28 DAYS: FINAL CHAPTER
Summary: Dean Winchester is an addict and an alcoholic, a USMC veteran, a father, and an older brother. As Battalion Chief with Lawrence Fire & Medical, Dean comes under investigation when he makes a dangerous and impulsive decision, defying his superiors and abandoning the team he is supposed to lead. He is given the choice to go to rehab for 28 days or jail. His lawyer insists on rehab, and Dean begrudgingly abides.
Characters in this chapter: Dean Winchester, Mrs. Butters (mentioned), Jack Kline, Meg Masters, Billie Pilgrim, Pamela Barnes, Rowena Macleod, Gabriel, Crowley (seen but not heard), Missouri Mosely, Alex Jones (seen but not heard), Lydia, Emma Winchester, Benny Lafitte, Castiel Novak, Bobby Singer, Ellen Harvelle, Casey Wood, Jo Harvelle/Victor Henriksen/Nick Iblis/Zeke Gadreel (mentioned), Sam and Jess Winchester (mentioned), Tessa Porter
Warnings/tags for this chapter: if you've read this far, you're golden xox
Words in this chapter: 5K
Author's note: Cute Sparkle Gryphon Meme
Emma driving is for @stusbunker. Love you, sis.
Thank you to Stu and to my 12yr ride or die @brrose-apothecary for read-throughs and late-night convos and for being my friends.
CHAPTER TEN
A week to the day before Dean is to be released, he and the others say goodbye to Jack. Mrs. Butters in the kitchen helps Dean bake and decorate a cake with a very cool screen print of Red Hood that Pamela found online, and Meg commandeers Jack's phone to add Pamela's, Dean's, and her own contact info to his address book.
"Hope you don't mind if I call you sometime, kid," Dean mutters.
There's a tight, heavy knot in his chest that he can't loosen. He wants to keep in touch with Jack so he can celebrate his successes. He doesn't want to be the old Dean who keeps in touch out of fear that Jack will stumble with no one around to catch him.
But deeply woven within that knot is an intense foreboding, stoking Dean's fear of letting Jack walk out the door.
"Of course," Jack answers, distracted by his pinging phone, telling him his Uber is one minute down the street. "I'll text you."
Dean nods and chews his lip. "We can trade me-mes," he says, watching the kid not watch him.
Dean has to actively restrain himself from pushing the flop of hair from across Jack's forehead and demanding the kid's attention. The knot spirals around his organs and rib cage into his gut.
"Meme," Meg says, trying to help Jack straighten the strap of his bag.
"What?" Dean asks.
"It's pronounced meme. Like theme," Meg answers, stepping back into place next to him.
Dean shakes his head as his heart jolts and dives at the sight of the white Honda pulling up in front of the big glass doors.
"Good luck, Jacky." Rowena appears at Dean's other side, looping an arm through the crook of Dean's elbow. "We'll miss you, sweet boy."
Meg mirrors Rowena, hooking her arm through Dean's. Dean drops his chin to his chest with a sigh, realizing how transparent his anxiety is to his friends.
"Ciao, baby," Meg bids the teenager a farewell, watching him stumble over his own sneakers toward the door.
"Bye, guys," Jack calls with a wave. "And thanks for the cake; it was really good!"
And then he's gone.
Dean starts a list of everyone with whom he needs to make amends. Emma's at the top of that list, so he always remembers how far he's come and can fall.
Castiel is the closest second.
Before Emma walked in on him with Max and Anna last year, Dean could sleep at night by telling himself he hadn't imposed on anyone or lied, cheated, or stolen. He told himself that he cleaned up his own messes and that he was just fine with death, closure, and a whole fuckin' bottle of Jack.
Then he broke his little girl's heart.
"Do you think you were trying to prove something to Castiel that day?" Billie asked.
"I think you know what I was doin'. Why don't you tell me what I was tryna prove?"
