BLACK SHEEP ❂ SUPERNATURAL

vi

The drive out to Mantua, Utah really dragged on. Desirae was asleep in the backseat of Dean's impala, her head rested up against the window.

Austin sat in the back as well, flipping through a lore book to help pass the time. Jade glanced over at Dean, who stared expressionless at the road ahead. The tension in the car was thick, it had been a month since Sutton disappeared, and three and a half weeks since Austin found her car in a field, up in flames.

Jade sighed, and leaned back in her seat, looking out the window. There was nothing to see, except farmland and hay bales. It was probably the least exciting drive she had ever been on. Dean had his music on full blast, and was not in any mood for conversation, and the others didn't dare try and speak up. Jade looked over her shoulder at Desirae, who seemed peacefully asleep. She wondered if she was really asleep, or was just laying with her eyes closed to tune out the world, and avoid any kind of conversation that was unlikely to make her way.

Jade silently wished she could shut everything out, everything was way too complicated, and sad. They had no idea if Sutton was alive or not, Jade knew her sister would never destroy that car, the woman would never be able to live it down. Sam has suggested it was possibly a copycat, a decoy to get them off Sutton's trail, but Dean almost immediately confirmed it was Sutton's car. That man was no idiot when it came to cars. Jade was hesitant to confirm Dean's statement, but there was a scratch across the bumper from one of Sutton's ex boyfriends who got a little too angry when she had dumped him. That very scratch was still there. Unless Sutton was fantastically good at replicating something like that, it was undoubtedly her car.

This whole thing felt stupid. It was normal for them to never see each other, or hear from one another.  But this felt different. Sutton seemed different. Her temper rose, she was cold, she wasn't herself at that dinner. Her sister had always been kind of a black sheep. She never fit in the same, and she always kind of had this darkness in her that they always chalked off as just being a little weird, having different interests. Jade had a bad feeling, and she couldn't place it. Especially after seeing the car. Sutton would never stage that. Or was she desperate enough to isolate herself that much?

Jade sighed, and let herself drift off to an uneasy sleep.

❂

"Dean!" Desirae's voice echoed down the halls of the bunker. "Dean we found her!" She ran up into his sights, panic stricken. "You need to come now." Dean dropped the beer bottle he held in his hand and tore down the hall after the young brunette. They seemed to have ran for ages, the stone brick walls whipped by in a blur. An eternity passed, and they found themselves witnessing Austin shove the garage door open, Morgan bolted through, holding a beaten, unconscious Sutton. Dean turned to tear after them, but Jonathan blocked him, pushing him into the cold brick walls. He didn't have it in him to fight. He watched as Marina went running by, wheeling a cart full of various surgical tools they all managed to get ahold of during their hunts. Jonathan stepped off of Dean, and they both stood there, watching as Marina disappeared down the hall.

Desirae's face was struck with worry, and the woman wavered where she stood. Impulsively, Dean reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, stabilizing her and bringing her back to reality. They both ran back to the library, where Morgan had placed the eldest Rowland on the table. "Sutton," he started, then stopping when Austin held his arm out, stopping Dean in his path. "Let Marina, Kiarra and John focus, okay?"

Dean shut his eyes, and his back hit the cold wall like a magnet to a fridge door. He slid down until he sat, and held his head in his hands. He could not think straight.

"Okay she's good enough, let's move her," Marina instructed. The hunters watched as the Hurst family moved Sutton's limo body off the table and onto a crash cart, then wheeled her out of the library in a hurry.

Dean had never felt uneasy at the sight of blood until now. The sight of the dark red blood pooling underneath the mahogany table made him want to throw up. He had seen much worse in his day's of hunting, but nothing was as unsettling as that.

❂

They worked on Sutton's injuries for what felt like days, nobody had moved from their spots, but nobody wanted to. Watching a woman fight for her life after having survived a werewolf attack was unbearable. Especially when it was a woman he felt strongly for. He leaned over and rested his head on his knees. It was ridiculous, this stupid crush he had in this woman he hardly knew. He knew Desirae would never agree to that idea so soon. But nobody could deny the immediate spark between them. The man was desperate to find out if it would go further or not. He couldn't stomach the idea of losing that kind of connection in such a short period of time.

Get it together, get over this stupid idea of being into Sutton. She's Desirae's sister for gods sake. She's just another woman you know. She ain't special. She's-

"She's stable," Marina informed them, heading out into the hall where Dean and Desirae sat. "She should wake up soon, I think it's best if she wakes up with someone by her side."

They both hurried into the room, and Dean sighed. Marina always had a way of making things seem like they weren't as bad as they really were. The way she spoke, he half expected to see Sutton in a hospital bed, with the white gown, IV's hanging on that metal thing with the wheels, chest tubes and all the other fancy medical things they had in hospitals, as well the bright fluorescent hospital lighting that he hated.

But seeing Sutton laying there on the hard table, the IV bag hanging from a nail in the wall, the complete lack of chest tubes and anything else medical, and the room was dark, even with the curtains drawn open. It was three in the morning, and pitch black outside. There was enough light from the dull bulb on the lamp with the missing lampshade, and it was enough for Dean and Desirae to notice every little scratch, bump and bruise that littered Sutton's usual perfect skin.

❂

"Do you need time alone?" Dean asked Desirae. "I can go if you need me to." Desirae grabbed his forearm in response, silently indicating she wanted him to stay. They stood in silence, watching Sutton breathe steadily. It was evident, however that she was struggling to recover. As hunters, they knew very well how hard it could be to heal, even from the most minor injuries. They couldn't just walk into any hospital for whatever wounds they'd acquire on a hunt. It was always up to them to fix themselves or each other.

Jade crept in a few minutes later, her hair thrown in a careless knot, and her eyes sunken with circles underneath. She placed her hand on Deans shoulder and gave it a squeeze, and they all proceeded to sit down on the stools in the room.

"We shouldn't leave her on her own till she wakes up," Jade said quietly. "Last time I turned my back, things took a turn for the worse. I don't ever want it to happen again."

"That's not going to happen," Dean assured her. I won't allow it. He thought to himself.

Time passed on slowly, Jade and Desirae came and went, generally to go eat or spend some time outside or on their own. Dean never left, aside from going to the bathroom. He sat right by Sutton's side, holding her hand in his. His mind wandered, and he couldn't help but wonder if the hand he held in his, fragile and cold, would typically feel strong, fierce and fiery like the woman it belonged to. He felt stupid for wishing he could hold her hand, in public, whenever he wanted to. Telling the world that she was his, but he knew he couldn't have that. Even if she made it, hunters never got to have things like relationships or public hand holding or anything or that sort.

He rubbed his thumb along her hand, instinctively. It felt like the right thing to do, like he was comforting her or reassuring her. He sat there, repeating the motion mindlessly. He tensed up when he felt her fingers brush his, then closed themselves around his own hand.

He looked up at the woman's face, and her eyes slowly fluttered open, then flickered to his.

"Dean..."