by Ruby Forrest
Then the impossible happened, "Maria, get run!"
Jack- Dean's voice rang out like a bell, clear as day, through the forest. Maria's eyes went wide. For a second, the bear paused. A second was all Jack- Dean needed. Maria saw him run, full speed, straight at the bear. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Then he jumped, leapt at the bear and tackled it. His arms wrapped around its neck and he used all of the force and momentum that he had to tackle it to the ground. It fell with a thud, a thud that made the very ground shake. Then it roared, a terrible sound that Maria was sure was full of a human type of anger, a human type of hate.
This bear did not just want to kill her and Jack- Dean, it wanted them destroyed. She realized, with a jolt, that that was exactly what had happened with the other bears, with the bears that had been found dead. They had all been killed in painfully similar ways, with similar pain and agony and extreme brutality and violence.
Then she snapped out of it and the horror kicked in, "Jack- Dean!" She cried, feeling the agony in her body cracking her voice. All the anger she had felt towards him just drained away, leaving nothing behind but terror for him.
She stumbled back, frantically looking for something that she could use to hurt the bear, something that she could use to keep him safe, to get him out of this. But he had just tackled a bear head on and Maria did not know what she could do about that, did not know if there was anything that she could do to help him, anything that she could do at all.
All she could do was watch, watch as he fought, wrestled this bear like he had done it all his life, like he was a pro at this and there was nothing that could stop him. It left her breathless, left her trembling with the intensity of it all, the burning ache in her chest.
"Go!" Jack- Dean's voice held a note of desperation in it, something that was desperate for her to go, part of him that did not want her to stay. But Maria could not leave. Where would she even go? She was rooted to the spot and she could not just turn her back on him, not now.
She shakily reached for the biggest fallen branch that she could find, her hands trembling as she grabbed it, holding it tight in both her hands. Maybe if she struck it, they could both escape. She was shaking with panic, but she surged forward, raising the branch.
The bear looked up and roared and Jack- Dean, at the last second, jumped, slamming his body onto the ground and giving Maria a clear shot. Maria used all the strength in her body, all the strength that she possessed, to slam the branch down on the bear's head, slamming it into his skull, hearing the reverberating thwack that seemed to shudder through the whole of the forest, seemed to fill every inch of the space around them, seemed to shudder through her own body like a prayer, like something more than herself. It was too much to take in, too much to handle.
Jack- Dean leapt up, and was on his feet before she knew what was happening. He grabbed her hand and pulled her. Suddenly, she was running, Jack- Dean's hand in hers. They were pelting through the forest, running into the sunlight, running away from the bear that had collapsed, Maria did not know where they were going, but she did not care. She did not have any breath left to argue, did not have anything left in her to give her a break, to let her breathe, to give her time to settle. She just wanted to get the hell out of here, to get out of the danger and death that had consumed her just moments ago, that had seemed so inescapable, that had seemed so intense and so overwhelming, that had seemed like something that she could not get away from.
She felt her chest hurt, felt the burn twist through her like a knife. It felt impossible to ignore, impossible to argue with the pain that thundered through her body, the pain that seemed to flood her. This bear, this horrible bear, seemed to have it in for her, have it in for her, as well as for Jack- Dean. She did not know why, but the thought made her sick.
This was supposed to be a peaceful animal. Sure, bears could be vicious, they killed each other, as well as people, but never in a way that was senseless, never in a way that was so intense, so murderous, and so overwhelmingly painful. It was like nothing she had ever seen or read about.
Suddenly, for just a fleeting second, Maria could understand where Jack- Dean was coming from, understand what he was thinking about, where he was thinking from when he talked about animals sorting it out for themselves, working it out without human interference. She had a feeling that human interference was not welcomed, but it would be dealt with swiftly.
