The Dream I Dreamed (A Dean Winchester Love Story)

Chapter 8: And Dreams Were Made

Chapter 8 And Dreams Were Made

Hope woke to the soft sound of breathing to her right. She opened her eyes to find Dean asleep in a chair beside her bed, head resting on the mattress. The angel's cheeks flushed when she realized he was holding her hand.

"Dean?" Hope whispered, squeezing the hunter's hand. He didn't stir. "Dean." she tried again. Still nothing. She sat up and began to pull her hand from his warm grip.

Dean blinked awake suddenly, eyes roaming the room for threats before they rested on Hope's face. He seemed confused at first, as if he didn't remember where he was or how he got there, but then understanding lit up his green eyes, followed by embarrassment. A blush crept up to his cheeks, making his freckles stand out on his skin. "Good morning." he said awkwardly, trying to play off his embarrassment.

Hope graciously played along, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "Good morning." she replied, but when her eyes met Dean's there was a spark of amusement in them that told him she wasn't going to forget what had happened.

"How are you feeling?" Dean latched onto the question like a life raft.

Hope smiled. "Fine. My grace just needed to recharge." she replied. The angel paused, examining Dean's face before continuing. "Dean, you still owe me an explanation. About Sam. And Ezekiel." she elaborated.

Dean sighed, closing his eyes and reaching up to rub his forehead. "A little while ago, Sammy and I decided we were going to close the gates of Hell." Dean began. "There were three trials we were supposed to complete."

"I've heard of the trials."

"Right, well, I told Sam that I was going to do them because....because I wanted to protect him." Dean paused, swallowing hard. "But he killed the hell hound and bathed in its blood and I couldn't stop him." his voice cracked. He had to stop for a moment before continuing. "I thought he was okay for a while. But then we got to the last trial, and....you should've seen him. He was so messed up, broken down. I thought I was going to lose him." Dean's eyes were rimmed in red and his voice was getting watery. Hope reached out and placed her hand on his on top of the mattress. He didn't react. "So I took him to the hospital, and they said....they said he was going to die." Tears were piled up in his eyes now, so many that Hope was surprised they hadn't spilled over. They turned his irises a startling green. "And I just couldn't let him. So I prayed. I prayed to every goddamn angel that had just fallen to Earth to come and help my brother." He wiped at his eyes ferociously, mopping up the tears before they could fall. "And Ezekiel came. Saved me from another angel who attacked me looking for Cas. He said he could save Sammy, said he could heal him from the inside, so I let him." He looked at Hope. "What the hell else was I supposed to do? He's my brother, I couldn't just let him die. I couldn't let him down." Dean looked down. "Zeke convinced me that I shouldn't tell Sam about him. He was afraid that he would expel him, and if Sam expels him, he'll die. Please, Hope, please, don't tell Sam." Dean begged.

Hope was silent for a long time. Finally, she nodded. "Okay." she said hesitantly. "I won't tell Sam. And, for what it's worth, Dean, I understand why you did it.... But that doesn't mean I like it." the angel looked around cautiously, then lowered her voice before speaking. "I don't think I trust Ezekiel, Dean."

"What do you mean you don't trust him?" Dean asked. "C'mon, Cas vouched for him, says he's a good angel. I know you haven't exactly been frequenting heaven, but surely you know him from your days on the God Squad."

Hope sighed. "I don't think he likes me very much, Dean. When we were opening that box....he didn't help as much as he could have. He backed out, left it mostly to me. That's why I was so weak." Hope softened  her expression. "All I'm saying is, keep your eyes on him."

Dean nodded. "Okay." He squeezed her hand, which she had forgotten was still covering his. He looked steadily into her pale blue eyes, opening his mouth to say something more when a deafening clap of thunder resounded through the room, cutting him off.

Hope perked up, listening. "Was that thunder?" she asked. She listened harder and the sound of heavy rain falling on the autumn leaves outside was just loud enough to be heard. She looked excitedly at Dean. "C'mon, we can finish this conversation outside; it's raining!"

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Hope grabbed Dean's arm and tugged him up and out of the room, not even pausing to grab shoes for herself. She pulled him through the main room of the bunker, which was empty. The others were probably in the stacks doing research. Maybe Sam was still asleep.

When Hope reached the door she shoved it open and, much to Dean's surprise, ran out into the drenching rain, pulling him with her.

"I love it when it rains!" Hope exclaimed.

"You're insane!" Dean called back, frowning as the rain soaked his jacket. The angel just laughed and spread her arms, letting the water hit her whole body. Then, as if by impulse, two shadowy shapes appeared behind her, solidifying into two glistening black wings. The rain rolled off of them in thin silver streams. Hope looked up at Dean, pale blue eyes locking with green ones, and sparks filled her veins. She grinned at him, her golden hair plastered to her head from the rain.

Hope moved closer to Dean and spread one huge, onyx wing over the hunter's head, making a sort of feathery umbrella to keep the rain off of him. They were so close she could see the flecks of gold in his shocking green eyes.

"Better?" Hope breathed, having trouble finding her voice with Dean pressed so close to her.

"Much." He replied, eyes smiling. He pushed the drenched hair out of Hope's eyes.

"So....what were you going to say before I dragged you out here?" the angel asked.

Dean laughed. "Oh, you still want me to tell you, do you?"

"Yes."

"Hmm...I forgot. Guess it wasn't that important." He teased. Hope punched his chest. "Okay, okay." He laughed. "It was something along the lines of..."

The hunter bent his head and pressed his lips to hers, his shoulders folding to encase her in his body, wrapping himself around her. Hope froze, shocked, but soon began kissing him back, reaching up to tangle her fingers in his wet hair and cup the back of his neck with her palm.

Hope's wing lowered from its protective position to wrap possessively around Dean, pulling him even closer. He didn't protest, even though he was now getting rained on, the water weighing his clothes down and making them stick to his body.

"Is that so?" Hope teased breathlessly when they finally broke apart.

Dean laughed. "Yes."

Suddenly Hope noticed that he was shivering. The rain was cold and the wind added a bite to the frigid air. "C'mon, let's get you inside before you get hypothermia." She said, pulling her wings back and letting them fade away, first into a shadowy version of themselves and then into nothing at all.

"What, you're immune to it?" Dean asked, a little offended.

"Yes, I am." Hope replied matter-of-factly. "I'm an angel, remember?" She grinned at him as though she would find it amusing if he had forgotten--which, in fact, he had--and tugged him with her back to the door of the bunker.

"Yeah, well, you're....an angel..." He muttered lamely. Hope chuckled at his inability to think of a comeback and led him inside. They walked through the door holding hands, angel and hunter walking side by side.