Callie’s cell rings, nearly startling Sam right out of the bed.
She snickers and reaches for the phone. “Hello?” she says sleepily. She straightens almost instantly. “Where? … Are you sure? … Alright, I’ll be there by nightfall.”
“What’s going on?” Sam asks as she scrambles from the bed and begins throwing on her clothes.
“I have to go,” she says, stuffing her things in her duffle.
Sam gets up and pulls on his own clothing. “Ok, where are we going?”
She doesn’t stop moving, barely even casting him a glance as she replies, “Not we, Sam, me.”
He stops and stares, boot hanging from his hand. “What? No, not by yourself.”
She zips the duffle and throws it over her shoulder. “Yes, by myself,” she says coolly. “You remember I was a hunter for close to ten years before I ever met you. And I’m doing this alone.”
“Callie…” he begins, reaching for her.
She steps away from his touch, heading for the door. “No, Sam, I’m going.”
When she reaches the door, she turns back to him. He can’t read what’s in her eyes and that worries him more than anything.
“I’ll call you when I’m done. If you want…”
And with that, she’s gone.
Sam collapses back on the edge of the bed, half dressed, still holding his boot, staring at the door with a stunned expression.
~~~SPN~~~
Walking into the motel room, Sam kicks the door shut behind him. Dropping the bucket of ice and his Coke on the table, he spots the message notifier on this phone. For a moment, he wonders if it’s Callie. She’s been gone for more than 24 hours. Frowning, he dials into his voicemail to listen to the message.
“Hey, Sam, it’s Callie,” her voice says. It sounds like she’s outside; he can hear cars whizzing by in the background. Her tone is odd. A little stilted. “I’m wrapping things up here and I should be able to get on the road later tonight.”
There’s a pause and he hears a man’s voice in the background. He hears her whisper something about being done in a second and he should start without her. Her tone is warm and friendly, but that’s lost when she comes back.
“So, um, if you want to meet back up, just call me and let me know where you are. I, um…I hope to hear from you soon.”
He deletes the message and drops the phone back on the table. Now he really doesn’t know what to think. She jumps out of their bed and takes off with barely a word, he doesn’t hear from her for more than a day, then when she does call, she’s with someone else.
He paces the floor slowly, frown building. That must be why she didn’t want me along, he thinks. She was meeting up with some one else. But now she wants to see him. Or says she does.
He sighs deeply, running his fingers through his hair. He doesn’t want to lose her like this, but he doesn’t understand what’s going on with her.
He picks up the phone and punches up her number in his contacts. But he doesn’t connect. He tosses the phone back on the table and resumes his pacing.
~~~SPN~~~
Sam and Sophia are working at the small motel room table when his phone rings. He glances at it before reaching to send the call to voicemail.
Sophia sighs heavily and throws her pen down on the table. “If you don’t talk to her,” she says sharply, “I will.”
His head snaps up, eyes wide. “You wouldn’t.”
She raises an eyebrow. “No?”
She would and he knows it. “Just leave it alone, Sophia. This is between me and Callie.”
Sophia takes his hand, squeezing it gently. “It’s breaking my heart to see you like this, Sammy. You need to talk to her.”
When his eyes meet hers this time, he can’t quite hide the tears. “I can’t. She left. With barely a word. Just hopped out of our bed and took off.” He swallows. “And I heard her talking to someone else when she left me that voicemail. Obviously she doesn’t need me around.”
Sophia just looks at him. “That could have been anyone, Sam. It’s not fair to either of you to jump to conclusions.” She smiles at him softly. “And in the end, you care about her, sweetie. There’s no point in denying it. Being without her is eating you up. And it’s not gonna get better until you talk to her.”
Sam hitches a shoulder. Trying for careless, but knowing she’s not fooled.
“Yeah, fine, I care. But I can’t care for both of us. She’s got to want this too.”
Sophia chuckles. “Sam. Really? She’s been calling you for the last eight hours. The woman who wouldn’t normally let anyone within ten feet of her is travelling with you and sleeping in your bed. Would she bother with any of that if she didn’t care?”
His eyes drop to the table, but he doesn’t really see it. He runs his thumb absently over her knuckles. “You think?” he asks finally.
“Yeah, sweetie,” Sophia replies, “I do. When you find someone you care about, you gotta grab it and hold on. Denying it isn’t going to do anything but cause you more pain.” She pauses, her voice thickening a little. “You saw how well that worked for Dean and me, right?”