She did not get much time to dwell on what was an insane train of thought. Jack- Dean was pulling her into a cave, pushing her inside and pulling a huge piece of wood across. The cave was flooded with darkness, everything going black in the small space, leaving her with barely any room to see, any way to see what was right in front of her. Then Jack- Dean fumbled with something and the cave lit up.
Chapter 6
It was nothing like the cabin, but it was clearly made for human comfort, at least to a degree. Maria looked around, noticing the way the light flickered off the walls of the cave. She took a deep breath and retook stock of the food that was packed well and truly away, the blankets folded up and stashed away, the other evidence that this place had been used.
She turned to Jack- Dean, who was looking pale and ashen. He noticed her looking and shrugged, "Safe house? Just in case."
Maria did not give a damn about that, didn’t give a damn about the details. She just wanted to know that he was okay. He had saved her life, jumped in selflessly, and she needed to know that he was okay, that he was not about to bleed out. She rushed over to him and grabbed him, running her hands over his skin, checking him for injuries. She could see bruises blooming on his skin, rough tears in his clothes where they had been scraped and his skin had been brushed. But honestly, considering he had just fought with a bear, and lived, he had come away completely unscathed. He looked shaky, though, exhausted and Maria hurried to help him sit down, grabbing a blanket, and draping it over his legs, his body, wrapping him up in it, hoping that it brought him some comfort, brought hum some sort of peace.
"What do you need? I'll get it." She murmured, her voice soft and low. She swallowed, feeling worry burning inside of her.
Jack- Dean looked up at her and his eye swore as intense as ever, burning and focusing on her like a laser, "I need you safe." There was a sharpness to his tone, but a softness as well, a kindness, a worry.
Maria felt guilt ache in her heart, pain twist and make her regret everything that she had done that day, feel like she had done nothing but made a mistake, made a mess of everything and put both herself and Jack- Dean in terrible danger. She shivered, feeling the ache and she shook her head, "I'm sorry, Jack- Dean."
The words were whispered and Jack- Dean sighed, shaking his head. Suddenly, his arms were around her and he was holding her tight against his chest. It was insane, but Maria felt safe, felt comfortable, and felt like no one could hurt her as long as Jack- Dean had his arms around her, as long as he was holding her tight. She would be safe.
He was here, he was holding her and she was okay, just for the moment. She shuddered, feeling comfortable, feeling safe. Then she took a deep breath and the moment was broken.
"Maria, you need to be careful." Jack- Dean's voice was soft and measured, "I do not want you getting hurt. The woods right now...they're insane."
Maria laughed, a dark and grim sound that tumbled from her. She shook her head, "You do not say? I hadn't noticed." She sighed, feeling the acute ache inside of her, "What the hell is going on?" She whispered, her voice soft, "You seem to know more than you're letting on Jack- Dean. I need to know what's wrong." She took a deep breath, "Things are not right,"
Jack- Dean sighed and nodded, "No, things are not right. They are not right at all and have not been right for quite some time." He sighed and leaned back against the wall of the cave, staring into the distance, "Maria....I know everyone thinks that I push people away from the park because I have issues." He chuckled and shook his head slowly, "No, no that's not it at all. I push people away because no one wo
uld believe me if I told them the truth." He turned to look at her, "So I've been trying to fix it on my own, trying to sort it out and figure out what the heck I am supposed to do to end all of this." He sighed, "If I said a damn thing, I'd be sacked and sent to a hospital. Things are insane right now and I know I'd be labeled as crazy." He glanced at her, "I do not need that. I do not need some researcher calling the cops on me, or blaming me for this mess. I do not need that. I have enough on my plate right now." He ran his hands through his hair, shuddering and looking exhausted, looking like he could not bear the thought, could not handle another thing going wrong. Maria felt moved, felt the ache in her chest mirroring his, making her heart reach out for his. She swallowed.
"Jack- Dean, you just saved my life." She whispered, "You just tackled a bear. I mean, that's crazy, but not the bad kind, you know?" She smiled, reaching out and taking his hand, "Whatever you have to say, I kind of owe it to you to at least listen."
