Veracity

~Second Part to Phantasm~

Was this another dream?

The front door of her small house being kicked open with two handsome men charging in at full heads of steam made Nicole question reality all over again. After being attacked and slowly drained of her life force for over a year and miraculously saved, nothing really surprised Nicole anymore. Nicole went to therapy for 2 years after the incident, waking up in the hospital screaming and crying because she hadn’t realized she’d been saved. None of the doctors or nurses believed her when she told them she’d been held hostage by a monster with glowing blue eyes and black tattoos all over their body. They immediately put her in a 72 hour hold, had her talk to countless psychiatrists and released her with an order to keep seeing a therapist until Nicole came back to full reality. Eventually, she was convinced it’d all been a dream and it never happened, moving on with her life. Or so she convinced the therapist, not wanting to talk about the horrific kidnapping anymore. Forgetting about it was the best thing she could do with her life. Lying through her teeth made that happen.

She went on to make another mistake that turned out to be the surprise of a lifetime. His name was Pete Tanner and he was good looking, successful and sweet for the most part. Nicole did her best to love him and they ended up having a beautiful baby girl, which she named Samantha, remembering the dream catatonic state she’d been in for over a year. Pete never knew about that experience, Nicole promising to take it to the grave. 2 years into their marriage, shortly before Samantha was born, he came down sick with lung cancer and died a year later when Samantha was only 3. Luckily, the little girl was too young to really understand death, but she still cried for her father nightly for a year. For some reason, Nicole didn’t and cried out of guilt because of her dream husband, Dean. Even though they’d only known each other in the fantasy world she was forced to live in, Nicole never forgot Dean; he being the reason why she couldn’t fully give her heart to Pete.

It’d been a little over a year since Pete’s untimely death and 8 years since Nicole was saved from the glowing blue eyed monster. Weird things had started happening in the house shortly after Pete’s death. Lights flickering at night whenever Nicole stayed up way past her bedtime while Samantha slept soundly upstairs in her Disney Princess room. The faucet in the sink turning on its own or the coffeemaker turning off on its own, which could only be done with a press of the OFF button. And there were quite a few times Nicole felt chilled to the bone, the breath from her lips turning into a cloud puff whenever she blew out. One minute she was freezing and the next she wasn’t. There had also been a few incidents, more than Nicole cared to think about, where she’d take a shower or bath and could swear she felt ghostly hands on her body.

Nicole chalked it up to lack of sleep and being overworked since she had to take on a second job just to make ends meet after Pete died. It hadn’t been easy, but Nicole made it work to the best of her ability without losing the house. Pete’s life insurance policy was a huge chunk of money Nicole could’ve lived off comfortably for the rest of her life, but instead she put it away for Samantha. She only spent enough out of it to pay for Pete’s funeral arrangements and any debt he had, which wasn’t much. The rest was put into a secure savings account for their daughter, which couldn’t be opened until her 18^th birthday.

All of this was explained to both Sam and…Dean Winchester. Dean. The moment that name floated out of the green eyed man’s mouth, Nicole felt her body temperature shoot up several notches. They were here to vanquish the angry spirit in her home, who she assumed was Pete. There’d been an incident a few days prior to the Winchester brothers coming to her home that truly frightened Nicole. It’d been a woman from a company asking to speak with her about buying the house and property. The company wanted to build their new headquarters where Nicole and Samantha lived. The offer was extremely generous and the woman didn’t go into much detail, only stating it would be in Nicole’s best interest to make the move. She went to walk out the door and was shoved against the door, busting her nose. Then her body flew on its own out the front door of the house, landing in a disgusting splat on the sidewalk. All that remained was a pool of blood followed by the front door slamming shut and Nicole could swear she saw a flash of Pete before he disappeared in front of her again.

“What do you think, Sammy?” Dean finally asked, eyeballing his little brother while nursing a longneck beer the hostess graciously offered.

“We can’t leave them with the spirit.” Sam replied, wondering what was going through Dean’s mind and wondered if he recognized the woman they would save. He did, having a great memory even after 8 years. “If you want me to handle this alone…”

Dean snorted, shaking his head and finished the longneck, tossing it in the trash. “Stop benching me, Sam. I’m fine, alright? I told you, I’ll fight this damn thing with everything I have inside of me and go down swinging. Let’s just focus on saving the kid and her mother.” Of course he remembered Nicole, but Sam didn’t need to know that.

