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marvelwitchergilmore · 1 year

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Childhood Crush

Summary; Dean Winchester x Fe!OC -> Dean and Zoey grew up together, they lived across from one another when they were children and their dad's hunted together. But when time begins to move on, and they begin to see each other over and over and over again, will something grow from what they once knew?

Warning; FLUFF, spn hunts, spn level violence, fade to smut, love, swearing, long fic etc.

Dean and Zoey had known each other since they were 2 years old. Of course, she had only been a baby at the time, but same difference.

They lived directly across the street, Dean's bedroom window looked directly across from Zoey's nursery. And, as they both grew up, every night Dean would get out of his bed once Mary and John had tucked him in. Dean would crawl off his bed and kneel on his window bench, open his curtains a little and wave. Zoey couldn't see him, but he did it anyway.

Except, when he was four and she was two...everything changed. John roped Michael - Zoey's dad - into helping him. Both of the men had a fansination with hunting.

The years that followed, Zoey would stay home with her mom until Mike deemed her old enough to come with them. But, even from a young age, she knew that there had to be something better than this. Something better than watching Dean raise Sam, better than watching both boys learn how to handle weapons rather than learn how to solve 5th grade math. Better than...this life. Hunting.

However, as much as she cared for the boys, there was something that always made her closer to Sam. They understood one another. They had their love for school and a normal life in common. Whereas, Zoey and Dean...well...they butted heads more than they got along.

It had started from a young age. How to clean weapons. Who was better in the Scooby-Gang. What life was better.

But there were two key moments both could remember where everything came to a head. The first was when she was 14 and he was 16.

John and Mike had gone out on another hunt and with Zoey's mom out of the country for a business meeting, it meant all three kids were staying at Bobby's.

"And Dean will be training you."

"Training me? Why does he have to train me? I don't need training."

"Yes, you do. And Dean's the best."

Meanwhile, John was giving the same talk to Dean. But rather than talking back, all Dean said was, "Yes, Sir."

But once they finally left, Dean would come to regret underestermating her and everything that he'd known about her.

Bobby watched from the kitchen window, fixing up some grub for them to eat for the night. Sam was sat in the living room with his english homework writing up an essay to do Gullivers Travels.

Every now and again, he looked up to see Dean and Zoey talking. Well, more like...arguing calmly. But after twenty minutes, Bobby cursed loudly, dropped the plate into the kitchen sink and ran outside.

Zoey had been sparring with Dean when all of a sudden, Dean got into a readied stance and Zoey shocked him by running up the side of a car, jumping over his shoulders and within a few moments found himself on the ground with Zoey stood above him, his arm twisted and her foot on his chest.

"Boy, are you okay?" Bobby asked as Zoey eventually let him go. She had to walk away, her rage still rattling her. Bobby helped Dean up from the ground who was just as shocked, if not more, than Bobby.

"What the hell was that?" Bobby asked, turning to look at her.

"That was sparring."

"No, that was nearly killing Dean!"

Zoey looked from Bobby to Dean, making a point of repeating his words back to him. "What? I thought he could handle my 'girly' fighting. Besides, isn't what this is meant to be? Us learning how to defend ourselves against those things out there? Because apparently school work isn't as important."

There was a hammered silence between the three of them. Zoey looked down with her hand on her hips, taking in deep breaths before she finally looked up. "I'm gonna go help Sam with his homework."

Once she was out of ear shot and inside the house, Bobby looked back to Dean and checked him over. He had a small cut on his forehead from where she'd cut him or where he'd fell and cut himself. Zoey had done everything so fast, Dean just really dropped to the floor without any warning.

"I've got a kit upstairs. You know where it is. Go and clean it. Did you know she had that in her?"

Dean just shook his head but soon regretted it because only now did he realise the ammount of pressure that was inside his head.

"No. I didn't even know she could punch as hard as she did."

"She punched you?" Bobby hadn't seen that part.

Dean had to let out a chuckle. If he didn't, he wondered if he might actually cry. "Yeah, earlier. I told her to take a swing at me."

"Did you try and stop it?"

Dean just shrugged at Bobby's question. But he wasn't asking it out of worry, he was asking it because he didn't think Dean was that dumb.

"What? I've never seen her punch anything before. I didn't know she knew how to fight! You didn't!"

"Alright, get inside. Grub's almost done." And as Dean walked away, all Bobby could do was remove his cap, fix his hair before replacing the cap on his head, shake his head and mumble. "Kids."

The second time everything came to a head and when Dean and Zoey came very close to killing one another was when he was 17 and she was only 15.

Zoey had voulenteered to go with Mike and John on the hunting trip. She was done with her mid-terms and Sam had been begging her to go and, if she didn't feel anything else towards his older brother, she would have wanted to go just to see him.

Zoey sometimes wondered if she did harbour a crush on Dean Winchester but then he'd do something that would make her want to kill him, or punch him, or...she didn't know. Embarrass him in front of the girls at school so maybe he'd actually listen to her.

Dean had a habit of that. Not listening to her.

One day, Mike and John had decided to take the kids into the woods to 'train' them again. It was fucked up to Zoey, and secretly to Dean. Dean was okay with doing it himself, but John making Sam do it? Mike roping Zoey into it? No. Absolutley Not.

