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She had to hold onto the counter when she saw who entered the bar. It was still relatively early and the only other guests were two elderly men that kept ordering beer and otherwise talked quietly in their corner and a young woman who had said nothing aside from “Tequila” and was now sitting alone staring at her phone and occasionally typing something into it.
“Hello, sweetheart, one whiskey for me and a glass of milk for my baby brother please,” said the shorter of the two new arrivals when he reached her.
She didn't move. “Dean? Sam?” The man looked up at her, straight into her eyes and then seemed to recognize her.
“Hey, aren't you (Y/N)? We've met a while back in Wisconsin, right?”
“Yeah. My...my neighbor had a...”, she lowered her voice, “a ghost problem.”
“Yeah, I remember! Look, Sammy, it's (Y/N) from Wisconsin. The salt'n'burn that almost went wrong.”
The other man came closer and smiled. “Hey! Nice to see you again. How are you doing? Why did you leave Wisconsin?”
“Oh, you know...” She nervously played with one of her bracelets. These men were hunters. They saved her and her neighbors the last time they met but that was years ago. And she really didn't want to have hunters around. Not here. Not now. “Some personal thing, it's not really important. So, what do you guys wanna drink?”
–
Since the bar was almost empty and Dean invited her, she took another beer from behind the counter and opened it. She really wanted something stronger now but she couldn't get drunk while working, no matter how much she wanted to.
“So...what leads you here, into the smallest town ever in the middle of nowhere? A case? Or just passing through?”
The brothers exchange a glance then Sam replied: “A case actually. I'm not sure if you heard but we think there might be a vampire in town.”
She chocked on her drink and almost dropped the bottle. “A-a va-mpire?!,” she coughed with tears in her eyes.
“Yup, a vampire. They're real. But don't worry, we'll find it and turn its head into a football.”
“You'll kill it?,” she asked, still coughing and deeply worried.
But the boys seemed to think that she was afraid of the vampire because Dean said: “Yeah, no great deal. It won't hurt you, we'll take care of it.”
“Mhm...” She took another huge gulp of her beer. What happened? Why was there a vampire in town? Why here? Or did they mean her? No, they couldn't. She wasn't killing humans, not anymore. She mostly lived on animals and stolen blood donations. There was no way that they would know.
“Are you okay, (Y/N)? You look a little pale.”
“Hm? Yeah, I'm fine. Just...worried.” That wasn't even a lie.
“Don't be, we'll get this sucker,” Dean promised, smiling warmly and taking her hand. “I won't let it get you.”
Her hand in his. That felt good. And his smile, she could just melt. He looked tired but his green eyes were sparkling and he seemed determined to hunt the vampire down without letting it hurt anybody else, including her – especially her. She smiled back at him, eyes soft, happy to feel the warmth of his hand on hers.
“By the way,” Sam asked, interrupting their moment. Dean quickly pulled his hand back and she blinked a few times. “Have you noticed anything? Do you know of anyone behaving strange? Any new people in town?”
“Sam, I don't think the vamp's that new. Remember what the doc in the morgue said? Blood donations are being stolen for months. And the police is finding way more dead animals than would be usual around here.”
“So a vamp that was trying not to kill but snapped somehow?”
“Possibly.”
She emptied her bottle. “I...I don't think I've seen anything strange. But I mean, wouldn't you recognize a vampire if you saw one? You know, the teeth and kind of Dracula-looking?”
Dean smiled a sad smile. “Sorry to disappoint you, (Y/N), but vamps don't look like that. They actually look totally normal until they're attacking their vics. Then you see the teeth. But other than that you don't see any difference. That's the problem. Everybody here could be the vamp. That girl over there or one of these guys – or even you.” He sounded like he was joking and Sam grinned but she didn't like this joke at all. If they knew... She forced herself to a weak smile.
“Well, we should go now. Have a lot to do, finding this sucker and killing it. And you stay safe. Actually,” Dean rummaged his pockets and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper that he handed her. “Call me.”
She raised one eyebrow.
“When you need anything I mean. Or when you see something. Or,” he winked at her. “when you just want to see me.”
She rolled her eyes but her heart started beating faster. She remembered last time, when they first met. Both brothers had been very nice and protective and she really liked Sam but on that day she lost her heart to the older brother. “Okay, I'll call you. Good luck finding the vampire, boys!”
She was still holding onto the little paper when the Winchesters left the bar and went to their car. Oh how she'd love to see Dean again. But she couldn't. Not anymore. Not as the person who she was now.
