” he grunted. Dean mocked his little brother before looking through the rest of the desk drawers, finding nothing. He kicked the desk in frustration, causing birds to squawk and fly away. Sam turned to glare at Dean and was about to lecture him for his tantrum.

It was that moment of distraction that caused them trouble. One moment, they were searching through old furniture for rags and things they could use as weapons, and the next moment, they were fighting with a clicker that came out of nowhere, pinning Dean down and biting mere inches away from his face. Its claws were ripping into his skin, tearing deeper as he tried to push it away from him. He had jumped into its path when he realized it was headed toward Sam, refusing to let the creature take his brother from him. 

“Stay back,” Dean growled, desperately trying to reach the machete hanging from his hip. Sam had aimed with his rifle, waiting for a clear shot to take the zombie out. Suddenly, a screech was heard behind him, and Sam swiftly spun on his feet as another clicker approached them. Without hesitation, he shot twice at the creature’s head. It dropped dead immediately. 

Dean finally got a leg up and could kick the clicker away from him, and once he had a little space between them, he pulled his machete up. With a few quick slices, the head of the zombie rolled in one direction while the body fell away. Sam spun with his gun held high to his brother with narrowed eyes. Dean looked up at Sam, panting heavily, his eyes hard and cold. Seeing his brother standing, he lowered the end toward the floor.

“You get bit?” Sam asked, pulling his scarf down. Dean shook his head. 

“No,” he answered, wiping sweat from his face. Sam’s eyes narrowed slightly. 

“You know the drill, man,” he said quietly. Dean looked over at his brother and frowned, and after a pause, he nodded. He pulled his pack off his back and dropped it at his feet before tugging his shirt away from his chest and neck. Sam stepped closer and studied his brother’s body. There were scratches on his chest that were clearly claw marks, but other than that, his skin was bite-free. Sam nodded with relief, lowering his weapon completely. Dean nodded before buttoning his shirt back up. 

“You’re lucky those scratches didn’t go through the tattoo,” Sam muttered distractedly, looking down at the now-dead clickers.

“Never thought I’d say this, but I miss when we hunted ghosts instead of these motherfuckers,” Dean muttered, bending over to pick up his pack. Sam chuckled lightly. 

“At least our hunting skills come in handy,” he replied, looking back at his brother. “Nice use of the machete there.” 

Dean tipped his head in thanks. “I miss the bunker,” he sighed. 

“Me, too,” Sam said. “If we could make it back there, establish some way to grow our food, and get clean water, it could be a fortress against all this shit,” Sam said with a shake of his head. 

“I know we could do it,” Dean agreed, hiking his bag comfortably on his back. Suddenly, a series of loud screeches echoed around them, then gunshots. The brothers turned their heads toward the open hole in the floor, eyes narrowed and guns drawn; as soon as they reached the edge, a woman lept and tried to pull herself up. Dean made his way over to her and grabbed her arm, hauling her up as Sam started shooting at the clicker that rounded on her. 

As soon as she got her balance, she turned and started to fire into the floor below. Once the screeching stopped, the woman paused and stared into the hole while breathing heavily. Her light-colored eyes glanced at the two men before staring down into the hole; Sam kept his rifle pointed into the hole, and Dean had his handgun pointed at her. The three then stood there, silent. Waiting.

The woman’s eyes lifted to the men after a minute of silence. Dean noted she was young, far younger than anyone out alone should be. They stared at each other for a long moment, hearing nothing but the birds outside and a few crickets scattered around the building. 

“You, uh… You hear anything?” the woman whispered timidly. Sam and Dean glanced at each other, then shook their heads. Finally, after a tense moment, she dropped her arm and stepped back. She placed her hands on her knees to draw air into her lungs, the adrenaline giving way to anxiety.

“Okay… good,” she muttered, looking between the men before her. She then noticed the two dead clickers nearby, eyes widening. “Oh, shit. Did you take those down?”

“Yeah, a little bit before you showed up. And you are?” Dean asked, his gun still trained on the young woman.

She looked over at Dean, startled when she realized he had a gun on her. She opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by a scratching of static and a mumbling voice. The woman took what looked like a toy walkie-talkie out of her back pocket, making the voice slightly more precise. 

“Where the hell are you, Casey?” the voice asked irritably. “I heard gunshots. Are you okay? I swear if you are dead, I’m going to kill you myself.”

“I’m fine, Y/N,” the woman – Casey – said into the ancient walkie-talkie. “I ran into trouble but found some help taking down the clickers. This building isn’t as clear as we thought it was.” 

“Raiders?” the scratchy voice asked. 

“Raiders wouldn’t have saved my life.” 

“Famous last words. Get your ass up here.” 

“On my way,” Casey said with a smirk, clicking the walkie-talkie off. She looked over at the brothers and slipped it back into her pocket. 

“I’m Casey, and that was Y/N,” she said, tilting her head away from where they were standing. “I’m going to assume you aren’t going to kill me. If that’s true, then… Come on. We know a way out of here that’s a fuck ton safer than going back down through that.” Casey turned, walking down a hallway and stepping over the dead clickers. Dean moves to follow, but before he gets far, Sam stops him. 

“The hell, Dean?” 

“Well, I’m not gonna stay here,” Dean said. 

“So, you want to follow a complete fucking stranger to God knows where?” Sam asked incredulously. 

“The other option is to go back down there. I don’t want to do that. Do you?” Dean asked with a raised brow. Sam scoffed at his brother but followed when Dean walked after Casey. 

By the time they reached Y/N, the brothers had found several things they could use for makeshift weapons: more rags, scissors and broken pieces of metal, some rope, and a few old glass containers. On the other hand, Casey was collecting things like pens and pencils, notepads, journals, and some clothing. 

Y/N was folding what looked to be clothing into a duffle bag. She heard shuffling and was pointing a gun at the three before they even turned the corner. Casey started to whistle before turning the corner, her hands up in surrender. The brothers followed a few steps behind, their hands on their weapons. Y/N relaxed when she saw Casey walking toward her but immediately returned to the defense when she spotted the brothers. 

“Who the fuck are you two?” Y/N growled, her gun back up, and pointed at the brothers as she stood. 

“Put your gun down, and let’s talk about this,” Sam said calmly, his rifle pointed at her.

Y/N cocked an eyebrow. “I think not,” she muttered under her breath. 

“Y/N, no! They saved my life,” Casey shouted, trying to stop her from shooting them. Y/N glanced at the girl. “They got me away from a clicker and even killed it. They killed two on their own.”

“And that makes them friendlies?” Y/N snapped quietly. Sam side-stepped while the two argued, moving to give him a better advantage. “Don’t even think about it, or I will drop you where you stand.” 

“You aren’t fast enough,” Dean said, cocking his gun. 

“Okay, okay… let’s all just take a breath here,” Casey said with a frown. Y/N shifted toward her. That movement caused Dean to notice something familiar on her arm.

“Wait!” Dean shouted, causing both Y/N and Sam to freeze. “Show me your forearm.” 

“What?” Y/N asked incredulously. He did not just ask to see…

“Show me your arm,” he asked again, speaking slower. Y/N stared at him for a long moment before using one hand to shove the sleeve up on the arm holding the gun, exposing the anti-possession tattoo inked just near the crease of her elbow. Dean looked at it, pressing his lips in a thin line. He glanced at Sam quickly before he returned his gaze to Y/N. 

In sync, like the brothers always are, they reached up to the collar of their shirts and pulled them aside, exposing their chests. There, in black ink, were identical tattoos. This caused Y/N’s expression to slacken in surprise as she cursed.

“What are you guys? Are you part of the same cult or something?” Casey asked, confusion coloring her tone. Y/N stood up straight, her arms dropping to her sides. She studied the brothers while they studied her. 

“Something like that,” she said softly. Y/N pulled a silver flask from her back pocket and held it up for the two men to see. “Why don’t you humor me?” she said as she tossed it at Dean, who caught the silver item with one hand. Sam looked over at his brother, watching as Dean turned it over and looked at the etchings on the front. His brow raised as he ran his thumb over the runes. 

“I applaud your rune choices, but I do wonder just how holy your water is,” he said, opening the bottle and taking a quick swig. Dean handed the flask to Sam, who also took a sip before closing it and tossing it back to her. She caught it one-handed, a harsh smirk dancing across her lips as she raised her brows at him, slipping it back into her pocket. Dean pulled out a silver blade from its hiding spot behind his back. He flung it at her with a flick of his wrist, having it land in the old wood near her feet. Y/N didn’t react, keeping her eyes on him. 

“Let’s see if you can handle a real test,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. Y/N nodded at him once, reached over, grasped the handle of the silver blade, and tugged it out of the wood. Her eyes dropped to look over the blade, eyeing its intricate engraving before carefully slicing a bit of her forearm open. Dean watched and glanced at Sam, who nodded when she didn’t react. Y/N flung the knife back at the brothers, the blade ending up in the wall between them. Dean scoffed as he pulled it out and returned it to its hiding place on his body. 

Y/N’s entire attitude changed, with surprise and a bit of longing in her voice. “I haven’t seen another hunter in almost 20 years. I’m Y/N.”

“I’m Dean. This is Sam,” Dean said, sliding his weapon back into its holster at his back. Sam waved slightly at her, his expression much more open and friendly. Y/N’s eyes widened slightly, a smile playing on her lips. 

“Winchester? Should have known you two would have survived,” she muttered with a shake of her head. 

“You’ve heard of us?” Sam asked. Y/N scoffed, sliding her gun into the waistband of her worn jeans. 

“Anyone in the business has heard of you guys,” she said, then pointed to the ground beneath her feet, a severe expression on her face. “You guys didn’t have anything to do with this apocalypse, did you?” The brothers bitch-faced the woman before sharing a glance. They went about their way, looking over the room and gathering supplies they could use while Y/N spoke to Casey.

“I’ve picked up as much as I could find on the top five floors. Add your items into the bag, and we’ll get out of here,” she said. Casey nodded, kneeling to add her scavenged items to the duffle bag. “We can check out those houses we passed back to the bus and see if anything is left behind.” A loud crash echoed distantly, followed by a screech. All four turned and lifted their weapons toward the sound, standing frozen in their places. Silence settled over them again, but Y/N wasn’t willing to wait and see what would happen next. 

“We gotta get out of here,” she muttered, her eyes watching for anything that moves. 

“You got an exit in mind?” Dean asked. Y/N and Casey glanced at each other, and Y/N tilted her head toward the back of the floor toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that were giving them light to see.

“Casey, take point,” Y/N said quietly, her eyes unmoving. Casey nodded as she lifted one of the duffle bags at their feet. Once it was secure across her body, she slowly walked toward the back of the room, her gun still in her hands. 

“Sammy, go,” Dean muttered as he glanced behind them. 

“Dean,” Sam warned. 

“I’m right behind you,” he said. Sam frowned but followed Casey, watching Dean follow him. Y/N covered the back of their line with the second duffle bag over her shoulder. When Sam caught up with Casey, he saw a hole in the wall leading to a balcony. Casey was dropping her duffle bag over the side to the ground three floors below. She then propped open a slab in the metal to reveal what was left of a hidden staircase. She then dropped Y/N’s bag over the side once the group was together. One by one, the foursome made their way down to the ground. Y/N glanced up at the building once her feet hit the grass.

“This way,” Y/N muttered, picking up one of the duffle bags tossed down and throwing the strap across her body. She began leading them away from the building and into shadows cast by the overgrowth of trees, their bodies disappearing into the brush. 

There was an unspoken agreement that the four would stick together, and they walked through the brush silently. After a while, the four paired off in their walking. Sam walked with Casey; Dean walked with Y/N. The silence proved too much for the younger pair, and soon they started chatting. The muted voices were almost peaceful to listen to as they walked, the older pair keeping an eye out for danger. A twig snap had the two older ones turning and raising weapons, listening to the sounds of nature surrounding them for signs of danger. 

It wasn’t until they saw a rabbit scampering by that they relaxed. 

“Never a dull moment,” Y/N muttered, causing Dean to chuckle. 

“I can’t tell you the last time I let my guard down,” he said quietly, shaking his head. The two started walking again. Y/N glanced at him. “At least before all this clicker shit happened, I felt like I could get a few hours’ of peaceful sleep at night.” 

“The only way I slept out here was in a hammock chair I found in an abandoned Home Depot back in the day, hung up in the branches of a tree off the ground at least a hundred feet,” Y/N said. “Most uncomfortable way to sleep, but I wasn’t gonna stay on the ground for nothing.” 

“Sammy and I would take turns staying up at night, keeping watch and the fire burning. It never felt like a restful sleep, though. Always woke up tired no matter how long I was out,” he explained. 

“Like you never rested in the first place?” Y/N asked, looking over at the older brother. He glanced at her before answering. 

“Yeah. Something like that.”

“I’d rather hunt a house full of vampires while on my period in cut-off shorts than deal with this shit. At least with vampires, I know what to expect. It feels like every time we turn around, we’re learning something new about these cordyceps and whatnot,” Y/N muttered with a shake of her head. Dean smirked.

“It’s been a few years since I took out anything that wasn’t human or cordyceps driven. I figured all the evil in the world has up and vanished given how humanity has all but destroyed itself,” Dean said. 

A few hours later, the four walked out of the woods and up to a neighborhood filled with rundown houses that were most likely beautiful once upon a time. Now, with rotted wood and overgrown lawns, they simply looked like how the rest of the world did: abandoned and left for Mother Nature to recall as her own.  With a sigh, Y/N paused and looked at the group.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m exhausted,” Y/N said tiredly. “Let’s head to the safe house. We’ll clear it and make camp for the night.”

“I think we left behind some canned food last time we were there. It’s not anything gourmet, but fifteen-year-old canned peaches and some Chef Boyardee sounds pretty damn good to me right now,” Casey said, leading the way. 

“Man, you found peaches?” Sam asked, jogging to catch up with the younger woman. 

“Canned peaches. I’m not promising the best-tasting fruit here,” Casey smiled. 

“We can dig through more of the houses around here while we are here; we might find some good stuff while we’re at it,” Y/N said as she looked over the overgrown streets. “I don’t think anyone has been through those houses in the back. Who knows what we’ll find.”

“Okay. We did the houses on that side of the street when we came here last week,” Casey said, pointing to the houses on the left. “That means we still need to search these houses over here on the right.” 

“Anyone in these homes right now?” Sam asked, looking back at Y/N as she eyed the homes. She shook her head sadly. 

“This was one of the areas FEDRA came through early when they started the quarantine zones back in the day. These places were abandoned early, and being that it’s a random neighborhood in the middle of nowhere, no one has been here in years,” she explained. “Unless someone was passing through and thought to search the homes, we should be lucky to find some more canned food at least.”

“We’ll split up into twos and hit a few houses before heading to your safehouse for the night. How’s that sound?” Dean asked. Y/N looked over at him and shrugged. 

“Sounds good to me. We can pull some stuff from the homes for you guys too, make some more comfortable bedding options and maybe even some clothes,” she replied. They spent the next few hours going through some of the homes and finding some canned food, a comforter, three musty pillows, a few t-shirts, and a worn pair of sweatpants. All in all, it was a good haul. The four had green beans and carrots with their Chef Boyardee and peaches that night.

“Just because we’re in the middle of the apocalypse doesn’t mean clickers are the only things we need to worry about,” Y/N snarked. 

“When’s the last time you hunted anything that wasn’t riddled with cordyceps?” Dean asked, disdain dripping from his voice. Y/N shot him a glare from the corner of her eye as the four trudged through the woods. 

“When was the last time we did?” Sam muttered under his breath, dodging the elbow his older brother tried to shove into his side. Casey laughed lightly at the antics while Y/N smirked at the brothers as they climbed through the trees. 

“You’d be amazed at what needs killing, even now,” Y/N said. “While I haven’t actively hunted anything demonic in quite a while, I’ve been known to do quite a few salt and burn’s along the way. Even now, people need to be put to rest.” 

Sam shot Dean a look and a smirk as if to say, ‘I told you so,’ which earned him an eye roll in return. 

“Do I want to know what you guys are talking about?” Casey asked lightly, causing all three of them to answer in the negative. They were quiet after that, hiking through overgrown grass and ferns between tall trees that had taken back what was rightfully theirs a thousand years ago.

They had been walking for a couple of hours when it happened. The sun dipped low, throwing a beautiful sunset across the sky when a low growl echoed off the trees surrounding them. They froze in their spots, each looking out to locate the owner of the sound. 

“What the hell was that?” Casey asked with apparent fear in her voice. 

“That doesn’t sound like infected,” Dean muttered, slowly pulling his handgun from his thigh holster. Sam shook his head slightly, looking at their surroundings more carefully as he pulled his gun. 

“It isn’t human either,” Sam said quietly. Y/N hushed them both, listening more intently to their surroundings. It had gone oddly quiet, the sounds of birds and crickets disappearing completely. Another growl echoed, this time louder and closer. All four heads swung in the direction it was coming from. 

“We have a predator among us,” Y/N whispered. Dean and Sam glanced at each other before returning to studying their surroundings. 

“I don’t understand what is going on,” Casey said, her gun in her hand and her wide eyes scanning the woods around her. 

“Just stay between us, and you’ll be fine,” Y/N quietly told her. On instinct, the three hunters formed a protective triangle around the younger girl. Suddenly, rustling and heavy breathing disturbed the absolute silence. A guttural sound echoed close by them. The location of the sounds made them feel like they were surrounded.

“Behind,” Sam muttered, causing Dean to glance behind them. There it stood, in all its glory. The skeletal form of a wendigo, tall and skinny with razor-sharp teeth on display in its open mouth. Black beady eyes narrowed on the foursome. Its claws wiggled as if preparing to attack at any moment.

“Oh, fuck,” Dean whispered harshly. The thing screeched a violent scream that caused all of them to stumble back a few steps, pointing the weapons out, knowing they wouldn’t do anything about it. 

“What were you saying about hunting during the apocalypse?” Y/N asked sarcastically to hide the fear in her voice. 

“Run! Now!” Dean said, firing three rounds at the monster in front of them. Sam grabbed Casey’s hand before turning and running as fast as they could. Y/N fired a couple of rounds before she turned and ran, Dean following quickly behind her. The wendigo charged them, a violent roar escaping him that echoed off the trees. It barreled them down quickly, knocking into Dean and throwing him off his feet. 

“Dean!” Sam shouted, turning back to see him. Y/N stopped and looked behind her as well. 

“I’m fine! Keep going!” they heard him yell. The three turned around to start running again, only to come face-to-face with the monster. Y/N screamed in fright, causing him to toss her aside. Its claws tore her skin open, leaving behind scratches across her side. She landed against a tree and fell into a pile of ferns. 

“Y/N!!” Casey screamed as Sam pulled up his rifle and shot it in the face twice to distract it. It shrieked and backed off. 

“That wasn’t very nice,” Y/N groaned as Dean approached her. 

“C’mon, we gotta move,” he said, trying to help her. She nodded her head but moved slowly. Sam darted over to where they were, his weapon raised and ready to fire when the wendigo showed its face again. However, the familiar screeches they heard weren’t from their monster. All four of them glanced at each other with genuine fear.

“This can’t be happening,” Sam muttered as he turned his head, looking for the clickers. The girls grabbed the brothers and yanked them down into the ferns, hiding them from sight. 

“Be silent,” Casey whispered almost silently. With racing hearts and fear running through them, they watched as the clickers moved right by them. The wendigo growled somewhere nearby, causing Dean to stiffen. Y/N put her hand on his arm as a warning. The clickers turned and screeched, looking for the monster who had made so much noise, and it wasn’t moments later that they discovered their prey. The trees then erupted with the growls from the wendigo and the screeching from the clickers as the fight began. 

They stood from their hiding spot and watched dumbfounded as the wendigo fought the clickers. Clawed hands were everywhere, and blood and chunks of skin were flung in different directions as each monster attacked the other, shredding each other to bits.

“Alright, now I’ve seen everything,” Dean muttered, pulling a scoffing laugh from Sam. Y/N pulled a half-filled bottle of alcohol and a torn piece of fabric out of her pack. She poured some liquid on the fabric before stuffing it into the bottle in a makeshift Molotov and holding it in front of her.  

“Gimme a light,” she muttered to Dean. He looked at the bottle in her hands and smirked before digging a lighter out of his pocket. Y/N kept her eyes on the fighting monsters before her as Dean carefully lit the damp rag hanging from the top of the bottle. Once the fire was intense, Y/N reared back and threw the bottle. 

Smashing glass gave way to a quiet woosh of alcohol catching on fire as it fell on the wendigo, clickers, and foliage nearby. Pain-filled cries filled the darkening sky as the flame quickly ate up the dead skin of the monsters, the loud sounds drawing the few other clickers that were nearby. Soon, they were also engulfed in flame. 

Y/N smirked as she looked over at the brothers. Dean was smiling widely as he watched the monsters burn to the ground. He shared a glance with Sam, and the brothers looked relaxed for the first time in Y/N’s presence. Y/N and Casey shared a glance before watching more of the fire burn.

“Isn’t that Dina?” Y/N questioned the next day, squinting as they approached the bus. Casey turned to look in the direction Y/N was pointing, then jumped excitedly. 

“It is Dina!” she exclaimed, then shouted with all her might. “Dina!!” Her voice echoed down the street of abandoned buildings and broken roads. The three other people winced as they heard it. The woman riding the horse in the distance turned around to look their way, and the noise that could only be recognized as infected started heading their way.

“Casey!” Dean growled at her, pulling out his handgun. Y/N shook her head as she walked forward, bending down to pick up what looked like what used to be a baseball bat as she did. As she stood up, she swung the bat upward, connecting with the head of a runner headed her way. The blood and bone splattered across her went ignored as she turned to swing again at the one coming right behind him. 

“I’m sorry!” Casey shouted as she pulled up the rifle handed to her by Y/N miles ago. Sam was picking off infected from farther away, backing up a little to avoid hitting his partners in the fight. Dean shot a runner that was headed for her twice in the head before kicking another one in front of him. 

“Duck!” he heard Sam’s voice shout, causing Dean to drop to one knee. Above him, he heard a small explosion and looked up just in time to see a body collapse behind him. Dean holstered his gun and pulled out his machete, hacking his way through two runners who started to come toward him. A loud screech caught his attention, and he noticed Y/N had a clicker coming up behind her. Before he could shout a warning, he watched as she grabbed a runner and turned with him, shoving him into the clicker. The clicker grabbed him and bit into his neck, giving her time to pull a weapon and fire on them both. 

Impressive, he thought. The fight carried on for what felt like hours but was only fifteen minutes. Dina and Ellie, who were nearby, came to their rescue, firing their guns into the heads of the runners as they rode closer. 

“I thought someone cleared this area,” Y/N panted, looking at Dina. She shrugged.

“It was last week. Who knows where these guys came from? We’ll have to talk to Tommy about it, though,” Dina said, with Ellie nodding. Just then, Jessie rode up to see them standing among several dead runners. 

“Uh, things okay?” he asked, concerned. He eyed the brothers suspiciously before looking at Casey. 

“Hey, Jessie,” she said with a wide smile. The three adults in the group rolled their eyes and turned to check on each other while the two lovebirds took a moment to get reacquainted. Dean and Sam looked each other over, ensuring no bites were visible, while Y/N chatted with Dina and Ellie for a moment. 

“Uh, hey, Y/N?” Casey started. 

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead.” 

“Thank you so much! I promise we’ll meet up in Jackson so I can help clean the clothing we found.” 

“Go on, get out of here.” 

  Y/N took the duffle bag that she was carrying from her before Jessie helped get Casey on his horse. The four twenty-somethings turned and wandered off to finish their rounds as Y/N watched them with a sarcastic smirk. Once they were out of sight, she turned and looked at the brothers who were watching the scene in front of them with barely disguised amusement. Sam reached ahead, took the extra bag Y/N was carrying, and slung it over one shoulder. 

“C’mon. The bus is over here.”

The sun was setting on their third day together when the old school bus appeared. 

“This is yours?” Sam asked, eyeing the school bus critically. Y/N smiled slightly. 

“Yep,” she replied tiredly. 

“And it runs?” Dean asked, surprised, coloring his tone as he looked it over. Y/N unlocked the padlock she had on the door and shoved it open so they could board.  

“Took me three years to figure out how to get the power the solar panels on the roof provide to run the engine. I took the batteries from an old Tesla and put it in the bus, making it easier,” Y/N said. Dean looked at her, impressed. “Make yourselves at home.” 

Sam and Dean shared a look before climbing the bus, startled when they saw the inside. Shelves and crates to hold things she collected along the way lined one side of the bus. On the opposite side were a few mattresses with blankets and pillows. A small shelf held cooking items like the kind you would camp with. Y/N even put in what looked like those cubbies kindergartners used to keep their stuff behind the driver’s seat. 

“Wow,” Sam muttered as they walked onto the bus. 

“Feel free to get comfy. I’ve got some lanterns back there, matches to light them nearby. We’ll get moving in the morning,” Y/N said, letting Dean pass her. “I’ll take the first watch.”

Twenty minutes later, Sam was fast asleep on a mattress at the back of the bus. Y/N was sitting in the driver’s seat, a rifle in her hands, as she watched out the window. However, Dean seemed too wired to rest and instead was browsing the collections of items she had shelved.

“So, why are you collecting all this random shit?” Dean asked, flipping through a stack of books on one of the shelves bolted to the side of the bus. Y/N turned her head to look at what Dean was looking at, resting her head on the butt of the rifle. 

“The place I live in now is a commune. We share everything and pitch in where we can do whatever needs to be done. The problem is that resources get thin quickly, and sometimes we need more. Of everything,” she explained. “And I kind of hate being in one place for a long period after living the hunter lifestyle.” 

“I hear that,” Dean said with a smirk, facing her with a book. He flips through the pages as he walks to the front of the bus to sit on the couch across from her. 

“Well, I head out every other month or so to find things people need,” she explained. “You’d be amazed at what people leave behind when they rush to get out, and when you are trying to rebuild a home, you need everything. Dishes to eat off, clothing to wear, books for entertainment…”

“And you just go out, find this stuff, and bring it back?” Dean asked. Y/N shrugged. 

“I used to travel around the states in a 1969 Mustang, painted the prettiest blue you’d ever seen. The longest I’d ever stayed in one spot was three weeks. And that was because of a pretty bad concussion and three broken ribs. The idea of settling down isn’t appealing to me,” Y/N said.