They'd set up different traps and senarios for them to go around to make sure they could defend themselves in the best way possible.

They were soldiers getting ready for battle.

Zoey and Dean found themselves together on a team. Mike on his own and Sam and John together. It was the first time Dean had actually seen a smile on Sam and John's face in a long time. And they were smiling together. That made Dean feel happier than ever.

But, as they got around, Zoey and Dean found themselves cornered. Or lost. They didn't really know.

"We're lost." Zoey called out to Dean as she looked around but he just shushed her.

"What? It's not like they can hear us. This is probably apart of it. Get lost in the woods and find your way out and back home safely."

Dean shushed her again. Zoey just rolled her eyes.

"I can see you doing that."

"You're not even looking at me."

"But I can feel you doing it."

"That's not the same as seeing it. To actually see it, you have to be looking at me when I do it, Smart-Ass. And you weren't doing either."

"Would you just shut up for a second? Wait! What was that?" A branch broke.

Dean moved a step more.

Another one broke.

"I think they're out here."

Zoey stood back and watched him, "Seriously?" she asked herself and rolled her eyes again before calling out; "That you, you idiot!"

Dean looked down and behind him. "Oh."

Zoey now marched towards him. "Yeah, 'oh'. Come on, the motel's back this way."

"No it's not." Dean argued. "We came from the south."

"No, we came from the west."

"We came from the south. That's south." Dean said, pointing it its direction.

They were face to face with one another now, Dean towering over her slightly.

"No. That's East. That's South. And that's West. We came from the west." Zoey corrected him.

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is." Zoey replied copying his tone. "You want me to make you a compass so you can see?"

Dean stared at her for a few moments before heading off in his direction.

"Where the hell are you going?!"

"Back to the motel!"

"You're going the wrong way! And they said not to split up!"

"You're welcome to join me!" Dean called back out, not looking back.

Zoey remained quiet for a second watching him walk away. He was going the wrong way and usually she would have left him but Sam would kill her if she did. So, with a loud groan, she followed him.

Dean heard her as she hurried to catch up, smirking to himself.

"You can wipe that stupid smirk off your face, while your at it."

"To see it, you have to actually be looking at me!" Dean called to her.

"Don't quote me to me. And, actually, I can see it. Every time you do that smirk of yours, it somehow makes its way into your walk."

Dean dropped the smirk and grumbled under his breath; "Smart-Ass."

"I heard that!"

It was a few months after that when all hell broke loose.

Dean was sat at the motel room table cleaning their weapons whilst herself and Sam were sat on one of the beds and she was helping him with his math homework.

"But how?!" was mostly Sam's reaction when it came to the answers. So she would go back and explain it again, and again, and again until he finally understood it.

Meanwhile, John and Mike were discussing the next case before John got annoyed and raised his voice turning to his son and Zoey.

"You don't even need that! What you need to be doing is research!"

Zoey, before realising she'd even spoken, spoke out in a sarcastic tone. "Yeah, because that's true."

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"What's that meant to mean?" John asked her.

Zoey looked between John, Dean, her father and then Sam before back to John. She'd been harbouring these words for a long time. Maybe it was about time someone told him what for.

"Okay." Zoey sat up, placing her pen down and her feet on the floor. "I don't believe your research, the stuff you want Sam to do, is what he should be doing."

"And why not?"

"Because he deserves a life outside of all of this!" Zoey said with a small scoff.

"Listen here, Lady-"

No time like the present.

Zoey quickly stood up before John could finish. "No. You listen. You drag these boys around the whole fucking country their whole lives. No stability. No hope. Just plain, brutal killing. That's it. No family. No care. No love. No Life! You expect them to know everything before they've already done it and you expect the best!"

"As I should-"

"You expect them to be the best Hunters. Not students. Not kids. Not men. Hunters. Soldiers. Soldiers for your own sick and twisted crusade of finding the thing that killed your wife!"

John now stood. "Don't you dare-"

"Talk about Mary?" Zoey asked. "Why? Why should I? We all knew her didn't we? She's their mother! She was your wife! She was his best-friend. She was my mom's best-friend. Why shouldn't we talk about her? She's what this is all about, isn't she? She's why you do this, isn't it? Why you drag Sam and Dean from school to school, from hunt to hunt, with not a care whether you live or die. Whether they live or die! Because if you pulled your head out of your ass-"

"Zoey!" Mike scolded. But there was no stopping her.

"Because if you pulled your head out of your ass for just two fucking seconds, you'd realise that this isn't what Mary would have wanted for her boys! Right now! Right now Dean should be thinking about college or work-"

"He is working!"

"He's cleaning weapons! Guns! Something he's been doing since he was 7 years old. And that's only if he's not raising Sam because you can't be bothered to even look at your son's as son's rather that soldiers!"

Dean now stood up, annoyed, angry and frustrated. But at who? He didn't really know.

"Hey! Don't talk about me like I'm not here! And who said I even wanted to go to college?"

Zoey now looked at him, directly. "Yeah, but should at least get the choice."

After a quick second of silence that felt like it lasted a life time, she looked back to John and Mike.