Billie was right as usual; Dean wanted to prove to Cas that he wasn't worthy of Cas's respect. Dean knew that kid was going to die if someone didn't go in there — and probably even if someone did — and he decided to be the kamikaze pilot because fuck everybody who still had faith in him; he wasn't worth their concern.
"The list!" Meg plops into a seat next to him with two cups of coffee. "Dean Bean, that list is hella long. You should pare it back for your first round."
She takes a sip of her coffee, handing him his as she peers over the rim of her cup.
Dean chuckles, shaking his head. "Every single person I think of makes my stomach hurt."
"Did you show it to Billie yet?" Meg slides her stocking feet into Dean's lap.
"Not yet. Meetin' with her in 10." He twists in his seat to accommodate her.
Meg nods. "Drink your coffee and keep me entertained ‘til you gotta go."
She burrows into her seat with an impish grin, and Dean smirks back as he sets to work, kneading her heels and thumbing the knotted muscles in her arches.
Four days after Jack, Meg is discharged. Pamela decides to stay beyond her discharge date for extra support from Billie and Cain.
After their morning hike, Meg and Pamela say their goodbyes, and Pamela heads to Billie's office to plan another family session for the coming weekend.
Dean waits with Meg for her sister Dani's arrival. Meg is keyed up and wide-eyed in the best way. Her fresh face is framed with braids on either side, compliments of Pamela, her sky blue backpack secured over her (Dean's) too-big hoodie, scuffed-up but neatly tied hiking boots, and softly worn jeans.
Dean thinks she looks like she's headed off to college with her entire life ahead of her, and he thinks that look is fitting as fuck.
"I put Dani's number in your phone; she still has a landline." Meg rolls her eyes as she absently twists the straps of her backpack.
Mere days before Meg was admitted to rehab, Dani inherited their childhood home and land after months of legal battles surrounding the farm. After she and Meg made amends, they planned to renovate the old farmhouse together. Meg told Dean how thankful she is to have the project to keep her on her toes, not to mention her adopted niece Kaia.
Meg's phone chimes with a text from Dani.
"She's just around the corner," Meg breathes, flicking her eyes to meet Dean's. "Three days?"
"You got it, sister." Dean pulls her in for a hug. "I'll be outta here, and we'll be 2.1 together. Right?"
"Right."
Last week, Dean and Meg realized that they had grown up less than 10 miles apart. There's not even one excuse Dean can think of to not continue their morning hikes and coffee at least once a week, and he can't wait to witness Meg's inevitable bloom outside this place.
He sees Dani pull up and releases Meg.
"Keep an eye on PB," Meg murmurs, pulling away and not quite meeting Dean's eyes.
Dean nods silently as Meg drops her gaze to her feet and shuffles toward the door.
"Goodbye, love!" Rowena calls from the lobby's catwalk, and Meg looks up with a wide grin and a wave.
"Take care, kiddo!" Gabe waves from beside Rowena, with Crowley lurking behind them both.
Dean wins Meg's gaze one last time before she finally climbs up inside her sister's Jeep.
"How are you feeling about everything, Dean?" Billie asks.
He's nervous and excited, a little bit scared but mostly hopeful. He's determined to make amends with people and looks forward to seeing his little girl outside therapy and hugging his niece and nephew.
"Good," Dean answers.
Dean doesn't fool himself into believing he can repair all of his faults in 28 days. His provisional relationship with Billie was hard-won. He respects her knowledge and advice, but he'll never be open enough with her to tell her everything.
"Good," she replies. "Don't forget — 90 meetings in 90 days. Look for a sponsor..."
Billie rattles off the rules that Dean used to consider common sense. After the last few weeks, though, Dean has realized how bogus the phrase common sense is because so many people walk around without knowledge that Dean's taken for granted since he can remember knowing anything. The fact that that phrase masquerades itself as a universal truth is kind of bullshit, in Dean's opinion.
"Yeah, I remember: how long have they been sober; are they full of shit; do I like them—"
"You know I have to say these things, right?" Billie smirks and arches a brow.