“What were you hunting? That busted you up?” Dean asked, book forgotten. 

“A rakshasa. I was hunting alone, which I know better than to do, but you do what you have to when people are dying,” she said with a wince. Dean nodded. “What about you? I’d love to hear some of those famous Winchester stories.” 

Dean just smiled.

A loud whistle could be heard as the bus approached the large gate. 

“Hey! Y/N’s back! Someone go get Maria and Tommy!” a voice shouted. Sam and Dean looked out the front window and watched as the gate slowly opened. Y/N pulled the bus in and parked it just inside the gate. She heaved a heavy sigh before opening the door.

A commotion happened as soon as they walked off the bus. Weapons were pointed in their direction, voices were raised, and threats were thrown; Y/N stood in front of the brothers with her arms in surrender as the brothers stood defensively.

“I don’t fucking think so, Tommy! They’re with me!” she shouted back at the pseudo-leader of the commune. 

“You can’t just bring random people into Jackson! You put all of us at risk,” someone shouted. 

“You know me well enough to know I wouldn’t bring just anyone in here,” Y/N answered.

“How do we know these people are safe?” another shouted.

“Get your fucking gun out of my face!” Dean growled at someone.

“Shut up and let me handle this,” Y/N bit out at him. 

“Looks like you’re causing some trouble, Y/N,” Joel said, standing back with a smirk. Y/N shot him a glare.

“Y/N, what the hell are you thinking,” Tommy asked, walking up to her, a gun in his hand pointed at the men behind her. 

“I thought I could bring a couple of friends with me back home without the terror squad bearing down on us,” she snapped at him. When one of the men shouting at her stepped up to make a move on them, Y/N turned to face him. “Try it, and I’ll knock you the fuck out, Aaron.” 

“Calm down; they are just defensive because you brought strangers into their home,” Maria said, walking up next to Tommy. “Put your gun down, Tommy, you aren’t helping the situation.” 

“Maria, these are my guys,” Y/N said with a look. 

“What do you mean, your guys?” she asked. 

Y/N rolled up her sleeve to show her tattoo. Sam saw her do that and pulled his shirt aside to show his, elbowing Dean in the process. While rolling his eyes, Dean pulled his shirt aside and showed his tattoo. Maria’s eyes widened, then moved to stand before the trio. 

“They are welcome here, and anyone who has a problem with it can speak to me directly,” Maria announced to the growing crowd. Maria turned to look at Y/N, glanced at the bus, and frowned. “Where’s Casey?” 

“She stayed behind with Jesse and the girls to help on patrol,” Y/N said. Maria smirked. 

“Help on patrol or mess around with Jesse?” 

“We haven’t showered in weeks, Maria. Let him have at it if that’s what he wants to fool around with.”

There was humor in their eyes as they turned to see Tommy and Sam talking while Joel and Dean seemed to be sizing each other up. The rest of the crowd dispersed after giving Sam and Dean the once-over. No one went into the bus for the things she found; they all knew once she cleaned up and washed everything, they would be dispersed appropriately: books would go to the library, food to the dining hall, games, and recreation goods to the main entrance, and everything else to the storefront she ran so people can pick through what they need. In another month or so, she would head out in another direction to find more items to bring back to Jackson to help families settle in with a list of requests from people looking for specifics if she could see them. 

“Would you guys be willing to stay with Y/N until we can find you a place to live?” Maria asked Sam. 

“uh…” Sam stuttered, glancing at Dean.

“Yeah, they’re with me,” Y/N said. 

“Okay. We’ll get you some clean clothes. I’m sure she’s got some your size, but they most likely need to be washed. Whatever else you need, we’ll get that together too. Get cleaned up, and get some sleep. We’ll get together later and talk,” Maria said, smiling. 

“I get the first shower,” Y/N said. “You boys will most likely use up the hot water.”

“You’ve got hot water?” Dean asked, longing to color his voice. Y/N smiled gently at him, recognizing they had no idea what they were brought into. 

“We’ve got electricity here,” she said calmly. “So, we have hot water. We also have shampoo, soap, hot food, and many other comforts. It’s not like it used to be before the outbreak, but it's closer to home than any QZ ever was.” 

Dean looked at Sam with emotion in his eyes, grabbing the back of his neck tightly. Sam stared at his brother with teary eyes and a shaky smile. Y/N glanced at Maria, who was smiling at the boys. 

“We made it, Sammy,” Dean said quietly. 

“C’mon. Let’s go to my place and get settled,” Y/N said, climbing back on the bus. As Sam and Dean climbed on, Y/N smiled at them. “Oh, and boys? Welcome to Jackson.” 

[enigmalynne]

Blast from the Past - Jensen&Y/N

Title – Blast from the Past Pairings – Y/N and Jensen Word Count – 2,607 Warnings – sexual innuendos, making out, smut JAcklesverse Bingo Prompt – Speed Dating

Jensen is a divorced man, and it’s been a while. Jared had been trying to set his best friend up with who he believes is the perfect girl, only for things to fail for one reason or another, but there was no way Jensen was getting out of speed dating. It is a good thing Gen was able to convince Y/N the same thing, knowing that she was getting fed up with trying to meet this perfect guy only to be blown off repeatedly. When the two finally meet up and realize who each other is, they can’t wait to revisit a history not forgotten. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is not my first time writing smut, but it is my first time sharing it. Please be nice to me; I'm taking a big chance here.

“Well, if it isn’t Jensen Ackles,” Y/N said with a smirk as she sat beside the man. She set her beer before her, placed her elbows on the table, and rested her chin in her hands. Jensen’s face turned red as he recognized the woman before him. 

“Well, if it isn’t Y/N Y/L/N,” he said quietly. 

“Fifteen minutes, people. The timer starts now,” the speed dating event coordinator shouted as they set the timer once again. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be home with a gorgeous red-headed wife and three little rugrats?” Y/N asked gently, keeping any accusation out of her voice. Jensen lowered his eyes and picked up his beer, taking a rather large sip to steady his nerves. 

“That gorgeous redhead filed for divorce last year, and this is my weekend free from the kids,” he explained. “It’s a long story I don’t really feel like getting into.” Y/N’s eyes lit up a bit, but she kept her smile from showing her excitement.

“So, who dragged you to this event tonight?” Y/N asked, picking up her beer to take a sip. 

“Jared.” Y/N laughed.

“That’s funny because Gen was the one who convinced me to come out and give speed dating a try,” she replied. “Methinks someone is trying to play matchmaker.” 

“Would that be a bad thing?” Jensen asked, tilting his head to the side to study his long-lost friend. 

“I should be asking you that. You’re the one who is getting back out there. I’ve been single for so long, and it’s become part of my personality,” Y/N said, causing the man in front of her to chuckle. 

“Jared just wants to see me happy. Said he’s tired of seeing me mope around set every day,” Jensen muttered. This pulled a laugh out of Y/N.

“And speed dating was his answer to that?” she asked. 

“I refused to let him set me up with anyone.” 

“And why’s that?”

“I didn’t feel ready to return and date. Plus, I have the kids on the weekend, and it's hard to date around them.” 

“That’s such an excuse,” Y/N said with a snicker. “Your mom would love to babysit, and you know it.” 

“Yeah, she would,” Jensen agreed. “But what about you? How is a beautiful and talented woman like you still single?” 

“Well, a friend of mine was trying to set me up, but the guy kept backing out,” Y/N said lightly, causing Jensen to blush again. 

“Had I known it was with you, I wouldn’t have blown Jared off. It’s been years, Y/N,” Jensen said, leaning on the table. Y/N smiled brightly, her blue eyes twinkling with excitement. “Why did we break up again?” 

“You were going to Vancouver for Supernatural. I was going to Australia for a movie. We didn’t want to do the long-distance thing. When I finally made it back to the States, you were dating Red, and I didn’t want to say anything,” Y/N explained, running her fingers along Jensen’s hand. 

“Maybe you should have.”

“Maybe I should have. Imagine where we’d be today.” 

“I still think about it, you know. Us.”

“I think about you every day, Jen.” 

Just then, a buzzer went off, loud and annoying. It burst the little bubble the two had found themselves in. Jensen frowned as he looked over and saw everyone starting to move.

“You wanna get out of here?” Y/N asked, always the brave one. 

“God, yes,” Jensen breathed. Y/N grinned and grabbed his hand as she stood. 

“Hey!” the woman waiting to take her seat said indignantly. 

“Look, that guy’s free. Go chat with him,” Y/N said, dragging Jensen with her. 

“You two can’t just leave in the middle of Speed Dating! You have to stay for the entire event!” the coordinator shouted as the two darted for the door. 

“How about instead of being pissed off, you be happy that your stupid event worked and two of your clients are running off together?” Jensen shouted back at him, causing Y/N to giggle. Once the two were outside in the muggy Texas night air, Jensen pressed Y/N against the still-warm brick wall. He threaded his hands into Y/N’s hair at her neck and looked into her eyes with a small smile. 

“I might be a bit rusty,” he whispered, leaning close. Y/N spread her legs slightly so she could pull him against her hips more solidly.

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?” she whispered back, closing the distance and pressing her lips to his. The kiss was innocent until she ran her tongue against his lips, demanding entrance. Jensen took control and, with a slight moan, deepened the kiss. Their tongues tangled, fighting for dominance as they tasted each other for the first time in decades. When they separated, both of them were panting.

“What made you think you’d be bad at this?” Y/N breathed, leaning over to whisper in his ear. “You should feel how wet you just made me.” Jensen groaned loudly and rutted slightly against her. 

“Don’t tease me. It’s been a long time,” he ground out. 

“My place is two blocks away,” she said, pulling his earlobe between her teeth. 

“Lead the way.” 

Y/N fumbled with her keys slightly as she tried to open her door, distracted by how good Jensen’s hands felt at her hips. His hot body pressed against hers had a buzz going through her system that she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. When she finally got the door unlocked and open, she turned around, fisted his shirt, and pulled him into a dirty kiss. Jensen leaned down and picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her into the apartment, kicking the door shut. 

Jensen pressed Y/N up against the wall, pressing himself against her core so she could feel what she still did to him as he broke the kiss and dragged his lips down her neck to her collarbone. He left wet kisses there, his tongue dancing over her skin. Y/N threw her head back and moaned, her hips moving against him. The movement caused them both to shudder. 

“Bedroom, now,” she breathed, her fingers gripping his hair. Jensen slowly let her slide down his body as he put her back on the ground. 

“Lead the way,” he repeated his earlier words. She looked at him with a smirk, stripped off her shirt, her bra following close behind, and led him to the bedroom. He followed her with a smile.

Once inside the room, Y/N dropped her hands to the button on her jeans and flicked it open, but the hot body that pressed against her stilled her movements. She leaned her head back against Jensen’s shoulder as one of his hands reached up and gently squeezed one of her breasts, fingers pinching at her nipple. His other hand dipped into her waistband and her panties. 

Jensen’s open mouth latched onto Y/N’s neck, and he trailed kisses down to her shoulder as he massaged her sensitive breast in his hand. His other hand stroked her gently, causing her breathing to catch as his fingers danced across her damp clit. When she pulled away and turned to face him, she watched as Jensen put his fingers into his mouth and tasted her. 

“You still taste as delicious as I remember,” he muttered huskily. A sexy smirk played on Y/N’s face as she clutched the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head, exposing hard abs and a chiseled chest. His Soldier Boy body was still intact, thanks to those workouts that became a regular part of his daily routine. 

Y/N pulled him with her as she fell backward onto her bed, his weight pressing into her deliciously between her parted legs. Y/N felt her breath catch as he dipped his head down and took one taut nipple into his warm mouth. Y/N’s fingers found their way into his hair, her back arching into him. Jensen’s other hand found her exposed breast and played with the unattended nipple, his tongue darting over the other. A surprised moan escaped her as she felt his teeth bite the nub gently.

 One of Jensen’s hands drifted down to her waist, pulled open the zipper of her jeans, and slid into her panties once again. Y/N’s hips bucked to meet his eager fingers, and she pulled Jensen’s mouth back up to hers. Their kiss was frantic, and when Jensen pulled away, their lips were red and puffy. His lips dragged overheated skin, licking and tasting the sweet saltiness there as he helped her remove her jeans, throwing them onto the floor.

Y/N sat herself up, her hands going to Jensen’s belt immediately. Jensen’s eyes were laser-focused on her tiny hands undoing his belt, then his jeans, pushing them down. Y/N licked her lips as she saw the bulge waiting for her there in his boxers. A wicked smile played on her lips as she looked up at him from her lashes, knowing what she would do next would make him feel so good. 

Jensen lifted to help remove his jeans, then gasped as he felt Y/N’s hand wrap around his cock. She sat in front of him, one hand pumping him gently, the other pushing his boxers down his legs and out of the way. Feeling brazen, Y/N dipped her head down and licked the head of his cock. That caused Jensen to bark out her name. Y/N licked and played a little before taking his entire length into her mouth.

Bobbing her head, she rediscovered the rhythm she knew he liked without hesitation. Jensen placed a hand in her hair, gripping and guiding her gently over himself. Hearing Jensen’s heavy breathing and uncontrolled moans was enough to turn her on so much that she felt herself drip down her legs. Soon, she was squirming, trying to cause friction to relieve some of the pressure building inside her core. After a while, Jensen growled and pulled her away from his cock, crashing his mouth to hers in a brutal and dirty kiss.

“As much as I love coming in that filthy mouth of yours,” he ground out, sliding a hand over Y/N’s mound and sinking two fingers into her with no restriction. “It’s been too long since I felt this pussy wrapped tight around me… and it feels like it’s been a long time for you as well with how tight you are gripping my fingers.” 

“God, Jensen,” she murmured against his lips as he gently pushed her back against the bed. Y/N kissed him with hunger as his fingers began to thrust inside her. Feeling how wet she was for him made him groan, causing her hips to buck towards him. 

"I want you and your hot little body," he muttered to her, his tongue tracing her ear.

"God, Jensen, I want you inside of me," she muttered under her breath as she moaned. Jensen knelt between her legs and pulled on her panties. Y/N lifted her hips to help him take her thong off, and she cried out when she felt his tongue there tasting her seconds later. Jensen pressed his expert tongue against that hot little button time and again, his arms holding her hips still despite how hard she was thrashing.

"Oh, God, yes...You are going to make me cum," she whimpered...and then she did. Y/N arched and threw her head back as she came hard on his tongue, only to be gasping for a new reason as he slammed into her as she rode out her orgasm.

"Oh, my God, you are so tight," Jensen moaned, their sounds blending. He moved inside her slowly as she rode out her orgasm. Y/N stayed limp for a few seconds, whimpering and breathing heavily, then looked up at Jensen above her with lust in her hooded eyes.

"Fuck me," she said. Jensen's mouth curled into a dirty grin.

"Say it again," he said.

"Fuck. Me." Y/N said, pronouncing each word for him. Jensen wasted no time in complying with her request. He pulled out and slammed into her again, causing her to gasp and then moan loudly. Jensen set a steady pace, his weight going to his elbows as he held onto Y/N's face.

"Look at me," he grunted. Y/N opened her hazy eyes and watched his eyes as he pumped in and out of her. He watched as her eyes clouded over, and knowing that giving her pleasure was bringing him close as well.

“Oh, God, please don’t stop,” she cried, dragging her nails down his back. Jensen grabbed her knees and hiked them up over his hips to give him more room to move, to thrust deeper into her. 

“You are so wet for me,” he muttered, feeling her tighten again. “Are you going to come again?”

“Ye…Yes…”

"Come with me," he moaned out. Y/N nodded her head.

"I will...I...am..." and then she did. The feeling of her pulsing around him was enough to push him over the edge as well, and he emptied himself into her in a roar of pleasure with her name on his lips. A few thrusts later, he collapsed on top of her, moving so that his weight was not on her. The sound of their heavy breathing filled the room. They took some time to catch their breath, but soon, Y/N was leaning over Jensen, pressing her mouth to his in a messy but passionate kiss. She dropped her head on his chest when they needed air, still panting. 

Ten minutes later, Jensen stirred and carefully slid from under Y/N’s dozing form. She clutched at him, trying to keep him where he was. 

“Don’t leave,” she said quietly, almost timidly. Now that the initial passion was sated and they both were thinking more clearly, she felt vulnerable. Was he going to leave? 

“I’m not leaving,” he said, kissing her forehead before scooping her up. Y/N squealed slightly at being picked up, causing Jensen to grin. He carried her to her bathroom and set her down on the counter. He then reached over and started the shower. She watched a naked Jensen move around her home comfortably and smiled softly. Please don’t let this be a one-time thing.

“I don’t want it to be,” he said with his back turned, hand in the spray, checking the temperature. Y/N’s eyes widened.

“Did I say that out loud?” she asked. “Wait, you don’t want it to be? Does that mean you want to see me again?

“Yeah,” Jensen chuckled. “You said it out loud, and I want to see you again.” 

“Really?”

“How about tomorrow we go on a real date? Our second first date?” 

“I’d love that.” 

“Great,” Jensen said, leaning down to kiss her. “But right now, I want you in that shower, pressed against those tiles, wrapped around me.” Jensen scooped Y/N up and pulled her legs around him again, forcing Y/N to wrap her arms around his neck. Jensen carried her over to the shower, pausing to let Y/N open and close the door behind them. The next thing that could be heard was the sound of wet skin on skin and the moans of two people rekindling a long-lost flame.

[enigmalynne]

Life at the Breaking Point: Love, Duty, and a Deadly Confrontation in the ER

Title – Life at the Breaking Point: Love, Duty, and a Deadly Confrontation in the ER Pairings – Jensen x Reader, Jared x Madison Word Count – 8,526 Warnings – mentions of shootings, beatings and violence, inaccurate police scenarios, hostage situation JAcklesverse Square – “I thought I lost you forever.”

He's a SWAT team member at the Sheriff's Office, and she's a doctor at St. David's Medical Center Emergency Room. They met at Jared and Madison's wedding, becoming fast friends with a longing for more that the other knows nothing about.

Those feelings come screaming to the front of his head and heart when Jensen hears about a shooting at the hospital where Y/N works, where she's held hostage at gunpoint. Will he be able to remain professional, or is his love for this doctor going to make him do something crazy?

Y/N was sitting at her desk, typing notes from her last patient, when she heard the popping sound. She didn’t think anything of it at first since the emergency room faced the highway and cars backfired all the time, but when she heard the succession of pops a second time, she lifted her eyes toward the glass doors heading outside. 

“What was that?” one of the nurses asked as she walked by. Y/N kept her eyes on the glass doors and listened intently for the sound again. When she heard it the third time, it was louder, closer to the entrance. She knew what it was immediately. 

“Oh, God,” she muttered, eyes going wide. She swung her head toward the nurses standing nearby. “Get as many people and patients out of here as you can. Get them to the elevators and send them up at least three floors.” 

“What?” a nurse asked. 

“Now!” Y/N shouted, grabbing the phone in front of her. “Go!!” The women were startled and started running into action. With a quick punch of numbers, Y/N’s voice went over the intercom for the entire emergency room. 

“Code Red! We have a Code Red in the emergency room!” she said, looking behind her to ensure people were moving. “Code Red in Emergency!” 

Suddenly, the front doors to the emergency room were kicked open, glass breaking and metal bending. The mechanism that makes them slide open sparked and broke, causing them to stop working. Y/N ducked her head to make sure none of the glass got close to the desk area she was at.

“Someone get over here and help me!” a furious voice shouted. Y/N looked toward the entrance of the ER to see a man standing there, holding another man who looked like he had been shot. He had a gun in his hand, and Y/N instantly knew he was the one firing the shots outside. 

“You!” he growled, pointing the weapon in Y/N’s face with furiously narrowed eyes. She immediately lifted her hands in a show of surrender despite her fear. A few nurses and an orderly nearby froze when they saw the weapon. 

“You. You a doctor?” he asked. Y/N nodded. 

“Yeah, I’m a doctor,” she responded. 

“Good. You help him. If he dies, you die,” the man said. Y/N nodded again, swallowing back her terror. 

“What… what happened to him?” she asked carefully.

“What does it look like happened to him? He was shot, you dumb bitch!” the guy shouted. Y/N flinched. “Now help him, or you’ll be shot next!” 

“Can you take the gun off us long enough for us to help him? Please?” she asked timidly. The guy gave her an incredulous look, but she continued. “Just put it away until we get him into a room and get him help. You can keep it on me the entire time I’m working on him, but for now, I need you to put it away so we can focus,” she begged.

The man glared at Y/N before looking back at the man he was carrying. He looked back at the doctor before nodding his head and slipping the gun into his jacket pocket. Once it was out of sight, Y/N moved.

“I need a gurney here! Now!” she shouted, causing a flurry of action. The two nurses ran up while the orderly dashed off to find a gurney. Y/N helped the nurses assess the injured man as best they could and lifted the wounded man onto it once the gurney showed up. As it rolled away, stats started to be shouted out.

“Gunshot wound to the abdomen, no exit wound. We need to get him intubated.”

“Trauma 2 is open; make a hole, people!”

“Blood pressure is low; pulse is thready; he needs a transfusion; get me two units of O-Neg!”

“Someone get surgery on the phone, let them know we need a room now!!”

As they were running into the trauma room, the gunman followed along close by. 

“What’s his name?” someone asked. 

“Mark,” the gunman said. “His name is Mark.”

“Count of three, people… one, two, three,” Y/N said, and the group moved the victim onto the bed. The activity kicked up a notch as a third nurse jumped in to assist by putting leads on his chest and turned on the monitors nearby, causing beeping and tones to start in the room over their talking.

“Mark, can you hear me? I’m Doctor Y/N,” she said, checking out his eyes. Y/N continued to assess the injury as one nurse cut the clothing off him and another put an IV in his arm. More information is being shouted around, causing the gunman to watch in confusion. 

“Mark, if you can hear me, squeeze my fingers,” Y/N said, putting two fingers inside his left hand. When nothing happened, Y/N frowned, shaking her head. Suddenly, alarms went off around them.

“He’s flatlining!” 

“Someone get the LUCAS!” Y/N shouted. One of the nurses ran off to grab the machine while Y/N and the other nurse got the man ready. “Get that bag ready!”

“C’mon, Mark, don’t do this to us,” Y/N muttered as the three women got the machine into place. As the nurses strapped Mark’s arms into place, Y/N set the machine and once cleared, it began compressions. 

“Start breathing for him,” she snapped at one of the nurses. Every twenty compressions, a nurse squeezed the bag connected to the vent in his throat to provide air into his lungs. The gunman watched with wide, panicked eyes. Just then, the surgeon, Benny, walked into the room.

“What d’ya got?” he asked, his Creole accent thick. The gunman was startled and pulled his gun back out of his pocket, having forgotten about it while watching the work being done to his friend. Y/N noticed it and tried to hold the man’s arm down. In frustration, he yanked his arm free and whipped the gun across her face, causing gasps from the nurses in the room. 

“Whoa,” the surgeon shouted, stepping forward to stop the attack but freezing when the gun was pointed at him. Y/N was on the ground, a hand on her now bleeding head. 

“Back off,” the gunman growled. 

“Stop!” Y/N shouted roughly from the ground. “We have to get him into surgery if you want us to save his life!” The gunman glanced at her on the floor, then backed up at the people in the curtained room. 

“She’s right,” one of the nurses explained. “He was shot in the stomach, and there isn’t an exit wound. The bullet is still in his stomach somewhere, and we have to get in there, get it out, and stop the bleeding.”

“Look, man, if you want to save his life, you have to let us work,” Benny said, his hands placatingly. He’s already on the LUCAS, which means he’s already close to death. The more time we waste here, the less of a chance he has.” 

The gunman reached down and grabbed Y/N by the hair, pulling her up. Once she was on her knees in front of him, he placed the gun on her temple. The other people in the emergency room whimpered at the movement, including Y/N. The gunman looked back up at Benny expectantly.

“I will kill her if he dies,” he said. “Now, go.” Benny glanced down at Y/N’s tear-filled face before turning and giving orders to the nurses. The three pulled the gurney toward the elevator and made the move to the surgical floor. There was a momentary pause where the quiet took over, then the gunman dragged her up to her feet and shoved her ahead of him so they could walk back into the waiting area.

“You’re coming with me, Doc,” he said, keeping his weapon aimed at her head, his hand still gripping her hair. Y/N swallowed back a sob, tears still running down her face. “Get up.” 

Attention all units: shots were fired at St. David’s Medical Center Emergency Room, with an unknown number of shooters, at least four victims.

Jensen was finishing up some paperwork in his vehicle when the call came over the radio, causing him to pause and listen to the report. St. David’s Medical Center is where Y/N worked, a woman he met at Jared’s wedding a few years ago. Throwing his car into drive with lights flashing and sirens blaring, Jensen peeled out of the parking lot he was sitting in and headed toward the hospital as fast as he could. 

When Jared told him he was proposing to Madison, a schoolteacher he fell in love with after meeting her at a law enforcement appreciation day, he couldn’t have been happier for the man. Jensen had seen Jared through many failed relationships because he was a law enforcement officer, and he hated seeing his friend discouraged. As a man from a big family, Jared always imagined having a wife of his own with three or four kids running around. When Jared and Madison met, Jensen could see the instant connection. When Jared asked Jensen for help picking out a ring a year later, he couldn’t have been happier for his best friend. 

During the planning process, he, the best man, met the maid of honor, Y/N. The emergency room doctor was the complete opposite of Madison. While both girls were outgoing, friendly, and energetic, Madison was more sophisticated and genteel, whereas Y/N was a bit more wild and carefree. Jensen had no idea how they became best friends until he saw them hanging out together, and their personalities blended perfectly. 

The two spent much time together helping the bride and groom prepare for a storybook wedding, laughing and making fun of the couple. They connected instantly and even gave a joint toast at the reception. They have remained friends ever since, though if Jared had his way, they would have been a couple since the end of the wedding. 

Jensen arrived at the hospital quickly and jumped out of his SUV, eyes scanning the building. He popped open the back and unlocked the case that held his rifle. He pulled it across his chest and slid some extra magazines into the slots on his bulletproof vest before closing the hatch, locking his car, and running up to where the rest of the deputies had taken point. Once he got to a safe location, he knelt and aimed at the front of the hospital. Five minutes later, Jared Padalecki came up beside him.

“Mads called me on my way over,” Jared said quietly. Jensen glanced over at him, but Jared’s narrowed eyes never left the front doors to the emergency room. “Y/N’s working today and isn’t answering her phone.”