"You both sit there, day in, day out, solving other people's issues because you can't fix your own. Right now, Sam should be in a bedroom, with a desk, worrying over his math homework there. Not in here being surrounded by crime scene photos that have been illegally obtained. I understand you think that there is a point to this, that you think that by putting yourself in danger that you're protecting others but did you ever think, just for two seconds, about the people you should be protecting? About who should come first in your life?" Zoey was now moving around the room, unable to remain still. She was too angry. Too enraged.

"You have a family." Zoey told John before looking to her own father. "You both do."

That hit home.

"What you should be doing is protecting your children, your families. You should be thinking that you have someone to come home to and if something happen to you, that there are people who would be lost without you. And I'm sorry, but none of this should be happening! God, you say that you're doing this to avenge your wife but in fact it's nothing more than an excuse to take your anger out on your children for being the ones that lived. Taking your anger out on other people because they weren't hurt. I'm sorry John, but Mary wouldn't want this! And you finding this Demon won't bring her back! She'd dead, John and maybe it's about time you accepted that!"

However, just as Zoey finished, she found herself in Dean's hands as he dragged her back and was about to pin her to the wall only, a roar ripped out from John and Mike and, sort of, Sam since Zoey wasn't about to be the one on the wall.

Instead, Zoey was dragged back but quickly flipped the control and Dean, shockingly, found himself as the one trapped.

Both were breathing heavily and deeply. Zoey's voice became calmer as she looked Dean in the eyes. His body language said he was angry. He was ridged. Stern. But his eyes. Zoey could see the truth.

He was hurting. He was breaking.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I really am. No kid should ever have to go through what you and Sam did. But this isn't right. You and I both know it." The pair kept their gazes on one another and she felt Dean's body under her arms relax a little, so she did the same in return.

"Mary's death was an accident. Or maybe it was fate. But it couldn't be prevented. And I know that's what you think this is. Hunting: Preventing other accidents. But the truth is, when time is up, it's up. You can't stop it. You can't slow it down. It hurts but you can't just alter the world with a click of your fingers or a shot of your gun. Sometimes things happen and we have no power or control over it and letting others try and beat it out of us to say that you can...it won't work. It doesn't work." Slowly, Zoey let Dean go and stepped back.

The entire room was silent. No-one moved. No-one said a word. Not even John.

After holding Dean's gaze and seeing the truth in his eyes, Zoey turned to look at her father.

"You finish this hunt and finish all together and come home, or you don't come home at all." Zoey told him, her gaze locked on his eyes. There wasn't a raise in her voice. She was steady. Ready. She'd accepted what she had to do and it was his choice, but either way she was ready. Zoey was ready to either hold on to him or let go. It was his choice.

"I've see the fear in mom's eyes every time the phone rings. I'm not going to be apart of that fear. I'm going home. I'll either see you there or we say goodbye now and I tell mom that your not coming home. That way, she can move on and not live in fear anymore." Zoey explained. "You took vows to protect her and any children you'd have together. Are you going to break them?"

There was that silence again.

"Okay, then."

Zoey moved over towards the bed and pulled her bag out from under the bed, packed the last of her books into the bag, grabbed her jacket and swung the bag strap over her shoulder.

Zoey made it to the door, opening it up when Sam stood up. "Wait!"

Zoey looked back and was greeted with Sam's body colliding into hers, hugging her tightly. She smiled, kinda sadly, and hugged him back just as tight.

"Please don't go." Sam whispered.

"I'll be seeing you." Zoey smiled at him. The only people close enought to see her eyes were Sam and Dean.

Dean didn't move from his spot but they made eye contact as Sam stood back from the door to let her go. Zoey gave a sad smile towards Dean and a small nod before it dropped as she looked to John and Mike.

And without another look, she grabbed hold of the door handle and closed the motel door behind her. She caught a Greyhound 40 minutes later and was on her way home.

After a week, Mike decided to go home. Hunting wasn't worth loosing his wife and daughter. Zoey had made her point and she wouldn't have to make it again, ever.

John understood but cursed him out all the same. That night Mike drive home and arrived back at 7 in the morning the next day. Zoey looked at him and after a few nervous seconds on his end, she rushed to him and hugged him.

Over the years, Sam and Zoey kept in touch but with John always being by Dean's side and making a point that they should never talk to them again, Sam never told anyone.

Zoey passed her exams and headed off to college, eventually graduating as a certified Vet.

But, even by the time Sam left Dean and John to go to college, he didn't see Zoey.

Yet, Dean did.

It was about a year into Sam being at college and Dean was on his own hunt. A couple of spirits possessing a few bodies around down.

Only, with the spirits he'd miscounted, he had a job on his hands.

It was the dead of night when Dean finally broke into the family funeral-home thing and after about an hour, the attacks started coming but just as he finally, maybe, found the thing that was tying them to the world since their bodies had be cremated, a spirit come to attack him and just as they were about to throw a marble slab into his face, a match was struck and the spirts all appeared and bust into flames.

Behind the real flames, Dean saw a face he recognised. It was a little older but still held the same beauty and anger as he'd know before.

"That's the last time I save your ass, Winchester."

Zoey said no more and walked outside. Dean was quick to scramble to his feet and follow after her.

"What- Why are you here?"

"I live here."

"In...Applewood Cemetary?"

