Learning how to shoot.

[inthis_together]

Haley wakes up and reaches over to the other side of the bed which comes up empty, still warm though so Dean could not have been up for long. Gently sitting up she looks around to see that her best friend is still asleep in the motel bed next to hers and Deans. With a quick smile Haley sits at the edge of the bed; her hands running through her hair before tying it into a bun at the top of her head; putting on her dressing gown and slippers.

Making her way to the 'lounge' she finds Dean sat at the couch, dissembling his gun. She'll watch him for a few minutes unable to get over the amount of quickness and efficiency it involves, the gun is placed safely down on a nearby table before she approaches him. She does so with little noise but enough for Dean to realise her presence.

"Will you teach me? How to shoot, I mean?" The words are mumbled as she presses a kiss to the side of his temple, giving his shoulders a rub.

Comments

[officerzeppelin]

Dean hears her well before she's beside him, his spidey-sense a skill he's developed over the years to keep him and his brother safe. He reaches up to touch her arm, closing his eyes and groaning gratefully as she tends his sore muscles.

"You got it, Hay." He looks up at her, smiling. "I'm a terrific teacher, you know." And it wasn't a complete exaggeration - he'd taught Sam and a few others the basics. Sometimes he did lack patience, but he figured he'd be able to keep his temper in check for Haley.

[inthis_together]

Whenever a noise such as that escapes Dean it takes a lot for Haley to keep herself composed, she settles for pressing further against his shoulders to ease the knot that she finds in the middle of his back. For a while now she'd been researching a few techniques to use for mornings like this when theres a tension.

"I'd bet my life on that, baby. Full of surprises you Winchester men." Haley teases, taking her hands from his shoulder to cup his cheek in her hand. "If we got dressed could we go now? I'm not sure when we'd get another chance."

[officerzeppelin]

He'd been planning on going out for some coffee and breakfast for Sam and Haley, but he figures he can change his plans after such a sweet request. As long as coffee and breakfast are still part of the plan, Sam can fend for himself. It'd be like a date - just him and Hay on their own for a change not hunting monsters.

"If I get dressed, and we go now, does that mean you'll rub my neck again later?" He grins cheekily and arches an eyebrow, insinuating later to mean something a lot more than just a neck rub.

[inthis_together]

Moving from behind her boyfriend Haley sits herself in the middle of his lap pressing her lips against his, showing him she understood exactly what he wanted for them to do on their return. Haley planned on leaving a note for Sam before they left informing him of where her and Dean were going and that she was leaving some money for him to make himself scarce for a few hours once he wakes.

"You'll have to let me think about it." She teases him for a moment before responding to him properly. "As if I can ever say no to you."

Grabbing the glass on the table she drinks the last few mouthfuls of it before almost skipping to the bedroom to get herself into some clothes for their date.

[officerzeppelin]

Dean has to give himself a few moments to recover before he can stand and follow her. He locates and dons adequate clothes quietly to keep from waking his brother - Sam sleeps in so rarely, it doesn't seem right to take it from him. He primps for a moment, making himself as date-appropriate as possible on short notice. Once satisfied, he returns to the lounge to pick up after himself and wait for Haley.

[inthis_together]

Haley gets herself dressed in record time, returning to the 'lounge' Haley comes up from behind Dean to snake her arms around his waist, pressing her face in between his shoulder blade and neck as she mumbles against him. Before he has time to respond though she's making her way to the door, leaving the note she'd written for Sam on the table.

"The last one to the car pays for breakfast." She's always been light on her feet but today there's even more of a lightness, she had her mother to thank for that what with all the evening ballet lessons she had insisted Haley and Jessica participated in.

[officerzeppelin]

Dean is never going to catch her, but he calls out a good-natured, "Cheater!" before closing up the hotel room and following her out. It eases his mind to see her so... normal. Usually, one or the other of them has to cheer the other up, but for the first time in a long time, they're both on the same page.

Even though she's waiting for him at the car, he slips past her, unlocks the door, and opens it for her, grinning cheerily. "My dear," he says with a gallant sweep of his arm.

He closes the door after her and climbs in on his side. "Pancakes for breakfast?"

[inthis_together]

Turning around she cheekily bobs her tongue out before having a good look at his bottom as she watches him lock the door. Haley doesn't break eye contact for the whole duration of Dean walking from the hotel room to the impala.

Even after a whole year of them being together he still manages to surprise her, the performance he gives as he goes about his gentlemen duties makes her laugh especially the sweep of his arm. Settling into the car she allows herself to bask in the happiness thats surrounding them this morning.

"That would be lovely. When you're ready, my dear." Haley teases.

[officerzeppelin]

He points them in the direction of the nearest diner, and once they're on the road, he turns to her.