He sighed and shook his head, "I need a promise, though..."
"What?" Her voice was soft with concern, her eyes wide as she focused on him with everything that she had.
"I need you to promise me....if you do not believe me, and my proof isn’t enough for you, or even if it is...you will not say a word. I just...I need you to keep quiet about this, so I can fix it. If you do not believe me, you can keep searching for a reason that makes sense to you. You can leave. Whatever you want. I just...I need to keep fighting, even if it is alone, you understand?"
Maria did. He obviously thought that whatever he was about to say was completely unbelievable, that no one could possibly think he was telling the truth. Maria reasoned that, as long as he didn’t threaten her or anyone else, there was no harm in being quiet. Even if he was a little bit off his rocker, which she highly doubted, he seemed to be a good, good man, and she couldn’t handle the idea of hurting him or pulling him away from the job that she was once again convinced that he loved more than anything,
She wouldn’t do that, "I promise."
Jack- Dean seemed to relax a little at her words and it struck her that her promise meant something to him, they had only just met and she could have been the biggest liar, but something about her made him trust her, something about her inspired confidence. She did not know what it was, did not care. She wasn’t about to let him down, not now, not when he had given everything for her, everything to keep her safe and make sure that she was not hurt, that she was saved from the face of danger. He had risked his life to keep her safe. The least she could do was honor his words and his trust. She had to hear him out. No matter what.
"Okay." He took a deep breath.
"If you want to know what it is really about....it is a war?" He held up a hand to stem any of her questions, "Let me finish,"
"This forest hides secrets that most people will never know of and never understand. It is home to a few different groups of bear shifters." He took a deep breath, "People, humans who can turn into bears when they want to, at will." He swallowed, "Obviously, they need a secluded place to...have some time to indulge that side of themselves. There are other groups nearby. The weird hibernations and migrations, the killings...it is all because of that. There's been a huge feud, everything has blown up." He rubbed his face, "I'm trying to fix it, but I do not think they want to reason. I do not think they want to fix things. I think they want warn and I am all out of ideas, all out of options." He glanced at Maria and she could see genuine stress in his eyes.
But his story... she had promised she would' say anything and made a promise to herself that she would listen to him and give whatever he said a chance. But this, this sounded insane. This sounded like something out of a book, not something that was possible, it sounded like he was mocking her. But why would he do that? Why would he save her life and risk everything just to mock her like this? But if he actually believed his story, then he really was insane.
Maria bit her lip, not sure what to say, not sure what she was supposed to do when faced with a story like this, when faced with something that sounded beyond unbelievable, that sounded impossible and insane in every way.
Chapter 7
Jack- Dean seemed to sense what she was thinking, sense the hesitation in her eyes, in the way she looked at him and considered what he was saying. He sighed and shook his head, "Of course you do not believe me. Who would?" He muttered to himself, "There's a damn reason I haven’t told anyone else." He turned to her, pushing himself to his feet, "Proof. You need proof."
He frowned and shook his head, "Do not run. I do not intend to hurt you but I know plenty people out there who want to hurt you, to hurt anyone that they can. Do not go out there and get in their way. Do not do that."
Maria did not get a chance to ask, to protest, and to argue with him. She only got a moment to draw breath, when she was it for herself, all of it. Something was happening to Jack- Dean, something dark and dangerous, something that was lingering in the dark behind them, something that she had heard about, but never, ever seen in her life, never even knew was something that could happen.
Jack- Dean was changing. He was changing in front of her very eyes. Every part of his body was morning into something else and she held back a scream, held back the panic that threatened her head and her heart. He was changing, his broad chest and shoulders becoming broader, feeling the intensity of the way he looked at her, the way his clothes seemed to fall to nothing at all, the way the hair on his head and his body seemed to move everywhere, seemed to fill him, cover him.