“Fuck,” Jensen cursed under his breath. “That means she’s in there and probably one of the hostages.”

“Yeah.”

“Ackles! Get over here!” a voice shouted from the Incident Command Center bus. Jensen popped up from where he was and ran over.

“Yessir!”

“I understand you have a solid understanding of this hospital, including how we can contact someone inside,” Lieutenant Singer said. Jensen nodded.  

“Yes, sir, I do.” 

“You’re coming with me, Doc,” he said, keeping his weapon aimed at her head, his hand still gripping her hair. Y/N swallowed back a sob, tears still running down her face. “Get up. The rest of you get moving. If you can walk, walk up front,” he growled. The remaining nurses, techs, and patients who could move did so quickly with their hands up in surrender. With the gun pressed to Y/N’s head, the hostages knew they had to obey the gunman’s orders.

“Look,” Y/N started, stumbling as she tried to keep up with the man dragging her by her hair. “We have sick patients in the ER right now. There are injured people just outside the doors; they need medical attention. Please, you have to let us help them, or they could die.” 

“I can’t do that,” he said quietly. The man cocked his weapon, causing Y/N to inhale sharply and the people nearby to cry out. Once they were in the waiting room in front of the ER, he ordered the hostages to line up. When they didn’t move, he shouted. “Line up against those fucking windows, now! Or someone else will get shot today!” Everyone rushed to line up against the windows, sobbing echoing through the now-empty waiting room. 

The gunman glanced out the front doors, catching sight of the flashing lights, and cursed under his breath. Looking around, he ordered two of the hostages to stand in front of the shattered doors. They scampered to do his bidding, glancing at Y/N as they went by. The gunman continued to drag her with him, his fist tightening in her hair. Y/N whimpered, wincing at the pain in her scalp.

“Why don’t you tell me your name, huh?” she said suddenly, trying to get him talking. 

“I’m not telling you my fucking name!” he shouted, spittle flying from his mouth. Y/N flinched, her hands starting to shake as she held onto his hand in her hair. The gunman aimed his gun toward the ceiling and fired a round, the sound echoing around the emergency room, causing people to scream. 

“Any more dumbass questions, and the next one will be in your head, understand?” the gunman growled. Y/N nodded as well as she could with his grip on her. Suddenly, a phone on the main desk rang. The gunman growled as he shifted his gun to one of the nurses standing by the windows.

“YOU! What’s your name?” he asked a young brunette in bright pink scrubs who was crying. She whimpered loudly before swallowing hard. 

“Ma… ma… Maggie,” she stuttered. 

“Well, ma, ma, Maggie…” he said, mocking the girl. “Answer the fucking phone and get rid of whoever it is.” Maggie nodded, rushed over to the desk, lifted the receiver, and placed it to her ear. 

“He… hello?”

“This is Lieutenant Singer of the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. Is everyone okay?” 

“Yes, sir.”

“How many hostages are in there with you?” 

“Um, well…” 

“Hang up the fucking phone!” the gunman shouted, causing Maggie to flinch and whimper. 

“See if you can get him on the phone,” Singer said calmly. Maggie looked over at the gunman and held the phone out to him. 

“It’s the police. He says he wants to talk to you,” she said, her voice slightly whimpering. The gunman dragged Y/N with him as he stalked over to where the nurse sat, snatching the phone out of her hand. 

“No one here wants to talk to you, asshat!” he shouted into the phone. The gunman then yanked the phone and threw it against the wall. 

When they heard a gunshot inside the hospital, tensions grew in the parking lot where police were set up. Singer tried to reach them on the phone to ensure everyone was okay, but it ended in a dial tone. Roman was using his binoculars to investigate the emergency room through the glass doors in front of the building.

“Roman, what can you see?” Singer asked. 

“Looks like most of the hostages are in the lobby, lined up in front of the windows. He’s got one by the hair,” Roman responded. “He’s trying to make it hard for anyone to get a shot off through the glass.” Singer cursed under his breath, realizing sniper work was not an option. 

“He knows what he’s doing,” he muttered. Jensen stood nearby, his AR-15 aimed at the hospital. He kept his green eyes locked on the front of the hospital, watching for movement. 

“We got intel,” a voice said over the radio. “Shooter is Andrew Clarkson, age 32. Has a long rap sheet, mostly petty theft and small crimes, but recently, he’s been picked up on a few drug charges. Don’t know why he’s decided to hold the ER hostage, but this would be his first major crime with a firearm.” Jensen shook his head, glancing at Singer. As he was about to open his mouth and say something, a man started to walk into view.

“Suspect is coming to the door; he has a hostage with him,” a voice echoed across the radio. Everyone lifted their weapons and aimed as all eyes faced the entrance to the emergency room, including Jensen. The gunman shoved the broken glass door aside with his foot, dragging someone with him. The gun pressed to her head gave everyone pause. He yanked the hostage forward and hid behind a brunette dressed in blue scrubs; his hand fisted into her hair as he shoved her in front of him. Her hands gripped his, her pale skin tear-stained and bruising as she tried to control her breathing. 

When Jensen realized who the hostage was, fury burned viciously in his veins. 

“That son of a bitch,” Jensen growled.

“Get back!” the gunman shouted, pressing the gun into Y/N’s temple. “Get back, all of you!” 

“Let her go, Andrew,” Singer said into the mouthpiece of a megaphone. The gunman, Andrew, grew angrier, yanking at Y/N’s hair. The cry that came from her was like ice down Jensen’s spine. Jared glanced at him from the corner of his eye, ensuring the man didn’t do anything stupid. 

“All of you just stay out of the way, and no one will get hurt,” Andrew shouted. Then he smirked. “Well, any more hurt than they already are.” 

“What is it that you want?” Singer asked. “Maybe we can help in some way.” 

“What I want is my brother to survive, and if this here bitch doctor and that surgeon friend of hers upstairs do the job right, he will,” Andrew spit out. “That ain’t none of y’all business, so go about your way and let me handle this.” 

“You know we can’t do that, Andrew. You’ve shot four people already. You have an emergency room full of doctors and patients in there being held hostage,” Singer shouted, shaking his head. Jensen was starting to get twitchy, Jared noticed. 

“Hey, take a breath,” Jared muttered quietly. “You aren’t going to help her going in halfcocked.” Jensen shot him a furious glance. “I want her outta there too, but we must use our heads here.” Jensen took a deep breath and adjusted his grip on his rifle. He studied the man who was holding Y/N hostage, her cries of pain infuriating him as he watched Andrew drag her back into the emergency room.  Once they were out of sight, Jensen and Jared lowered their weapons, but not without sounds of frustration. 

“There’s gotta be some way for us to get in there without being detected,” Jared said, looking up at the building. Jensen shakes his head. 

“They already have guys working on going in from the roof,” he said with frustration. He turned and looked at the sign in front of him pointing the way to the back of the building. Noticing the directionals, he had a sudden thought. 

“I have an idea,” Jensen said, looking at Singer. “Emergency rooms typically have a back entrance when they must take people from an ambulance. It’s different from where the public comes in, so they don’t get traumatized. I’m betting our perp doesn’t have that back entrance covered.” 

Jared catches on to what Jensen is saying, snaps his fingers, and points. 

“Right! Some of us could go back and sneak in that way while you have the rest of SWAT coming down from the roof,” Jared said. Jensen nodded.

“Make it obvious we are coming in from the rooftop; get him distracted so he isn’t aware of us coming in from the back. We sneak in, take him by surprise, pin him down, and it’s all over,” Jensen explains. Singer looks at Jensen with narrowed eyes, then nods slowly. 

“Alright, let’s do it. Pick three more to go with you. The rest will go up,” Singer said. Jensen turned to Jared, bumping fists. 

“You in?” Jensen asked.

“Always.”

“Awesome. Go get Seb and Jake; meet back here in five.” 

Jared turned and jogged off to pull the two men away and get them ready to go around the back. Jensen looked back over to the front of the hospital and took a deep breath. Hang on Y/N, we’re coming.

Andrew and Y/N made their way back into the emergency room, the sound of muffled sobs echoing around the room. Andrew shoved Y/N away from him, causing her to stumble and fall. She landed hard on her knee before collapsing against one of the sets of chairs put together. The chairs were loud as they scratched along the floor, moving as Y/N slammed into them. 

She moaned quietly, her hand going to her head to rub her scalp as she looked over to where Andrew was now pacing the floor in agitation. Y/N wasn’t sure what would happen next, but she knew things were about to get nasty.

Jensen and his team slowly made their way around the back of the emergency room, running in time with each other, their weapons held at the ready. The helicopter carrying the rest of the SWAT team was flying above them at the same time, making it evident that the sheriff’s office was about to drop deputies onto the roof to make their way down. Jenson glanced up at them once as he made his way around.

Once the back doors came into view, they slowed down to walk so they could see around the corner without drawing attention to themselves. Jensen signaled for the men to pause while he made his way over to the doors and glanced in. It was quiet; the only noise came from machines tracking heart rates and other vital information from patients left behind.

“Just as I thought, no one is back here,” he muttered quietly. “Okay, Seb and Jake take the far end. Jay, you stick with me.” The men nodded their heads in agreement before moving toward the automatic doors. As they quietly swooshed open, the team silently moved forward. Each man made their way through the curtained area of the emergency room, checking on the patients who were still in beds with machines hooked up to them. A few of the patients who were not unconscious saw them moving and were startled by the sudden appearance of a law enforcement officer. The deputies made movements for them to keep quiet.

“Stay here, and don’t move no matter what you hear. We’ll come back and get you out,” Jared whispered to a young couple who sat terrified next to their elderly mother. They nodded frantically, fear radiating off them. Jared then got on his radio, messaging the deputies out front that there were innocent people in the emergency room beds, forgotten and left behind by the gunman. Once the front lobby appeared, Jensen held up a hand to stop them. 

From where he stood, he could see Andrew pacing in front of the desk where a nurse was sitting. The hostages were still lined up against the windows. He didn’t see Y/N anywhere but knew she had to be there somewhere. 

“Will someone answer that fucking phone already?” Andrew shouted. The nurse at the desk suddenly shot up from her seat and ran over to a different desk to grab the ringing phone. She spoke into the receiver momentarily, then held it to her chest. 

“It’s surgery. They want to talk to Doctor Y/L/N,” she said. Andrew spun around, stalked over to some of the chairs in the waiting area, and bent down. It wasn’t until he stood up that Jensen realized it was Y/N. She must have been on the ground. Andrew dragged her to stand by her arm and shoved her over toward the phone. 

“Answer the phone. Find out about Mark,” Andrew growled. Y/N stumbled toward the desk and took the phone from the nurse. She kept her back to the gunman; from her expression, Jensen saw that whatever news she was getting wasn’t good. Jensen glanced at Seb and Abel, giving them hand signals to move forward slightly but low to the ground. His gut was telling him this was about to get ugly. 

Y/N hung up the phone slowly and turned to face Andrew, the gunman. Her eyes were filled with tears and sorrow for the man standing before her. His gun was being held on her, and she knew when she told him the update she was most likely going to get shot herself. 

“Well? What did they say?” Andrew asked angrily. 

“Andrew, you have to understand; Mark was already in a bad place when you first brought him in…” Y/N started.

“What are you saying? Are you telling me that my brother is dead??” Andrew asked incredulously, causing Y/N to whimper and startle. Tears slowly started to make their way down her cheeks as she swallowed thickly. 

“He had already lost a lot of blood before you got here… and then there was an infection that started where the bullet wound went in. Moving him around with the bullet inside him did a lot of damage, too,” Y/N explained, her voice choked with tears. “We sent him up on the CPR machine, remember?”

As Y/N was explaining what happened, Andrew’s arm with the gun was drooping slightly. She thought maybe she was getting him to understand, and he would not shoot her, so she continued explaining.

“Benny did all he could to bring him back, but it was just too much for his body to handle. He died twenty minutes ago. I’m so sorry, Andrew,” Y/N said.

The next moments happened very quickly, causing panic and confusion. Andrew looked back at Y/N, lifted the gun, and fired at her. Y/N flinched, which moved her to the right, which caused the bullet to just graze the skin of her temple instead of embedding itself into her skull. The strike still caused her to fly backward and hit her head on the desk behind her, then crumpled to the ground. 

All four deputies who were in the emergency room saw what was about to happen and opened fire on Andrew, hitting him in the chest and taking him down. This caused chaos among the other hostages in the waiting room area. Jensen moved up to kick the gun away from the dying suspect as his fellow deputies moved forward with him as backup. 

“Jake, stay with this guy. Seb, see if any of those nurses are stable enough to help him. Jay, take the rest of the hostages to the back. I’m going to check on Y/N,” Jensen ordered his team before moving. He didn’t stop to hear them answer. Instead, he leaped over a counter and moved to where Y/N was crumpled on the floor. Just as he reached her and started to roll her over, Jensen was quickly pushed out of the way.

“I got her, Jen,” a doctor named Chris said, pushing him aside. He then rattled orders to three other people next to him, lifting her onto a gurney that appeared out of nowhere. “I need a CT scan on her head; I wanna find out if that bastard did any permanent damage!” he heard as they ran down a hallway and into an elevator.

Jensen stood and watched as they rushed her off and away from him, startling slightly as Lieutenant Singer set his hand heavily on his shoulder. Once she was out of sight, he turned and looked at Singer, then nodded before walking to rejoin his team. An investigation would be conducted on the shooting of a suspect. They would need his weapon to interview him, and he would be put on administrative leave until everything was completed. Until then, however, they had a hospital full of people and a petrified emergency room. 

Y/N sat on her couch dressed in a pair of old pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt wrapped in an old, soft blanket as she stared into nothingness, thinking about what had happened that day. 

Her hair was damp from the long hot shower she had taken earlier, during which she drained the hot water tank and stood under the spray. She was pretty sure Madison, who rushed over to the hospital once she was able to get in, was sitting outside the door the entire time. Once she left the bathroom, Madison took one look at her red eyes and held her for a long time before gently braiding her hair back. 

Y/N had two butterfly bandages holding the small cut on her temple closed, the bruising darkening as each hour passed. The bump on the back of her head was sore but not visible, thankfully. She didn’t have a concussion, but she would have a headache for a while. Thankfully, the CT scan showed no permanent damage to her head or her brain. She’d just be bruised up and sore for a while.

She had a hard time grasping that she went in for a typical 24-hour shift at the hospital only for her day to end in the middle of a hostage situation slash shoot-out that should have killed her. A bullet was aimed directly at her head. A shudder of fear ran through her for the hundredth time that evening, causing her to close her eyes, take a deep breath, and attempt to calm her nerves. Tears once pressed against her eyelids, and she struggled to hold them back. She wasn’t ready to fall apart yet.

Madison had lit one of her favorite candles after hustling her into the shower, so the room smelled of apples and cinnamon, but it wasn’t giving her the comfort it usually did. Her relaxation playlist on the Alexa speaker wasn’t either, despite it being her usual after-shift routine. Something was missing, and she couldn’t put her finger on it yet. 

“Here,” Madison said as she sat beside her on the couch. Y/N’s eyes dropped to the mug of coffee in her hand. “I know you’re not allowed any alcohol with the painkillers you’re on, so I figured coffee was the next best thing.” With a small smile, Y/N unwound her arm from around herself with the blanket and carefully took the mug with a shaky hand. 

“Thanks, Mads,” she whispered. She held the mug and sipped the coffee between her hands, enjoying the sweetened warmth filling her. “You used my salted caramel creamer.” 

“This was a good reason to splurge, I figured,” Madison said with a shrug. “You should try to eat something. I can order pizza?”  Y/N shook her head slowly.

“I feel like if I eat something, I’m going to throw it up,” she said quietly. A knock at the door startled her, causing her to wince after. Madison glanced at the door, then back at her friend. 

“I’ll get it. You stay here,” she said, standing. Y/N nodded, then sipped from her coffee once again. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth, listening carefully to Madison making her way to the front door. 

After taking Andrew down and getting Y/N help, it took Jensen and the rest of the SWAT team longer than expected to clear the hospital. Then, he had to go back to the office and hand over his weapon until the investigation into the shooting was completed. It was a long, tedious process that included an interview with internal affairs and a meeting with the chaplain. When he was finally done for the day, he decided to shower in the locker room so he could just head straight over to her place. 

He was grateful that Madison showed up at the hospital to care for Y/N while he was still working. Given her injuries, there was no way she was going to be able to drive home, and she really shouldn’t have been left alone after what happened. The few times he texted Madison to check on Y/N, her responses weren’t encouraging, which only solidified his decision to go over and check on her in person.

He wasn’t surprised she was struggling. While Y/N was trained to handle a crisis, being held at gunpoint wasn’t exactly in the job description of an emergency room doctor. That was more his world, one he never wanted to introduce her into. Once Jensen was cleaned up, he left the sheriff’s office, stopped at his favorite Chinese food place to grab some takeout, and headed to Y/N’s place. 

When Madison answered the door, Jensen frowned slightly. He expected Y/N to answer. 

“Hey, Jen,” she said, smiling sympathetically at him. She stepped aside to let him in the condo. Jensen looked down the hallway before turning back to the woman with concern on his face. 

“How is she?” he asked quietly. Madison locked the door and turned to face him with a shrug. 

“I think she’s still in shock right now. She was crying a little earlier, but she keeps stopping herself from doing it now. I think she’s going to break down when it all hits her,” Madison said. “She’s been quiet, which isn’t like her. I’m really worried.” 

“Yeah, me too,” Jensen said with a sigh. “Thanks for sitting with her until I could get here.” 

“Hey, don’t thank me. I would have been here regardless,” Madison waved off his thanks.

“Why don’t you head out of here? Jared should be home by now, and we’re on administrative leave until the investigation into the shooting is done. I know he’d love to see you right now,” Jensen said, giving the woman a tight hug. 

“Are you sure?” Madison asked, returning the hug. 

“I’m sure. I’m not planning on going anywhere; I got her,” Jensen nodded. 

“You’ll call me if you need anything?” Madison asked, pointing at him. Jensen smiled gently. 

“Yeah. I’ll call if we need you,” he agreed. Madison nodded as she led the two into the living room where Y/N was sitting. 

“Hey, Y/N, Jensen’s here,” she said with a smile. Y/N was resting, the coffee cup forgotten as it sat on her table; her head was in her hand, her arm leaning on the arm of the couch, and her eyes closed as her breaths remained steady. Her fingers pressed into her hair, rubbing slowly against her scalp in a light massage. Madison stepped closer to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. Y/N startled slightly, lifting her head to face the two. 

“You okay?” she asked, and Y/N smiled slightly, humming. Jensen studied the woman, frowning slightly. He’d never seen her look so defeated before. Even earlier, with a gun pressed to her head, she looked confident and strong. Right then, she looked... broken. 

“Hey, sweetheart,” Jensen said quietly. Blue eyes looked up at him, and after a moment of stillness, a small smile made it across her tired face. 

“Jensen, hey,” she said softly, causing him to smile gently at her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were here.” 

“It’s okay. I brought dinner. You okay with Chinese?” he asked, holding up the bag of Chinese. Y/N’s eyes dropped down to the bag of food he had in his hand, and it didn’t smell all that appetizing.

“I’m not that hungry,” she said, looking back at him. Jensen smiled softly at her, setting the bag down. 

“I’ll make a deal with you. You have some soup and maybe a little lo mein, and I won’t bug you about it the rest of the night. Doesn’t have to be a lot, but it has to be something,” he said, kneeling in front of her. Y/N frowned, looking back at the bag of food with a sigh. 

“Soup counts?” she asked, returning her eyes to Jensen. He nodded. 

“Soup counts,” he repeated. 

“Okay,” she whispered, nodding slightly. Clearing her throat, she tried to speak louder. “Yeah, okay. I’ll get some plates.” She unfolded herself and stood, making her way toward the kitchen. Madison stepped aside to let Y/N by, using Jensen’s shoulder for balance as she made her way. Jensen stood once she was passed. The two friends then watched her walk away before Madison threw Jensen a look. 

“I know. I promise I got it,” Jensen said, raising a hand before Madison could say anything. “Jared is waiting for you at home. Go.” Madison nodded and walked into the kitchen behind Y/N. 

Jensen started pulling the food out of the bag and setting the boxes on the coffee table. When Y/N returned from the kitchen carrying the dishes and flatware, Jensen stood and took the items from her. 

“What would you like to drink?” Y/N asked quietly. “I have some beer and soda. There’s still some coffee left that Madison made.” Jensen smiled softly at her and gently guided her to sit. 

“I know where everything is. Why don’t you get comfortable, and I’ll grab us some sodas?” he said. She thanked him and sat back on the couch, pulling one of her blankets around herself. Jensen walked into the kitchen and pulled two sodas out of the fridge. He carried them back to the living room, setting them on the table while watching Y/N as she stared out the window. Jensen sat down next to her and reached an arm behind her. 

“Hey,” he muttered quietly to get her attention. Y/N turned and looked at him, blinking away the distant look in her eyes. “Tell me what you need.” 

“I’m fine,” she said, dropping her eyes and sighing. “I’m just…” she started. She trailed off and shook her head. 

“Just what?” Jensen asked. Instead of answering him with words, she simply shifted her body to face him and ducked her head so she could lay it on his shoulder. Jensen pulled her closer to him, moving her legs so they laid over his and he could cradle her against his chest. This allowed him to start running his hand up and down her back. After a bit of silence, her hushed voice caught his attention.

“I keep thinking about what we could have done differently,” she muttered quietly. Jensen frowned. “I knew there was nothing we were going to be able to do to save his brother just by examining him. He waited too long to get him to us. I was able to get him to put the gun away long enough for us to try, but when we had to pull the LUCAS out… Surgery was a long shot, but we needed to try?” 

“Yeah,” Jensen muttered under his breath, his voice rough. 

“But then we were waiting, and things just got…” she trailed off again, shaking her head. “Nothing I was saying to him was making a difference. I knew it was only a matter of time before his patience wore out and he was going to start killing people. Then, when we got word that his brother died… I just knew.”

“You knew what?” he asked softly. 

“That he was going to kill me,” she replied. Jensen’s arms tightened around her.

“What you did in that hospital, keeping your head… talking to him like you did… that was exactly right. It was the right thing to do,” Jensen explained. Y/N shook her head, her eyes downcast.

“You did everything right, sweetheart,” Jensen reiterated.

“Then why did he still try to kill me?” Y/N asked after a moment of silence. Jensen sighed heavily, his heart hurting badly for this woman in his arms. 

“Because sometimes, even though you did the right thing, the bad guys don’t care and still react violently. Sometimes they just want to hurt others like they were hurt,” he said quietly. Y/N’s eyes started to fill with tears once again, against her will. 

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, tears breaking free and running down her cheeks. 

“I know you didn’t,” he reassured. 

“Those people he killed didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know.”

“I was trying to help him; I wanted to save his brother.” 

“I know you did.” 

“I tried to save him; we all tried to save him…” 

“I know,” Jensen said, hushing her as she began to cry earnestly. “You did everything you could, and it’s not your fault. Andrew should have realized that. You’re safe now, and he can’t hurt you anymore. I won’t let anything hurt you anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she sobbed. 

“It’s okay, don’t apologize. I’d be worried if you weren’t upset,” Jensen said, pressing his lips to her temple. He held her close as she cried herself out. When finished, she lifted her head and wiped her eyes, glancing at the man who held her close.

“Better?” Jensen asked, wiping the tears from Y/N’s face with the thumb of one hand. Y/N nodded a little, sniffling a bit. “Let’s eat.” 

“I’m not that hungry,” she admitted. 

“Hey, you agreed to try. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but you need to put something in your stomach,” Jensen said, cradling her head. She lifted her sad blue eyes to meet his tender green ones. 

“Okay,” she muttered. 

“Okay,” Jensen repeated, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He then reached over to the food and grabbed two of the Styrofoam containers with soup in them. He carefully opened the lid of one of them and handed it to her. She smiled gently and sipped the soup. 

“Let’s find something we can watch on TV, okay?” 

Jensen didn’t want to leave Y/N alone; she wanted to stay in case she needed someone or something. She argued, saying she’d be okay, but he knew better. As they watched television, Y/N fell into a doze on Jensen’s shoulder while clinging to the blanket around her shoulders.

“Do you want to watch another episode?” Jensen asked, looking over at her. “Y/N?” That’s when he noticed her closed eyes. A gentle smile fell across his face as he watched her sleep. Moving carefully, he lifted her into his arms. The blanket wrapped around her fell away as he carried her across the living room, down the hallway, and into her bedroom. Thankfully, her bed was rumpled from a nap she had taken earlier, so he could lay her down and cover her with the sheet and comforter she had there. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“Good night, beautiful,” he said quietly before leaving the room. 

With an arm behind his head, Jensen was dozing on the couch as he rested on a few of Y/N’s throw pillows. Y/N’s scream had him leaping and running to her bedroom. He opened the door he had closed earlier to find her sitting in bed with one hand pressed to the side of her head. She seemed to be trying to get away from something or someone, Jensen thought as he watched her sob. He frowned as he walked into the room and calmly hushed her.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “Hey, hey, hey, shhhh…. It’s okay. You’re safe,” he muttered.

“He’s gonna kill me,” she bawled, shaking her head and then whimpering. He was sure she was in pain with how she was holding her head. 

“Okay, okay, come here,” Jensen said, pulling the blankets back. She launched herself into his arms once she was free of the blankets. He caught her with a soft ‘oof,’ the weight unexpected, but once he had his arms secured around her, he sat on her bed.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he whispered, his heart aching for her. He situated himself so his back was against the headboard, and Y/N rested against him. She ended up in his lap, her legs straddling his hips while her head rested on his shoulder with her face pressed into his neck. Jensen wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, gently placing a hand on her head and massaging his fingers against her scalp. Her tears ran down his neck to his shirt, causing him to pull her closer. 

“I’ve got you,” Dean said gently. “I won’t let anything happen to you ever again.” Without moving her from against him, he reached down and grabbed her blanket and wrapped it up in it, offering warmth and comfort. Once he was happy with how they were situated, he turned his head and kissed her forehead. Having her in his arms like this, with her crying, was wrecking him.

“God, Y/N…I thought I lost you forever,” he whispered against her, her sobs quiet but intense. He knew she didn’t hear him; it wasn’t for her. His heart screamed at him, hurting at how this could have turned out. It took a long time for her to calm down, and Jensen held her and rubbed her scalp the entire time. Once her sobs subsided, the room was quiet, aside from a sniffle here and there. They remained like that for a long time.