"So what brought this on?" he asks. Not that he minds, of course, but he's still curious about her motivations. He's never had anyone other Sam hang around him for any length of time. It took him so long to trust she'd stay, that now that he's pretty sure he's not just going to wake up from this dream, all he wants to do is know her better.

[ooc: Sorry I've been MIA. I have a bunch of work events this week that have been keeping me out late.]

[inthis_together]

Somewhere between getting in the car and making their way to the local diner Haley has placed her hand on Dean's leg. Every once in a while she'll rub her thumb over it without even realising she's doing it. With his question though she stops for a minute biting her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Sometimes I feel far away from you even though we're so close. I just want to try and fill that gap." She looks away from him. unsure of what his response will be. She never thought what they had between them could become so important, somewhat scared that one day perhaps Sam and Dean will regret that they'd allowed Haley to become a part of their foundation.

[ooc - You have nothing to apologise for. I always appreciate you replying back to my posts, no matter how long it takes you to respond back.]

[officerzeppelin]

He's distracted by her hand on his thigh. Dean's thoughts tumble away for a second somewhere hot and dark, but her voice brings him back to her in that moment. Later they'd be tangled together in bed, but for now, she is radiant in the morning sunlight.

He catches her hand in his, squeezing it gently. He knows the feeling. After all, he's felt that way his entire life with respect to his father. Dean's worried he's becoming his Dad.

"Hey, sweetheart, you know me: I'm an open book." He winks at her, squeezes her hand, and then lets go to fiddle with the radio. He will not tolerate commercials even in background music.

[inthis_together]

Afterwards they sit in comfortable silence for a while as they continue their journey to get breakfast, her hand back where it belongs on his thigh. They travel for a further ten minutes before reaching their destination. Getting out of the car she makes her way to the drivers side ad waits for Dean to get out too, then taking his hand in hers.

[officerzeppelin]

Together they enter the diner and choose cozy booth. A prompt waitress offers coffee and Dean accepts gratefully. She leaves them both with menus, and Dean resumes their conversation as they look through the breakfast selections.

"So what caliber are you looking to learn today?" If Dean had his way, she'd never be in any situation where she'd need a gun, but Haley was determined to join him and Sam when they hunted, and he agreed she needed to be prepared.

[inthis_together]

The booth they choose is tucked away in a corner, away from watching eyes. It's not often they get to spend time together without Sam or other hunters around. Pressing close into her boyfriend she goes all out and orders herself a hot chocolate treating herself to cream, marshmallows and extra sprinkles. She has the sudden need for a sugar fix, the maple syrup-drizzled pancakes catching her eye.

"The 9mm pistol perhaps? It seems a good enough gun for my first lesson." The waitress brings their drinks almost as quickly as she had came to take their order. She orders her choice of breakfast and waits for Dean to order his.

[officerzeppelin]

Dean will join Haley in the sugar fest, and he orders chocolate chip pancakes. He figures he'll need all the energy he has to keep up with her.

Once the waitress leaves them, he wraps his arm around her shoulders and draws her close. "Pistols it is, then. They're pretty low kickback, so they're a good place to start." He's looking forward to the lesson. Shooting is fun when the stakes are low.

[inthis_together]

Sitting together like this is perfect.

Looking up at him Haley forgets about the shooting lesson they'll be doing shortly and instead finds that she's in the process of making a promise to herself. A broad smile crosses her face for a few moments as she voices the idea out loud to Dean. "We need to try and do this on a more regular basis. I'm a real good dancer you know." Emphasising her point she playfully wriggles against him to show him her attempt at half a shimmy.

[officerzeppelin]

"I don't doubt it," Dean confides with a smile. How good of a dancer he is would be the question. He'd always managed to avoid it in the past, but he's certain that if Haley has it in her mind, they'll be going dancing in the near future.

"You'll just have to teach me, I think." It's not easy for him to confess that he's not good at something, but he trusts Haley not to be cruel about it.

[inthis_together]

"There's nothing to teach, Winchester. Its all about listening to the music and finding a suitable rhythm." She leans out of his touch for a short while so that she can pick up her hot chocolate, wrapping her hands around the mug before coming back to her original position. Nuzzling her face into his neck she quickly whispers into his ear.

"From personal experience something tells me you have no problems when it comes to having rhythm."

[officerzeppelin]

If the car ride and breakfast are any indication, making it through a lesson in gunplay is going to be seriously difficult.

Dean clears his throat and takes a drink from his coffee mug. When he's sure he's got control over the volume and timbre of his voice, he makes his reply. "Well, then I guess I'll have to take you dancing then, so you can show me your moves."

There, that was reasonable and far less racy than what he was actually thinking.