Zoey looked back to him with her eyebrow raised and rolled her eyes. "In town, idiot."

"Did you follow me here?"

"I did. Spotted you coming out of the computer room in the library. Gathered you were looking into the deaths."

"You knew there was a case here?" Dean asked. "Did you even think about checking it out?"

"I have a day job, Dean." Zoey sighed. "That I also do night-shifts on. I have others to look after, Dean."

"Not once-"

Zoey zipped around to look at him. "You could just say 'Thank you' and we can part way again."

"Why did you save me?"

"Because I'd rather not be accused of murder. Also, Sam would kill me if I let you die." Zoey pulled out her car keys and unlocked her car.

"You still speak to Sam?"

"Yeah. Heard about how it went down. Sorry." Zoey said before getting into her car. "But, you should call him. He misses you."

"He could always call me, too."

Zoey rolled her eyes and got into her car, rolling down the window before starting the engine. "You're both too stubborn for your own good. Call Sam! It will be good for both of you!" Zoey called out to him before pulling out of the cemetary and heading home.

Dean stayed in town an extra night, watching as people came in and out of the Vet practice across the street. They looked happy. Zoey...Zoey looked happy.

Dean looked to his phone again, Sams contact bright on the screen. Maybe he should listen to her for once. She had always been complaining that he never listen to her when she should.

But as he went to call Sam, his phone screen flashed.

Dad.

Maybe listening to Zoey for once would have to wait.

And he did. For another few years.

The world had almost ended 50 times over by the time Dean saw Zoey again. They'd gone from moving around motels to finally finding the Bunker.

It had been pretty quiet recently, going back to their Moster-of-The-Week hunts. And they had to admit...they'd missed it.

But it was one Tuesday morning when Dean was going filling up Baby's engine and spotted someone from the corner of his eye.

He had just been looking around, wondering if anyone was watching him. He couldn't be too careful. That was when he saw a woman. She was a few years older now, but still as beautiful. Her hair was pulled back in a messy pony tail whilst she wore green scrubs and running trainers on her feet.

She had rushed into the gas n' sip, smiling at the person who held the door open for her. "Thank you."

Dean watched as she rushed inside and grabbed a sandwhich from the back fridges, a couple bags of chips and finally a drink before paying at the counter, running back across the street where she narrowly avoided being run over -- so many times she'd stopped Sam, and Dean, from doing the same thing when they were younger. Dean watched then as she ran inside a clinc style building.

She had a practice in Witchita? 20 minutes from the bunker?

Moments later, Dean pulled up outside the Bunker and rushed inside.

"You'll never guess who I've just seen." Dean began, seeing Sam sat in the Map Room on his laptop.

"Amy Adams?"

Dean placed the plastic gas n' sip bag on the table, unloading the food. "Zoey."

Sam looked up. "Zoey? Wait- Zoey-Zoey? Our Zoey?"

Dean nodded. "She's working at a practice in Witchita."

"Seriously?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded again. "The lady at the counter said she came into town a few weeks ago."

"Do you know where she's staying?"

"No. My guess is in the motel down the street."

"Should we...I don't know...check in on her? I mean, we haven't seen her since...since I was, what? 18?"

Dean had never told Sam that he'd seen Zoey after he was 17 and when she saved his life. Now, he didn't know why. It just never really came up.

"I mean...we could try? But I doubt she'd want to see us again."

"Why?"

"Do you seriously not remember how it ended?" Dean questioned his brother. "She was tearing a new one into dad and then she nearly beat my ass to the ground again before she left. She looks happy, Sam."

"I say we go and see how she's doing."

"I can tell you how she's doing. She's happy."

Sam chuckled. "Dean, come on. It's not like we're dragging her back into the game or asking for her help. We want to see her."

"We do?"

"I do." Sam said. "Do you?"

Dean didn't answer right away. Did he want to see her? He hadn't thought about for in a long time and then today he saw her and...

"Fine."

And with that, they were driving around town looking for her motel. Sam went into the practice just before it shut, asking for Zoey but the girl at the reception desk said they'd just missed her but she would be back in the morning.

But, eventually, they found her motel.

"There's got to be reason she's here." Dean whispered under his breath.

"There is." Sam smiled, looking up from the laptop on his lap. "She's got her own practice here, man."

"But don't you find it...I don't know...freaky. We don't see her for years and then suddenly, she'd in the exact same town we are, no more than a 20 minute walk from the Bunker?"

Sam just smiled. "No, Dean. I don't find it freaky. It's just a fluke. Look."

Sam turned the laptop so Dean could see. "She's a renound vet. All her clients love her and so do their owners. She's got her own practice in five different states. This one is her new one. Maybe it's just fate."

"Do you not remember the last time we dealed with fate? She tried to kill us!"

"Fate tried to kill you?"

Dean, slightly embarrassingly, let out a small scream as he heard a voice from behind him. Both of the brothers had jumped and turned around to find Zoey, leaning down and looking into the car.

"Zoey." Sam said with a smile of relief.

"Hi, Sam." She smiled back before looking at Dean. "Fate tried to kill you?"

"Yes." Dean answered. "But an Angel saved us." Dean answered honestly and quickly before he looked around Zoey and found that she and they were the only ones in the parking lot. "Wait. How long have you been watching us?"