–
After her shift had finally ended she was making her way back home. She preferred the nightshift for obvious reasons and it even gave her an excuse for staying inside most of the day. Walking around with sunglasses and clothes covering most of her body only caused people to give her strange looks; looks that she didn't want. But there wasn't really anything she could do, apart from trying to work at night and only leaving the house if necessary. She didn't mind that part of her life, though. Neither stealing blood donations or taking animals' blood. What bothered her was the fact that Dean Winchester was in town. Dean Winchester, the man she had fallen for the instant she had seen him. Dean Winchester, the hunter that would cut her head off if he knew who she was. Or rather what she was.
She pulled her scarf a little tighter around her neck. Being a vampire didn't save her from the sudden breeze. And then she heard it. A muffled sound, a whimper rather than a scream and a hissing voice. The noises of a fight. She stopped, hesitated. What if the hunters had found the other vampire? She had no clue who the other one could be, she sure as hell didn't turn anyone. But she had noticed, noticed the headlines in the newspaper. Articles full of dead and missing people. She had known it, deep in her guts she had known that there was something very wrong here but she couldn't bring herself to act.
Now she was standing in the middle of a dark back alley, her arms protectively wrapped around her body, shaking with cold and asking herself what she should do. Turn around and take a different route? Keep going and risk a confrontation with another vampire? Call the Winchesters?
The sound of at least two people struggling became louder, a sudden scream made her jump and then everything was silent.
She didn't know what to do. Slowly, carefully, trying to be as quiet as possible she moved towards the corner of the little street. She smelled blood, human blood and she could instantly feel her teeth starting to tingle. 'Stop it!', she told herself. 'Pull yourself together! There might be someone who needs help.' She peeked around the corner and flinched at the sight.
A tall dark figure was crouched next to a smaller, very pale looking person on the floor. The taller person had turned her back towards her but she was almost certain that it was the vampire. And if it was then he must know that she was there.
Suddenly there were footsteps, loud and heavy. The man on the floor jerked up his head and at the end of the alleyway she could see two people running towards the man and his victim at full speed.
It happened so fast she was barely able to grasp it. The vampire jumped to his feet, turned around and started running towards her. She caught a glimpse of his face, blood smeared across his mouth, sharp teeth almost gleaming in the dim light of the half-moon, the small eyes dark with hunger. Then he reached her, pushed hard against her shoulder which caused her to fall and then ran off into the night. Only a few steps behind him followed Sam, a sharp blade in his right hand, running as fast as he could. She got up, groaning quietly and then slowly limped towards Dean and the lifeless person on the floor. It was a young woman, white as a sheet, eyes closed but breathing. There were bruises on her knees and hands and a heavily bleeding wound on the left side of her neck.
She could feel her teeth tingling again and clenched her fists, willing herself to ignore the smell.
“(Y/N)! What are you doing here? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Dean seemed almost as worried about her as about the young woman whose neck wound he now carefully patched up.
“No, no I'm fine. He just pushed me but I'm okay. How...how's she doing?”
“She'll live. But we should still get her to a doctor. Do you know her?”
She shook her head. She didn't know a lot of people around here and she had never seen the girl before.
At that moment Sam came back. She smelled him before she saw him and she clenched her fists even tighter. More fresh blood.
“He escaped,” Sam panted. “We fought and he tried to bite me. I couldn't get his head and then he was gone.” The he turned towards her. “Are you okay, (Y/N)? Did he get you, too?”
She shook her head again. “No. I was just about to go home when I heard sounds of a fight and when I turned the corner you were already here.”
“Come on, let's get this girl to a doctor before she looses even more blood,” Dean interrupted, carefully scooting the fragile looking figure up. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous of that unconscious girl lying in Dean's arms as she followed the boys to the car.
“Can I help?”
“I don't think there's anything you can do right now. But we'll check in with you tomorrow, okay?”
She simply nodded and agreed to meet them at a little café for lunch.
–
“Dammit, that was such a good lead! And we almost had that bastard. Fucking vampires, man...”
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
“But know he knows that we're here, so he'll either leave or keep a low profile for a few days.”
“Could you see his face?,” Dean suddenly asked her.
“No...not really. It was too dark. Small eyes and blonde-ish hair. He was tall. And strong. That's all I could see, sorry.”
“Ah, well it won't be easy to find him anyway. What do you reckon, how many people live in this town?”