She couldn’t bring herself to even think it, to even believe that it could possibly be real in any way, in any way at all. But he was changing into a bear, turning into a bear, just like he had said he would, just like he had said. He was changing and Maria was watching it happen, watching it with her very eyes.
She did not know what to think. Her mind was blank, her mind was blank in ways that it had never been before. She did not know what to do, if she should stay, or go, run, or scream. She couldn’t move. She could not do a damn thing. Then the change reversed, something happening or turn back the clock. Suddenly, Jack- Dean was just Jack- Dean again, staring at her with eyes that burnt into her very soul, staring at her with eyes that asked for acceptance and help that wanted belief and not fear.
Maria could barely breathe, but she did not run. It was all so strange, so scary, so new. But he was here and he hadn’t hurt her, not even for a moment. He hadn't harmed her, hadn't made her doubt her safety. It would have been nothing at all to kill her, but he had talked to her, been honest with her and shown her proof. Now he was standing silently, waiting for her answer.
She could see it in his eyes- he was waiting for her to run away from him, waiting for her to leave him, leave him here alone. She felt the ache hit her hard, the realization that he had trusted her, but expected her to walk out when things got so insane. She wondered how many other people had walked out on him.
Maria swallowed the panic down, trying to speak, because she would be damned if she did that to him too, "That's insane." Her voice was a whisper, barely more than a murmur, a quiet breath that ghosted across the silence that had passed between them.
Jack- Dean frowned, like he was not sure what to make of her wo4ds, like he did not want to get his hopes up, Maria swallowed and smiled, "Insane."
Jack- Dean seemed to relax a little at her words and it struck her that her promise meant something to him, they had only just met and she could have been the biggest liar, but something about her made him trust her, something about her inspired confidence. She did not know what it was, did not care. She wasn’t about to let him down, not now, not when he had given everything for her, everything to keep her safe and make sure that she was not hurt, that she was saved from the face of danger. He had risked his life to keep her safe. The least she could do was honor his words and his trust. She hoped that he could see that, that he understood that this was okay.
This was absolutely crazy, this was blowing her mind, this was making i
t hard to string sentences together, but this was okay. She didn’t hate him. If anything, she found herself all the more drawn to him. No wonder he had pushed her away, pushed everyone away. No wonder he did not trust, no wonder he was so sure that the bears would work it out themselves. He was one of them and she had seen his sharp intelligence first hand. He was not stupid, not at all. He wanted to avoid a war, keep everyone safe, even the people who did not deserve it.
Maria swallowed, trying to think of something to say. Then Jack- Dean smiled, and all of her words left her in a rush. It was worth it for the smile on his face- the first genuine smile that she had seen from him. She had trusted him and it had paid off in a big way.
He moved between her thighs, pressing her back and grabbing her legs gently, so that he could slid against her, press deeply against her body. He kissed her and Maria responded, shuddering as her body hummed with desire, hummed with aching want, with a burning desire. She wanted him inside of her, wanted to feel full again, feel the intensity as he slid within, and pushed inside. She moaned and her head fell back against the wall as she trembled, "Jack- Dean!"
Then he slid within her and she felt the full girth of him, the size of him, and the strength in his touch as he filled her, moving within her and blanking her mind, leaving her shaking and trembling and desperate for more. She needed more. She whimpered, arching and gasping with longing, with need and desire and something sharp and intense and aching- she ached for him. She ached for him. He felt so amazing inside of her, felt so amazing thrusting within, filling her and making her breathless with the force of her desire, with the force of his touch. He was so strong, so unyielding, and so intense.
"You feel amazing." His breathing was short and sharp and strained as he purred against her neck. He kissed and sucked and Maria felt the haze of pleasure rise up more and more inside of her, the cresting pleasure burning and getting stronger and stronger, closer and closer. His every touch was setting her body on fire, his every touch was setting her mind burning and leaving her aching for it, aching and trembling and pleading for more and more and more. She needed this so badly, needed him so badly.