Zoey looked to her watch, estimating. "About half an hour. I was in the diner across the street when I heard your car. I've got grub if you want some. I'll be inside."

Without another word, Zoey stood up and walking into her motel room, leaving the door open for the brothers. Only, they were a little slow catching on.

So, standing in the open door way, Zoey held up a bag of food. "It's getting cold! You can either sit out their and freeze your asses off or you can come in! It's your choice!"

"Alright, alright. We're coming."

By the time they made it inside, Dean shutting the door behind them, Sam and Zoey were already hugging.

"God, you're so tall."

"Yeah," Sam chuckled awkwardly. "I kinda shot up after you left."

"I think that's an understatement." Zoey joked. "Food's on the table. I got your usual order. Chicken burger and a side salad. Got your's too, Dean." Zoey held it up. "Double bacon cheeseburger, extra onions."

"You remembered our orders?" Sam asked.

"Figured you'd both be hungry."

"How've you been?" Dean asked.

"I've been good. I heard about your dad...I'm sorry."

Dean nodded but Sam answered for him. "Thanks."

"I heard through the grape vine that you boys nearly ended the world and then fixed it again so...thank you for that." Zoey was unpacking some of her groceries into the mini fridge.

"You're welcome." Sam said just before Dean asked; "How'd you find out about that?"

As Zoey finished cleaning up the side, she turned around with a sigh and folded up the dish towel.

"After dad came back...it wasn't long until he went back out again. Just a couple of investigations here and there but he went back to it. I yelled at him. Mom yelled at him. He yelled at us. Mom kicked him out. I saw him at my graduation and he said he wanted to see me. He missed having his family. I told him it was too late. Over the years, a couple things came up and other hunters came to deal with them. Then, I got a call. Windigo attack. DOA. So, they brought him home. He had a Hunter's funeral. Bobby called me. He gave his condolances, I asked about you two. He said that you two sons-of-bitches were being a pain in his ass."

Dean chuckled. "That was Bobby for you."

Zoey smiled. "He updated me on everything and would call to check in with me once in a while."

"He never told us that."

Zoey nodded. "But he told be all about you two. Also, do you two ever stop to live?!"

Oh, boy.

"I understand him not listening to me," Zoey began pointing to Dean. "But you, Sam? Seriously?"

"Okay, okay. You may have a point."

"Oh, I have a million of them."

"But we're alive right now. Look. See."

The conversation soon turned to something else. Zoey told them all about her practice and could see Dean was still weary about the fact that she suddenly turned up in the same town as them.

They told her about everything else. About Lucifer and Michael. About meeting their Grandfather and how they're legacies. The whole story.

"Why are you living here anyway?" Dean asked, looking around. "If I remember correctly, you use to say we all needed a proper home."

Zoey nodded. "I've been looking but none of the houses are right for me. Even apartments. I went to look at one last week, the plumming was done so the toilet was in the middle of the master bedroom and that the electrics in the living room switch the oven on in the kitchen. Another, I'd be living in between a crazy cat lady and a guy who hangs outside his neighbours door, upside down. And don't even get me started on the upstairs neighbour."

"What if you lived with us?" Sam asked before looking to Dean. "I mean, you wouldn't have to pay. The place runs on magic as it is. It's warm and you wouldn't even have to have neighbours if you didn't want. There's like 50 rooms. An entire library, and we're usually away hunting. And it's warded so no-one can get in. You'd be safe. At least until you find a place you like?"

Zoey was surprised. She looked to Dean who seemed to agree with Sam. Why not? The Bunker was nice place, she'd be safe, she was just down the road from her practice and she wouldn't be living in a motel for the next year and a half.

It took some convincing but eventually Zoey agreed. It would just be like old times. Except, with less of the training and less of the whole out-of-fashion-even-for-the-70s vibe.

In the months that followed, everything ran pretty smoothly. Sam and Dean still continued on as they did, except when they came back from a hunt they actually had someone who knew how to do stitches and avoid infection.

Sometimes, like usual, Zoey would scold the both of them for getting hurt or not listening to her. She knew the lives they led meant that the chances of getting hurt were slim to non, but they could at least try.

Zoey walked to work every day and if she got back before the boys, she'd cook or if they were back before her, they would, well...Dean would.

Sam typically cooked breakfast since he was up at the crack of dawn.

But, as the months passed, it wasn't long before Zoey met Charlie.

Charlie had called. She had a week off work and she was due a major binge of tv, snacks and catch up with her two favourite hunters.

But, the boys had sort of forgot to mention that they had Zoey staying with them. And Dean couldn't have regretted it more. It would have at least avoided Zoey finding out about the Supernatural Books.

It was around 3 o'clock that Charlie got in, and after a long catch up on when she had been doing and what the boys had been hunting, they all turned as they heard the Bunker door open and saw Zoey walking down in her green scrubs and coat with her hair, once again, tied back in a messy pony tail.

"Oh, my god."

"Uh...Charlie. This is..Zoey. Zoey. This is Charlie."

Zoey smiled. "Hi."

But Charlie smiled back, although more star-struck than ever. "Oh my god. Zoey? This is Zoey?" Charlie looked to Dean who was a little confused. "This is the Zoey that beat you in training? The one you had, like, a major crush on?"