“I thought I was going to die today,” she muttered, her voice clogged with tears and terror. Jensen tightened his arms around her, pulling her impossibly closer. He turned his head to press his lips against her temple and closed his eyes against the onslaught of emotions that raged inside of him. 

“He’s dead, right?” she asked worriedly, pulling her head away so she could look at him. Jensen looked over her face, noticing the bruising on her temple had gotten worse. The bandages and wounds on her delicate skin practically glowed in the dim light of her bedroom. He gently brushed a few strands of hair sticking to her cheek from the tears behind her ear as he nodded slightly. 

“Yeah,” he grunted, clearing his throat before speaking again. “Yeah, he’s dead. He’s not going to hurt you again.” Y/N nodded slightly, looking down. “Hey. You’re safe. I promise. I’m here and won’t let anything happen to you.” Y/N nodded her head before laying back down against his shoulder. Jensen cradled the back of her head with his hand, holding her there, resting his head on top of hers gently. 

“Thank you for saving my life,” she whispered after a long silent pause. Jensen shut his eyes against another onslaught of emotion, swallowing hard. He pulled his head back to look at her. 

“You’ll never have to thank me for that,” he said, eyes studying the woman in his arms. “When I saw him come out with you, I almost shot him right then. I never want you to be in a situation like that again.”

“You gonna become my bodyguard?” Y/N asked, a bit of humor creeping into her voice. 

“I don’t think you understand, Y/N. You’ve become the most important person in my life,” Jensen explained. Y/N lifted her head to stare at him as he spoke, her wide eyes watery. Jensen stared back at her, more severe than he had ever been with her. “I was so angry when I realized that you were in there with that maniac. I wasn’t going to stop at anything to get you out of there safely, and when you got hurt…”

“It wasn’t your fault, Jen,” Y/N whispered. Jensen shook his head, his own eyes getting misty. The following words were out before he could stop himself.

“If anything were to happen to you… I don’t know what I would have done. I’m so in love with you, Y/N. I can’t imagine my life without you in it, and that asshole almost took you away from me,” he explained, resting his forehead gently against hers. Y/N’s breath caught at his admission. 

“Jen… I love you, too. I think I have for a long time now,” she admitted. Jensen pulled back and stared into Y/N’s eyes, searching. Once he found whatever he sought, he gently pressed his mouth to hers in a passionate but modest kiss. Y/N tried to deepen it, moving her hands to his neck and fingers to his hair, but he pulled back.

“No. Not now,” he explained gently. Y/N frowned, hurt. “You’re hurting and need to take some painkillers. I know your head hurts you. And honestly, I just really want to hold you for a while. I almost lost you. I thought I lost you.” 

“Does that mean you’ll stay?” Y/N asked timidly. Jensen nodded her head.”

“Yeah, I’ll stay,” he said quietly. Y/N nodded. “Where are your pain medications?” 

“They’re right here,” she said, facing her nightstand. She picked up one of the three prescription bottles sitting there, and Jensen took it. He opened it and shook out one of the large pills into her open hand. She then reached over for the bottle of water to swallow down the pill before taking the prescription bottle and setting both back on her nightstand. 

“Let’s get some rest, beautiful,” Jensen whispered. Y/N nodded as she laid her head back down on his shoulder. After a while, the two adjusted their positions so that they were lying down instead of sitting up against the headboard. 

That was where Madison found them the following day. She smiled wistfully as she called out to Jared and waved him over to the doorway to Y/N’s bedroom. There, lying in her bed, was Jensen with Y/N curled beside him. Her head was still on his shoulder, her hand gripping the shirt he had on tightly. Jensen wrapped his arm around her waist, the other cradling her head against him, his face turned toward her as his lips pressed to her forehead. The two onlookers smiled softly at the two. 

“She must have had a bad night,” Madison whispered, leaning against Jared.

“It’s nice to see them finally together, too,” Jared muttered quietly, kissing Madison’s head. 

“Wonder how long till we are planning their wedding,” Madison gleefully whispered as she closed the bedroom door. It was quiet for a long moment, then…

“We’re gonna elope if I have anything to say about it,” Jensen whispered, smirking. 

“We’ll do it at one of those tropical resorts in the Caribbean. It’s still kind of eloping, but I still get to dress up, and we still get pictures and flowers and shit,” Y/N said under her breath as she snuggled against him. Jensen tightened his arms around her, pressing a kiss against her forehead. 

“Okay, I like that idea better,” he sighed. 

“This is why I’m the smart one, and you’re the pretty one,” she replied with a soft giggle. He huffed at that comment. 

“You’ll pay for that later. Go back to sleep.”

“Kay.”

[enigmalynne]

War Is Over (and I wanna go home)

Title – War Is Over (And I Wanna Go Home) Pairings – Jensen Ackles & Y/N Ackles Word Count – 5,098 Warnings – injuries, sulking, sad!Jensen then Happy!Jensen JAcklesverse Bingo Square: Explosion

Y/N Ackles had been deployed to Iraq for almost one year and was due to come home soon. Jensen was counting down till he could finally hold his wife in his arms again. Her flight information said she was arriving on Saturday, flying to Vancouver after her debrief. He couldn’t wait to see his Marine Raider. 

However, she had other plans. With help from Robert Singer, the Marine had a surprise “guest role” on the show that Sam and Dean didn’t know about but were about to…

“It’s no charge, ma’am. Thank you for your service,” the young man said with a smile as she pulled her wallet out of the side pocket of her tactical pants. Y/N Ackles shook her head at the barista behind the Starbucks counter.

“No, please. Let me pay for my coffee. It’s the least I can do since you have to be here this early in the morning,” she practically begged. The others dressed in slouchy beanies, flannels, and green aprons – reminding her so much of Jared it was startling – simply shook their heads and went about making her Fall favorite drink: a pumpkin-spiced latte. 

“It’s the least we could do for you,” one of the baristas said. “My Dad and older brother were in the Marines.” Y/N smiled at that and nodded. Before she could say anything, someone a few people behind her shouted. 

“Come on! What’s taking so long? Some of us have places to be!”

The baristas looked chastised and started to move a little faster with their work, but Y/N straightened up, slipped on the mask she saved for the men and women in her ranks, turned around with narrowed eyes, and looked at the man who spoke out of line. When she noticed it was one of the Marines also on their way home, her temper flared. When she saw the stripes on his arm, Master Sergeant to her Captain, she saw red.

“I know you did not just show public disrespect, Master Sergeant, in full Marine uniform,” Y/N growled loudly at the boy from where she stood at the front of the line. When the boy realized who was in front of the line, he paled dramatically, dropped his things, and stood at attention as Y/N stalked to where he stood. The others in line started to watch them with interest, a few pulling out their phones to record the interaction. 

“No, ma’am. I’m sorry, ma’am, I didn’t realize it was you in front of the line,” he stuttered. This caused Y/N to look at him with a raised brow when she finally stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. 

“You’re saying if it was anyone else, it would have been okay to talk out of line like a petulant child throwing a temper tantrum then?” she snapped, causing him to blink rapidly, realizing his mistake. Whispers were starting around her, causing her eyes to narrow. She didn’t like making a scene, but she wasn’t about to let this go unpunished.

“No! No, of course not! I was being disrespectful and that is completely uncalled for, ma’am. It will never happen again,” he said sharply. 

“You’re damn right it won’t. You owe everyone in this line and behind the counter of Starbucks an apology for your misbehavior, and you will pay for your breakfast when you get to the front of the line which will be however long it takes, do I make myself clear Master Sergeant?” Y/N ordered in the sternest voice she could muster. 

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” the kid answered with a wobbly voice. Y/N stepped into the kid’s personal space.  

“If I so much as hear another peep out of you complaining whether it be the water being too tepid or the turbulence on the plane being too rough between now and the time we land in Washington, I will make sure you are back in Iraq so fast your head will spin, is that understood?” Y/N muttered lowly, making sure only the young man in front of her could hear her. The man’s eyes widened slightly, then he nodded jerkily. 

“Yes, ma’am. Understood.” 

“Mind your manners, Jackson,” she said, turning back to the front of the line where she set her things. She picked up her Marine-issued green bag and her old backpack and moved to pick up her latte. The barista who had spoken to her before was waiting for her with an entertained smile on her face. 

“I’m so sorry about that, some of these kids need more parenting than most,” she grouched, accepting her coffee with a smile. She took a sip and sighed in delight; eyes closed to savor the taste. “It’s been a year since I’ve had decent coffee, let alone a specialty one. This makes everything worth it.” 

“Welcome home, Marine,” the barista said, fondness in her voice. Y/N opened her eyes and smiled widely. 

“Thank you.” 

______________________________________________________________

“Hey!” Jared greeted Jensen as he walked into the makeup trailer. Jensen lifted his hand in greeting, taking a deep sip of his coffee with the other. Jared took a moment to study his friend as he waited for Ginger to get the prosthetics she needed to attach to his face for the scene they were shooting that morning. 

“Dude, you look like shit. What’s going on?” Jared said quietly, his worry showing through. Jensen sighed heavily as he fell into the makeup chair in front of Melody. 

“I was up late watching the reports on the latest explosion in Iraq. You know, the one where the Humvees were blown up?” Jensen said. Jared nodded his head solemnly. “I haven’t heard from Y/N in a while, and I was thinking… what if she was in that explosion? What if she’s hurt and I don’t know it? Am I about to get a visit? If so, are they gonna come here and tell me that I lost my wife in front of everyone?” 

“Jen,” Jared said, his voice showing his hurt for his friend. “You can’t keep thinking like that man. You said it yourself, she’s gonna be home soon. Isn’t she landing next Saturday?” He tilted his head back to let the makeup artist fiddle with the special effects wound above his eyebrow. He heard Jensen sigh heavily. 

“Yeah. She’s already been gone three hundred sixty-three. In her last email, she said she had to go debrief before she could come up here. I hate that I couldn’t be there when she got back like I usually am,” Jensen said, sitting with his head resting in his hand, sadness clear on his face.

“Wasn’t she the one who told you to stay here and finish up?” Jared asked. 

“Yeah, but…” Jensen started but was interrupted. 

“And wasn’t she the one who told you that she was going to finish her debrief and come straight up here to see you as soon as she was done?” 

“Yes, but…” 

“She understands that we are in a tough spot and need all hands on deck for this episode, then. She knew you were shooting the last three episodes back to back-to-back when she was supposed to be coming home,” Jared tried to placate his friend. 

“Doesn’t make me feel any less of an asshole, Jared” Jensen bit out. “I’ve always been there every time she returned from deployment since we first started dating back in the early days. I’ve never missed one.” Jared glanced over at his best friend. Jensen glanced at Melody who was wearing a sympathetic smile as she turned him to sit correctly in the chair. She started to add the makeup to his face carefully as if he were made of glass. 

“You can make it one more week. We’ll be so busy enough on this episode, you won’t even realize the time has passed,” Jared said. “Then, she’ll be back and it’ll be Bonnie and Clyde all over again.” 

“Yeah.”

______________________________________________________________

Two flights, 28 hours, a very long discussion with her chain of command, filling out a very large stack of paperwork, and a nap in an uncomfortable chair later, Y/N landed in Vancouver. She couldn’t help the giddiness that was filling her that had nothing to do with lack of sleep, painkillers, or a caffeine overdose. After almost a year in a war zone, she was finally coming home to see her husband, and this time, for good. 

It wasn’t easy trying to plan the surprise return to Jensen.

Between him being an actor, surrounded by security and other famous faces all the time, and the demands the Marines had of her, she was trying her darndest to make it happen. Thankfully, she had an in with a producer on Supernatural. 

She only met Robert Singer a handful of times, but once he realized who was on the phone trying to get in touch with him, he took her call without a bit of hesitation and talked to her as if she were an old friend. She explained how she was finally coming home from her final deployment, leaving military life behind, and how she wanted to surprise Jensen somehow with her homecoming since he was always there for her.

Not only was Robert excited for this next step in his friend and actor’s life, but he was eager to assist with the surprise and promised to do everything he could to make sure only the most necessary of people knew about what was happening. 

Of course, that was before she was caught by an improvised explosive device while out on patrol a week before the end of her deployment. The explosion flipped the Humvee she was driving twice before it finally landed on its roof. Three people died in the crash. She might have survived, but she didn’t walk away without injuries she was still recovering from, which included one surgery to fix her abdomen when part of the door embedded itself into her stomach when she flew home. 

She was very close to just giving up on the surprise. She was hurting both physically and emotionally, she was feeling lonely, and she just wanted to be in the arms of her husband feeling the comfort only he could give her. 

She knew, however, that many people were working on putting together an amazing surprise for her and Jensen, and yes - they would not bat an eye at her asking to cancel it given the circumstances, but she didn’t want to do that to them. 

Jensen deserved the surprise. He had put up with so much with her being gone on deployment. 

Getting to Vancouver was part one of the plan. When her plane landed, she felt a rush of contentment go through her aching body, knowing she was one step closer to her husband. 

Part two of the plan was getting her on set. Y/N made her way out to the pickup area with her pack flung over one shoulder and her military-issue duffle in the other hand. Surprise colored her expression when she saw it was Clif waiting for her next to a rather large, black SUV. When he spotted her, his wide smile dropped some of its original joy and was replaced with concern. Y/N Ackles looked… beaten up, exhausted, and hurt as she limped slightly, moving slowly over to him.

“Holy shit, Y/N,” Clif said, immediately taking her pack and duffle from her. Y/N sighed in relief, her shoulder sagging as the weight was lifted off her. Her eyes fluttered closed as she took a deep breath of Vancouver air and when she opened them, she smiled sadly at the big security guard.

“I’d say you should see the other guy, but the other guy was the car and it got destroyed,” she said quietly. There were signs of the accident visible now that she was up close to him. The black and purple bruises on her face left behind reminders of the explosion, as did the cuts that scattered across her face, and the stitches above her eyebrow. It had only been a few weeks since the surgery to her stomach and her knee was sore from being in one place for so long. 

She also had dropped weight being overseas, which would be a shock to those seeing her again in the States. She reached up to give Clif a hug, which he returned gently. 

“I can’t believe you were actually in that explosion,” he said quietly. Y/N let out a heavy breath, one filled with emotion and stories she didn’t want to talk about. “I’m so glad you’re okay. C’mon. I have an hour to sneak you onto the set before people start asking questions.”

______________________________________________________________

Twenty-five minutes and one short hide under a blanket later, she was inside the set and being escorted in through the back door of the offices. She was met by Sarah, executive assistant to Robert, the two shared conspirator giggles despite the heaviness that came with how she felt. Y/N felt like she was back in Iraq with how she was hiding from any voices they heard, but this time it was excitement that filled her instead of dread and concern. Once the two women got to Robert’s office, they closed the door a little louder than necessary and pressed their backs against the wood. They remained silent for a long moment, staring at each other, before falling into hushed laughter. Robert looked up from his desk in amusement. 

“I take it the ride over was a success?” he asked. Y/N nodded her head. 

“Yessir,” Y/N answered, pushing herself away from the door. “I don’t think anyone had a clue I was in the vehicle. It did help that Clif stopped at a taco place and was eating when he pulled in.” She stepped forward slowly, holding her hand out. Robert noticed her limp and stood, rushing to meet her halfway. The two shook hands before he helped the Marine to a chair to sit. Y/N took the seat gratefully. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked her as he eyed her slender frame. Of course, Robert had been filled in on the accident in case it prevented her from being able to make it home against her wishes. But at least it was kept from Jensen, so… small favors. 

“I’ll survive. Nothing six months of sleep and a month of hot showers with decent water pressure won’t fix. I’m going to try and meet with some doctors in a few weeks to get a physical and see what kind of damage we are looking at. I’ll have them send the documents to the V.A. and go from there, but for now, I just want to see Jen and go home for a while. I’ll settle for a long weekend if you’ll let me have him,” she explained, hope coloring her tone. Robert nodded. 

“I’ve already made plans to have everyone take a break once we tell them you’re here. Everyone has been working so hard lately to get the last few episodes done, working back-to-back with no break… The least I can do is offer a long, four-day weekend to the team and allow you two a chance to spend some time together,” he said with a gentle smile. He purposefully didn’t acknowledge any of the medical talks, knowing how private both Y/N and Jensen were about their personal lives. 

“God, that sounds…” Suddenly, someone knocked on the door before twisting the doorknob. Panic rose in Y/N’s eyes as she looked around the room for a place to hide. 

“Don’t come in here!” Robert shouted, halting the person entering. 

“Why not?” he heard a confused voice say. 

“Because… I’m… busy, I am… having… I’m having an affair!” he shouted. Both Sarah and Y/N looked at him scandalized. 

“Seriously? That’s what you come up with?” Sarah asked, causing Robert to look at her pleadingly.

“You’re what? No, you’re not; give me the real reason. Are you naked? What’s going on?” the voice said, opening the door and walking in. 

“He said don’t come in!” Y/N barked out in her Marine voice, causing whoever was on the other side of the door to slam it shut. Y/N then turned her narrowed eyes to the other two people in the room. 

“I don’t know what made you think this was going to be kept a secret for long,” he said with a snicker. With an exasperated sigh, Y/N sat back carefully in the chair she was in. 

“Oh, fine. You can come in,” she grumbled loudly. Stacey walked into the office with wide, frightened eyes and stared at the back of Y/N’s head uncomprehendingly. Sarah looked over at Stacey with a manic grin on her face, excitement radiating off her. 

“Who are you meeting with?” Stacey asked, closing the door behind her. “I knew you weren’t having an affair, you idiot.” She walked over to the desk and dropped the fabric samples she was carrying in front of him before looking at the person sitting in the chair and freezing. Once she realized it was Y/N, a wide grin spread across her face, and she screamed excitedly.

“No!” Y/N barked, pointing at Stacey with narrowed, furious eyes. Stacey covered her mouth with her hand, then pulled it away and started to bounce on her toes while waving her hands around. “No one knows I’m here yet, and I’ll be damned if you ruin this for me.” 

“Oh my God, you’re home!! How long have you been here? We’ve got to go tell Jensen, he’s been an absolute nightmare all week,” Stacey started to ramble. Y/N’s face dropped when she heard that, moving her eyes back to Robert. 

“Has he been really upset?” Y/N asked. Robert looked at her sympathetically. 

“He’s missed you. We all have. It’s been a long year, and you being MARSOC hasn’t helped. It was easier when you two were able to Facetime occasionally, but when you went Special Ops and couldn’t speak to him for months at a time, and he didn’t know if you were alive or dead…” Robert said, trailing off. Y/N nodded her head in understanding, her eyes looking distant. 

“He’d see a story on the news and wonder if you were okay,” Sarah said quietly. “He always seemed to be waiting for a visit from someone, and he was terrified that it was going to happen here on set. We’d catch him watching the gates from time to time.” 

“So, he probably knows about the accident but has no idea I was in it,” Y/N deduced, causing Robert to frown.

“I think he’s suspicious. I think he knows you might have been in the accident,” Robert explained. “He hasn’t been himself since he saw the news about the explosion but we probably got word of it days after it actually happened. By then, you had already…” he had trailed off, glancing at the two women in the room who didn’t know about the consequences of the explosion.  

Y/N’s heart broke. So much happened in Iraq this tour, so much she hadn’t had the chance to tell anyone about. She wrapped an arm around herself protectively, her hand rubbing up and down the scars that were hidden behind the green t-shirt… near the wound that was still healing after the latest explosion she had been in. The movement didn’t go unnoticed, causing Robert and Sarah to share a glance. Slowly, the room started to disappear around her.

Stacey was talking a mile a minute, but Y/N wasn’t paying any attention to what was being said. Instead, she was getting lost in the memories of the explosion… the smell of the fire, the unseeing eyes that were frozen in terror, the tears she cried as she tried to get out of the vehicle…

“Y/N?” she heard her name and blinked a few times, looking over to Stacey. She was looking at the Marine with concern in her eyes. Y/N looked at Sarah and Robert, then back to Stacey. 

“Did I zone out? I’m sorry. It’s been a long trip home. I’m exhausted and I’ve got a lot on my mind,” she said, rubbing her eyes. Stacey shared a look with Sarah before plastering a smile on her face. 

“Well, I was saying we need to surprise Jensen now that you are here!”

“We’re already ahead of you on that one. Here’s our plan,” Robert said, filling them in. 

______________________________________________________________

“I hate the idea of bringing them pizza. Can’t I just walk up to Jen in a bar when he’s Dean and hit on him? They’re doing that scene today too, right?” Y/N asked Stacey in the wardrobe area, who shrugged. 

“Yeah, I think so. Lemme text Robert and see what he says,” she replied, grabbing her phone. Y/N nodded, leaning against the wall in thought. 

“Stace – don’t kill me but I tore a seam on this shirt, and they are making me come…” 

When the two women heard Jared’s voice enter the small room, their eyes went wide in fear but with nowhere to hide except racks of clothes in the moments it would take for him to round the corner, there was nothing they could do but wait. As soon as Jared laid eyes on his best friend’s wife, he froze in shock. Y/N looked over at Jared with a small wave. 

“Y/N?”

“Hey, Jay…” Jared’s eyes started to water instantly. 

“Holy shit, Y/N…” Jared quickly came over to her and wrapped her up in one of his notorious bear hugs, squeezing the life out of her before she could stop him. Y/N cried out in pain, patting his arms quickly, causing Jared to let go quickly. She leaned her head on his chest, whimpering and breathing heavily. Her eyes scrunched up as she breathed through the pain. 

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Y/N. What’s wrong? What did I do?” Jared panicked, unsure of where to put his hands. Stacey stared at the two in a panic, wanting to help but unsure how. 

“Just… just give me a second…” 

Jared rubbed his hands up and down her arms, hoping to calm her, all while murmuring his apologies. It took a few minutes but soon she was able to pull away and look up at Jared with a smile. 

“Hi, Jay…” Y/N said, her voice strained. Jared took the time to look at Y/N and realized not only had she lost weight, but there was some significant bruising on her face… not to mention stitches where an incision had been sewn shut. That’s when it dawned on him that she must be seriously injured behind the brown shirt and military fatigue pants she was still wearing. 

“You were in the explosion, weren’t you?” he asked gently, remorse coloring his tone. “God, Y/N, I’m so sorry. I should have waited and not rushed up. Did I hurt you badly? I’m so sorry. What do you need?”

“I’m fine,” Y/N explained with a nod. “I promise. I just need some rest, a good meal, and my man.” Jared nodded. If she wasn’t going to talk about it, he wasn’t going to push. 

“Um, Y/N… You’re bleeding…” Stacey said meekly, pointing to a spot on her side. Y/N looked at her, then at where she was pointing. Sure enough, a small bit of blood had seeped through her brown shirt on her side high up on her ribs. A sigh escaped her as she looked away, avoiding the two pairs of eyes now staring at her in concern. 

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I can go get the set nurse and she can fix you…” Jared started, but Y/N shook her head. 

“No,” she said firmly. “No, I don’t want anyone looking at this. They don’t need to see any of this. Just get me some medical tape and some gauze and I’ll be fine. I’m sure it’s just a couple of busted stitches. They are supposed to come out in a few days anyway.” 

“Are you sure?” Jared asked. Y/N forced a smile, looking up at him. 

“Yeah, I’m sure. But thank you. I forgot what it’s like to have people fret over me like this,” she said with a chuckle. Jared forced a crooked smile and shook his head. 

“I thought you weren’t coming in till next week sometime… Jensen has this whole thing planned to surprise you and everything.” 

“That’s the thing, I’m here to surprise him,” Y/N smiled.

“God, you’re so tan…” he muttered, not realizing he said it out loud. Y/N’s smile softened. 

“A year in the desert will do that to you. I’ve got some wicked sock lines though,” she said with a laugh. The other two laughed as well, but she could tell it was forced. “How is he? I know this has been awful, being away for a year, and he says he’s been okay… but how is he?” Jared shook his head, not responding. Y/N nodded her head in understanding. It’s been as hard for Jensen as it was for her. She almost said screw the surprise and went to go find him. 

“Yeah,” she breathed. “Yeah…” 

“He’s been doing his best to stay positive, but it’s been killing him. It’s pretty obvious to those of us he’s close to,” Jared said with a shake of the head. Stacey looked up from her phone with a small smile. 

“Robert said he’s cool with the change if you want to do the bar scene instead,” she replied. Y/N smiled at her, nodding. 

“You’re going to be in the episode?” Jared questioned, his voice showing his excitement. 

“I don’t know if they are going to keep it, but that’s how I’m going to surprise him with me being back,” Y/N said with a smirk. Jared hugged her again, this time more gently than before. 

“That’s perfect,” he said. Stacey clapped her hands at them.

“Okay, be sappy later, we have to go and get you beautified! It’s off to hair and make-up for you!”

______________________________________________________________

“Here’s what’s gonna happen…. he’s gonna go to the bar, order a whiskey. When it’s set in front of him, you walk over, pick it up, throw it back, and set the glass down. He’s gonna scoff and turn to look at you and… we’ll just keep rolling. You ready?” Robert said to her with a wide smile. Y/N nodded her head, butterflies and a simmering heat filling her stomach. She was more than ready. She had been watching her husband for part of the day from a distance and she wanted to get her hands on him now. 

The crew went out of their way to make her feel beautiful with their little mini-spa day. The crew did wonders with her hair and make-up, doing what they could to give her military cut some sexiness. The subtle but glamorous make-up made her newly tan skin shimmer which would be perfect in the low bar light. They asked if she wanted to change clothes, but Y/N declined. She wasn’t ready to be in civilian clothing yet and wearing something that could expose the injuries she was trying to hide made her nervous. Instead, she stuck with her t-shirt and BDU pants. Paired with the wavy hair and makeup, she almost felt glamorous. 

Spotting Jensen off to the side and talking to a PA had her heart racing. She was so ready to be in his arms again.  

“Jensen, you good on what’s about to happen?” Jensen simply nodded and waved a hand from where he stood. “Okay then. Lights…. Camera…. ACTION!”

Jensen stood from the booth he was sitting in and stomped over to the bar, waving down the bartender. He ordered the whiskey before sliding on the stool to sit. Y/N started to slowly walk up to him when he sat. Once the drink was set in front of him and he started to reach for it, she lifted it from the bar top, threw it back with ease (oh, it’s just watered-down Coke…), and set the glass down with a loud thunk in front of him. She then turned to the side to face Jensen and waited, holding her breath. 