Watching his older brother walk out of the kitchen, Sam didn’t follow and shut his eyes, lowering his head. Benching Dean was the last thing he wanted to do, but given the current situation, Sam didn’t want his brother losing control again. Watching Dean turn into a monster, a Demon, the very thing they hunted and vanquished, was an experience Sam never wanted to relive again. From the moment Dean received the Mark of Cain –It could be transferred to someone who was worthy and Dean was- from Cain himself and was killed by a Scribe of God named Metatron, he’d never been the same again. Dean took the Mark of Cain in the first place to kill Abaddon, the last living Knight of Hell chosen by Lucifer himself. The only way to kill a Knight of Hell was with the First Blade and the First Blade could only be used with the Mark of Cain.

Cain had slaughtered his brother, Abel, in order to protect him, unlike the original fable people were lead to believe. It was said Abel had been talking to God, but actually it was Lucifer. Lucifer planned on making Abel his pet, a Knight of Hell and Cain couldn’t bear watching him corrupted at the hands of the evil Angel. So Cain offered Lucifer a deal – his soul in Hell in exchange for Abel’s in Heaven. Lucifer accepted, forcing Cain to slaughter his brother and sent Abel to Heaven where he felt he belonged. The First Blade was created by the jawbone of a donkey, a creation of Cain. To insure his investment in Cain, Lucifer marked him with a brand that gave the First Blade its power. When Cain tried killing himself rather than live as a killer, a murderer, the Mark resurrected him and made Cain into a Demon – the first Knight of Hell.

Dean ended Abaddon’s existence with the First Blade and then went after Metatron, only to end up dead at the hands of the Scribe of God. Just like Cain, the Mark seared into his right forearm brought Dean back to life as a Demon. In order to save his brother, Sam had to perform the third task of the Trials that were supposed to be used to shut the Gates of Hell forever. Dean stopped him from completing them because it would’ve taken Sam’s life as a sacrifice – one Dean would not accept. Catching his brother and bringing him back to the Men of Letters bunker, where they lived, Sam began the Demon Cure ritual on his brother with his own purified blood. It happened every hour – 8 times – with some difficulty and chanting in Latin tongue. In the end, Dean woke up as a human again instead of a Demon. Still, it left the Mark of Cain on Dean and there was always a chance of him losing control again and turning into a monster once more.

Deanmon.

“He’s not alright, is he?” A soft voice said from behind Sam, making the younger Winchester turn around to stare at the golden brown haired woman they saved from a Djinn 8 years ago.

Sam could’ve easily lied to her, but something inside told him not to. “No.” Lying only lead to tragedy and sadness, when this woman needed to trust them in order to protect her and her little girl. “You remember him, don’t you?”

It wasn’t a question, more of a statement and Nicole kept her tone of voice soft. “He saved me all those years ago. The dream I was in with him…I know it wasn’t real, but it felt that way.” Tears stung her brown eyes at the memories of that dream. “Tell me what happened to him, please.”

“It’s…very complicated to explain.” That was an understatement and the best Sam could come up with to say. “He is in trouble, Nicole…” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “But there is a way to save him and I’m doing everything in my power to make sure he survives.”

Nicole could only nod, wiping tears from her eyes and excused herself to get some air. Samantha was sleeping on the couch within eyesight, Nicole not trusting Pete or whoever the vengeful spirit was in the house. Hopefully, it wouldn’t bother the Winchesters, at least for the night, because hearing Dean wasn’t in a good place made her heart clench painfully in her chest. Stepping out of the back door onto the wooden deck, Nicole turned and froze at the sight of Dean leaning over the railing, another longneck in his hand. Not wanting to bother him, Nicole started heading back inside the house and stopped at the sound of his gruff husky voice behind her.

“Everything okay?”

“Y-Yeah, I just…needed some air. Didn’t know you were out here.” Nicole replied, her hand on the screen door handle and could swear she felt Dean standing right behind her. “Sorry to bother you.”

“You didn’t.”