"What?" Zoey asked, looking slightly worried, flicking her eyes between the red head and Dean.

Dean flushed bright red as he walked backwards. "What? No. No. No, no. She- Huh - She's uh...She's just kidding. I - I'm gonna go and check on Sam."

"He's not cooking is he?" Zoey asked.

"What? Oh, no. We've ordered pizza."

"Oh, thank god."

By the time Dean slipped away and towards the kitchen, Zoey hung up her coat before turning to Charlie.

"It's nice to meet you. Sam told me your guys met on a hunt? Before Dean ended up in Purgatory?"

"Oh, yeah. I was working for Dick Roman at the time. Well, a Livaithan, but I thought it was Dick Roman and..." Charlie trailed off in the conversation and by the time Sam and Dean came back in from the kitchen with pizza boxes and beers, both of them stopped in their tracks.

"You guys have books written about you?" Zoey took a beer from Dean.

"What?"

"The Supernatural Books?"

"Charlie." Dean scolded.

"What?" Charlie asked, innocently. "I thought she already knew about them."

"Can I find this books?"

"They're on-"

"No. Absolutley not." Dean warned to Zoey but she just laughed and smiled back.

"No what?"

"You are not reading those books."

"And why not?" Zoey asked.

"Because it's...weird. They're weird. Look, just...promise me you won't read them."

Zoey could see a look in Dean's face that intruiged her. There was something, or maybe many things in those books that they both wanted to hide. But...she nodded.

"Fine. I won't read them."

"It's okay, I have! I can tell you everything."

Dean took hold of the back of Charlie's chair and pushed her down the hall away from Zoey.

"I'll take it that I'm not allowed to either, then!" Charlie called out from down the hall before eventually rolling herself back.

Charlie left a few days later and they all went back to how they were before. Only, there came a time when they'd needed Zoey's help.

They'd been on a hunt about an hour away from the bunker. Nothing was adding up until eventually it did.

There was a werewolf pack experimenting. On humans, babies, animals. Turning them all. Sam and Dean had called Zoey on as much information as they could get about putting animals to sleep, just for a while - like they'd do in surgery.

"Dean, I swear, if you're about to do something stupid-"

"You know me. I'm careful."

"No, you are not. Look, do you need my help? Because I can-"

"No. Zoey. I didn't call you to bring you back in."

But she went back in anyway.

Sam and Dean had found the back, gathered together for a meeting in a barn just south of town. They all fought, they all either got hurt or were the ones hurting and just as one of the wolves sent off two shots of Dean's gun, by the time the third one was done, Dean found that it hadn't hit him but he had been hit by something.

Sam came behind the final wolf, killing him dead when the two brothers turned and found Zoey lay beside Dean.

"Ow."

Dean didn't have time to think as he turned to help her get into a more confortable position and called out for Sam to get the first aid kit.

Zoey had put one in their car just a few days after she moved into the Bunker. Dean had found it on their next hunt and it made him smile.

"What ever happened to 'that's the last time I save your ass, Winchester.'" Dean was worried as he looked for the wound in semi-darkness.

Zoey felt okay. It hurt but she would be okay.

"Well, this is definitely the last time." Zoey half-joked.

She could feel Dean beside her, looking for a wound when she took his hand and placed it to where it was bleeding.

It hadn't hit anything too serious. And the bullet wasn't that deep. She was lucky. They both were.

"Can you stand?" Dean asked after a sigh of relief.

"I think."

Dean carefully helped her up to her feet. "Here, put your weight against me."

Dean got her outside to her car and sat her on the rim of Baby's trunk. "Can I?"

Zoey nodded. "Sam, can you drive my car back?"

"Sure."

Zoey gave him the keys before Dean gave his brother a reassured look. "We're okay here. Go on ahead."

Sam nodded and headed off, driving Zoey's car back to the Bunker.

"I thought I told you to stay home."

"And I thought I told you to be careful. You almost got yourself killed, Dean! I wasn't just going to stay at home and wait for Sam to tell me he's sold his soul this time."

Dean cleaned out her wound and patched it up as best as he could. "I need to clean this place out before we leave."

"I'll help you-"

"No, you will sit there and not go dying on me. I'll be back soon."

A few hours later, Dean was finished and they were back at the Bunker. They all got a good nights sleep, waking up mid-day. Thankfully, it was a Sunday and the practice was shut for the day so Zoey could sleep in without a worry.

As the day passed, Zoey cleaned her wound and patched it up but was struggling to get the bandage to stay since every time she twisted, it only hurt her more - what with the bullet having hit her side.

"Zo? Zoey?"

"In here!" Zoey called out from her bathroom.

Dean walked in further until he found her. "Sam finished the ironing so I brought your clothes- What are you trying to do?"

"This...it won't stay. Everytime I twist it just-"

Dean placed her clothes down on the bed and moved over to her. "Come here. Stand still."

Zoey stood infront of the mirror and watched as Dean pulled the bandage gently around her waist and back and forth until it was secure.

Only now did she realise she was stood in her joggers and a sports bra. It was the only was she could see the wound without her t-shirt getting in the way.