Jensen faked an exasperated scoff, waving a hand at the glass, turned, looked at the woman to his side… and froze. His eyes slowly widened as he took in her face, moving to a standing position as his hand reached up to cup her cheek. Y/N’s eyes started to water as she smiled, watching her husband try to decide if what he saw was real. When his warm, calloused hand touched her cheek a tear broke free and ran down her face. His thumb gently brushed it away as he stood. 

“Y/N…?” he whispered; his voice so full of hope it hurt to hear it. Y/N gave a jerky nod. 

“Surprise…?” she whimpered, more tears spilling from her eyes. He looked down at her, as he was almost half a foot taller than she was, and he raised his other hand to the other side of her face.

“Oh, my God,” he breathed before crashing his mouth onto hers, kissing her with so much passion and desire. There was no tenderness in the kiss, just desperation, want, I missed you, and welcome home and don’t leave. They were so caught up in each other, that they didn’t even hear the cheers happening around them. When they finally broke for air, they rested their foreheads against each other as more tears fell from Y/N’s eyes. Jensen pressed a chaste kiss against her mouth once more then moved to pull her into a tight embrace. Y/N stopped him before he could do any damage. 

“Gently,” she said quietly. Concern flooded him, his eyes dropping to look over her body. It was then he noticed just how small she had gotten. His eyes widened and he started to ask a question, but Y/N shook her head. “Later. Just be gentle.” 

Jensen nodded slightly, and pulled her into his arms, holding her as close to him as possible. She also wrapped her arms around him, turning and hiding her head into his neck. One of his hands slipped up into her hair, cradling the back of her head.  

“I missed you so much,” he whispered brokenly. It wasn’t until she felt his fine tremors that she realized he was crying too. 

“I’m not going anywhere ever again,” she whispered back. 

[enigmalynne]

Supernatural Survival: The Last Hunt

Title – Supernatural Survival: The Last Hunt Pairings – Cannon Word Count – 6,782 Warnings – violence, monsters from The Last of Us AND Supernatural, shooting and Molotov cocktail throwing, cursing. JAcklesverseBingo Prompt – Parallel Universe AU

Summary: Sam and Dean find themselves in the middle of the apocalypse—an apocalypse riddled with cordyceps and monsters they have never had to battle before. While searching for items that could help make some weapons, they run into someone who knows what hunting used to mean. She takes them under her wing, bringing them home to Jackson.

The building was in ruins, left for nature to take back after the world fell apart. The floors were filled with holes where rotted wood gave way, and broken furniture and windows littered the rooms the brothers crawled through. Sam and Dean moved carefully through the silence, kicking up dust and mold from time to time despite their planned steps. 

“This is disgusting,” Dean muttered, going through the drawers of a worn desk in search of anything they could use.  

“You know the deal, Dean. We search everything we come across,” Sam said quietly, his hand resting on the rifle across his chest. He kept his head on a swivel for anything that might come their way. Dean closed the drawer harder than he meant to. 

“This place is picked over already. We’re wasting our time,” Dean said in a frustrated huff. The packs on their back carried everything they currently owned, so they’d have to make do with what they had.  Sam glared at his older brother, his narrowed eyes being the only part of his face showing as the scarf he had covered his nose and mouth. 

“Keep looking anyway,” he grunted. Dean mocked his little brother before looking through the rest of the desk drawers, finding nothing. He kicked the desk in frustration, causing birds to squawk and fly away. Sam turned to glare at Dean and was about to lecture him for his tantrum.

It was that moment of distraction that caused them trouble. One moment, they were searching through old furniture for rags and things they could use as weapons, and the next moment, they were fighting with a clicker that came out of nowhere, pinning Dean down and biting mere inches away from his face. Its claws were ripping into his skin, tearing deeper as he tried to push it away from him. He had jumped into its path when he realized it was headed toward Sam, refusing to let the creature take his brother from him. 

“Stay back,” Dean growled, desperately trying to reach the machete hanging from his hip. Sam had aimed with his rifle, waiting for a clear shot to take the zombie out. Suddenly, a screech was heard behind him, and Sam swiftly spun on his feet as another clicker approached them. Without hesitation, he shot twice at the creature’s head. It dropped dead immediately. 

Dean finally got a leg up and could kick the clicker away from him, and once he had a little space between them, he pulled his machete up. With a few quick slices, the head of the zombie rolled in one direction while the body fell away. Sam spun with his gun held high to his brother with narrowed eyes. Dean looked up at Sam, panting heavily, his eyes hard and cold. Seeing his brother standing, he lowered the end toward the floor.

“You get bit?” Sam asked, pulling his scarf down. Dean shook his head. 

“No,” he answered, wiping sweat from his face. Sam’s eyes narrowed slightly. 

“You know the drill, man,” he said quietly. Dean looked over at his brother and frowned, and after a pause, he nodded. He pulled his pack off his back and dropped it at his feet before tugging his shirt away from his chest and neck. Sam stepped closer and studied his brother’s body. There were scratches on his chest that were clearly claw marks, but other than that, his skin was bite-free. Sam nodded with relief, lowering his weapon completely. Dean nodded before buttoning his shirt back up. 

“You’re lucky those scratches didn’t go through the tattoo,” Sam muttered distractedly, looking down at the now-dead clickers.

“Never thought I’d say this, but I miss when we hunted ghosts instead of these motherfuckers,” Dean muttered, bending over to pick up his pack. Sam chuckled lightly. 

“At least our hunting skills come in handy,” he replied, looking back at his brother. “Nice use of the machete there.” 

Dean tipped his head in thanks. “I miss the bunker,” he sighed. 

“Me, too,” Sam said. “If we could make it back there, establish some way to grow our food, and get clean water, it could be a fortress against all this shit,” Sam said with a shake of his head. 

“I know we could do it,” Dean agreed, hiking his bag comfortably on his back. Suddenly, a series of loud screeches echoed around them, then gunshots. The brothers turned their heads toward the open hole in the floor, eyes narrowed and guns drawn; as soon as they reached the edge, a woman lept and tried to pull herself up. Dean made his way over to her and grabbed her arm, hauling her up as Sam started shooting at the clicker that rounded on her. 

As soon as she got her balance, she turned and started to fire into the floor below. Once the screeching stopped, the woman paused and stared into the hole while breathing heavily. Her light-colored eyes glanced at the two men before staring down into the hole; Sam kept his rifle pointed into the hole, and Dean had his handgun pointed at her. The three then stood there, silent. Waiting.

The woman’s eyes lifted to the men after a minute of silence. Dean noted she was young, far younger than anyone out alone should be. They stared at each other for a long moment, hearing nothing but the birds outside and a few crickets scattered around the building. 

“You, uh… You hear anything?” the woman whispered timidly. Sam and Dean glanced at each other, then shook their heads. Finally, after a tense moment, she dropped her arm and stepped back. She placed her hands on her knees to draw air into her lungs, the adrenaline giving way to anxiety.

“Okay… good,” she muttered, looking between the men before her. She then noticed the two dead clickers nearby, eyes widening. “Oh, shit. Did you take those down?”

“Yeah, a little bit before you showed up. And you are?” Dean asked, his gun still trained on the young woman.

She looked over at Dean, startled when she realized he had a gun on her. She opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by a scratching of static and a mumbling voice. The woman took what looked like a toy walkie-talkie out of her back pocket, making the voice slightly more precise. 

“Where the hell are you, Casey?” the voice asked irritably. “I heard gunshots. Are you okay? I swear if you are dead, I’m going to kill you myself.”

“I’m fine, Y/N,” the woman – Casey – said into the ancient walkie-talkie. “I ran into trouble but found some help taking down the clickers. This building isn’t as clear as we thought it was.” 

“Raiders?” the scratchy voice asked. 

“Raiders wouldn’t have saved my life.” 

“Famous last words. Get your ass up here.” 

“On my way,” Casey said with a smirk, clicking the walkie-talkie off. She looked over at the brothers and slipped it back into her pocket. 

“I’m Casey, and that was Y/N,” she said, tilting her head away from where they were standing. “I’m going to assume you aren’t going to kill me. If that’s true, then… Come on. We know a way out of here that’s a fuck ton safer than going back down through that.” Casey turned, walking down a hallway and stepping over the dead clickers. Dean moves to follow, but before he gets far, Sam stops him. 

“The hell, Dean?” 

“Well, I’m not gonna stay here,” Dean said. 

“So, you want to follow a complete fucking stranger to God knows where?” Sam asked incredulously. 

“The other option is to go back down there. I don’t want to do that. Do you?” Dean asked with a raised brow. Sam scoffed at his brother but followed when Dean walked after Casey. 

By the time they reached Y/N, the brothers had found several things they could use for makeshift weapons: more rags, scissors and broken pieces of metal, some rope, and a few old glass containers. On the other hand, Casey was collecting things like pens and pencils, notepads, journals, and some clothing. 

Y/N was folding what looked to be clothing into a duffle bag. She heard shuffling and was pointing a gun at the three before they even turned the corner. Casey started to whistle before turning the corner, her hands up in surrender. The brothers followed a few steps behind, their hands on their weapons. Y/N relaxed when she saw Casey walking toward her but immediately returned to the defense when she spotted the brothers. 

“Who the fuck are you two?” Y/N growled, her gun back up, and pointed at the brothers as she stood. 

“Put your gun down, and let’s talk about this,” Sam said calmly, his rifle pointed at her.

Y/N cocked an eyebrow. “I think not,” she muttered under her breath. 

“Y/N, no! They saved my life,” Casey shouted, trying to stop her from shooting them. Y/N glanced at the girl. “They got me away from a clicker and even killed it. They killed two on their own.”

“And that makes them friendlies?” Y/N snapped quietly. Sam side-stepped while the two argued, moving to give him a better advantage. “Don’t even think about it, or I will drop you where you stand.” 

“You aren’t fast enough,” Dean said, cocking his gun. 

“Okay, okay… let’s all just take a breath here,” Casey said with a frown. Y/N shifted toward her. That movement caused Dean to notice something familiar on her arm.

“Wait!” Dean shouted, causing both Y/N and Sam to freeze. “Show me your forearm.” 

“What?” Y/N asked incredulously. He did not just ask to see…

“Show me your arm,” he asked again, speaking slower. Y/N stared at him for a long moment before using one hand to shove the sleeve up on the arm holding the gun, exposing the anti-possession tattoo inked just near the crease of her elbow. Dean looked at it, pressing his lips in a thin line. He glanced at Sam quickly before he returned his gaze to Y/N. 

In sync, like the brothers always are, they reached up to the collar of their shirts and pulled them aside, exposing their chests. There, in black ink, were identical tattoos. This caused Y/N’s expression to slacken in surprise as she cursed.

“What are you guys? Are you part of the same cult or something?” Casey asked, confusion coloring her tone. Y/N stood up straight, her arms dropping to her sides. She studied the brothers while they studied her. 

“Something like that,” she said softly. Y/N pulled a silver flask from her back pocket and held it up for the two men to see. “Why don’t you humor me?” she said as she tossed it at Dean, who caught the silver item with one hand. Sam looked over at his brother, watching as Dean turned it over and looked at the etchings on the front. His brow raised as he ran his thumb over the runes. 

“I applaud your rune choices, but I do wonder just how holy your water is,” he said, opening the bottle and taking a quick swig. Dean handed the flask to Sam, who also took a sip before closing it and tossing it back to her. She caught it one-handed, a harsh smirk dancing across her lips as she raised her brows at him, slipping it back into her pocket. Dean pulled out a silver blade from its hiding spot behind his back. He flung it at her with a flick of his wrist, having it land in the old wood near her feet. Y/N didn’t react, keeping her eyes on him. 

“Let’s see if you can handle a real test,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. Y/N nodded at him once, reached over, grasped the handle of the silver blade, and tugged it out of the wood. Her eyes dropped to look over the blade, eyeing its intricate engraving before carefully slicing a bit of her forearm open. Dean watched and glanced at Sam, who nodded when she didn’t react. Y/N flung the knife back at the brothers, the blade ending up in the wall between them. Dean scoffed as he pulled it out and returned it to its hiding place on his body. 

Y/N’s entire attitude changed, with surprise and a bit of longing in her voice. “I haven’t seen another hunter in almost 20 years. I’m Y/N.”

“I’m Dean. This is Sam,” Dean said, sliding his weapon back into its holster at his back. Sam waved slightly at her, his expression much more open and friendly. Y/N’s eyes widened slightly, a smile playing on her lips. 

“Winchester? Should have known you two would have survived,” she muttered with a shake of her head. 

“You’ve heard of us?” Sam asked. Y/N scoffed, sliding her gun into the waistband of her worn jeans. 

“Anyone in the business has heard of you guys,” she said, then pointed to the ground beneath her feet, a severe expression on her face. “You guys didn’t have anything to do with this apocalypse, did you?” The brothers bitch-faced the woman before sharing a glance. They went about their way, looking over the room and gathering supplies they could use while Y/N spoke to Casey.

“I’ve picked up as much as I could find on the top five floors. Add your items into the bag, and we’ll get out of here,” she said. Casey nodded, kneeling to add her scavenged items to the duffle bag. “We can check out those houses we passed back to the bus and see if anything is left behind.” A loud crash echoed distantly, followed by a screech. All four turned and lifted their weapons toward the sound, standing frozen in their places. Silence settled over them again, but Y/N wasn’t willing to wait and see what would happen next. 

“We gotta get out of here,” she muttered, her eyes watching for anything that moves. 

“You got an exit in mind?” Dean asked. Y/N and Casey glanced at each other, and Y/N tilted her head toward the back of the floor toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that were giving them light to see.

“Casey, take point,” Y/N said quietly, her eyes unmoving. Casey nodded as she lifted one of the duffle bags at their feet. Once it was secure across her body, she slowly walked toward the back of the room, her gun still in her hands. 

“Sammy, go,” Dean muttered as he glanced behind them. 

“Dean,” Sam warned. 

“I’m right behind you,” he said. Sam frowned but followed Casey, watching Dean follow him. Y/N covered the back of their line with the second duffle bag over her shoulder. When Sam caught up with Casey, he saw a hole in the wall leading to a balcony. Casey was dropping her duffle bag over the side to the ground three floors below. She then propped open a slab in the metal to reveal what was left of a hidden staircase. She then dropped Y/N’s bag over the side once the group was together. One by one, the foursome made their way down to the ground. Y/N glanced up at the building once her feet hit the grass.

“This way,” Y/N muttered, picking up one of the duffle bags tossed down and throwing the strap across her body. She began leading them away from the building and into shadows cast by the overgrowth of trees, their bodies disappearing into the brush. 

There was an unspoken agreement that the four would stick together, and they walked through the brush silently. After a while, the four paired off in their walking. Sam walked with Casey; Dean walked with Y/N. The silence proved too much for the younger pair, and soon they started chatting. The muted voices were almost peaceful to listen to as they walked, the older pair keeping an eye out for danger. A twig snap had the two older ones turning and raising weapons, listening to the sounds of nature surrounding them for signs of danger. 

It wasn’t until they saw a rabbit scampering by that they relaxed. 

“Never a dull moment,” Y/N muttered, causing Dean to chuckle. 

“I can’t tell you the last time I let my guard down,” he said quietly, shaking his head. The two started walking again. Y/N glanced at him. “At least before all this clicker shit happened, I felt like I could get a few hours’ of peaceful sleep at night.” 

“The only way I slept out here was in a hammock chair I found in an abandoned Home Depot back in the day, hung up in the branches of a tree off the ground at least a hundred feet,” Y/N said. “Most uncomfortable way to sleep, but I wasn’t gonna stay on the ground for nothing.” 

“Sammy and I would take turns staying up at night, keeping watch and the fire burning. It never felt like a restful sleep, though. Always woke up tired no matter how long I was out,” he explained. 

“Like you never rested in the first place?” Y/N asked, looking over at the older brother. He glanced at her before answering. 

“Yeah. Something like that.”

“I’d rather hunt a house full of vampires while on my period in cut-off shorts than deal with this shit. At least with vampires, I know what to expect. It feels like every time we turn around, we’re learning something new about these cordyceps and whatnot,” Y/N muttered with a shake of her head. Dean smirked.

“It’s been a few years since I took out anything that wasn’t human or cordyceps driven. I figured all the evil in the world has up and vanished given how humanity has all but destroyed itself,” Dean said. 

A few hours later, the four walked out of the woods and up to a neighborhood filled with rundown houses that were most likely beautiful once upon a time. Now, with rotted wood and overgrown lawns, they simply looked like how the rest of the world did: abandoned and left for Mother Nature to recall as her own.  With a sigh, Y/N paused and looked at the group.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m exhausted,” Y/N said tiredly. “Let’s head to the safe house. We’ll clear it and make camp for the night.”

“I think we left behind some canned food last time we were there. It’s not anything gourmet, but fifteen-year-old canned peaches and some Chef Boyardee sounds pretty damn good to me right now,” Casey said, leading the way. 

“Man, you found peaches?” Sam asked, jogging to catch up with the younger woman. 

“Canned peaches. I’m not promising the best-tasting fruit here,” Casey smiled. 

“We can dig through more of the houses around here while we are here; we might find some good stuff while we’re at it,” Y/N said as she looked over the overgrown streets. “I don’t think anyone has been through those houses in the back. Who knows what we’ll find.”

“Okay. We did the houses on that side of the street when we came here last week,” Casey said, pointing to the houses on the left. “That means we still need to search these houses over here on the right.” 

“Anyone in these homes right now?” Sam asked, looking back at Y/N as she eyed the homes. She shook her head sadly. 

“This was one of the areas FEDRA came through early when they started the quarantine zones back in the day. These places were abandoned early, and being that it’s a random neighborhood in the middle of nowhere, no one has been here in years,” she explained. “Unless someone was passing through and thought to search the homes, we should be lucky to find some more canned food at least.”

“We’ll split up into twos and hit a few houses before heading to your safehouse for the night. How’s that sound?” Dean asked. Y/N looked over at him and shrugged. 

“Sounds good to me. We can pull some stuff from the homes for you guys too, make some more comfortable bedding options and maybe even some clothes,” she replied. They spent the next few hours going through some of the homes and finding some canned food, a comforter, three musty pillows, a few t-shirts, and a worn pair of sweatpants. All in all, it was a good haul. The four had green beans and carrots with their Chef Boyardee and peaches that night.

“Just because we’re in the middle of the apocalypse doesn’t mean clickers are the only things we need to worry about,” Y/N snarked. 

“When’s the last time you hunted anything that wasn’t riddled with cordyceps?” Dean asked, disdain dripping from his voice. Y/N shot him a glare from the corner of her eye as the four trudged through the woods. 

“When was the last time we did?” Sam muttered under his breath, dodging the elbow his older brother tried to shove into his side. Casey laughed lightly at the antics while Y/N smirked at the brothers as they climbed through the trees. 

“You’d be amazed at what needs killing, even now,” Y/N said. “While I haven’t actively hunted anything demonic in quite a while, I’ve been known to do quite a few salt and burn’s along the way. Even now, people need to be put to rest.” 

Sam shot Dean a look and a smirk as if to say, ‘I told you so,’ which earned him an eye roll in return. 

“Do I want to know what you guys are talking about?” Casey asked lightly, causing all three of them to answer in the negative. They were quiet after that, hiking through overgrown grass and ferns between tall trees that had taken back what was rightfully theirs a thousand years ago.

They had been walking for a couple of hours when it happened. The sun dipped low, throwing a beautiful sunset across the sky when a low growl echoed off the trees surrounding them. They froze in their spots, each looking out to locate the owner of the sound. 

“What the hell was that?” Casey asked with apparent fear in her voice. 

“That doesn’t sound like infected,” Dean muttered, slowly pulling his handgun from his thigh holster. Sam shook his head slightly, looking at their surroundings more carefully as he pulled his gun. 

“It isn’t human either,” Sam said quietly. Y/N hushed them both, listening more intently to their surroundings. It had gone oddly quiet, the sounds of birds and crickets disappearing completely. Another growl echoed, this time louder and closer. All four heads swung in the direction it was coming from. 

“We have a predator among us,” Y/N whispered. Dean and Sam glanced at each other before returning to studying their surroundings. 

“I don’t understand what is going on,” Casey said, her gun in her hand and her wide eyes scanning the woods around her. 

“Just stay between us, and you’ll be fine,” Y/N quietly told her. On instinct, the three hunters formed a protective triangle around the younger girl. Suddenly, rustling and heavy breathing disturbed the absolute silence. A guttural sound echoed close by them. The location of the sounds made them feel like they were surrounded.

“Behind,” Sam muttered, causing Dean to glance behind them. There it stood, in all its glory. The skeletal form of a wendigo, tall and skinny with razor-sharp teeth on display in its open mouth. Black beady eyes narrowed on the foursome. Its claws wiggled as if preparing to attack at any moment.

“Oh, fuck,” Dean whispered harshly. The thing screeched a violent scream that caused all of them to stumble back a few steps, pointing the weapons out, knowing they wouldn’t do anything about it. 

“What were you saying about hunting during the apocalypse?” Y/N asked sarcastically to hide the fear in her voice. 

“Run! Now!” Dean said, firing three rounds at the monster in front of them. Sam grabbed Casey’s hand before turning and running as fast as they could. Y/N fired a couple of rounds before she turned and ran, Dean following quickly behind her. The wendigo charged them, a violent roar escaping him that echoed off the trees. It barreled them down quickly, knocking into Dean and throwing him off his feet. 

“Dean!” Sam shouted, turning back to see him. Y/N stopped and looked behind her as well. 

“I’m fine! Keep going!” they heard him yell. The three turned around to start running again, only to come face-to-face with the monster. Y/N screamed in fright, causing him to toss her aside. Its claws tore her skin open, leaving behind scratches across her side. She landed against a tree and fell into a pile of ferns. 

“Y/N!!” Casey screamed as Sam pulled up his rifle and shot it in the face twice to distract it. It shrieked and backed off. 

“That wasn’t very nice,” Y/N groaned as Dean approached her. 

“C’mon, we gotta move,” he said, trying to help her. She nodded her head but moved slowly. Sam darted over to where they were, his weapon raised and ready to fire when the wendigo showed its face again. However, the familiar screeches they heard weren’t from their monster. All four of them glanced at each other with genuine fear.

“This can’t be happening,” Sam muttered as he turned his head, looking for the clickers. The girls grabbed the brothers and yanked them down into the ferns, hiding them from sight. 

“Be silent,” Casey whispered almost silently. With racing hearts and fear running through them, they watched as the clickers moved right by them. The wendigo growled somewhere nearby, causing Dean to stiffen. Y/N put her hand on his arm as a warning. The clickers turned and screeched, looking for the monster who had made so much noise, and it wasn’t moments later that they discovered their prey. The trees then erupted with the growls from the wendigo and the screeching from the clickers as the fight began. 

They stood from their hiding spot and watched dumbfounded as the wendigo fought the clickers. Clawed hands were everywhere, and blood and chunks of skin were flung in different directions as each monster attacked the other, shredding each other to bits.

“Alright, now I’ve seen everything,” Dean muttered, pulling a scoffing laugh from Sam. Y/N pulled a half-filled bottle of alcohol and a torn piece of fabric out of her pack. She poured some liquid on the fabric before stuffing it into the bottle in a makeshift Molotov and holding it in front of her.  

“Gimme a light,” she muttered to Dean. He looked at the bottle in her hands and smirked before digging a lighter out of his pocket. Y/N kept her eyes on the fighting monsters before her as Dean carefully lit the damp rag hanging from the top of the bottle. Once the fire was intense, Y/N reared back and threw the bottle. 

Smashing glass gave way to a quiet woosh of alcohol catching on fire as it fell on the wendigo, clickers, and foliage nearby. Pain-filled cries filled the darkening sky as the flame quickly ate up the dead skin of the monsters, the loud sounds drawing the few other clickers that were nearby. Soon, they were also engulfed in flame. 

Y/N smirked as she looked over at the brothers. Dean was smiling widely as he watched the monsters burn to the ground. He shared a glance with Sam, and the brothers looked relaxed for the first time in Y/N’s presence. Y/N and Casey shared a glance before watching more of the fire burn.

“Isn’t that Dina?” Y/N questioned the next day, squinting as they approached the bus. Casey turned to look in the direction Y/N was pointing, then jumped excitedly. 

“It is Dina!” she exclaimed, then shouted with all her might. “Dina!!” Her voice echoed down the street of abandoned buildings and broken roads. The three other people winced as they heard it. The woman riding the horse in the distance turned around to look their way, and the noise that could only be recognized as infected started heading their way.

“Casey!” Dean growled at her, pulling out his handgun. Y/N shook her head as she walked forward, bending down to pick up what looked like what used to be a baseball bat as she did. As she stood up, she swung the bat upward, connecting with the head of a runner headed her way. The blood and bone splattered across her went ignored as she turned to swing again at the one coming right behind him. 

“I’m sorry!” Casey shouted as she pulled up the rifle handed to her by Y/N miles ago. Sam was picking off infected from farther away, backing up a little to avoid hitting his partners in the fight. Dean shot a runner that was headed for her twice in the head before kicking another one in front of him. 

“Duck!” he heard Sam’s voice shout, causing Dean to drop to one knee. Above him, he heard a small explosion and looked up just in time to see a body collapse behind him. Dean holstered his gun and pulled out his machete, hacking his way through two runners who started to come toward him. A loud screech caught his attention, and he noticed Y/N had a clicker coming up behind her. Before he could shout a warning, he watched as she grabbed a runner and turned with him, shoving him into the clicker. The clicker grabbed him and bit into his neck, giving her time to pull a weapon and fire on them both. 

Impressive, he thought. The fight carried on for what felt like hours but was only fifteen minutes. Dina and Ellie, who were nearby, came to their rescue, firing their guns into the heads of the runners as they rode closer. 

“I thought someone cleared this area,” Y/N panted, looking at Dina. She shrugged.

“It was last week. Who knows where these guys came from? We’ll have to talk to Tommy about it, though,” Dina said, with Ellie nodding. Just then, Jessie rode up to see them standing among several dead runners. 

“Uh, things okay?” he asked, concerned. He eyed the brothers suspiciously before looking at Casey. 

“Hey, Jessie,” she said with a wide smile. The three adults in the group rolled their eyes and turned to check on each other while the two lovebirds took a moment to get reacquainted. Dean and Sam looked each other over, ensuring no bites were visible, while Y/N chatted with Dina and Ellie for a moment. 