Besides her hair no longer a long length and going just past her shoulders, nothing much changed about Nicole. She was still as beautiful as in the dream, even more so in reality. Dean wanted to ask her if she remembered him, but didn’t and stayed where he was, keeping the distance between them. He had no idea Sam had divulged information about him being in a bad situation or else he probably would’ve wrung little brother’s neck. Watching Nicole walk inside the house, Dean turned his green gaze back to the long stretch of land the backyard consisted of and took another long swig of his beer, looking down at the Mark blazed into his skin. He was just as scared to turn back into a monster as Sam was for him.

~!~

Over the next week, the Winchesters stayed with Nicole and Samantha since there were plenty of rooms available. Dean cleared out the liquor cabinet and bought more, spending most of his time alone on the back deck late at night. There were a few disruptions throughout the house from the spirit, but nothing solid to where the brothers could vanquish it. The spirit was smarter than others they’d taken care of. Nicole didn’t mind having the company and cooked for them, a few nights grilling out with a bonfire in the fire pit. Samantha had warmed up to them instantly, especially Dean, making him read books to her and even showed him her Disney Princess room. Nicole knew saying goodbye to Dean again would be painful when the time came, but as the time progressed from one week to two, her urge to be near him increased exponentially.

The two week mark was her breaking point. Nicole padded down the hallway quietly from her room and stood outside of the one Dean occupied. She didn’t see any lights on under the door, so knocking would’ve been stupid, especially if he was sleeping. Instead, her hand landed on the doorknob and turned it, the door opening moments later with Nicole stepping inside, closing it behind her. Even through the darkness, she could see the figure sleeping soundly in bed, his light snores resonating around the room. Nicole was sure Dean could hear her heart from how hard it pounded against her chest, but the fear of approaching him didn’t stop her feet from moving. Even as she slipped into bed on her side facing him, it didn’t disturb Dean’s slumber, or so she thought. She wanted to feel his mouth against hers again, the fantasy world they’d been stuck in together filtering through her mind. Instead, Nicole opted for her hand caressing the side of his face and hair, surprised at how soft his skin was against her palm.

“What are you doing in here?” His raspy voice laced with thick sleep made her entire body tense and Dean’s eyes slowly opened to meet wide fearful brown.

Sam’s vague explanation of Dean being in trouble made Nicole stay right where she was instead of escape like she should have. “Tell me you’re okay.” It came out a soft plea, her eyes unable to pull away from the intense forest green orbs staring back at her questioningly. “Please, Dean…”

Their lips were mere inches from each other and Dean could smell the mango gloss or chapstick on hers, his arm encircling her waist to pull Nicole closer. “You remember me.” There was no other explanation because, if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be in his guest room touching him.

Nicole nodded, pressing her forehead to his and didn’t stop caressing his hair, trembling slightly. “I never stopped thinking about you, Dean.” She confessed quietly, still not believing the man who saved her was doing it again.

“It was just a fantasy world we were locked in, Nicole…” Dean didn’t want to hurt her because, truthfully, he often thought about her as well. “It wasn’t…”

“Real?” Nicole finished for him and took a chance, hooking her leg around his waist to gain leverage, rolling Dean on his back with her straddling his pelvis. “I know it wasn’t, but that doesn’t change how I’ve felt about you for the past 8 years. You’re the one who saved me that night and took me to the hospital, didn’t you?”

“My brother helped…” Dean had been too weak from being attacked by the Djinn and Sam had been the one to free her. “I hoped you survived, but never thought I’d see you again…”

Nicole had flashbacks during the rescue and Dean calling her sweetheart, a soft smile crossing her lips at the memory. “Well you’re here now seeing me again, protecting me and my daughter. And this most certainly isn’t a fantasy world created by a monster in our heads. So what now?”

Sitting upright and wrapping her legs around his bare waist, Nicole didn’t realize Dean was completely naked until she felt his erection against her panty covered sex. It’d been a while since the last time he had sex and Dean recalled just how tight Nicole was in the dream world. His wife. He wondered if reality would be as good as a dream and there was only one way to find out.

“Dean…” Worry etched her beautiful features and he knew the question she was about to ask.