Dean chuckles and nods. "Am I stealin' your thunder?"
Billie actually laughs.
The night before he leaves, Dean does all his laundry except his pajamas and packs his bag. He leaves the bag on what was Jack's bed six days ago, denying the 47th urge to call the kid because he promised himself he wouldn’t call Jack before Jack called him.
In the dark of night, the emotions he accepted earlier at face value become garbled and daunting. He starts to see the edges of rational thought being peeled back by the demons lurking in his subconscious, slithering out to tell him that he's foolish and undeserving and will fail.
The sober experience of his darker cognition is fascinating and frightening. He takes a good chunk of time lying there, stunned to his core that he was ever blind enough to fall for this.
"Fuck off," he mutters as he rolls to his side. "I'm gettin' the fuck outta here and on with my life."
The next morning, Dean and Pamela go for a hike like usual. They have coffee, and she sits with him while he smokes.
"You gonna be OK?" he asks.
"What, without you and Megan, the 2.1 twins?"
Dean startles at Pamela's tone and arched brow.
He never meant for anyone, not even Crowley, to hear his and Meg's 2.1 mantras. It was never about their lack of faith in anyone else. It was always about their bond and shared need to hear it from the other one to get them through.
"You're not subtle, either of you," she drolls, shifting her gaze to the woods.
"PB..."
"It's fine, Dean." She peeks back at him. "And, yes, I'll be fine, too. Once I get my ground legs back and earn more trust from my mother-in-law."
"Sammy can help, ya know," Dean reminds her of when Sam visited and heard her case. He told Dean on the spot that he wanted to help her, and Dean wasted no time relaying the message and ensuring Pamela had Sam's phone number and email address.
"He can, legally, and I'll call him." Pamela nods, keeping her eyes on the wooded area just beyond the deck where she and Dean had just walked and laughed. "But Jesse's mom hasn't let me forget for one second how much she doesn't trust me."
Dean doesn't take his eyes off Pamela's trembling profile. "Then make her."
Pamela blinks and inhales a stuttering breath before glancing over at Dean with watery eyes. She sniffles as she accepts Dean's open, outstretched hand to squeeze.
"Thank you," she whispers, letting the tears fall. "I'm gonna miss you, ya little shit."
Dean laughs as he pulls her in for a hug.
At 12:25 PM, Pamela is seated on the desk, arching across the expanse to help Alex pick a dress for her sorority's spring formal, Rowena is explaining to Missouri the plot of the last murder mystery she starred in, and Gabriel is practically gnawing Dean's ear from the side of his head with small-talk.
"Gabe?"
"Yeah, man," Gabe turns to face Dean head-on, cracking his knuckles and bouncing on his toes.
"I'm gonna need you to dial back the Tigger impression by at least five clicks, OK, because I'd like to be somewhat chill when my kid gets here to pick me up."
"Oh! Right. Yes." Gabe salutes Dean before shoving his hands in his pockets and turning back to watch the door. He mutters chill to himself a couple of times before the familiar deep blue BMW rolls up in front of the door.
"Oh, my word, look at that," Rowena marvels as she and Pamela join Dean and Gabe at the door. "The wee lass is all grown up! Ye must be so proud, Dean."
Dean nods. Emma's a gift that he'll work the rest of his life to deserve getting, and he'll always be proud of her. But his heart fumbles over the fact that he missed the milestone of being the one to teach her to drive.
Lydia steps out of the passenger side, waving from the curb.
"Well, go on," Pamela encourages Dean. "Get out there and show 'em what you're made of, Daddy."
Dean's heart swells to near bursting as he hugs everyone goodbye, including Missouri and Alex.
"You take good care of yourself, Dean Winchester," Missouri says with a kind Missouri smile.
"Yes, ma'am," he nods before scanning the faces of his friends and walking out the door into his future.
"How's the Casbah sound?" Lydia asks from the back seat.