“Uh, hey, Y/N?” Casey started. 

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead.” 

“Thank you so much! I promise we’ll meet up in Jackson so I can help clean the clothing we found.” 

“Go on, get out of here.” 

  Y/N took the duffle bag that she was carrying from her before Jessie helped get Casey on his horse. The four twenty-somethings turned and wandered off to finish their rounds as Y/N watched them with a sarcastic smirk. Once they were out of sight, she turned and looked at the brothers who were watching the scene in front of them with barely disguised amusement. Sam reached ahead, took the extra bag Y/N was carrying, and slung it over one shoulder. 

“C’mon. The bus is over here.”

The sun was setting on their third day together when the old school bus appeared. 

“This is yours?” Sam asked, eyeing the school bus critically. Y/N smiled slightly. 

“Yep,” she replied tiredly. 

“And it runs?” Dean asked, surprised, coloring his tone as he looked it over. Y/N unlocked the padlock she had on the door and shoved it open so they could board.  

“Took me three years to figure out how to get the power the solar panels on the roof provide to run the engine. I took the batteries from an old Tesla and put it in the bus, making it easier,” Y/N said. Dean looked at her, impressed. “Make yourselves at home.” 

Sam and Dean shared a look before climbing the bus, startled when they saw the inside. Shelves and crates to hold things she collected along the way lined one side of the bus. On the opposite side were a few mattresses with blankets and pillows. A small shelf held cooking items like the kind you would camp with. Y/N even put in what looked like those cubbies kindergartners used to keep their stuff behind the driver’s seat. 

“Wow,” Sam muttered as they walked onto the bus. 

“Feel free to get comfy. I’ve got some lanterns back there, matches to light them nearby. We’ll get moving in the morning,” Y/N said, letting Dean pass her. “I’ll take the first watch.”

Twenty minutes later, Sam was fast asleep on a mattress at the back of the bus. Y/N was sitting in the driver’s seat, a rifle in her hands, as she watched out the window. However, Dean seemed too wired to rest and instead was browsing the collections of items she had shelved.

“So, why are you collecting all this random shit?” Dean asked, flipping through a stack of books on one of the shelves bolted to the side of the bus. Y/N turned her head to look at what Dean was looking at, resting her head on the butt of the rifle. 

“The place I live in now is a commune. We share everything and pitch in where we can do whatever needs to be done. The problem is that resources get thin quickly, and sometimes we need more. Of everything,” she explained. “And I kind of hate being in one place for a long period after living the hunter lifestyle.” 

“I hear that,” Dean said with a smirk, facing her with a book. He flips through the pages as he walks to the front of the bus to sit on the couch across from her. 

“Well, I head out every other month or so to find things people need,” she explained. “You’d be amazed at what people leave behind when they rush to get out, and when you are trying to rebuild a home, you need everything. Dishes to eat off, clothing to wear, books for entertainment…”

“And you just go out, find this stuff, and bring it back?” Dean asked. Y/N shrugged. 

“I used to travel around the states in a 1969 Mustang, painted the prettiest blue you’d ever seen. The longest I’d ever stayed in one spot was three weeks. And that was because of a pretty bad concussion and three broken ribs. The idea of settling down isn’t appealing to me,” Y/N said.

“What were you hunting? That busted you up?” Dean asked, book forgotten. 

“A rakshasa. I was hunting alone, which I know better than to do, but you do what you have to when people are dying,” she said with a wince. Dean nodded. “What about you? I’d love to hear some of those famous Winchester stories.” 

Dean just smiled.

A loud whistle could be heard as the bus approached the large gate. 

“Hey! Y/N’s back! Someone go get Maria and Tommy!” a voice shouted. Sam and Dean looked out the front window and watched as the gate slowly opened. Y/N pulled the bus in and parked it just inside the gate. She heaved a heavy sigh before opening the door.

A commotion happened as soon as they walked off the bus. Weapons were pointed in their direction, voices were raised, and threats were thrown; Y/N stood in front of the brothers with her arms in surrender as the brothers stood defensively.

“I don’t fucking think so, Tommy! They’re with me!” she shouted back at the pseudo-leader of the commune. 

“You can’t just bring random people into Jackson! You put all of us at risk,” someone shouted. 

“You know me well enough to know I wouldn’t bring just anyone in here,” Y/N answered.

“How do we know these people are safe?” another shouted.

“Get your fucking gun out of my face!” Dean growled at someone.

“Shut up and let me handle this,” Y/N bit out at him. 

“Looks like you’re causing some trouble, Y/N,” Joel said, standing back with a smirk. Y/N shot him a glare.

“Y/N, what the hell are you thinking,” Tommy asked, walking up to her, a gun in his hand pointed at the men behind her. 

“I thought I could bring a couple of friends with me back home without the terror squad bearing down on us,” she snapped at him. When one of the men shouting at her stepped up to make a move on them, Y/N turned to face him. “Try it, and I’ll knock you the fuck out, Aaron.” 

“Calm down; they are just defensive because you brought strangers into their home,” Maria said, walking up next to Tommy. “Put your gun down, Tommy, you aren’t helping the situation.” 

“Maria, these are my guys,” Y/N said with a look. 

“What do you mean, your guys?” she asked. 

Y/N rolled up her sleeve to show her tattoo. Sam saw her do that and pulled his shirt aside to show his, elbowing Dean in the process. While rolling his eyes, Dean pulled his shirt aside and showed his tattoo. Maria’s eyes widened, then moved to stand before the trio. 

“They are welcome here, and anyone who has a problem with it can speak to me directly,” Maria announced to the growing crowd. Maria turned to look at Y/N, glanced at the bus, and frowned. “Where’s Casey?” 

“She stayed behind with Jesse and the girls to help on patrol,” Y/N said. Maria smirked. 

“Help on patrol or mess around with Jesse?” 

“We haven’t showered in weeks, Maria. Let him have at it if that’s what he wants to fool around with.”

There was humor in their eyes as they turned to see Tommy and Sam talking while Joel and Dean seemed to be sizing each other up. The rest of the crowd dispersed after giving Sam and Dean the once-over. No one went into the bus for the things she found; they all knew once she cleaned up and washed everything, they would be dispersed appropriately: books would go to the library, food to the dining hall, games, and recreation goods to the main entrance, and everything else to the storefront she ran so people can pick through what they need. In another month or so, she would head out in another direction to find more items to bring back to Jackson to help families settle in with a list of requests from people looking for specifics if she could see them. 

“Would you guys be willing to stay with Y/N until we can find you a place to live?” Maria asked Sam. 

“uh…” Sam stuttered, glancing at Dean.

“Yeah, they’re with me,” Y/N said. 

“Okay. We’ll get you some clean clothes. I’m sure she’s got some your size, but they most likely need to be washed. Whatever else you need, we’ll get that together too. Get cleaned up, and get some sleep. We’ll get together later and talk,” Maria said, smiling. 

“I get the first shower,” Y/N said. “You boys will most likely use up the hot water.”

“You’ve got hot water?” Dean asked, longing to color his voice. Y/N smiled gently at him, recognizing they had no idea what they were brought into. 

“We’ve got electricity here,” she said calmly. “So, we have hot water. We also have shampoo, soap, hot food, and many other comforts. It’s not like it used to be before the outbreak, but it's closer to home than any QZ ever was.” 

Dean looked at Sam with emotion in his eyes, grabbing the back of his neck tightly. Sam stared at his brother with teary eyes and a shaky smile. Y/N glanced at Maria, who was smiling at the boys. 

“We made it, Sammy,” Dean said quietly. 

“C’mon. Let’s go to my place and get settled,” Y/N said, climbing back on the bus. As Sam and Dean climbed on, Y/N smiled at them. “Oh, and boys? Welcome to Jackson.” 

[enigmalynne]

Blast from the Past - Jensen&Y/N

Title – Blast from the Past Pairings – Y/N and Jensen Word Count – 2,607 Warnings – sexual innuendos, making out, smut JAcklesverse Bingo Prompt – Speed Dating

Jensen is a divorced man, and it’s been a while. Jared had been trying to set his best friend up with who he believes is the perfect girl, only for things to fail for one reason or another, but there was no way Jensen was getting out of speed dating. It is a good thing Gen was able to convince Y/N the same thing, knowing that she was getting fed up with trying to meet this perfect guy only to be blown off repeatedly. When the two finally meet up and realize who each other is, they can’t wait to revisit a history not forgotten. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is not my first time writing smut, but it is my first time sharing it. Please be nice to me; I'm taking a big chance here.

“Well, if it isn’t Jensen Ackles,” Y/N said with a smirk as she sat beside the man. She set her beer before her, placed her elbows on the table, and rested her chin in her hands. Jensen’s face turned red as he recognized the woman before him. 

“Well, if it isn’t Y/N Y/L/N,” he said quietly. 

“Fifteen minutes, people. The timer starts now,” the speed dating event coordinator shouted as they set the timer once again. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be home with a gorgeous red-headed wife and three little rugrats?” Y/N asked gently, keeping any accusation out of her voice. Jensen lowered his eyes and picked up his beer, taking a rather large sip to steady his nerves. 

“That gorgeous redhead filed for divorce last year, and this is my weekend free from the kids,” he explained. “It’s a long story I don’t really feel like getting into.” Y/N’s eyes lit up a bit, but she kept her smile from showing her excitement.

“So, who dragged you to this event tonight?” Y/N asked, picking up her beer to take a sip. 

“Jared.” Y/N laughed.

“That’s funny because Gen was the one who convinced me to come out and give speed dating a try,” she replied. “Methinks someone is trying to play matchmaker.” 

“Would that be a bad thing?” Jensen asked, tilting his head to the side to study his long-lost friend. 

“I should be asking you that. You’re the one who is getting back out there. I’ve been single for so long, and it’s become part of my personality,” Y/N said, causing the man in front of her to chuckle. 

“Jared just wants to see me happy. Said he’s tired of seeing me mope around set every day,” Jensen muttered. This pulled a laugh out of Y/N.

“And speed dating was his answer to that?” she asked. 

“I refused to let him set me up with anyone.” 

“And why’s that?”

“I didn’t feel ready to return and date. Plus, I have the kids on the weekend, and it's hard to date around them.” 

“That’s such an excuse,” Y/N said with a snicker. “Your mom would love to babysit, and you know it.” 

“Yeah, she would,” Jensen agreed. “But what about you? How is a beautiful and talented woman like you still single?” 

“Well, a friend of mine was trying to set me up, but the guy kept backing out,” Y/N said lightly, causing Jensen to blush again. 

“Had I known it was with you, I wouldn’t have blown Jared off. It’s been years, Y/N,” Jensen said, leaning on the table. Y/N smiled brightly, her blue eyes twinkling with excitement. “Why did we break up again?” 

“You were going to Vancouver for Supernatural. I was going to Australia for a movie. We didn’t want to do the long-distance thing. When I finally made it back to the States, you were dating Red, and I didn’t want to say anything,” Y/N explained, running her fingers along Jensen’s hand. 

“Maybe you should have.”

“Maybe I should have. Imagine where we’d be today.” 

“I still think about it, you know. Us.”

“I think about you every day, Jen.” 

Just then, a buzzer went off, loud and annoying. It burst the little bubble the two had found themselves in. Jensen frowned as he looked over and saw everyone starting to move.

“You wanna get out of here?” Y/N asked, always the brave one. 

“God, yes,” Jensen breathed. Y/N grinned and grabbed his hand as she stood. 

“Hey!” the woman waiting to take her seat said indignantly. 

“Look, that guy’s free. Go chat with him,” Y/N said, dragging Jensen with her. 

“You two can’t just leave in the middle of Speed Dating! You have to stay for the entire event!” the coordinator shouted as the two darted for the door. 

“How about instead of being pissed off, you be happy that your stupid event worked and two of your clients are running off together?” Jensen shouted back at him, causing Y/N to giggle. Once the two were outside in the muggy Texas night air, Jensen pressed Y/N against the still-warm brick wall. He threaded his hands into Y/N’s hair at her neck and looked into her eyes with a small smile. 

“I might be a bit rusty,” he whispered, leaning close. Y/N spread her legs slightly so she could pull him against her hips more solidly.

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?” she whispered back, closing the distance and pressing her lips to his. The kiss was innocent until she ran her tongue against his lips, demanding entrance. Jensen took control and, with a slight moan, deepened the kiss. Their tongues tangled, fighting for dominance as they tasted each other for the first time in decades. When they separated, both of them were panting.

“What made you think you’d be bad at this?” Y/N breathed, leaning over to whisper in his ear. “You should feel how wet you just made me.” Jensen groaned loudly and rutted slightly against her. 

“Don’t tease me. It’s been a long time,” he ground out. 

“My place is two blocks away,” she said, pulling his earlobe between her teeth. 

“Lead the way.” 

Y/N fumbled with her keys slightly as she tried to open her door, distracted by how good Jensen’s hands felt at her hips. His hot body pressed against hers had a buzz going through her system that she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. When she finally got the door unlocked and open, she turned around, fisted his shirt, and pulled him into a dirty kiss. Jensen leaned down and picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her into the apartment, kicking the door shut. 

Jensen pressed Y/N up against the wall, pressing himself against her core so she could feel what she still did to him as he broke the kiss and dragged his lips down her neck to her collarbone. He left wet kisses there, his tongue dancing over her skin. Y/N threw her head back and moaned, her hips moving against him. The movement caused them both to shudder. 

“Bedroom, now,” she breathed, her fingers gripping his hair. Jensen slowly let her slide down his body as he put her back on the ground. 

“Lead the way,” he repeated his earlier words. She looked at him with a smirk, stripped off her shirt, her bra following close behind, and led him to the bedroom. He followed her with a smile.

Once inside the room, Y/N dropped her hands to the button on her jeans and flicked it open, but the hot body that pressed against her stilled her movements. She leaned her head back against Jensen’s shoulder as one of his hands reached up and gently squeezed one of her breasts, fingers pinching at her nipple. His other hand dipped into her waistband and her panties. 

Jensen’s open mouth latched onto Y/N’s neck, and he trailed kisses down to her shoulder as he massaged her sensitive breast in his hand. His other hand stroked her gently, causing her breathing to catch as his fingers danced across her damp clit. When she pulled away and turned to face him, she watched as Jensen put his fingers into his mouth and tasted her. 

“You still taste as delicious as I remember,” he muttered huskily. A sexy smirk played on Y/N’s face as she clutched the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head, exposing hard abs and a chiseled chest. His Soldier Boy body was still intact, thanks to those workouts that became a regular part of his daily routine. 

Y/N pulled him with her as she fell backward onto her bed, his weight pressing into her deliciously between her parted legs. Y/N felt her breath catch as he dipped his head down and took one taut nipple into his warm mouth. Y/N’s fingers found their way into his hair, her back arching into him. Jensen’s other hand found her exposed breast and played with the unattended nipple, his tongue darting over the other. A surprised moan escaped her as she felt his teeth bite the nub gently.

 One of Jensen’s hands drifted down to her waist, pulled open the zipper of her jeans, and slid into her panties once again. Y/N’s hips bucked to meet his eager fingers, and she pulled Jensen’s mouth back up to hers. Their kiss was frantic, and when Jensen pulled away, their lips were red and puffy. His lips dragged overheated skin, licking and tasting the sweet saltiness there as he helped her remove her jeans, throwing them onto the floor.

Y/N sat herself up, her hands going to Jensen’s belt immediately. Jensen’s eyes were laser-focused on her tiny hands undoing his belt, then his jeans, pushing them down. Y/N licked her lips as she saw the bulge waiting for her there in his boxers. A wicked smile played on her lips as she looked up at him from her lashes, knowing what she would do next would make him feel so good. 

Jensen lifted to help remove his jeans, then gasped as he felt Y/N’s hand wrap around his cock. She sat in front of him, one hand pumping him gently, the other pushing his boxers down his legs and out of the way. Feeling brazen, Y/N dipped her head down and licked the head of his cock. That caused Jensen to bark out her name. Y/N licked and played a little before taking his entire length into her mouth.

Bobbing her head, she rediscovered the rhythm she knew he liked without hesitation. Jensen placed a hand in her hair, gripping and guiding her gently over himself. Hearing Jensen’s heavy breathing and uncontrolled moans was enough to turn her on so much that she felt herself drip down her legs. Soon, she was squirming, trying to cause friction to relieve some of the pressure building inside her core. After a while, Jensen growled and pulled her away from his cock, crashing his mouth to hers in a brutal and dirty kiss.

“As much as I love coming in that filthy mouth of yours,” he ground out, sliding a hand over Y/N’s mound and sinking two fingers into her with no restriction. “It’s been too long since I felt this pussy wrapped tight around me… and it feels like it’s been a long time for you as well with how tight you are gripping my fingers.” 

“God, Jensen,” she murmured against his lips as he gently pushed her back against the bed. Y/N kissed him with hunger as his fingers began to thrust inside her. Feeling how wet she was for him made him groan, causing her hips to buck towards him. 

"I want you and your hot little body," he muttered to her, his tongue tracing her ear.

"God, Jensen, I want you inside of me," she muttered under her breath as she moaned. Jensen knelt between her legs and pulled on her panties. Y/N lifted her hips to help him take her thong off, and she cried out when she felt his tongue there tasting her seconds later. Jensen pressed his expert tongue against that hot little button time and again, his arms holding her hips still despite how hard she was thrashing.

"Oh, God, yes...You are going to make me cum," she whimpered...and then she did. Y/N arched and threw her head back as she came hard on his tongue, only to be gasping for a new reason as he slammed into her as she rode out her orgasm.

"Oh, my God, you are so tight," Jensen moaned, their sounds blending. He moved inside her slowly as she rode out her orgasm. Y/N stayed limp for a few seconds, whimpering and breathing heavily, then looked up at Jensen above her with lust in her hooded eyes.

"Fuck me," she said. Jensen's mouth curled into a dirty grin.

"Say it again," he said.

"Fuck. Me." Y/N said, pronouncing each word for him. Jensen wasted no time in complying with her request. He pulled out and slammed into her again, causing her to gasp and then moan loudly. Jensen set a steady pace, his weight going to his elbows as he held onto Y/N's face.

"Look at me," he grunted. Y/N opened her hazy eyes and watched his eyes as he pumped in and out of her. He watched as her eyes clouded over, and knowing that giving her pleasure was bringing him close as well.

“Oh, God, please don’t stop,” she cried, dragging her nails down his back. Jensen grabbed her knees and hiked them up over his hips to give him more room to move, to thrust deeper into her. 

“You are so wet for me,” he muttered, feeling her tighten again. “Are you going to come again?”

“Ye…Yes…”

"Come with me," he moaned out. Y/N nodded her head.

"I will...I...am..." and then she did. The feeling of her pulsing around him was enough to push him over the edge as well, and he emptied himself into her in a roar of pleasure with her name on his lips. A few thrusts later, he collapsed on top of her, moving so that his weight was not on her. The sound of their heavy breathing filled the room. They took some time to catch their breath, but soon, Y/N was leaning over Jensen, pressing her mouth to his in a messy but passionate kiss. She dropped her head on his chest when they needed air, still panting. 

Ten minutes later, Jensen stirred and carefully slid from under Y/N’s dozing form. She clutched at him, trying to keep him where he was. 

“Don’t leave,” she said quietly, almost timidly. Now that the initial passion was sated and they both were thinking more clearly, she felt vulnerable. Was he going to leave? 

“I’m not leaving,” he said, kissing her forehead before scooping her up. Y/N squealed slightly at being picked up, causing Jensen to grin. He carried her to her bathroom and set her down on the counter. He then reached over and started the shower. She watched a naked Jensen move around her home comfortably and smiled softly. Please don’t let this be a one-time thing.

“I don’t want it to be,” he said with his back turned, hand in the spray, checking the temperature. Y/N’s eyes widened.

“Did I say that out loud?” she asked. “Wait, you don’t want it to be? Does that mean you want to see me again?

“Yeah,” Jensen chuckled. “You said it out loud, and I want to see you again.” 

“Really?”

“How about tomorrow we go on a real date? Our second first date?” 

“I’d love that.” 

“Great,” Jensen said, leaning down to kiss her. “But right now, I want you in that shower, pressed against those tiles, wrapped around me.” Jensen scooped Y/N up and pulled her legs around him again, forcing Y/N to wrap her arms around his neck. Jensen carried her over to the shower, pausing to let Y/N open and close the door behind them. The next thing that could be heard was the sound of wet skin on skin and the moans of two people rekindling a long-lost flame.

[enigmalynne]

A Newsroom Reunion

Title – A Newsroom Reunion

Pairings – Y/N&Jensen

Word Count – 3,970

Warnings – war crimes, depictions of torture (just in case)

Prompt – Journalist(s)

A Jewish reporter goes to Israel to cover the Israeli/Gaza war and gets taken hostage live on air in front of her boyfriend, who is anchoring the news. She's kept hostage for weeks, with no information on whether she's dead or alive being given back to her station, and her boyfriend is beyond panicked about her safety. One night, she gets rescued in a trade: American hostages for Hamas soldiers. How will her boyfriend react when she is brought back to the studio after being gone for so long, a prisoner of war?

“If anyone is going to know what the hell is going on over there, Eric, it’s me. I’ve been inundated with this shit since I was a child. If we are going to cover this, we need to make sure we cover this correctly and not like these other media hacks who are acting like this is a brand-new war,” Y/N said, pacing in front of his desk with her hands on her hips. Eric followed her with his eyes, confusion coloring his expression. 

“What do you mean?” he asked her. She scoffed as she shot him a look, continuing her path back and forth. 

“Israel and Palestine’s governments have been duking it out over land forever. I think the last negotiation back in… I think it was in 2010 when it was not accepted because Jerusalem wasn’t included in the Palestinian portion. Still, it was one of the best land distribution deals Israel had ever offered them. But that’s the key point. It’s not the people who are fighting; it’s the governments. Most of the people have been living peacefully amongst each other for decades. The people want peace,” Y/N ranted in one long breath. She then stopped and turned to face the news director face-on with narrowed eyes. “Hamas is a terrorist organization that is killing everybody: Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. Hell, they are killing their people! They are using the Palestinians as human fucking shields and teaching the children that Jews are evil and need to be murdered.” 

Eric was quiet for a long time as he considered her words, and when he finally spoke, his voice was low and concerned. 

“Your fiancé isn’t going to like it.”

“It isn’t his choice to make.” 

“Are you trying to prove something?”

“This is work, it’s not personal.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure! I want to cover this, and you know as well as I do I’m the best one to do it.” 

Eric went quiet again for a long moment before sighing. 

“Alright, fine. But you explain it to Jensen.” 

“It’s been almost three fucking weeks since anyone has heard from her, Eric, don’t tell me to calm down!” Jensen shouted at his news director. The entire newsroom at CNN pretended to ignore them while listening to the argument that had been occurring and growing in intensity every day since their lead reporter… their lead Jewish reporter… went missing while covering the Israel/Hamas crisis. 

“We are working on a solution to getting her out of there, but it takes time,” Eric explained with exaggerated calmness.

“That’s not good enough! Do we even know if she’s alive?” Jensen asked, pounding his fist into a nearby desk. Eric opened his mouth to say something to calm his lead anchor down but closed it, knowing nothing he had said could. The truth was, he had no idea if she was alive or not because despite what they were hearing about Hamas treating hostages humanely… there was zero proof of that. 

“Jensen,” Eric said, his voice low and controlled. Said Anchor roughly, running his hands over his face and shaking his head. 

“I know how good of a reporter she is, and I know she’d beat my ass for saying this, but that doesn’t mean she should have been sent there. You know she was spoiling for a fight.” 

Y/N was standing before the camera wearing a bulletproof vest with the word PRESS across her jeans and polo shirt. She wore a helmet with CNN’s logo on her head. She knew that helmet would do nothing to protect her skull from damage should a rocket land near her. Jensen knew it, too. 

Around her neck was a thin gold chain and a Star of David charm he gave her on their second anniversary. He begged her not to wear anything remotely Jewish over there, but she said she was going to represent her religion and her culture and tell the true story of the war. She had it around her neck when she kissed him goodbye at the airport before walking through the security checkpoint. She had it around her neck the last time she was seen on the air. 

Before she even finished her live shot for the evening news, Hamas terrorists were there. They grabbed her, knocking off her CNN helmet and yanking on her arm. The camera was still rolling as they shouted at her in Arabic. She tried to pull away from the man yanking on her, yelling at them that she was a reporter. She turned toward the translator with them and shouted at him to translate what she was saying. 

Back in the United States, Jensen and the rest of the staff of CNN watched in horror as Hamas dragged Y/N away from the camera and shoved her into a waiting vehicle. Jensen started shouting at the screen, saying things like she was American and a member of the Press; they couldn’t do this to her. The terrorists couldn’t hear him. No one other than the people in the studio could listen to him, not that it mattered. The car had already driven away, and she was already gone. 

“Never should have sent her out there,” Jensen muttered, leaning on one of the tables. 

“You weren’t going to stop her,” Eric said with a sad smile. “She was going to find a way to get out there and cover this war regardless of whether we sent her.”

“Hey, Jensen!” Katie called out as she walked over to where they were standing. 

“What!?” he snapped at her, turning her head to the side to glance at her. Katie paused, her eyes growing wide as she stumbled a little bit. She had never been on the receiving end of his temper before.

“Yuh… You’re uh… you’re needed on… on set… in 10,” she stuttered, her voice much more subdued and quieter than her usual perky, cheerful self. She then immediately turned and walked away as fast as she could, heading toward the producer desks with a glance over her shoulder at him. Jensen turned his head forward and closed his eyes, a curse muttered under his breath. 

“You need to get your shit together. You can’t just snap at AP’s because you’re worried about Y/N. We all are, but we also have a job to do. She’d be furious if she knew you were acting like this,” Eric reprimanded under his breath, so no one realized that he was disciplining his lead anchor in public. 

“I know,” he muttered guiltily, running a hand over his face before rubbing it over his hair and neck. “I’m just scared out of my mind and hate feeling this helpless.” 

“We’re gonna get her back,” Eric said, touching Jensen’s shoulder. “Have a little faith. Go get ready to get on air.” 

Y/N had no idea how long it had been since she had been taken, only that she was exhausted, hungry, and desperately wanted something to drink. She was given very little food and only had one glass of putrid water daily. Her clothing, which was nothing but rags at this point, was hanging off her body. Her shoes were long gone, and her feet were cut up in various places as she was forced to walk barefoot across the burning, sharp stones. 