“Does it feel like I don’t want to do this?” His voice dropped an octave and grew huskier, enjoying the crimson color her cheeks filled with. “Nibble on my ear.” It was a strange command, but one Dean craved to feel again.

Nicole obliged, trapping his ear between her teeth and Dean nearly lost it, his erection pulsating painfully beneath the thin sheet separating them. “We have all night.” She whispered, not in a rush to end this heated moment between them and traced his ear with the tip of her tongue. “Kiss me, I missed you…”

Not sure how to feel about that, Dean didn’t respond and did as she asked, his mouth capturing hers in a passionate kiss, pulling her closer to him. Only when they needed air to breathe did Dean break it, lifting Nicole off his lap to turn her around, pushing the sheet away. The animal within him unleashed as Dean cupped her panties and ripped them clean off Nicole’s body, yanking her up by the shoulders in order to remove the nightgown she had on. It had to be the Mark of Cain forcing him to be this rough with her, but as long as Nicole didn’t complain, Dean wouldn’t worry about it. No foreplay and very little stimulation, Dean slammed home inside of her, thrusting hard, fast and deep. Nicole could only hold onto the bed for dear life, gasping for breath while Dean pounded her relentlessly, even after she climaxed several times. It wasn’t until she collapsed on the bed that Dean finally exploded inside of her, lifting her lower body up to finish before lowering to lay beside her, staring up at the ceiling.

“Did I hurt you?” Dean asked quietly, his chest rising and falling rapidly from his heavy breathing.

“No.” Nicole noticed a huge difference in her savior and knew it was from the trouble he was in, whatever it was. She sat up in bed and looked down at him, brown eyes looking past his face to the mark seared into his right arm. “What is that?”

His guard was instantly up again and Dean sat up as well, his back now facing her while covering the Mark of Cain with his hand. A Mark he took on in order to get rid of a monster. Cain was right; it came with a great burden and cost, one Dean didn’t realize until it was nearly too late. His entire life had been to hunt monsters and save innocent people, like Nicole, but he’d taken it a step too far. That’s how badly he wanted Abaddon dead and it nearly cost him his humanity.

“Dean…”

“Don’t.” He stood up from the bed and picked his jeans up, beginning to shuffle into them.

Nicole immediately stood up as well and stopped him, grabbing both of his wrists in her small hands. “Sam told me you’re in trouble.” She admitted, not wanting to throw him under the bus, but it was the only way to stop Dean from dressing and running away from her. “Don’t hide from me, please…”

“So what if I am?” Dean snapped, his voice low and gruff, stepping back to where her hands left his wrists. “I’m poisonous, Nicole. I’m no good. I’ve accepted my fate and I’ll tell you the same damn thing I told my brother. I’ll fight this until I can’t anymore and then…”

“Then what? You die?” Nicole cut him off, shaking her head and stepped up to him, tears brimming her deep brown eyes. “Is that what will happen to you, Dean? You’ll die from whatever trouble you’re in when you can’t fight anymore? And you just accept that?”

“Yes.”

“Well I don’t!”

Cupping his face, Nicole brought his mouth down on hers for another blistering kiss and felt Dean lift her, once again encircling his waist with her legs. All Dean could do was return the heated kiss, holding her close to him and pressed against the wall, slowly sliding down until his backside hit the carpeted floor. Nicole moaned against his mouth, fisting his hair in one hand and slid the other between them until her fingers wrapped round his half-erect cock, stirring it to life again. Dean growled in her mouth, returning the favor by stroking her bundle of nerves and could feel her hot juices already coating his fingers. Her body was sensitive from their earlier bout, so this one would be even shorter. Neither minded nor complained, both aching to be locked together again.

Settling on his cock, Nicole rolled her hips a few times to make him harder and finally ripped her lips from his, pressing her hands against his upper chest to use as leverage. If this was their final time seeing each other, Nicole would not waste it arguing and pleading with Dean to survive. Instead, she focused on making him cum harder than he ever had in his life, giving everything she had to this man. Dean hissed out at how tight her pussy wrapped around him, his now dark forest green orbs watching her head bend down to softly press a kiss to the Mark of Cain.