Dean tied it securely around her middle before standing back up straight and meeting her gaze in the mirror.

"Done."

Zoey smiled. "Thanks."

Only, as Dean smiled back, he looked down realising his hands were still on her shoulders and arms. But, a second later, that was when he saw something.

A scar.

Old, but still there.

Zoey seemed to notice as his gaze changed from whatever that moment was to seeing her scar. Swiftly, she moved around and smiled. "Thanks."

Zoey quickly zipped from his side and out to her room to grab a freshly warmed t-shirt.

Everything in Dean wanted to know where and how that had happened. How had she been hurt? When had she been hurt? Was if a pet with anxiety or was it something else? Was it a hunt?

But he could tell that she didn't want to talk about it. Or she would have mentioned something by now.

She kept her back to him as she put her t-shirt on. "Thanks for bringing my clothes."

"You're welcome. I- I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you later."

Dean left after a short moment and once he did, the door closing behind him, Zoey sat on her bed.

Before he spotted her scar, there had been this feeling in her stomach. Usually, she wouldn't have cared about what she was wearing. Clearly Dean didn't. He didn't even notice. But she did. And when he looked at her in the mirror...his face when he saw the scar.

That scar played on Dean's mind for two months. He wondered if she'd ever tell him. Maybe it was nothing? Maybe it was just a pet she had been looking after? But her reaction...how she tried to hide it...it couldn't just be nothing.

But, he finally got his answer after two months when himself and Zoey were staying in a motel together.

She was checking in on one of her other practices since the very first client of hers had another pet and only wished to see Zoey. A puppy with a broken paw.

Dean decided to go with her since Sam was going to see Elieen for the weekend, so he would have just been on his own.

"Hey, how was it?" Dean asked as Zoey came in after almost 14 hours of being out of the room.

Zoey collapsed onto the bed. "All done. I have to go back in and check on him in the morning but he's sleeping for now. I need a shower but I don't want to get up."

Dean chuckled. "Well, there's chinese in the fridge if you want some."

Zoey was up at that. "Ooh."

She hadn't eaten since this morning.

Around 2 hours later, she had eaten and found the energy to have a shower before she finally came back out in her pjs. She hadn't put her jumper on yet since her hair was dripping wet.

Dean watched as she sat on the edge of the bed and towel dried her hair. And that was when he spotted it again. The scar.

"Dean."

"What? Sorry." Dean realised he'd been staring.

"You can ask, if you want to."

"I didn't know if you'd want to tell me."

Zoey moved her hair back and moved her shirt, showing him. She called him over and he sat beside her on the bed.

"How'd it happen?"

"About two years after I last saw you." Zoey answered. They were both so close to one another than it caused them both to speak just above a whisper. "There were a couple hunters in town. They had a spirit case. They called me and begged for my help. I got there and one of them was bleeding out. But, they hadn't burnt the body yet so the spirit was more pissed than ever. It threw me against a tree before I came crashing to the ground. Threw in a book of matches and then saved the guys life."

Dean traced a finger, gently across the scar, scared he'd hurt her. But she just smiled and whispered; "It doesn't hurt."

Dean chuckled softly. "Sorry."

The scar finished at the back of her neck and as Dean's finger stopped at the top, he looked to Zoey.

There was that look again.

It was the same look they had shared before he noticed the scar in the first place.

Their eyes searched one anothers for a small moment before they flicked to the lips and back up. Before either of them knew it, they were moving in closer and finally met in the middle.

Their lips met in a soft kiss. Gentle. New. Unfamiliar yet...like forever. Like they had done this forever. That it should be done forever.

They both pulled back, their foreheads pressed against the others, their eyes still shut.

Wow.

Eventually, they opened their eyes and found they were both smiling. And it wasn't long until they kissed again. Zoey's hand was placed gently against Dean's cheek whilst the hand that had play at the top of her neck moved around and held her in closer. They each smiled into the kiss.

This is what they had been waiting for.

The passion behind the kiss, they could feel growing. Dean pulled her flush against his chest before they found their bodies moving for them.

Slowly, Zoey found herself on her back, Dean crawling to be over her body before he was above her.

They both pulled back in need of breath.

Just simply looking at her was enough to make her blush. Dean moved a strand of her hair from her face and behind her ear before he let his hand rest of her cheek. Even in partial darkness, he could see her loving blush. But that wouldn't have mattered because he could feel her smile and blush through his palm.

Slowly, he moved back down. Looking from her eyes to her lips and back again for confirmation, she nodded before Dean kissed her again.

Zoey hands pulled him in closer by his face, feeling the kiss deepen, and deepen and deepen.

It wouldn't be until the next day that either of them would talk about it, but even when they did, they already knew the answer.

Zoey's alarm went off at 6 and Dean groaned.

"Sorry."

She quickly shut it off and lay back down, Dean moving himself to hold her closer against him. He was like a human heater for her as he did so and she didn't want to leave.

"Wait." Dean grumbled when she tried to move.

But, as much as she wanted to stay by his side, she had a puppy to check on.

So, she used her initiative to make sure she could get out of bed. Even if what she was about to do would make her want to stay.

She leaned up and pulled Dean closer kissing him, his arms around her becoming more secure as she made sure he stayed down until finally, she kissed him a final time and rushed off the bed.