She was sore. There was a cut on her mouth from where she was backhanded by one of the Hamas soldiers when she mouthed off to one of them, another above her eyebrow for struggling when they came into her cell. Her eye was black, her stomach hurt, and her muscles ached from lack of nutrients. 

Loud voices speaking in Arabic started shouting just outside her small room. Y/N startled, trying to shrink closer into the corner she was sitting in. Wide eyes watched as arguing men walked over to her room, one of which was unlocking the door. Someone shouted at her in Arabic, and she sat staring at the man. He repeated it, louder and angrier, but she shook her head slowly. With frustration, he walked over to her and grabbed her arm. He yanked her up to standing and shoved her out the door. 

“No, no, please,” she begged with a rough voice. Another man grabbed her arms behind her, slipping her hands through rope and tying them tightly. 

“Whatever is happening, please don’t hurt me,” she muttered, shaking her head as tears flooded her eyes. With a man on each of her sides holding tightly to an arm, Y/N was dragged out of the building and toward a waiting car. Shoved not so gently into the back seat, the door was slammed behind her. When she looked up, she saw another American there.

“What’s happening?” she whispered. The man sitting there shook his head. 

“I don’t know. Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice scratchy. 

“No, not really.” Y/N moved herself to a seated position and looked out the window. She was jolted awake over an hour later when the car stopped moving. She hadn’t even realized she had fallen asleep. 

“What’s going on? Where are we?” she asked, her voice still just a whisper. The man in the car with her shook his head. Suddenly, her door flew open, and she was yanked out of the car. The man shouted after her, but the same happened to him moments later. They were dragged around to the front of the vehicle and shoved toward a patch of grass. More Arabic shouted at them, guns drawn and pointed at them until they were standing on the green grass. Once there, they returned to their vehicles and drove away. 

The four Americans looked at each other, wondering what to do next, when a string of Jeeps bearing the Israeli Defense Foundation insignia pulled up. The relief that flooded Y/N at that moment brought her to her knees, and she began to sob. 

“They didn’t even untie their hands, those filthy bastards,” she heard one of the soldiers with a thick Israeli accent mutter as they came closer to them. One of them came up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder as another one went to the ropes behind her back and began to untie her hands. 

“Are you alright? Here, has some water,” she said, holding a bottle of cold water. Y/N looked up, her tear-streaked face looking into the kind eyes of a young Israeli soldier. She held the bottle to Y/N’s mouth and let her drink a bit before pulling it away. “Only a little; you don’t want to be sick.” Once her hands were free, the other soldier approached her opposite side. 

“Come, let us help you up and get you someplace safe. You have many people worried about you,” the kind Israeli soldier said. They each took one of Y/N’s arms and helped her stand and walk to one of the waiting Jeeps. 

“With the latest on the Israeli/Hamas conflict, we head into the newsroom to our correspondent Jared Padalecki. Jared,” Jensen read off the prompter. Jared nodded his head with a somber expression.

“We have just learned moments ago that Hamas has released four American hostages, however, the identities of those hostages are currently unknown,” Jared said as he referred to information he was looking at on a computer. 

Jensen’s eyes lit up at the comment, his heart picking up its pace. Hostages have been released.

“What we do know is the four hostages are American and were taken during the early days of the conflict,” Jared continued. “As you know, CNN’s Y/N Y/L/N was taken hostage from assignment during an air raid near the Erez Crossing. CNN has been in negotiations with Hamas for the safe release of Y/L/N but with no success yet.” 

Jensen’s breathing ticked up a notch, his eyes bouncing between the monitor showing Jared, his report, and the camera. He knew Eric was in the control room, monitoring the show from the booth tonight. He knew Eric was monitoring him from the booth tonight. 

Jensen shook his head as he glanced down at his hands, wanting nothing more than to jump up from his seat and call every contact he knew to find out if Y/N was among the four rescued Americans. There were four chances that Y/N were among the rescued hostages, and he could have her back in his arms any day now. 

Jo, the female anchor for the evening, reached over and squeezed his hand. He looked over at her with red-lined eyes. She gave him a hopeful look before retreating to her seat. 

A few days later - 

Y/N watched the elevator numbers change slowly, shifting her weight back and forth between her feet. Her arms were wrapped around her middle as if they were holding herself together. Her hair was dirty despite multiple showers at the hospital she was taken to, and then she was debriefed at the military base, so she pulled it back into a messy bun on the top of her head. Whisps and strands fell around her face and down her back anyway. Her skin was sunburnt: her cheeks and nose were bright red, and her lips were chapped despite the heavy layers of ChapStick she had been wearing since the hospital. The cuts to her lip and eyebrow were still healing, but the black eye was still dark and swollen.

They gave her a pair of worn jeans that belonged to someone who worked on the base and an oversized T-shirt that fell to her knees. She took a pair of scissors to the T-shirt, slicing up the side and knotting it at her hip. Military-issue boots adorned her feet.

She was tired and still hungry despite the food she was given. She was still thirsty despite countless bottles of fresh, cold water she had drank. And this? This was the slowest elevator ride ever. 

The two Marines escorting her had been kind the entire time they were with her. Making sure she had enough water and whether she wanted any more food. She was always asking her about her comfort. She asked one of them if they had any advice on how to make the nightmares stop so she could get some sleep. He had smiled in a reflective, sad way and told her that time was the only way. She didn’t speak much after that. 

When the elevator finally opened on the 18th floor, she walked out and looked around the newsroom for someone she knew. When her eyes landed on a television and saw that Jensen was on air, she realized just how late it was. Without thinking about it, she slowly made her way toward the studio. That’s when the whispers began around her, but she ignored them. She had one thing on her mind at that moment.

“Ma’am, do you know where you are heading to?” one of the Marines asked gently. Nodding, Y/N reached over and grabbed the handle of the heavy door that led to the studio. 

“Y/N!?” a voice called out in surprise. She turned her head toward the voice, staring blankly at Meg. “Oh, my God… Y/N…”  Meg started to go over to where the tired woman was, but Y/N shook her head.

“I’m seeing Jensen first. I don’t care if he’s on the air,” she whispered roughly, her eyes watering. She gave the producer a broken smile, then pulled the door open. 

“Oh, my God,” Meg repeated, watching as Y/N entered the studio with two dressed Marines following her. Suddenly, she snapped out of her stupor and turned, shouting as she ran to the booth. “Katie!! Find Eric and tell him to get his ass to the booth! Y/N’s back, and she’s about to interrupt the newscast!” Katie was startled, confusion coloring her face. 

“What?”

“Now, Katie!” Meg shouted as she ran down the long hallway to the production booth, where a crew was putting the show on air. She threw the door open, startling the people inside. 

“What the fuck, Meg!” the director shouted at her, looking at the well-liked executive producer like she was crazy.

“Whatever is about to happen, stay with it. Y/N’s about to reunite with Jensen on air right now!” she shouted, walking over to the producer's seat. She pushed the producer out of the way, holding out her hand. “Gimme your headset, gimme gimme gimme”

Y/N slowly made her way around the long wooden wall that made up the set's backdrop and turned the corner into the room. Lights above them angled toward a large desk centered in front of the backdrop, and cameras with people manning them were also pointed at the desk. Y/N didn’t see any of it. Once she spotted Jensen, she made her way to stand in his sightline. The water gathering in her eyes started to fall as she stared at her fiancé. 

He was studying the paper scripts in front of him, a pen in his hand. He made some notes in the margins of the paper. Suddenly, he frowned and moved to hold a button down before he spoke. 

“Whatever it is, Meg, it can wait,” he snapped, letting go of the button and returning to his notes. A small smile danced on Y/N’s lips, the movement feeling foreign. He repeated the action a moment later, snapping at the producer again. 

“Jensen,” she tried to say, but it came out as a whisper. Dropping her head, she tried to clear her throat, swallowed, and then looked up again… into the vast green eyes of her fiancé. He was staring at her in disbelief, his breath almost nonexistent. 

“Jen,” she muttered roughly, quietly. 

“Y/N?” Jensen asked in disbelief, moving slowly: he stood, reaching into his ear to pull out his earpiece simultaneously. The second time, he said her name was stronger. “Y/N?”  She nodded a small smile on her lips, tears making their way down her face. That’s when his restraint broke. He moved around the desk and to her in three steps, wrapping her in his arms. 

“Thank you, God,” he muttered as he held her as close to him as he could get, one arm wrapped around her, the other pressed against her neck. Once Jensen’s arms were wrapped around her, and her arms were wrapped around him, she began to cry. 

“I thought I was never going to see you again,” she whispered, pressing herself as close to him as possible. He pulled back slightly and gently brushed her tears away with his thumbs before pressing his mouth to hers in a gentle but passionate kiss. 

“I love you so much,” he breathed once they separated. 

“I love you,” she repeated, pressing her lips back on his. They separated and stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment before Jensen pulled her back into his arms, relishing the feeling of her being there again. 

“I’m never letting you go on assignment again.” 

“I’m okay with that,” she said with a smile, looking up at him, her face wet with tears. She looked tired and beaten up, dressed in clothing that wasn’t hers and didn’t fit her, and it was the best thing Jensen had ever seen. 

Moving carefully to wrap his arm around her shoulders, Jensen led them out of the studio and back into the newsroom. Once there, the entire room erupted in cheers, causing Y/N to flinch and pull away. One of the Marines with them immediately took control of the situation and moved forward to quiet down the cheering friends. 

“What’s wrong? Are you alright?” Jensen asked quickly, his voice laced with panic. Y/N shook her head frantically as she pulled away, trying to back away from him. The other Marine who was with them gently removed Jensen from her side and began to speak quietly to the frightened woman who was on the verge of a panic attack. 

“Take a breath, ma’am. You’re in New York now, not Gaza. Close your eyes and pay attention to your surroundings. Notice that the air smells different here. Things feel different here…” 

It took almost ten minutes, but soon, Y/N could open her eyes and breathe normally again. At some point, she had made it onto the floor. She looked to the Marine apologetically and shook her head, looking away. She rubbed her hand over her chest and held back a sob. 

“Hey, we talked about this. It’s going to take a while. Finding a good therapist to help you work through the trauma is going to be necessary, but having friends and family here to help you is a great first step,” the Marine said, kneeling next to her. Jensen came up next to her, finally being allowed to approach her. “We didn’t warn anyone about your aversion to loud sounds like we had discussed doing, so it’s expected that this would have happened.”

“Is she okay?” Jensen asked quietly, kneeling. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

“She will be. Right?” Y/N nodded slowly, accepting the hands to help her stand. She looked over at the group of people watching anxiously.

“There’s a lot of people who want to see you,” Jensen said quietly, looking back into the newsroom. Everyone stood and looked on worriedly. “You think you can handle that?” Y/N nodded and made her way over. Moments later, they swarmed her in a group hug. 

“Are you the gentlemen who brought our Y/N back to us?” Eric asked, approaching the two Marines standing near them. The Marines turned to face the news director, and one nodded. 

“We escorted her here as she requested,” he answered. “She was held there the longest and experienced the worst of the abuse. I’m the Chaplain of the Navy, Captain Mathew Davis, and this is Lieutenant William Arnold.” Eric held his hand out, which the Marine shook.

“Thank you for bringing her home.” 

“Just doing our job.” 

“You did more than that, trust me,” Eric said, shaking the other man’s hand. The two Marines nodded, then turned and left the building. 

“I wanna go home. Can we go home, Jen?” Y/N asked softly, looking up at her fiancé with tired eyes. Jensen looked down at her, pressing his lips to her forehead. 

“Of course. Let’s get you home,” he muttered. Eric watched the couple stand and turn. 

“Take a few weeks off, Jen,” he said, causing Jensen to turn and look at him. “I’ll send you the contact information of a good therapist. You both should go. We’ll talk next week sometime.” 

“Thanks, Eric,” Jensen said with a soft smile, his arm wrapped around the most crucial thing in his life. Eric’s eyes drifted down to his star reporter, recognizing the look of trauma all too well. 

“You have no idea how glad I am you made it out of there, kid,” Eric said quietly. Jensen looked down at Y/N and moved his arm as she hugged Eric. Eric closed his eyes and held her tighter, kissing her temple. 

“Thanks, Uncle Eric,” she whispered before pulling away. Eric brushed some hair from Y/N’s face, causing her to smile softly before curling back under Jensen’s arm.

“Get out of here. I’ll come by this weekend, and we can talk more then,” Eric said. Jensen nodded, pulling Y/N with him. 

“I’m never letting you go,” Jensen whispered to her hair as he kissed her head, guiding her to the elevator. Y/N laid her head on his chest and sighed. 

“I’m holding you to it.”

[enigmalynne]

Life at the Breaking Point: Love, Duty, and a Deadly Confrontation in the ER

Title – Life at the Breaking Point: Love, Duty, and a Deadly Confrontation in the ER Pairings – Jensen x Reader, Jared x Madison Word Count – 8,526 Warnings – mentions of shootings, beatings and violence, inaccurate police scenarios, hostage situation JAcklesverse Square – “I thought I lost you forever.”

He's a SWAT team member at the Sheriff's Office, and she's a doctor at St. David's Medical Center Emergency Room. They met at Jared and Madison's wedding, becoming fast friends with a longing for more that the other knows nothing about.

Those feelings come screaming to the front of his head and heart when Jensen hears about a shooting at the hospital where Y/N works, where she's held hostage at gunpoint. Will he be able to remain professional, or is his love for this doctor going to make him do something crazy?

Y/N was sitting at her desk, typing notes from her last patient, when she heard the popping sound. She didn’t think anything of it at first since the emergency room faced the highway and cars backfired all the time, but when she heard the succession of pops a second time, she lifted her eyes toward the glass doors heading outside. 

“What was that?” one of the nurses asked as she walked by. Y/N kept her eyes on the glass doors and listened intently for the sound again. When she heard it the third time, it was louder, closer to the entrance. She knew what it was immediately. 

“Oh, God,” she muttered, eyes going wide. She swung her head toward the nurses standing nearby. “Get as many people and patients out of here as you can. Get them to the elevators and send them up at least three floors.” 

“What?” a nurse asked. 

“Now!” Y/N shouted, grabbing the phone in front of her. “Go!!” The women were startled and started running into action. With a quick punch of numbers, Y/N’s voice went over the intercom for the entire emergency room. 

“Code Red! We have a Code Red in the emergency room!” she said, looking behind her to ensure people were moving. “Code Red in Emergency!” 

Suddenly, the front doors to the emergency room were kicked open, glass breaking and metal bending. The mechanism that makes them slide open sparked and broke, causing them to stop working. Y/N ducked her head to make sure none of the glass got close to the desk area she was at.

“Someone get over here and help me!” a furious voice shouted. Y/N looked toward the entrance of the ER to see a man standing there, holding another man who looked like he had been shot. He had a gun in his hand, and Y/N instantly knew he was the one firing the shots outside. 

“You!” he growled, pointing the weapon in Y/N’s face with furiously narrowed eyes. She immediately lifted her hands in a show of surrender despite her fear. A few nurses and an orderly nearby froze when they saw the weapon. 

“You. You a doctor?” he asked. Y/N nodded. 

“Yeah, I’m a doctor,” she responded. 

“Good. You help him. If he dies, you die,” the man said. Y/N nodded again, swallowing back her terror. 

“What… what happened to him?” she asked carefully.

“What does it look like happened to him? He was shot, you dumb bitch!” the guy shouted. Y/N flinched. “Now help him, or you’ll be shot next!” 

“Can you take the gun off us long enough for us to help him? Please?” she asked timidly. The guy gave her an incredulous look, but she continued. “Just put it away until we get him into a room and get him help. You can keep it on me the entire time I’m working on him, but for now, I need you to put it away so we can focus,” she begged.

The man glared at Y/N before looking back at the man he was carrying. He looked back at the doctor before nodding his head and slipping the gun into his jacket pocket. Once it was out of sight, Y/N moved.

“I need a gurney here! Now!” she shouted, causing a flurry of action. The two nurses ran up while the orderly dashed off to find a gurney. Y/N helped the nurses assess the injured man as best they could and lifted the wounded man onto it once the gurney showed up. As it rolled away, stats started to be shouted out.

“Gunshot wound to the abdomen, no exit wound. We need to get him intubated.”

“Trauma 2 is open; make a hole, people!”

“Blood pressure is low; pulse is thready; he needs a transfusion; get me two units of O-Neg!”

“Someone get surgery on the phone, let them know we need a room now!!”

As they were running into the trauma room, the gunman followed along close by. 

“What’s his name?” someone asked. 

“Mark,” the gunman said. “His name is Mark.”

“Count of three, people… one, two, three,” Y/N said, and the group moved the victim onto the bed. The activity kicked up a notch as a third nurse jumped in to assist by putting leads on his chest and turned on the monitors nearby, causing beeping and tones to start in the room over their talking.

“Mark, can you hear me? I’m Doctor Y/N,” she said, checking out his eyes. Y/N continued to assess the injury as one nurse cut the clothing off him and another put an IV in his arm. More information is being shouted around, causing the gunman to watch in confusion. 

“Mark, if you can hear me, squeeze my fingers,” Y/N said, putting two fingers inside his left hand. When nothing happened, Y/N frowned, shaking her head. Suddenly, alarms went off around them.

“He’s flatlining!” 

“Someone get the LUCAS!” Y/N shouted. One of the nurses ran off to grab the machine while Y/N and the other nurse got the man ready. “Get that bag ready!”

“C’mon, Mark, don’t do this to us,” Y/N muttered as the three women got the machine into place. As the nurses strapped Mark’s arms into place, Y/N set the machine and once cleared, it began compressions. 

“Start breathing for him,” she snapped at one of the nurses. Every twenty compressions, a nurse squeezed the bag connected to the vent in his throat to provide air into his lungs. The gunman watched with wide, panicked eyes. Just then, the surgeon, Benny, walked into the room.

“What d’ya got?” he asked, his Creole accent thick. The gunman was startled and pulled his gun back out of his pocket, having forgotten about it while watching the work being done to his friend. Y/N noticed it and tried to hold the man’s arm down. In frustration, he yanked his arm free and whipped the gun across her face, causing gasps from the nurses in the room. 

“Whoa,” the surgeon shouted, stepping forward to stop the attack but freezing when the gun was pointed at him. Y/N was on the ground, a hand on her now bleeding head. 

“Back off,” the gunman growled. 

“Stop!” Y/N shouted roughly from the ground. “We have to get him into surgery if you want us to save his life!” The gunman glanced at her on the floor, then backed up at the people in the curtained room. 

“She’s right,” one of the nurses explained. “He was shot in the stomach, and there isn’t an exit wound. The bullet is still in his stomach somewhere, and we have to get in there, get it out, and stop the bleeding.”

“Look, man, if you want to save his life, you have to let us work,” Benny said, his hands placatingly. He’s already on the LUCAS, which means he’s already close to death. The more time we waste here, the less of a chance he has.” 

The gunman reached down and grabbed Y/N by the hair, pulling her up. Once she was on her knees in front of him, he placed the gun on her temple. The other people in the emergency room whimpered at the movement, including Y/N. The gunman looked back up at Benny expectantly.

“I will kill her if he dies,” he said. “Now, go.” Benny glanced down at Y/N’s tear-filled face before turning and giving orders to the nurses. The three pulled the gurney toward the elevator and made the move to the surgical floor. There was a momentary pause where the quiet took over, then the gunman dragged her up to her feet and shoved her ahead of him so they could walk back into the waiting area.

“You’re coming with me, Doc,” he said, keeping his weapon aimed at her head, his hand still gripping her hair. Y/N swallowed back a sob, tears still running down her face. “Get up.” 

Attention all units: shots were fired at St. David’s Medical Center Emergency Room, with an unknown number of shooters, at least four victims.

Jensen was finishing up some paperwork in his vehicle when the call came over the radio, causing him to pause and listen to the report. St. David’s Medical Center is where Y/N worked, a woman he met at Jared’s wedding a few years ago. Throwing his car into drive with lights flashing and sirens blaring, Jensen peeled out of the parking lot he was sitting in and headed toward the hospital as fast as he could. 

When Jared told him he was proposing to Madison, a schoolteacher he fell in love with after meeting her at a law enforcement appreciation day, he couldn’t have been happier for the man. Jensen had seen Jared through many failed relationships because he was a law enforcement officer, and he hated seeing his friend discouraged. As a man from a big family, Jared always imagined having a wife of his own with three or four kids running around. When Jared and Madison met, Jensen could see the instant connection. When Jared asked Jensen for help picking out a ring a year later, he couldn’t have been happier for his best friend. 

During the planning process, he, the best man, met the maid of honor, Y/N. The emergency room doctor was the complete opposite of Madison. While both girls were outgoing, friendly, and energetic, Madison was more sophisticated and genteel, whereas Y/N was a bit more wild and carefree. Jensen had no idea how they became best friends until he saw them hanging out together, and their personalities blended perfectly. 

The two spent much time together helping the bride and groom prepare for a storybook wedding, laughing and making fun of the couple. They connected instantly and even gave a joint toast at the reception. They have remained friends ever since, though if Jared had his way, they would have been a couple since the end of the wedding. 

Jensen arrived at the hospital quickly and jumped out of his SUV, eyes scanning the building. He popped open the back and unlocked the case that held his rifle. He pulled it across his chest and slid some extra magazines into the slots on his bulletproof vest before closing the hatch, locking his car, and running up to where the rest of the deputies had taken point. Once he got to a safe location, he knelt and aimed at the front of the hospital. Five minutes later, Jared Padalecki came up beside him.

“Mads called me on my way over,” Jared said quietly. Jensen glanced over at him, but Jared’s narrowed eyes never left the front doors to the emergency room. “Y/N’s working today and isn’t answering her phone.”

“Fuck,” Jensen cursed under his breath. “That means she’s in there and probably one of the hostages.”

“Yeah.”

“Ackles! Get over here!” a voice shouted from the Incident Command Center bus. Jensen popped up from where he was and ran over.

“Yessir!”

“I understand you have a solid understanding of this hospital, including how we can contact someone inside,” Lieutenant Singer said. Jensen nodded.  

“Yes, sir, I do.” 

“You’re coming with me, Doc,” he said, keeping his weapon aimed at her head, his hand still gripping her hair. Y/N swallowed back a sob, tears still running down her face. “Get up. The rest of you get moving. If you can walk, walk up front,” he growled. The remaining nurses, techs, and patients who could move did so quickly with their hands up in surrender. With the gun pressed to Y/N’s head, the hostages knew they had to obey the gunman’s orders.

“Look,” Y/N started, stumbling as she tried to keep up with the man dragging her by her hair. “We have sick patients in the ER right now. There are injured people just outside the doors; they need medical attention. Please, you have to let us help them, or they could die.” 

“I can’t do that,” he said quietly. The man cocked his weapon, causing Y/N to inhale sharply and the people nearby to cry out. Once they were in the waiting room in front of the ER, he ordered the hostages to line up. When they didn’t move, he shouted. “Line up against those fucking windows, now! Or someone else will get shot today!” Everyone rushed to line up against the windows, sobbing echoing through the now-empty waiting room. 

The gunman glanced out the front doors, catching sight of the flashing lights, and cursed under his breath. Looking around, he ordered two of the hostages to stand in front of the shattered doors. They scampered to do his bidding, glancing at Y/N as they went by. The gunman continued to drag her with him, his fist tightening in her hair. Y/N whimpered, wincing at the pain in her scalp.

“Why don’t you tell me your name, huh?” she said suddenly, trying to get him talking. 

“I’m not telling you my fucking name!” he shouted, spittle flying from his mouth. Y/N flinched, her hands starting to shake as she held onto his hand in her hair. The gunman aimed his gun toward the ceiling and fired a round, the sound echoing around the emergency room, causing people to scream. 

“Any more dumbass questions, and the next one will be in your head, understand?” the gunman growled. Y/N nodded as well as she could with his grip on her. Suddenly, a phone on the main desk rang. The gunman growled as he shifted his gun to one of the nurses standing by the windows.

“YOU! What’s your name?” he asked a young brunette in bright pink scrubs who was crying. She whimpered loudly before swallowing hard. 

“Ma… ma… Maggie,” she stuttered. 

“Well, ma, ma, Maggie…” he said, mocking the girl. “Answer the fucking phone and get rid of whoever it is.” Maggie nodded, rushed over to the desk, lifted the receiver, and placed it to her ear. 

“He… hello?”

“This is Lieutenant Singer of the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. Is everyone okay?” 

“Yes, sir.”

“How many hostages are in there with you?” 

“Um, well…” 

“Hang up the fucking phone!” the gunman shouted, causing Maggie to flinch and whimper. 

“See if you can get him on the phone,” Singer said calmly. Maggie looked over at the gunman and held the phone out to him. 

“It’s the police. He says he wants to talk to you,” she said, her voice slightly whimpering. The gunman dragged Y/N with him as he stalked over to where the nurse sat, snatching the phone out of her hand. 

“No one here wants to talk to you, asshat!” he shouted into the phone. The gunman then yanked the phone and threw it against the wall. 

When they heard a gunshot inside the hospital, tensions grew in the parking lot where police were set up. Singer tried to reach them on the phone to ensure everyone was okay, but it ended in a dial tone. Roman was using his binoculars to investigate the emergency room through the glass doors in front of the building.

“Roman, what can you see?” Singer asked. 

“Looks like most of the hostages are in the lobby, lined up in front of the windows. He’s got one by the hair,” Roman responded. “He’s trying to make it hard for anyone to get a shot off through the glass.” Singer cursed under his breath, realizing sniper work was not an option. 

“He knows what he’s doing,” he muttered. Jensen stood nearby, his AR-15 aimed at the hospital. He kept his green eyes locked on the front of the hospital, watching for movement. 

“We got intel,” a voice said over the radio. “Shooter is Andrew Clarkson, age 32. Has a long rap sheet, mostly petty theft and small crimes, but recently, he’s been picked up on a few drug charges. Don’t know why he’s decided to hold the ER hostage, but this would be his first major crime with a firearm.” Jensen shook his head, glancing at Singer. As he was about to open his mouth and say something, a man started to walk into view.