Sam frowns. His brother and Sophia had been through a lot before finally realizing they were meant for each other. He doesn’t think he could handle the same thing with Callie.
“So get after her, would you? Cuz you’re killing me with the sad puppy face.”
He rolls his eyes and picks up the phone. He stares at it for a long moment before standing and moving to the other side of the room.
“Hey, Callie. … Yeah, I know. I… … Would you…do you want..” He clears his throat and tries again, feeling like a teenager trying to ask a girl out for the first time. “So, ummm, do want to meet up?”
As Sam speaks, the door swings open to admit Dean. Before he can say anything, Sophia shushes him, gesturing toward Sam.
Dean raises an eyebrow in question as he sets their dinner in the table and leans down to kiss her.
“Callie,” she whispers.
Dean grins and takes a seat. “‘Bout damn time.”
~~~SPN~~~
It’s after midnight when Sam hears a tentative knock at his door. He steps to the door quickly, then hesitates. He’s still not entirely sure how he feels about this whole situation.
Taking a deep breath, he swings the door open. Callie stands on the sidewalk in front of him, looking like she’s ready to run at any moment. Her eyes flicker to his face and then back to the ground.
“Hey, Sam,” she says softly.
“Callie,” he replies, his voice neutral. He stands back, opening the door wider and gesturing her in.
He shuts the door and leans back against it, crossing his arms in front of him. Now that she’s here, he can’t decide whether to kiss her senseless or yell at her. He’s missed her so much, he actually has to curl his fingers into fists to keep from reaching for her. They need to talk first.
“So, how’d it go?”
“Um, fine,” she murmurs. “Got it taken care of quickly enough.”
“Good,” he replies, anger seeping into his voice. “And hey, you had some backup too, so that must have helped.”
Her eyes widen. “Sam, wait…”
He straightens and stalks toward her. “No, you wait,” he says, barely keeping his voice under control. “You run out of here on some kind of mission without telling me where you’re going or what you’re doing. You tell me I can’t go because you need to do it alone. And then I hear you all warm and cozy with some guy while you’re leaving me a goddamn voicemail.”
He runs a hand through his hair before staring down at her. “And then you say you want to meet back up with me. What the fuck am I supposed to think, Cal?”
“It’s not what anything like that, Sam,” she says, her eyes meeting his. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“Well, why don’t you tell me what it is then? Please feel free to explain to me what’s going on. To tell me what the hell you’ve been doing and who you’ve been doing it with.” His voice drops and he can’t keep the pain from bleeding through the anger. “Tell me why you left me here to miss you like crazy.”
Her deep blue eyes peer up at him, stunned and confused. They pool with tears he’s never seen her shed before. She flinches and steps away from him.
“I…I can’t…I don’t know…” she whispers as she stumbles toward the door.
The sight of her walking away from him is what pushes him over the edge. He reaches her just as her hand hits the doorknob.
“No! I am not watching you walk out that door again,” he growls. He grabs her arm and spins her toward him. “I can’t watch you leave.”
His mouth crashes against hers almost brutally as his body presses her back into the door. He takes advantage of her surprised gasp and slips his tongue into her mouth. His hands find her wrists and he pins them over her head, groaning softly as the action arches her into him.
Fire ignites between them almost instantly as anger and hurt flash over into passion.
Her shock fades quickly and he feels her respond, kissing him back just as desperately as he kisses her. Her body moves restlessly under him, her leg sliding around his as she struggles to get closer.
He releases her wrists and runs his hands down over her body to her bottom, lifting her up. She wraps her legs around his waist with a soft moan at the same time as she wraps her arms around his neck.
Dragging his mouth from hers, he presses hot kisses over her face and along her jaw to her ear. “Not letting you go,” he whispers in her ear as his tongue flicks over her earlobe. He feels her shiver. “Never letting you go.”
“Sam…” She drags his mouth back to hers, tangling her fingers in his hair.
Balancing her against the door, he reaches for her t-shirt and drags it over her head. His hands are everywhere as his mouth continues its greedy exploration of hers. Stepping back from the door, he carries her to the bed, setting her down beside it.
Her hands are busy as well, tugging on his shirt so she can slip her hands beneath. The feel of her soft hands against his stomach adds to the inferno already burning inside him. He reaches over his head and pulls the shirt off, tossing it carelessly to the floor.