“Scoot down.” Nicole ordered breathlessly, waiting for Dean to obey and took control, popping her hips up and down while her pussy glided along his cock. “Oh Dean…”

The fact a woman was taking charge for a change was a huge turn-on for Dean, his hands cupping her breasts to pluck her nipples before sliding down to grip her hips tightly. Nicole didn’t care if he left bruises, her body already sore from their first round and whipped her head back, completely letting go, gasping at the feeling of Dean’s hand smacking her backside. It made her pussy quiver with each smack to her cheeks and Nicole needed more, sliding her tongue down his chest before tracing the Devil’s Trap tattoo he had. Dean growled again, this time unable to stop himself from taking control and bolted upright, immediately capturing one of her pert nipples in his mouth. Her head lulled back as Nicole relished in the feeling and moment, feeling Dean thrust up to crash their pelvises together. Once Dean found her sweet spot, everything began building rapidly between them and the eruption was stronger than an explosive volcano.

Neither moved from the carpeted floor, Nicole having Dean pinned beneath her with her head on his chest stroking it affectionately. “Don’t die on me.” She murmured, breaking the silence between them and looked up into his beautiful green eyes that had returned to normal. “I…don’t want to lose you…”

“I won’t see you again after this, Nicole.” Dean informed her, not meaning to sound vicious, but refused to lead her on either. “My line of work prevents me from having a normal life like you. You and Samantha deserve better than a son of a bitch like me.”

Dean tried the whole ‘apple pie life’ after Sam died, sacrificing himself in order to stop the Apocalypse from transpiring, with Lisa and Ben. Look how well that turned out! They were nearly killed because of him and Dean asked Castiel, his Angel friend and brother, to wipe their memories of ever knowing him. Maybe Dean would have to do it again, not wanting a beautiful woman like Nicole pining over him for the rest of her life.

“Yes we will.” Nicole snuggled further against him, tracing the Mark of Cain on his arm absentmindedly and shut her eyes, refusing to move. “Fate is on our side and I will wait as long as it takes to be with you, Dean Winchester.”

~!~

“I am sorry, you wish me to do what?”

“Wipe her memory and the little girl’s.” Dean stood in his room, keeping his voice down because he didn’t want anyone knowing Castiel was here. He had called to Castiel after Nicole went to check on Samantha, locking the door behind her. “Cas, I can’t have her suffer over me. I did right by Lisa and Ben; I’ll do the same thing for Nicole and Samantha.”

Castiel frowned, staring at his longtime friend thoughtfully. “Because you are not sure you will survive the Mark.”

“I know I won’t. It could be days, months, years from now, but eventually I will end up a monster again and Sammy will have to do the one thing he doesn’t want to. Strike me down.” Dean slammed another tumbler of whiskey down his throat, staring out the window broodingly. “I’m asking you this favor, Cas. They deserve better.”

Castiel didn’t want to do this, to rip another piece of happiness from Dean’s life, but if that’s what he wanted he wouldn’t let his friend down. “Very well.”

~!~

Nicole…

Brown eyes snapped open to look up at the ceiling before she bolted upright in bed, body caked in a cold sweat. “W-Who’s there?” She stammered, looking around the room and froze when a ghostly hand landed on her shoulder.

Betrayed…

Nicole shut her eyes, swallowing hard. “Pete, is that you?” A gasp escaped her when the ghostly hand brushed against her cheek and then lips, forcing tears to sting her eyes. “Please stop this…”

Protect…

“I-I don’t understand…” Nicole felt the overwhelming urge to run to Dean’s room and had to stop herself from doing so, not wanting him to leave the house yet. Her eyes snapped over to the desk she had in her room and Nicole stood from the bed, walking over watching the pen write of its own accord on the paper. “You are in danger. Angel is enemy. Trust no one.” She read aloud, lifting the paper and knew it was Pete’s handwriting. “What are you talking about? Angel…”

Castiel…

Who the hell was Castiel?

~!~

“Burning and salting the bones didn’t work. There has to be something else keeping him here.” Sam said contemplatively, pacing back and forth in the kitchen while Dean sat at the kitchen table, both of them trying to put their heads together.

“The sooner we get this son of a bitch outta here, the sooner we can move on.” Dean grunted, looking up at the ceiling when he heard shuffling and stood up, heading out of the kitchen toward the stairs that lead to the second floor.