“Roughly four thousand I'd say. But there are some farms – and abandoned farms – outside of town, too. He could be anywhere.”
“That's true. Well, I guess we gotta stay here for a few days then, see what he's up to.”
“Do you think he has a nest?” The look on the hunters' faces almost stopped her heart. Shit, how would she know that?
“What do you know about vampires, (Y/N)?,” Sam asked warily.
She swallowed and took a sip of her coke. She could feel two pairs of eyes staring at her.
“Oh, not much. I...I did some research last night. Wanted to know what we're up against...” Her words wouldn't even convince herself.
“Okay...well, he might have a nest. But if he does it's probably outside of town in one of those farms. But he could be a loner, too.” Dean's voice carried so much suspicion within that she could feel her cheeks burn. She quickly took another gulp of her drink and immediately started coughing. Sam carefully hit her on the back a few times until she could breathe again.
“But how long could he live without fresh blood? Especially if it's a nest?” Not long, she knew that from experience. A few days at the most.
“Not long. Three, maybe four days until he won't be able to control himself and jump at everything remotely alive.”
“But there have been a few kidnappings which means he might have a... 'supply' right at home.”
“That's disgusting!” She meant it. Even on the few occasions she drank human blood straight from the person (right after she'd been turned) she would've never killed anyone, especially not like this.
“Yeah, well, that's what vamps are; disgusting scum.” Dean's words felt like a punch to the stomach. She told herself not to take them personally, he was only talking about the ones that killed people. At least she hoped he was.
“Anyway, we'll stay for a while, try to find him. Let's hope it won't take too long or the motel will cost us a fortune,” Sam sighed and emptied his coffee mug.
For a moment she thought about letting them crash with her. Her apartment wasn't big but there was enough room in the living room. But then she remembered the banked blood in her fridge and she decided not to. She wasn't sure what the Winchesters would do to her if they found out. She had never killed anyone and hadn't attacked a human in years but she was still a vampire, a monster – scum as Dean had put it.
“Tell me when you find anything, okay?”
“Sure,” Dean smiled. “Are you on the nighshift again today?”
“I'm always on the nightshift,” she admitted.
“Well, then I'll be sure to grab a few drinks this week.” Dean winked at her and Sam rolled his eyes. “Come on, Dean!”
She forced herself to smile as the boys left the café. She liked Dean. Really. A lot. And he seemed to like her, too. But she knew this could never work. Or could it? Could she hide her true identity from him? Would he even accept her for who she was when he saw that she never hurt anybody?
–
There weren't any attacks for three days straight. She got on with her life as if nothing had happened. Well, almost. She still slept during the day and worked at night but now there were two new customers in the bar. They usually sat at the counter and talked to her when she wasn't busy with other guests. They told her they had checked out every little farm house around town but there was no trace of the vamp anywhere. There also hadn't been any more stolen blood donations or killed animals.
“Do you think he moved on?,” she asked on the third night after the attack, hoping the answer was yes. Her own blood supply was getting dangerously small and she was getting more and more hungry. At the beginning of her shift a customer had accidentally dropped a glass and her co-worker had cut herself picking up the shards. She almost dropped the bottle she was holding and quickly left the room, clenching her fists and trying to calm herself down. Her co-workers just assumed she couldn't stand the sight of blood and she happily left them to their assumption.
“I don't know. We'll keep investigating a little but if there are no more attacks we'll probably leave shortly.”
She nodded, hoping there wouldn't be any attacks. She needed blood, soon. On the other hand she didn't want the boys, especially Dean, to leave. Sam had always gone back to the motel around midnight but Dean had stayed almost till the end of her shift every night. It wasn't any different today.
Sam said goodnight to them shortly after twelve but Dean stayed, drinking one beer after another and flirted with her. When her shift ended he offered to take her home. Confused by her sudden need to be around people she agreed and the two of them went back to her apartment. The kiss Dean gave her at the door was magical. No one had kissed her like this in a long time. It was a passionate kiss but it felt so gentle and it ended way too quickly for her liking. In the dim light of the street lamp above their heads she could see him smiling softly. They were standing so close she could almost count his freckles. His green eyes sparkled like water in the sun.
“You should go inside now,” he whispered, gently pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She nodded silently and gave him another quick kiss before turning towards the door.
“Good night!,” he said.
“Good night.”
When she lay down on her bed she felt a weird mixture of emotions. Bliss, excitement, sadness, guilt. Bliss because Dean had kissed her. Excitement because of what almost happened. Sadness because it didn't happen. And guilt because she tricked this good man into believing she was normal, she was lovable, she was human.