Dean loves the Casbah, and Lydia knows that, but he can't answer her; he's too busy watching his baby girl drive a fucking car.
Lydia shifts forward as Emma signals, checks her mirrors, and carefully changes lanes.
"Pretty wild, huh?" she mutters over Dean's shoulder. "Just yesterday, you were teaching her to ride a bike."
Dean huffs a small chuckle and nods his head. "Straight from a trike to a two-wheeler. No trainin’ wheels for my girl."
Emma rolls her eyes over a blush and a sheepish grin. "So. Casbah?"
"Casbah," Dean confirms with a grin of his own, turning his shaded gaze toward the horizon.
"Hi," he starts, glancing around a circle of people of all ages and walks of life. "I'm... Dean. And I'm an alcoholic and addict."
"Hi, Dean," from the crowd.
Dean nods and draws a deep breath, struggling to keep his head up and maintain eye contact with each person. Ugly fears and insecurities threaten his spirit, but he shoos them away.
"I'm 28 days sober, and I feel... good. Went to dinner with my little girl tonight. She and her mom're waitin' for me down the street at the ice cream place."
The strangers in the circle fidget, mumble, and nod. The tension he feels is all about himself and his inability to just blend the fuck in. He knew doing this all over again with a new group of people would be hard. Then, his eyes land on a burly, bearded guy with clear blue eyes and an encouraging smile. He holds the man’s gaze like it’s a life raft.
“I’ve only been out a few hours, so I still have to call and apologize to everyone for fuckin’ up so bad.”
The man nods, shifting forward in interest. The kind of attention the man is giving him might make him feel like a bug under a microscope under other circumstances, but the man’s earnest compassion and engagement serve to embolden Dean.
“The first call’s the biggest, but they’ll all be tough. My buddy — my best friend and former boss — that’s kinda the eye of the storm. I think if I call him first, that’ll help me get through the others.”
It feels good to think out loud and strategize, knowing his audience has been there and done that. Dean’s especially keen to learn where his potential new friend has been.
After the meeting is done, Dean makes his way over to the man in question. There are two other people trying to talk to him, and Dean starts to worry that he’s one of those guys Billie told him about who accepts everyone’s sponsorship request for status or whatever.
“...I know someone I think’ll be a good fit f’you, Sorento. Lemme reach out and see when he might could grab a cuppa coffee.”
“Thanks, Benny. Never thought my sponsor’d fall off the wagon, ya know?”
“I hear ya, brother, and I’m sorry. You take care, and I’ll get right back, ya hear?”
The taller, darker-skinned man nods before backing away, and the other person Dean thought was waiting to talk to Benny follows.
“Hey, Dean.” Benny smiles, extending a hand. “I’m Benny. Glad you could make it tonight.”
Dean nods, accepting Benny’s hand and shaking it. “Thanks, man. I appreciate your support.”
“You’ve got it, brother.”
They chat about the ins and outs of meetings and sobriety for a few minutes until Dean realizes that Emma and Lydia are still waiting for him.
“Well, I gotta go catch up with my daughter, but uh... thanks again.”
Dean shifts his weight, having flashbacks to his teen years and the first time he asked someone out on a date.
“But I was wonderin’ if you were a sponsor to anyone else? Or... if you had room for one more?”
Benny smiles wide and bright. “It’d be an honor, Dean. What’s your number?”
On his first full day outside, at 9 AM, Dean starts dialing numbers.
"Hey, Cas," he pauses to cringe at the tremor in his too-eager voice. "It's uh... it's Dean."
There's a split second of silence, and Dean almost hangs up.
"I know, Dean. I have your contact in my phone with a picture of you and Claire from Thanksgiving."
The memory of that day is bittersweet to Dean for a dozen reasons, not the least of which was Claire's mental health at the time. She'd run away from home less than a week after her mom lost her months-long battle with ovarian cancer. Cas had just gotten Claire back and decided to have a small gathering at their home to celebrate her return.