"Hey,"

Zoey just laughed and rushed into the bathroom. "You're welcome to join me!"

A while later, they both left the bathroom, this time Dean wrapped with a towel around his waist and Zoey in some fresh scrubs.

"Wait."

Dean pulled her back in before she left, and kissed her. "Be careful."

"I thought I was meant to be saying that to you." She smiled.

Zoey kissed him again but slowly backed out of his arms and rushed to the door. "I'll be back soon."

It got to around mid-day when Dean strolled into her practice. No-one was in since the place was shut for the day so, he called out and heard Zoey call back.

"Back here!"

Dean came through carrying a couple of sandwiches and coffee. "Thought you could use a break."

"Ah," Zoey smiled, closing the cage of the kitten she had been checking over. "You are a life saver. Both literally and metaphorically."

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you, you know, since you took a bullet for me?"

"I don't mind hearing it."

But Dean kissed her instead. The kisses peppered a little and she smiled. "Even better."

"Coffee."

"Thank you."

"So, Sam called. He said he and Eileen are gonna be staying at the cabin for a few more days so I was thinking maybe, before we go back to the Bunker I take you somewhere." Dean smiled.

Zoey looked at him as she took another sip of her coffee.

"Oh, god. You're not about to kill me, are you?"

Dean chuckled, "No. Just...once you've finished up here meet me back at the motel."

Zoey smiled and leaned over to kiss him. She placed down her coffee and wrapped her arms around Dean, him doing the same with her with his hands on her hips.

The pair shared a kiss that only deepened. Both Zoey and Dean smiled into the kiss before they let go, but they still held onto one another, smiling.

They'd both waited a life time for this.

Eventually, Zoey shut the practice for the night and met Dean outside the motel. He'd picked up food for both of them and had already packed the car up.

"Ready to go?"

"Yep." Zoey smiled before Dean pulled her in for another kiss, not that she minded.

Dean drove the few hours towards their home town. As much as Dean wanted to avoid this place years ago, he'd found a happy memory to focus on now.

Eventually, he pulled into a small field and turned to his side. Zoey was fast asleep in the passenger seat, her head against the bench.

He watched her for a moment. She looked so peaceful. He felt peaceful. Right now, there was no worry. There was no hunt or moster of the week. It was just them and no-one else. Nothing else. Just them and a billion stars in the sky.

Gently, he shook her awake.

Zoey fluttered her eyes open and looked around, a little confused.

"You are going to kill me."

Dean just smiled. "Come with me."

"Okay, but if you kill me? Sam will kill you. And so will all my clients."

"Just come on."

Streching, Zoey got out of the car and followed Dean from where he grabbed the blanket from the trunk and lay it down on the ground a little further away.

However, as she looked around Zoey realised where they were.

"We're in Lawrence?"

Dean nodded.

Zoey joined him on the ground and lay her head on his chest as he covered them both with another blanket.

They lay there in silence for a while, looking above and watching the stars.

"When I was a kid, I'd get out of bed every night to wave at you from my window." Dean admitted as they lay there.

He hadn't hought about it in years until last night.

Zoey moved herself so she lay her head on top of her hands that lay on his chest, so she could look at him.

"Mom would tuck me into bed and the moment I heard her door close, I'd bound out of bed and sit under my window and wave to you. Every night."

Dean now looked to her. Zoey could tell every word he'd just said was the complete truth.

"I knew you couldn't see me but I waved anyway."

Zoey smiled and leaved over to kiss him. It felt different than the others. More...intimate. More...thankful. After all this time, she might never have grown up across from him. They might never have met. They might never have fought or loved. They might never have had this life together.

"Thank you for telling me that." Zoey said, her voice quiet.

"You were my first crush. I was so embarrassingly in love with you."

"I thought I was a pain-in-the-ass?"

"Oh, you were that, too." Dean teased. "But you were still you. You could beat my ass to the ground within three moves. Better than any damn hunter I know. And you were right, that night, about what you said before you left. We shouldn't have gone through that as kids, but...for some reason, part of me is glad we did, because I got to be with you. And Sam. After all of it...you and Sam made it worth it."

Zoey could only smile.

Even when she was younger, as much as Dean never listened to a word she said and always did the opposite of what he probably should have done...he was here. With her. And, once she took away all the moments of him being her very own pain-in-the-ass, maybe he was her childhood crush too.

But they were both more than that, now.

They were grown adults. They were living their lives, and sometimes it would be more dangerous than the typical life, but they couldn't focus on that right now. They didn't need to focus on that right now.

All they needed was each other. And they couldn't have been more happier.

Zoey moved closer, the kiss starting out soft and slow before she whispered against his lips. "I love you, Dean."

He pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear and smiled. "I love you, too."

They both smiled lightly before moving in closer and sharing a kiss. Zoey's hands came to his face. She could feel the stubbled beneath her hands. Dean's own hands pushed through from her cheek to the back of her head, through her hair. His other hand was against her hip as she moved upwards and straddled his hips.

A moan came from the back of Dean's throat as she did so. Zoey pulled him closer and he soon found himself sitting up, pulling her closer if that was even possible.

All they needed was one another. And they would have, for the rest of their lives.

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