Leaning into her, he pushes her back onto the bed, landing on top of her. Her bra disappears under his avid hands and his mouth is drawn down over her tender skin to her breasts.
As his mouth closes her breast, she arches toward him, calling his name. He rakes his teeth over the nipple, following it with a swipe of his tongue. His hands slip over her ribs, holding her still as he lays a devastating path over her body.
This isn’t his usual sweet and tender, your body is a wonderland style. It’s rough and angry and demanding. He’s hurt and confused. And he’s damn well going to make her understand this time.
She squirms beneath him, making incoherent sounds. Her hands slide over him, fingers digging into his arms as his hot mouth scorches over her stomach.
He undoes her jeans, dragging them and her panties down and off. He works his way back up, not missing an inch of her body as he goes. By the time he reaches the curve of her hip, she’s panting and moaning.
“Sam, please,” she moans, trying to tug him over her, urging him to take her.
He ignores her pleas, intent on making her feel everything. Feel all the things he’s been trying to tell her for so long. All the things he felt while she was gone.
Fingers tight on her hips, his mouth finds her core and she moans. He winds her up and up and up, her writhing body and harsh sounds pushing him forward. He feels her reaching the edge, knows the sounds she makes when she’s close.
And he stops.
Her frustrated whimper makes him smile darkly as he slides off the bed. Her passion-glazed, deep sapphire eyes flutter open as she looks for him.
He strips his remaining clothes off and returns to her. Her legs immediately slide around him, murmuring his name over and over.
Stroking the hair from her face, he calls her name, waiting for her eyes to open again. When they finally meet his, he almost drowns in them. Holding her gaze, he joins them swiftly, burying himself deep inside her.
Tangling his fingers with hers, he pushes her arms over her head, intent on controlling this to the end. He starts to move, varying his pace and the depth of his thrusts. His jaw tightens as he tries to resist the call of her body, demanding more.
He leans down, mouth by her ear. “No more running, Cal,” he murmurs, voice tight with emotion. Pulling back, he finds her gaze. “I need you in this with me all the way.”
She wraps a leg around his waist, urging him closer. “Yes,” she answers. Her eyes are dark with passion, but still serious.
He rocks into her, catching her gasp with his mouth. “Tell me,” he demands, lips ghosting over hers.
“Sam,” she whimpers.
“Tell me, Callie,” he growls.
“I…I…,” she murmurs, eyes glowing now, “I need you. I need to be with you.”
He kisses her deeply, his tongue moving in time with his body. He speeds up, feeling her body starting to clench around his. Dipping his head, nearly breathless with need, his teeth scrape at her shoulder.
She calls his name brokenly as she falls over the edge, shuddering beneath him.
Her tight heat pulsing around him pushes him over right behind her. He groans and collapses onto her, breathing hard.
Her hands drift over the back of his head and down over his shoulders. Soothing. Calming.
He rolls onto his back, keeping her tight in his arms. Her head drops to his shoulder, her hand curling on his chest.
Her fingers trace little circles on his skin. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Sam,” she murmurs.
He tightens his arm around her, but doesn’t reply.
Taking a deep breath, she continues. “I’ve been alone for so long…” She stops there. She starts to scoot away from him, but he’s ahead of her this time.
He rolls her onto her back, pinning her down with his body. “What did I say about no more running?” he murmurs, nuzzling her neck.
Her eyes meet his and then skitter away. She doesn’t try to get away, but she’s not entirely with him either.
He strokes her cheek, trying to pull her back. “Baby, you don’t have to change for me. I want you just the way you are.”
She squirms uncomfortably. She finally meets his gaze and he can see the uncertainty written there.
“I just need you to trust me. Trust my feelings for you.” He feathers a light kiss across her lips.
She stares at him for a moment. “I do trust your feelings, Sam,” she whispers. Her gaze drifts down and she brushes her thumb across his lower lip. “It’s mine I don’t trust.”
His heart feels like it’s going to beat its way right out of his chest. He doesn’t want to push her further tonight. It’s enough that she’s here.
He presses tiny kisses along her forehead, down over her cheeks. “Let’s just take it one day at a time, huh?”
She looks up at him, a little shy, a little tentative. After a moment, she smiles.
Leaning close, he gives her a tender kiss. “You’re worth the wait.”