“Mommy – Mommy!” Samantha squealed happily, clutching a teddy bear in her arms and Dean watched Nicole sitting on the floor, the little girl dancing around her.

Nicole was troubled and anytime she felt like giving up, spending time with Samantha reminded her she had to keep living and moving forward. “You love that teddy bear Daddy bought for you, don’t you, honey bee?”

“Yes, Yes, Yes!!” Samantha hugged the bear tighter against her, twirling around in circles. “I love my teddy bear!”

Dean stepped away from the doorway and shut his eyes, knowing the link to Pete’s spirit they’d been missing. The teddy bear had to be burned or else Pete would stay here until he eventually hurt his own wife and daughter. Dean wouldn’t let it happen, deciding to sneak into Samantha’s bedroom later that night to steal the teddy bear. He would not burn it in front of the little girl, wondering if there was a way to replace it.

“Did you need something?”

Now was the time to tell Nicole his plan to vanquish Pete once and for all, to give her and Samantha peace. “The teddy bear has to go.”

“E-Excuse me?!” Nicole gaped at Dean’s back, not quite sure she heard him correctly. “What? My daughter’s teddy bear is…”

“The last gift Pete gave her.” Dean turned to face her, folding his arms in front of his chest with a stoic expression. “It’s the link Pete has to the house, to you and Samantha. Once burned, he will be taken care of and we can leave.”

Nicole felt nauseous at the thought of her daughter’s teddy bear being burned, but she was young enough that one looking exactly like it, or close, wouldn’t be noticed. “I’ll get it from her tonight after she’s sleeping. Go get a bear that looks identical to it.” Then she walked away from Dean down the stairs and outside on the back deck for some much needed fresh air.

~!~

Watching the teddy bear burn later that night hadn’t been easy to acquire, but Nicole managed it. Pete’s spirit showed briefly and then went up in a flame, signaling he was finally gone. The tears cascaded down her cheeks and Dean took her in his arms, hugging her close while Sam cleaned up the mess. He led Nicole on the back deck so they could have a moment alone…and Castiel was also waiting for them.

“W-Who is this?” Nicole immediately asked, stopping at the sight of a stranger in a tan long coat, white dress shirt and blue tie, his eyes blue as the ocean. “Wait…you’re…are you Castiel?”

Dean raised a slow brow at Nicole and held his hand up to Castiel, stopping the Angel from advancing. “How did you know who he was?” He demanded, seeing the knowing look in Nicole’s eyes and looked back at Castiel. “Did you…?”

“Pete warned me about him. An Angel, but didn’t elaborate.” Nicole stepped back when Castiel took one forward, her heart pounding furiously in her chest. “Why is he here?”

Castiel felt awkward, wondering if this really was such a great idea of Dean’s to wipe this woman’s memory of him, as well as the little girl. “Dean, perhaps…”

“No, Cas, damn it! We had a deal! This is for the best!” Dean snapped, knowing it was now or never to save Nicole and Samantha from a life full of empty promises and broken dreams. “DO IT NOW!”

“D-Do what?” Nicole pushed Dean away from her, fear clenching her insides at the look of sympathy on the Angel’s face. “Dean…”

Castiel stood in front of the woman, but didn’t touch her and could see all the fear brewing in her brown eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want, Dean? There is no going back.”

“Dean, please…” Nicole pleaded, reaching out to touch his face only for his hands to wrap around her wrists, pushing her back into the Angel. “W-Whatever you told him to do, please don’t!”

“It’ll be over in a second. Goodbye sweetheart.” Dean looked away the moment Castiel’s finger touched her forehead.

~!~

“Did you do the right thing, man?” Sam asked, sitting in the passenger seat of the Impala while they sat across the street, staring at Nicole and Samantha’s house.

Dean wasn’t sure of anything in his life anymore or the decisions he made, looking down at the Mark of Cain with a heavy sigh. “Yeah. It’s for the best.”

“She was your veracity of what happened in that dream world; what you wish you could have, but can’t.”

“Yeah well, it’s over and done with. No point dwelling on it now, Sammy.” Putting the Impala in drive, the Winchesters headed on the road toward their next job.

The End.