“Suspect is coming to the door; he has a hostage with him,” a voice echoed across the radio. Everyone lifted their weapons and aimed as all eyes faced the entrance to the emergency room, including Jensen. The gunman shoved the broken glass door aside with his foot, dragging someone with him. The gun pressed to her head gave everyone pause. He yanked the hostage forward and hid behind a brunette dressed in blue scrubs; his hand fisted into her hair as he shoved her in front of him. Her hands gripped his, her pale skin tear-stained and bruising as she tried to control her breathing. 

When Jensen realized who the hostage was, fury burned viciously in his veins. 

“That son of a bitch,” Jensen growled.

“Get back!” the gunman shouted, pressing the gun into Y/N’s temple. “Get back, all of you!” 

“Let her go, Andrew,” Singer said into the mouthpiece of a megaphone. The gunman, Andrew, grew angrier, yanking at Y/N’s hair. The cry that came from her was like ice down Jensen’s spine. Jared glanced at him from the corner of his eye, ensuring the man didn’t do anything stupid. 

“All of you just stay out of the way, and no one will get hurt,” Andrew shouted. Then he smirked. “Well, any more hurt than they already are.” 

“What is it that you want?” Singer asked. “Maybe we can help in some way.” 

“What I want is my brother to survive, and if this here bitch doctor and that surgeon friend of hers upstairs do the job right, he will,” Andrew spit out. “That ain’t none of y’all business, so go about your way and let me handle this.” 

“You know we can’t do that, Andrew. You’ve shot four people already. You have an emergency room full of doctors and patients in there being held hostage,” Singer shouted, shaking his head. Jensen was starting to get twitchy, Jared noticed. 

“Hey, take a breath,” Jared muttered quietly. “You aren’t going to help her going in halfcocked.” Jensen shot him a furious glance. “I want her outta there too, but we must use our heads here.” Jensen took a deep breath and adjusted his grip on his rifle. He studied the man who was holding Y/N hostage, her cries of pain infuriating him as he watched Andrew drag her back into the emergency room.  Once they were out of sight, Jensen and Jared lowered their weapons, but not without sounds of frustration. 

“There’s gotta be some way for us to get in there without being detected,” Jared said, looking up at the building. Jensen shakes his head. 

“They already have guys working on going in from the roof,” he said with frustration. He turned and looked at the sign in front of him pointing the way to the back of the building. Noticing the directionals, he had a sudden thought. 

“I have an idea,” Jensen said, looking at Singer. “Emergency rooms typically have a back entrance when they must take people from an ambulance. It’s different from where the public comes in, so they don’t get traumatized. I’m betting our perp doesn’t have that back entrance covered.” 

Jared catches on to what Jensen is saying, snaps his fingers, and points. 

“Right! Some of us could go back and sneak in that way while you have the rest of SWAT coming down from the roof,” Jared said. Jensen nodded.

“Make it obvious we are coming in from the rooftop; get him distracted so he isn’t aware of us coming in from the back. We sneak in, take him by surprise, pin him down, and it’s all over,” Jensen explains. Singer looks at Jensen with narrowed eyes, then nods slowly. 

“Alright, let’s do it. Pick three more to go with you. The rest will go up,” Singer said. Jensen turned to Jared, bumping fists. 

“You in?” Jensen asked.

“Always.”

“Awesome. Go get Seb and Jake; meet back here in five.” 

Jared turned and jogged off to pull the two men away and get them ready to go around the back. Jensen looked back over to the front of the hospital and took a deep breath. Hang on Y/N, we’re coming.

Andrew and Y/N made their way back into the emergency room, the sound of muffled sobs echoing around the room. Andrew shoved Y/N away from him, causing her to stumble and fall. She landed hard on her knee before collapsing against one of the sets of chairs put together. The chairs were loud as they scratched along the floor, moving as Y/N slammed into them. 

She moaned quietly, her hand going to her head to rub her scalp as she looked over to where Andrew was now pacing the floor in agitation. Y/N wasn’t sure what would happen next, but she knew things were about to get nasty.

Jensen and his team slowly made their way around the back of the emergency room, running in time with each other, their weapons held at the ready. The helicopter carrying the rest of the SWAT team was flying above them at the same time, making it evident that the sheriff’s office was about to drop deputies onto the roof to make their way down. Jenson glanced up at them once as he made his way around.

Once the back doors came into view, they slowed down to walk so they could see around the corner without drawing attention to themselves. Jensen signaled for the men to pause while he made his way over to the doors and glanced in. It was quiet; the only noise came from machines tracking heart rates and other vital information from patients left behind.

“Just as I thought, no one is back here,” he muttered quietly. “Okay, Seb and Jake take the far end. Jay, you stick with me.” The men nodded their heads in agreement before moving toward the automatic doors. As they quietly swooshed open, the team silently moved forward. Each man made their way through the curtained area of the emergency room, checking on the patients who were still in beds with machines hooked up to them. A few of the patients who were not unconscious saw them moving and were startled by the sudden appearance of a law enforcement officer. The deputies made movements for them to keep quiet.

“Stay here, and don’t move no matter what you hear. We’ll come back and get you out,” Jared whispered to a young couple who sat terrified next to their elderly mother. They nodded frantically, fear radiating off them. Jared then got on his radio, messaging the deputies out front that there were innocent people in the emergency room beds, forgotten and left behind by the gunman. Once the front lobby appeared, Jensen held up a hand to stop them. 

From where he stood, he could see Andrew pacing in front of the desk where a nurse was sitting. The hostages were still lined up against the windows. He didn’t see Y/N anywhere but knew she had to be there somewhere. 

“Will someone answer that fucking phone already?” Andrew shouted. The nurse at the desk suddenly shot up from her seat and ran over to a different desk to grab the ringing phone. She spoke into the receiver momentarily, then held it to her chest. 

“It’s surgery. They want to talk to Doctor Y/L/N,” she said. Andrew spun around, stalked over to some of the chairs in the waiting area, and bent down. It wasn’t until he stood up that Jensen realized it was Y/N. She must have been on the ground. Andrew dragged her to stand by her arm and shoved her over toward the phone. 

“Answer the phone. Find out about Mark,” Andrew growled. Y/N stumbled toward the desk and took the phone from the nurse. She kept her back to the gunman; from her expression, Jensen saw that whatever news she was getting wasn’t good. Jensen glanced at Seb and Abel, giving them hand signals to move forward slightly but low to the ground. His gut was telling him this was about to get ugly. 

Y/N hung up the phone slowly and turned to face Andrew, the gunman. Her eyes were filled with tears and sorrow for the man standing before her. His gun was being held on her, and she knew when she told him the update she was most likely going to get shot herself. 

“Well? What did they say?” Andrew asked angrily. 

“Andrew, you have to understand; Mark was already in a bad place when you first brought him in…” Y/N started.

“What are you saying? Are you telling me that my brother is dead??” Andrew asked incredulously, causing Y/N to whimper and startle. Tears slowly started to make their way down her cheeks as she swallowed thickly. 

“He had already lost a lot of blood before you got here… and then there was an infection that started where the bullet wound went in. Moving him around with the bullet inside him did a lot of damage, too,” Y/N explained, her voice choked with tears. “We sent him up on the CPR machine, remember?”

As Y/N was explaining what happened, Andrew’s arm with the gun was drooping slightly. She thought maybe she was getting him to understand, and he would not shoot her, so she continued explaining.

“Benny did all he could to bring him back, but it was just too much for his body to handle. He died twenty minutes ago. I’m so sorry, Andrew,” Y/N said.

The next moments happened very quickly, causing panic and confusion. Andrew looked back at Y/N, lifted the gun, and fired at her. Y/N flinched, which moved her to the right, which caused the bullet to just graze the skin of her temple instead of embedding itself into her skull. The strike still caused her to fly backward and hit her head on the desk behind her, then crumpled to the ground. 

All four deputies who were in the emergency room saw what was about to happen and opened fire on Andrew, hitting him in the chest and taking him down. This caused chaos among the other hostages in the waiting room area. Jensen moved up to kick the gun away from the dying suspect as his fellow deputies moved forward with him as backup. 

“Jake, stay with this guy. Seb, see if any of those nurses are stable enough to help him. Jay, take the rest of the hostages to the back. I’m going to check on Y/N,” Jensen ordered his team before moving. He didn’t stop to hear them answer. Instead, he leaped over a counter and moved to where Y/N was crumpled on the floor. Just as he reached her and started to roll her over, Jensen was quickly pushed out of the way.

“I got her, Jen,” a doctor named Chris said, pushing him aside. He then rattled orders to three other people next to him, lifting her onto a gurney that appeared out of nowhere. “I need a CT scan on her head; I wanna find out if that bastard did any permanent damage!” he heard as they ran down a hallway and into an elevator.

Jensen stood and watched as they rushed her off and away from him, startling slightly as Lieutenant Singer set his hand heavily on his shoulder. Once she was out of sight, he turned and looked at Singer, then nodded before walking to rejoin his team. An investigation would be conducted on the shooting of a suspect. They would need his weapon to interview him, and he would be put on administrative leave until everything was completed. Until then, however, they had a hospital full of people and a petrified emergency room. 

Y/N sat on her couch dressed in a pair of old pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt wrapped in an old, soft blanket as she stared into nothingness, thinking about what had happened that day. 

Her hair was damp from the long hot shower she had taken earlier, during which she drained the hot water tank and stood under the spray. She was pretty sure Madison, who rushed over to the hospital once she was able to get in, was sitting outside the door the entire time. Once she left the bathroom, Madison took one look at her red eyes and held her for a long time before gently braiding her hair back. 

Y/N had two butterfly bandages holding the small cut on her temple closed, the bruising darkening as each hour passed. The bump on the back of her head was sore but not visible, thankfully. She didn’t have a concussion, but she would have a headache for a while. Thankfully, the CT scan showed no permanent damage to her head or her brain. She’d just be bruised up and sore for a while.

She had a hard time grasping that she went in for a typical 24-hour shift at the hospital only for her day to end in the middle of a hostage situation slash shoot-out that should have killed her. A bullet was aimed directly at her head. A shudder of fear ran through her for the hundredth time that evening, causing her to close her eyes, take a deep breath, and attempt to calm her nerves. Tears once pressed against her eyelids, and she struggled to hold them back. She wasn’t ready to fall apart yet.

Madison had lit one of her favorite candles after hustling her into the shower, so the room smelled of apples and cinnamon, but it wasn’t giving her the comfort it usually did. Her relaxation playlist on the Alexa speaker wasn’t either, despite it being her usual after-shift routine. Something was missing, and she couldn’t put her finger on it yet. 

“Here,” Madison said as she sat beside her on the couch. Y/N’s eyes dropped to the mug of coffee in her hand. “I know you’re not allowed any alcohol with the painkillers you’re on, so I figured coffee was the next best thing.” With a small smile, Y/N unwound her arm from around herself with the blanket and carefully took the mug with a shaky hand. 

“Thanks, Mads,” she whispered. She held the mug and sipped the coffee between her hands, enjoying the sweetened warmth filling her. “You used my salted caramel creamer.” 

“This was a good reason to splurge, I figured,” Madison said with a shrug. “You should try to eat something. I can order pizza?”  Y/N shook her head slowly.

“I feel like if I eat something, I’m going to throw it up,” she said quietly. A knock at the door startled her, causing her to wince after. Madison glanced at the door, then back at her friend. 

“I’ll get it. You stay here,” she said, standing. Y/N nodded, then sipped from her coffee once again. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth, listening carefully to Madison making her way to the front door. 

After taking Andrew down and getting Y/N help, it took Jensen and the rest of the SWAT team longer than expected to clear the hospital. Then, he had to go back to the office and hand over his weapon until the investigation into the shooting was completed. It was a long, tedious process that included an interview with internal affairs and a meeting with the chaplain. When he was finally done for the day, he decided to shower in the locker room so he could just head straight over to her place. 

He was grateful that Madison showed up at the hospital to care for Y/N while he was still working. Given her injuries, there was no way she was going to be able to drive home, and she really shouldn’t have been left alone after what happened. The few times he texted Madison to check on Y/N, her responses weren’t encouraging, which only solidified his decision to go over and check on her in person.

He wasn’t surprised she was struggling. While Y/N was trained to handle a crisis, being held at gunpoint wasn’t exactly in the job description of an emergency room doctor. That was more his world, one he never wanted to introduce her into. Once Jensen was cleaned up, he left the sheriff’s office, stopped at his favorite Chinese food place to grab some takeout, and headed to Y/N’s place. 

When Madison answered the door, Jensen frowned slightly. He expected Y/N to answer. 

“Hey, Jen,” she said, smiling sympathetically at him. She stepped aside to let him in the condo. Jensen looked down the hallway before turning back to the woman with concern on his face. 

“How is she?” he asked quietly. Madison locked the door and turned to face him with a shrug. 

“I think she’s still in shock right now. She was crying a little earlier, but she keeps stopping herself from doing it now. I think she’s going to break down when it all hits her,” Madison said. “She’s been quiet, which isn’t like her. I’m really worried.” 

“Yeah, me too,” Jensen said with a sigh. “Thanks for sitting with her until I could get here.” 

“Hey, don’t thank me. I would have been here regardless,” Madison waved off his thanks.

“Why don’t you head out of here? Jared should be home by now, and we’re on administrative leave until the investigation into the shooting is done. I know he’d love to see you right now,” Jensen said, giving the woman a tight hug. 

“Are you sure?” Madison asked, returning the hug. 

“I’m sure. I’m not planning on going anywhere; I got her,” Jensen nodded. 

“You’ll call me if you need anything?” Madison asked, pointing at him. Jensen smiled gently. 

“Yeah. I’ll call if we need you,” he agreed. Madison nodded as she led the two into the living room where Y/N was sitting. 

“Hey, Y/N, Jensen’s here,” she said with a smile. Y/N was resting, the coffee cup forgotten as it sat on her table; her head was in her hand, her arm leaning on the arm of the couch, and her eyes closed as her breaths remained steady. Her fingers pressed into her hair, rubbing slowly against her scalp in a light massage. Madison stepped closer to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. Y/N startled slightly, lifting her head to face the two. 

“You okay?” she asked, and Y/N smiled slightly, humming. Jensen studied the woman, frowning slightly. He’d never seen her look so defeated before. Even earlier, with a gun pressed to her head, she looked confident and strong. Right then, she looked... broken. 

“Hey, sweetheart,” Jensen said quietly. Blue eyes looked up at him, and after a moment of stillness, a small smile made it across her tired face. 

“Jensen, hey,” she said softly, causing him to smile gently at her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were here.” 

“It’s okay. I brought dinner. You okay with Chinese?” he asked, holding up the bag of Chinese. Y/N’s eyes dropped down to the bag of food he had in his hand, and it didn’t smell all that appetizing.

“I’m not that hungry,” she said, looking back at him. Jensen smiled softly at her, setting the bag down. 

“I’ll make a deal with you. You have some soup and maybe a little lo mein, and I won’t bug you about it the rest of the night. Doesn’t have to be a lot, but it has to be something,” he said, kneeling in front of her. Y/N frowned, looking back at the bag of food with a sigh. 

“Soup counts?” she asked, returning her eyes to Jensen. He nodded. 

“Soup counts,” he repeated. 

“Okay,” she whispered, nodding slightly. Clearing her throat, she tried to speak louder. “Yeah, okay. I’ll get some plates.” She unfolded herself and stood, making her way toward the kitchen. Madison stepped aside to let Y/N by, using Jensen’s shoulder for balance as she made her way. Jensen stood once she was passed. The two friends then watched her walk away before Madison threw Jensen a look. 

“I know. I promise I got it,” Jensen said, raising a hand before Madison could say anything. “Jared is waiting for you at home. Go.” Madison nodded and walked into the kitchen behind Y/N. 

Jensen started pulling the food out of the bag and setting the boxes on the coffee table. When Y/N returned from the kitchen carrying the dishes and flatware, Jensen stood and took the items from her. 

“What would you like to drink?” Y/N asked quietly. “I have some beer and soda. There’s still some coffee left that Madison made.” Jensen smiled softly at her and gently guided her to sit. 

“I know where everything is. Why don’t you get comfortable, and I’ll grab us some sodas?” he said. She thanked him and sat back on the couch, pulling one of her blankets around herself. Jensen walked into the kitchen and pulled two sodas out of the fridge. He carried them back to the living room, setting them on the table while watching Y/N as she stared out the window. Jensen sat down next to her and reached an arm behind her. 

“Hey,” he muttered quietly to get her attention. Y/N turned and looked at him, blinking away the distant look in her eyes. “Tell me what you need.” 

“I’m fine,” she said, dropping her eyes and sighing. “I’m just…” she started. She trailed off and shook her head. 

“Just what?” Jensen asked. Instead of answering him with words, she simply shifted her body to face him and ducked her head so she could lay it on his shoulder. Jensen pulled her closer to him, moving her legs so they laid over his and he could cradle her against his chest. This allowed him to start running his hand up and down her back. After a bit of silence, her hushed voice caught his attention.

“I keep thinking about what we could have done differently,” she muttered quietly. Jensen frowned. “I knew there was nothing we were going to be able to do to save his brother just by examining him. He waited too long to get him to us. I was able to get him to put the gun away long enough for us to try, but when we had to pull the LUCAS out… Surgery was a long shot, but we needed to try?” 

“Yeah,” Jensen muttered under his breath, his voice rough. 

“But then we were waiting, and things just got…” she trailed off again, shaking her head. “Nothing I was saying to him was making a difference. I knew it was only a matter of time before his patience wore out and he was going to start killing people. Then, when we got word that his brother died… I just knew.”

“You knew what?” he asked softly. 

“That he was going to kill me,” she replied. Jensen’s arms tightened around her.

“What you did in that hospital, keeping your head… talking to him like you did… that was exactly right. It was the right thing to do,” Jensen explained. Y/N shook her head, her eyes downcast.

“You did everything right, sweetheart,” Jensen reiterated.

“Then why did he still try to kill me?” Y/N asked after a moment of silence. Jensen sighed heavily, his heart hurting badly for this woman in his arms. 

“Because sometimes, even though you did the right thing, the bad guys don’t care and still react violently. Sometimes they just want to hurt others like they were hurt,” he said quietly. Y/N’s eyes started to fill with tears once again, against her will. 

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, tears breaking free and running down her cheeks. 

“I know you didn’t,” he reassured. 

“Those people he killed didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know.”

“I was trying to help him; I wanted to save his brother.” 

“I know you did.” 

“I tried to save him; we all tried to save him…” 

“I know,” Jensen said, hushing her as she began to cry earnestly. “You did everything you could, and it’s not your fault. Andrew should have realized that. You’re safe now, and he can’t hurt you anymore. I won’t let anything hurt you anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she sobbed. 

“It’s okay, don’t apologize. I’d be worried if you weren’t upset,” Jensen said, pressing his lips to her temple. He held her close as she cried herself out. When finished, she lifted her head and wiped her eyes, glancing at the man who held her close.

“Better?” Jensen asked, wiping the tears from Y/N’s face with the thumb of one hand. Y/N nodded a little, sniffling a bit. “Let’s eat.” 

“I’m not that hungry,” she admitted. 

“Hey, you agreed to try. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but you need to put something in your stomach,” Jensen said, cradling her head. She lifted her sad blue eyes to meet his tender green ones. 

“Okay,” she muttered. 

“Okay,” Jensen repeated, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He then reached over to the food and grabbed two of the Styrofoam containers with soup in them. He carefully opened the lid of one of them and handed it to her. She smiled gently and sipped the soup. 

“Let’s find something we can watch on TV, okay?” 

Jensen didn’t want to leave Y/N alone; she wanted to stay in case she needed someone or something. She argued, saying she’d be okay, but he knew better. As they watched television, Y/N fell into a doze on Jensen’s shoulder while clinging to the blanket around her shoulders.

“Do you want to watch another episode?” Jensen asked, looking over at her. “Y/N?” That’s when he noticed her closed eyes. A gentle smile fell across his face as he watched her sleep. Moving carefully, he lifted her into his arms. The blanket wrapped around her fell away as he carried her across the living room, down the hallway, and into her bedroom. Thankfully, her bed was rumpled from a nap she had taken earlier, so he could lay her down and cover her with the sheet and comforter she had there. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“Good night, beautiful,” he said quietly before leaving the room. 

With an arm behind his head, Jensen was dozing on the couch as he rested on a few of Y/N’s throw pillows. Y/N’s scream had him leaping and running to her bedroom. He opened the door he had closed earlier to find her sitting in bed with one hand pressed to the side of her head. She seemed to be trying to get away from something or someone, Jensen thought as he watched her sob. He frowned as he walked into the room and calmly hushed her.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “Hey, hey, hey, shhhh…. It’s okay. You’re safe,” he muttered.

“He’s gonna kill me,” she bawled, shaking her head and then whimpering. He was sure she was in pain with how she was holding her head. 

“Okay, okay, come here,” Jensen said, pulling the blankets back. She launched herself into his arms once she was free of the blankets. He caught her with a soft ‘oof,’ the weight unexpected, but once he had his arms secured around her, he sat on her bed.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he whispered, his heart aching for her. He situated himself so his back was against the headboard, and Y/N rested against him. She ended up in his lap, her legs straddling his hips while her head rested on his shoulder with her face pressed into his neck. Jensen wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, gently placing a hand on her head and massaging his fingers against her scalp. Her tears ran down his neck to his shirt, causing him to pull her closer. 

“I’ve got you,” Dean said gently. “I won’t let anything happen to you ever again.” Without moving her from against him, he reached down and grabbed her blanket and wrapped it up in it, offering warmth and comfort. Once he was happy with how they were situated, he turned his head and kissed her forehead. Having her in his arms like this, with her crying, was wrecking him.

“God, Y/N…I thought I lost you forever,” he whispered against her, her sobs quiet but intense. He knew she didn’t hear him; it wasn’t for her. His heart screamed at him, hurting at how this could have turned out. It took a long time for her to calm down, and Jensen held her and rubbed her scalp the entire time. Once her sobs subsided, the room was quiet, aside from a sniffle here and there. They remained like that for a long time.

“I thought I was going to die today,” she muttered, her voice clogged with tears and terror. Jensen tightened his arms around her, pulling her impossibly closer. He turned his head to press his lips against her temple and closed his eyes against the onslaught of emotions that raged inside of him. 

“He’s dead, right?” she asked worriedly, pulling her head away so she could look at him. Jensen looked over her face, noticing the bruising on her temple had gotten worse. The bandages and wounds on her delicate skin practically glowed in the dim light of her bedroom. He gently brushed a few strands of hair sticking to her cheek from the tears behind her ear as he nodded slightly. 

“Yeah,” he grunted, clearing his throat before speaking again. “Yeah, he’s dead. He’s not going to hurt you again.” Y/N nodded slightly, looking down. “Hey. You’re safe. I promise. I’m here and won’t let anything happen to you.” Y/N nodded her head before laying back down against his shoulder. Jensen cradled the back of her head with his hand, holding her there, resting his head on top of hers gently. 

“Thank you for saving my life,” she whispered after a long silent pause. Jensen shut his eyes against another onslaught of emotion, swallowing hard. He pulled his head back to look at her. 

“You’ll never have to thank me for that,” he said, eyes studying the woman in his arms. “When I saw him come out with you, I almost shot him right then. I never want you to be in a situation like that again.”

“You gonna become my bodyguard?” Y/N asked, a bit of humor creeping into her voice. 

“I don’t think you understand, Y/N. You’ve become the most important person in my life,” Jensen explained. Y/N lifted her head to stare at him as he spoke, her wide eyes watery. Jensen stared back at her, more severe than he had ever been with her. “I was so angry when I realized that you were in there with that maniac. I wasn’t going to stop at anything to get you out of there safely, and when you got hurt…”

“It wasn’t your fault, Jen,” Y/N whispered. Jensen shook his head, his own eyes getting misty. The following words were out before he could stop himself.

“If anything were to happen to you… I don’t know what I would have done. I’m so in love with you, Y/N. I can’t imagine my life without you in it, and that asshole almost took you away from me,” he explained, resting his forehead gently against hers. Y/N’s breath caught at his admission. 

“Jen… I love you, too. I think I have for a long time now,” she admitted. Jensen pulled back and stared into Y/N’s eyes, searching. Once he found whatever he sought, he gently pressed his mouth to hers in a passionate but modest kiss. Y/N tried to deepen it, moving her hands to his neck and fingers to his hair, but he pulled back.

“No. Not now,” he explained gently. Y/N frowned, hurt. “You’re hurting and need to take some painkillers. I know your head hurts you. And honestly, I just really want to hold you for a while. I almost lost you. I thought I lost you.” 

“Does that mean you’ll stay?” Y/N asked timidly. Jensen nodded her head.”

“Yeah, I’ll stay,” he said quietly. Y/N nodded. “Where are your pain medications?” 

“They’re right here,” she said, facing her nightstand. She picked up one of the three prescription bottles sitting there, and Jensen took it. He opened it and shook out one of the large pills into her open hand. She then reached over for the bottle of water to swallow down the pill before taking the prescription bottle and setting both back on her nightstand. 

“Let’s get some rest, beautiful,” Jensen whispered. Y/N nodded as she laid her head back down on his shoulder. After a while, the two adjusted their positions so that they were lying down instead of sitting up against the headboard. 

That was where Madison found them the following day. She smiled wistfully as she called out to Jared and waved him over to the doorway to Y/N’s bedroom. There, lying in her bed, was Jensen with Y/N curled beside him. Her head was still on his shoulder, her hand gripping the shirt he had on tightly. Jensen wrapped his arm around her waist, the other cradling her head against him, his face turned toward her as his lips pressed to her forehead. The two onlookers smiled softly at the two. 

“She must have had a bad night,” Madison whispered, leaning against Jared.

“It’s nice to see them finally together, too,” Jared muttered quietly, kissing Madison’s head. 

“Wonder how long till we are planning their wedding,” Madison gleefully whispered as she closed the bedroom door. It was quiet for a long moment, then…

“We’re gonna elope if I have anything to say about it,” Jensen whispered, smirking. 

“We’ll do it at one of those tropical resorts in the Caribbean. It’s still kind of eloping, but I still get to dress up, and we still get pictures and flowers and shit,” Y/N said under her breath as she snuggled against him. Jensen tightened his arms around her, pressing a kiss against her forehead. 

“Okay, I like that idea better,” he sighed. 

“This is why I’m the smart one, and you’re the pretty one,” she replied with a soft giggle. He huffed at that comment. 

“You’ll pay for that later. Go back to sleep.”

“Kay.”

[enigmalynne]

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