Claire didn't feel like celebrating.
"He just doesn't understand," Claire whispered through the tears that Dean worked overtime to wipe away.
"Maybe he doesn't understand exactly how you feel, honey, but he does love you."
"Does he even miss her?" Her trembling lip broke Dean's heart all over again.
"I know he misses her. He loved your mom, Claire. So much."
"He's so... happy."
Dean nodded. "Yeah. 'Coz you're home. You're his little girl and his only family. Try to understand that."
"Dean? Are you— are you there?"
Dean jolts from his reverie and shrugs off Cas's matter-of-fact mention of that day lest it gives his demons the upper hand again.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here. I'm calling..." Dean takes a deep breath and looks out his kitchen window to watch a couple of squirrels chasing each other through the parking lot.
"Cas, I'm sorry. You're my best friend, and I love and respect you, but I defied your order and endangered the team. I broke at least four laws that day and put you and the department under scrutiny 'coz of my own fucked up mess. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure out that I could help myself and that I'm worth helping, and to stop hurting other people."
Cas is quiet for longer this time. Dean yearns to fill the silence or turn back time or run away and hide. Instead, he breathes through it and waits for whatever response Cas gives him because this is sobriety.
"You made it.” Cas’s tone is full of pride and satisfaction.
Dean anticipated 17 scenarios, but this takes him off-guard. Before he can ask what he means, Cas fills in the blank.
"I read about rehab and the likelihood of people making it through their prescribed programs. The statistics are 30%—"
"Yeah, and my group was only seven people, so 30% is 2.1." Dean can't help but chuckle. Cas doesn't know about his and Meg’s joke, but it doesn't matter because Cas is family, and family just gets it.
"Well, apart from the impossibility of the existence of .1 of a human being, it's good to hear your voice, Dean. I missed you."
Dean smiles so wide his face hurts. "Missed you too, man. How's Claire?"
Through Cas's heavy sigh, Dean can hear the smile in his voice. "Claire is Claire. She missed you as well. Once you're settled, we want you to come over for dinner."
Cas doesn't rebuke Dean. He doesn't rehash the past. He doesn't tell Dean he can't come back to work — because Cas knows that Dean already knows all of that, and neither of them has time for anything but catching up and reconnecting.
"I'd love it," Dean replies. "Thank you. For accepting my apology and letting me say what I needed."
"Always. I knew you'd make it and that our relationship would endure another shift. We will always be friends, Dean."
After his call with Cas, Dean calls Bobby and Ellen. They're less gracious than Cas with their acceptance, which doesn't surprise Dean.
"You were supposed to protect your team, Dean, not put them in danger!"
Dean doesn’t argue, and he doesn’t make excuses. He listens to Ellen yell and damn him to Hell until she’s crying so hard that Bobby takes the phone away from her.
As Ellen’s sobs fade in the distance, Bobby speaks. “How you holdin’ up, boy?”
“I’m good, Bobby. Thanks for takin’ my call.”
“Never wouldn’t,” Bobby answers. “Stay strong, kid. We both love ya; she just needs some time.”
“I love you, too, Bobby — both of ya.”
Jo flat-out blocks his call. Her resistance surprises him even less than her mother’s ire. He won’t give up on Jo, no matter how hard she makes it for him. He knows deep down that she hasn’t given up on him either.
Casey’s gasp is her answer.
“Case.”
“You OK?”
“I am. Now.”
He lets the memories of her soft, dark eyes and gentle, capable hands loving him more than he could bear carry him through the call.
“I’m sorry, Case. I hurt you so many times, and I never made it easy to be with me. You’re a beautiful, beautiful woman, whip fuckin’ smart, and so good.”
“We’ve been over this, Dean...”
Dean doesn’t cut in where she’s left a vacancy. He won’t take advantage of her anymore. He waits for her to pick up her thoughts. He wants her to say what she means.
And she does.
“Dean, I... I’ll never regret you or resent you.”
After a moment.