–
She drank the last drop from her supply and threw the empty bag away. She had drunk less than usual in the last days but now her supplies were completely depleted. She knew she wouldn't last long. The problem was that she wouldn't starve, no, she'd just lose control. Attack the first human she came across and probably kill them to still her hunger. She was disgusted by herself but she knew it would happen if she didn't get more blood. But could she risk it? Could she risk breaking into the hospital to steal some more blood samples? Could she risk to go hunting in the forest and kill some wild animal? Was it smarter to get to one of the farms and only take a little bit of blood from every animal there?
She needed the blood. She dreaded going back to work tonight, to see people, humans, to hear their heartbeat, to smell their blood. She couldn't do it and so she decided to call in sick. She could only hope that she would be able to get some blood soon.
–
After three hours she switched off the TV and got up with the intention to hunt deer, so she would at least make it to tomorrow without attacking any humans. But when she put on her jacket her doorbell rang. She hesitated for a second. Then it rang a second time.
“(Y/N)? Are you home?”
She immediately recognized the voice. She threw all caution to the winds and opened the door. She regretted it immediately. The door had prevented any smell from coming in but now she was hit by the overwhelming scent of fresh, human blood. Her hands clenched into fists but it didn't help. She was too hungry. She could feel her second set of teeth, painfully pressing into her tongue but she kept pressing her lips together, so the brothers wouldn't see. There they were, covered in blood, sweaty and exhausted. Dean had a huge gash across his right cheek and Sam's left arm was bleeding heavily through the shirt he'd wrapped around it. But other than that they seemed fine.
“Hey, good to see you. Listen, we just came to -”
She had no choice. She wasn't strong enough to fight it. She stumbled backwards, still pressing her lips together and slammed the door shut. The smell didn't vanish right away but at least there was no one to attack anymore. She ran to the nearest window, opened it and leaned outside. Cold, clear, non-smelling air filled her lungs as she took a few deep breaths. She forced her teeth back into her flesh and slowly sank to the floor.
The brothers pounded on the door.
“(Y/N)? Are you alright?”
“Is everything okay? What's wrong?”
“(Y/N), please come back! What happened? Are you okay?
After another minute or so she got up and stumbled towards the door again. The smell got stronger but she was able to control it for now.
“S-sorry, boys. I-I'm not good with blood. I'm fine but better come back when you're cleaned up...”
“I'm sorry, we didn't know that.” Sam.
Then Dean's voice: “Listen, (Y/N), we just dropped by to tell you that we got the vamp. We...we're off later tonight. We just wanted to say goodbye.”
Her heart sank. So that was it? She was supposed to let them go, just like that? 'Don't be stupid, it wouldn't have worked out anyway!' But what if it had?
“You're...you're leaving?”
“Yeah, trust me it's better this way. Don't stay too long in one place. Especially when there are bodies.”
“How about you stay till tomorrow? We could have breakfast at the café again before you leave...” It was a desperate attempt but she didn't know what else to do.
The boys were silent for a minute before Dean replied: “Alright. We usually don't do this but...I really wanna say goodbye to you.”
–
She felt much stronger when she entered the café. As soon as the boys had left she went to hunt in the forest and returned home three hours later, bags filled with stolen blood donations from the hospital. She hoped the boys would be gone before anybody could tell them. But she needed to say goodbye and she couldn't do that while she was starving.
“Hey, there she is!” Dean actually got up and hugged her. “Sorry for last night.”
She shook her head. “It's fine. You didn't know...” They were silent for a minute, then she said: “So, you got the vampire?”
“Yeah,” Sam confirmed, “two of them, actually.”
“And they hurt you?” The smell of blood was still there but it was faint and she wasn't hungry.
“Nothing too bad. We'll survive,” said Dean, smiling.
They lapsed into silence again.
A few minutes later Dean spoke again, not looking at her or Sam: “Why don't you come with us?”
“What?!,” Sam and her asked simultaneously.
Dean raised his hands in defense. “I just thought...I don't know, working at the bar and always having the nightshift...and I would like to have you around...”
She smiled softly. “Dean, that's really sweet of you but I...I can't.” It broke her heart to say it. Oh, how she would love to come with them!
“Dean,” Sam said in a quiet and stern voice, “she can't even see blood. She has never hunted in her life. And she has a good life, nightshift or not. Do you really want to pull her into this?”
