Wicked Distractions [Completed]

Chapter 18 - Dealing

"Beer?" Bobby's voice broke through Dean's thoughts.

Dean looked at the closest thing he had to a father.

"Yeah. Did you bring Faith up to speed?" Dean drank from the dark colored bottle.

Bobby rolled his chair up to the table across from him and sighed.

"That girl is something else. I've never seen someone so eager to fight against something she didn't know existed this morning. She's a quick learner."

Dean nodded. "That's one way to put it."

"I'm glad you brought her. Hell, we need all the help we can get. But, for the record, she's on your side about the whole Lucifer Sam gig."

Dean wasn't surprised. Faith was just as stubborn as he was when it came to his brother. Always had been.

"She wants to help with the vaccine business. You think she'd do alright in the thick of things?"

Dean took another swig from his beer.

"I don't know, Bobby. She definitely got the jump on me. She's a fighter that's for sure. I know she's taken on a lot of vamps and lower level demons. But, I've never seen her in action. Honestly, I dont want her in on this."

Bobby gave him a stern look. "Don't let your old feelings for her get in the way of the bigger picture, Dean. I know that look."

Dean looked confused but turned away and stood up from the kitchen table.

"I don't know what your talking about."

"Dammit Dean. It's been over a decade. She can't possibly have gotten under your skin already."

Dean inhaled and stared into the fireplace across the room. Bobby was right. Hell, he was always right. But, Dean knew he was headed down a dark road here and it killed him. Faith was always a distraction for him ever since he was nine. This was terrible timing for her to come back into his life.

"You better not let her cloud your judgement. If there's going to be an issue, I have no problem kicking her ass to timbuktu. This is too damn big, boy."

Dean grunted humorously. "Good luck with that."

"Just make sure we're all on the same page before tonight. We've got a lot to do."

Bobby wheeled his way out of the kitchen and towards the hallway. Before he left the room, he spoke again.

"Talk to her for Christ's sake. Quit avoiding her and work this out. I'll see you outside ya idgit."

Dean sighed and scrunched his forehead together. He had been avoiding Faith since they got here. He didn't want to talk to her, but it was tearing him apart not to. Why, after all these years was she back? And acting almost like nothing had happened. Like she hadn't ripped his heart to shreds when he was seventeen.

He had never gotten over her, he realized. He just buried her. Pretending she was dead was a hell of a lot easier. But he couldn't do that anymore when she was right in front of him in living technicolor.

Sam seemed happy about her reappearance. Sure, they had thier secret talks for a couple of days before Dean even knew she was there. He still didn't know what they had been fighting about before he burst into her apartment.

But, how did he even start a conversation with someone who had to knock him out just to get him to listen?

Hell, he needed to do something. He didn't need to have to worry about her when he had to drive to Chicago to find Death. That was a long time to stew on what ifs and maybes.