“Thank you,” she whispers, and Dean knows she’s crying.
He calls Victor, Nick, and Zeke, each awkward, compulsory, and hostile, respectively, but being uncomfortable is Dean’s new normal. And, for some reason, he kind of digs it. So, he’ll continue to make amends, no matter how it makes him feel.
After a week outside, Dean and Meg finally find a hiking trail they like and a coffee place they love before hitting the Lowe's Garden Center.
“Is this a joke?” Meg pokes at the limp lavender plant with indignation. “I can’t even believe they have this out for sale.”
“What do you care? We’re not here for lavender.”
Dean wanders a few paces down the aisle. He’s never tended a plant in his life, so he researched and decided on a spider plant to start.
“Maybe I’m here for lavender.” Meg continues to inspect the small section of drooping topiaries.
Dean stops and glares at her over his shoulder. “You told me you wanted a buncha succulents. You said you wanted a ‘cool little terrarium’ or some shit.”
“Maybe I decided to also get lavender.” Meg shrugs, lifting one of the pathetic florals.
“Now that you’ve seen the stellar selection of lavender?” Dean arches a brow.
“Maybe I want a challenge,” she mutters, squatting with one plant to compare it to another.
“Maybe, maybe, maybe...” Dean rolls his eyes and turns smack into Castiel.
“Hello, Dean.”
“Cas!” Dean takes a step back, gripping Cas’s shoulders. He can’t believe his luck at seeing him while he’s with Meg.
“Hey, this is my friend, Meg.”
He motions to Meg, who is now sitting cross-legged on the ground with three dead plants in front of her.
“Meg..." Dean snaps her to attention. "This is Cas.”
Meg blinks up at the men from where she sits on the ground.
“Well. Hello, Cas.”
She abandons her brief fascination to stand up and swipe her jeans and hands clean before shaking Castiel’s hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
The fire chief looks adorably confused as usual, as he takes her hand in his. “And I have heard nothing about you.”
Meg side-eyes Dean, and he almost laughs out loud. She’ll drag him later for not telling Castiel about her, but the only reason he didn’t was to let her show him herself.
“Whatcha here for, Cas?” Dean watches his friends reluctantly release each other’s grip.
“Tomato plants and strawberry plants. You know how much sun our side patio gets.”
Dean nods. Before he can reply, his phone buzzes with a text. It’s the notification he set for Pamela, and his gaze darts to Meg, who’s pulling her own phone from her back pocket.
“Hang on, Cas — got a message I need to look at.” Dean pulls his phone from his pocket. When he looks down, his world tilts.
Jack’s back.
“Fuck,” Dean mutters with a sigh before snagging Meg’s worried gaze.
“I take it you’ve received bad news?” Cas asks.
“Well, it ain’t good,” Dean replies, pocketing his phone. “Dinner Thursday?”
“Yes. Claire wants dumplings. I’ve had two failed trial runs making them, so it could be an... interesting meal.”
Meg snorts at Dean’s side, drawing his attention. “Cas’s a terrible cook.”
“No shit?” Meg exaggerates with her hands on her hips.
“I need to go — get the plants and ingredients for tonight’s test.”
Meg stifles a cackle, and Dean hip-checks her. “OK, well, lemme know if I can help with the dumplings, Cas.”
They say their goodbyes, and barely before Castiel is out of earshot, Meg starts in.
"You didn't tell me your 'weird little friend Cas' was hot, Dean."
Dean chuckles and rolls his eyes. "I thought it was implied when I said you'd like him, Megan. Just gather your sad little flowers so we can go."
“Meh, I want succulents.”
Dean spends the entire rest day bashing himself for waiting to call Jack. He wanted to give the kid space. He wanted to respect him, and... fuck, he can’t save everyone.
He calls Benny so he doesn’t drag Meg down his rabbit hole.
“Whaddaya want outta this, Dean? To call the kid and gloat?” Benny asks.
Dean cringes. “Is that what it sounds like?”