“I...no. I'm sorry, that was a stupid idea.”
“No, it wasn't,” she said. “But it's not possible, I'm sorry, Dean. It wouldn't work.”
“Why not?”
“Because...,” she sighed, “because I'm not what I pretend to be.”
He raised his eyebrows. “What are you then?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.” She wouldn't tell him; not ever. Not because she was afraid he might cut her head off (though she feared that might happen) but because she didn't want to tell him that he loved a monster.
–
They were quiet for the rest of the meal and when she accompanied them to their car, she had to choke down a few tears. This just wasn't fair!
“Hey, maybe we'll meet again. Until then, stay safe. There are a lot of nasty things out there,” Sam said and gave her a big hug.
“I will. Take care, Sam. Of yourself and Dean.”
Then she turned towards Dean and her heart hurt when she saw the expression on his face.
“You sure, you don't wanna come with us?,” he asked quietly.
“Dean...I can't! I'm...” But she couldn't tell him.
“You're not human.” Her heart skipped a few beats and she stared at him in shock. How could he possibly know that?! “You are a vampire. Did you really think, I wouldn't recognize? (Y/N), I've been in the business for all my life, I know a monster when I see one.”
It hurt when he called her 'monster' but she thought she didn't deserve better. “Why didn't you kill me?,” she asked, barely able to swallow down her tears.
“Because...(Y/N), I could never kill you. Ever. I...I fell for you the first time we met, back in Wisconsin. When I realized you were a vampire, I wanted to blow the hunt off. I didn't want to hurt you, even if it had been you doing all those killings.” She wanted to say something but he interrupted her. “I know it wasn't you. You never hurt anybody.”
She looked down at her shoes. “At least I tried...”
“(Y/N), one of my best friends, Benny, was a vampire. I really don't mind. I know that you can live a different life. You don't need to kill people. What you're doing is fine.”
“You don't think I'm a monster? That I'm scum?”
A hurt expression slid over his face. “No. No, I don't think you are. (Y/N), I'm sorry for anything I've said. I really, really like you and I want you to come with me. We can make this work.”
“What about him?” She nodded towards the car, where Sam sat in the passenger seat, more or less patiently waiting for his brother to join him. “And what happened to your friend...Benny? Did Sam...or was it another hunter?”
“No, it was...he chose it himself...to help... Listen, Sam didn't like Benny. And he wouldn't be happy about you being a vampire. But I don't care. I never approved of any of Sam's girlfriends – and let me tell you, a vampire is nothing compared to what he dragged along. He'll have to live with it.”
“I really don't want to be the reason Sam and you -”
“(Y/N), you're not the reason for anything. I'm a grown man and I can choose whomever I like to date, with or without my little brother's approval. Okay?”
She smiled a little. “Okay. But do you really think this can work?”
He came closer and then leaned down to kiss her. She closed her eyes, kissing back, her body prickling and her mind starting to get fuzzy. The kiss ended way too quickly. “Yes, I believe we can make this work. You just have to want it.”
He was still standing close to her, his hands on her shoulders. She looked up into his face, his right cheek was stitched up and he had a few scratches but his eyes were happy and so full of love, she feared her heart might burst with emotions.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay, if you think we can make this work, then I believe you. I'm coming with you.”
His response was another kiss, short but sweet, filled with so much love.
“Guys, get a room!,” Sam yelled from the car. But he didn't sound too annoyed and not even the slightest bit angry.
When she slipped into the backseat of the Impala, Sam turned around to her. “For the record: I knew it, too. I'm not sure if this can work,” he waved his hands around, trying to enclose himself, Dean and her with the movement, “but we'll try it. I do hope, however, that you stay true to your methods and never get hungry for fresh human blood.”
“I won't, promise.”
Sam, nodded and smiled gently. “I do like you, (Y/N). And unlike my brother,” he scuffed Dean, who grunted, into the ribs “I'm not the one who immediately suggests to kill his brother's not-so-human girlfriends.”
“Hey, when was I ever wrong!,” Dean complained and Sam just rolled his eyes.
“That's unfortunately something you'll have to get used to – Sam is an annoying little bitch.”
“Jerk.”
She smiled, leaning back in her seat. Maybe she wasn't doomed and her life did just take a very pleasant turn. Maybe it could only get better from here. But there was one thing she knew for sure: She would never, ever hurt anybody and she had fallen in love with a hunter, the greatest enemy of every vampire – but she didn't care.