“Little bit.”
“Man, I’m not tryna be a martyr here; he’s a kid!” Dean really believes what he’s saying just as much as he tries to see what Benny sees.
“He’s a kid, but he ain’t yours, and he ain’t you. Remember your boundaries and your goals.”
Benny’s right, and Dean’s reminded of why he chose him to be his sponsor.
“Thanks, Benny. Thanks for takin’ my call, and thanks for being a great sponsor.”
That night, Dean stumbles across something online that stuns him for a second. It’s labeled as Cute Gryphon Sparkle Meme. It’s a greyscale drawing of a cartoon gryphon with a sort of paint-by-number chart of how to color it based on your own interpretation of the instructions like “the color that best describes ‘cute’” and “the color that first comes to your head”.
Dean shares the link with Jack, hoping he gets his phone back soon so he can appreciate just how cute it is.
One month, eight hikes with Meg, and three trips to the garden center for more plants (because Dean has now decided that he fucking loves plants) later, a familiar, feminine voice jolts Dean from his reverie in the produce section.
“Dean?”
He turns from where he’s filling his hand cart with all he needs for the guacamole he’s bringing to Sam and Jess’s tomorrow to find Tessa Porter.
“Tessa!” Dean smiles easily at her smile and how she moves closer to him without hesitation.
She’s fresh-faced, her hair’s in a ponytail, and she’s wearing workout clothes. Dean drops three good-sized avocados into his basket and turns his back on the vegetables to focus on the woman facing him.
“You look great, Dean. How’ve you been?”
“Thanks! You just come from the gym? You look great, too. Not at all like you just worked out or anything, but fit. Like healthy. And glowing.”
He bites his tongue to stop from shoving his foot down his gullet.
Tessa grins and chuckles quietly, peeking into his basket. “Yoga class. Making some guac?”
Dean draws a breath and nods, looking down at his ingredients. “Yeah. My brother requested it for a cookout tomorrow. He says I make the best guac in three counties.”
Tessa tilts her head and purses her lips. “Hmm. I’ll have to try it sometime.”
She snags Dean’s gaze, and he’s suddenly out of breath.
Does she know what he did? Is she hitting on him? Have her eyes always been that color?
“Yeah. I’d uh... I’d like to make it for you sometime.”
Dean swears her irises change color as they stand there — honey to jade to turquoise to cerulean.
After a few beats, Tessa raises her eyebrows. “Are you going to ask me for my number?”
Dean blinks then chuckles, shaking his head. “I gotta ask somethin' else first — you know about rehab, right?”
Tessa nods. “I know. And I know you aren’t supposed to date right away, but... I’d like to be friends. If that’s OK? I’ve missed seeing you around, Dean.”
“Friends,” he echoes skeptically.
He and Tessa never discussed dating before because it would have been against department policy, but that didn’t stop him from flirting with her every chance he had. Still, they had a genuine connection — which is the real reason, even in Dean’s most reckless state, that he never crossed a line with her.
Tessa nods again. “For now — friends. Think you can handle that?”
Dean holds her soft, kaleidoscope gaze for a moment before shifting his basket to his other arm and reaching into his pocket for his phone.
“Here.” He hands his unlocked phone to Tessa. “I would very much like it if you’d add yourself to my contacts so I can call ya sometime.”
Tessa grins again as she accepts the proffered device to quickly input her name and number. She flicks her eyes to his again as she hands him back his phone.
“I look forward to hearing from you. See you soon, Dean.”
Tessa looks him up and down before turning on her heel and sauntering away.
Dean’s eyes drop to the sway of her hips, and he shakes his head.
“Hate sayin’ g’bye but love watchin’ her walk away,” he mutters under his breath with a hearty chuckle before heading to the aisle with chips and crackers, stifling the urge to Leprechaun kick next to the bananas.
Fifty-eight days sober feels pretty damn good.
Epilogue: coming soon
Please let me know what you think!
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