[inthis_together]

'Seriously difficult' was exactly what Haley had been attempting all evening, dropping subtle hints since they'd both woken this morning. Before pressing a kiss to his chin she takes a drink out of her hot chocolate, froth left on Dean afterwards which she cheeky licks off.

"I can't remember the last time I dressed up and went out clubbing. Believe it or not Sammy and our Jess often visited a club in Stanford." All three of them had many a good night there.

[officerzeppelin]

Sam, in a club? Dean pulled a skeptical look. His little brother was literally the last person he could imagine enjoying himself in a place like that.

"Did he dance? Was it anything like I'm picturing?" In his mind, Sam flailed around the dance floor with all the grace of a pregnant moose. He could only picture poor Jessica, caught up in a tornado of his brother's long limbs.

But then, maybe he had it all wrong. Maybe when Dean wasn't around, Sam could somehow manage to be smooth and cool. It may very well be that Dean just threw him off his game. Doubtful, but not impossible.

[inthis_together]

Haley sniggers to herself before Dean had even had the opportunity to give a response in return, at his words she can only snigger harder. Her body shakes with laughter as she remembers the first night she, Jess and Sam had met before composing herself and reaching up to whisper in his ear.

"Lets just say it resulted in our Sammy head butting my sister and breaking her nose." Turning to him she raises her eyebrow at the expression on his face. "In his favour he had pre-warned her that it wasn't a good idea, them dancing together."

Looking back at it now it was a time she'd do anything to do over again.

[officerzeppelin]

Now, that does seem more in line with the Sam he knows. His brother isn't clumsy per se, but just too large in general for the world around him. And he's not a known lady's man. Dean chuckles at the mental image. Good thing Jessica was such a good sport.

Before the mood can become somber at the memories of Haley's sister, the waitress appears with their sugar-laden breakfast. After the initial shuffling of plates and utensils, the refilling of coffees and cocoas, and those first few blissful bites, Dean asks, "When Sam was at Stanford, he was happy, wasn't he?"

He and his brother, close as they are, don't talk about that absence. To Dean, those years are just a void. After spending so much of his life spent looking out for Sam, not having him in his charge was the first real loss he felt since his mother, so while he suspects Sam enjoyed that time away as a "civilian", Dean just as often pretends it never happened.

[inthis_together]

She'll chuckle with him, Jessica had handled the situation better then Haley knew she would have if it had been the other way round. She remembered rushing to her sisters side and tilting her head back, something she'd later learnt had been the wrong thing to do. Haley waits for a feeling of sadness to pass through her at the thought of her sister but it surprises her somewhat when it doesn't come, rather a feeling of nostalgia.

When the waitress arrives, Haley drinks the last few dregs of her hot chocolate and thanks her as she tops up their mugs and brings their breakfasts to them. She takes her first bite and can't help the sound that escapes her, if people had noticed her doing so she hadn't. To his question she nods her head, running a hand through her hair.

"For the first school year he more or less kept to himself but something changed in the second, he got more involved with the students. It was like he became someone different but really he had just started making more of an effort. So the answer is yes he was happy at Stanford."

[ooc-Sorry for the disappearance, life got real busy.]

[officerzeppelin]

[ooc: No worries!]

Dean's feelings are mixed. On one hand, he's glad to hear his brother was happy, but on the other, he's sorry he dragged him away from that life. It was necessary, of course, but that doesn't entirely erase the guilt. It had always been their plan to eliminate old Yellow Eyes with their dad and then move on, but along the way, plans changed.

He smiles at Haley, resolutely pushing his feelings about Sam down. Today is about her, not him or his brother, and for the moment, he's happy just to enjoy breakfast with her irrespective of the terrible series of events that brought them together. All he said on the matter is, "At least one of us got to do the whole college thing."

[inthis_together]

Haley isn't quite sure how to respond, knows she needs to lighten the situation. She waits a few moments for her boyfriend to look down before she plans her gentle attack. Taking a bite of her pancakes she carefully leaves some cream on her fork which she uses to catapault at Dean's nose. Sitting back she awaits his reaction, Haley trying her best to hold in the laugh that is currently threatening to spill out.

The feeling running through her during these moments has her looking towards what possibly their future could hold, whether they are due anymore moments like this after today. She really does hope so.

[officerzeppelin]

He's stunned by the cold dollop of cream, but he's quick to draw her close and nuzzle his cream-covered nose into her neck, laughing all the while. When he's sure she's been sufficiently repaid and the whole restaurant has had had their chance to ogle, he pulls back and cooly sips his coffee.

"You're a bad influence, I think," he teases. What he means is that he loves how spontaneous she is, that he envies that about her. He's not much of a planner really, but he's used to constantly working, being on the hunt or on his way to another.

[inthis_together]

The reaction he had given more or less was the response she had been hoping for, pressing herself further into him she'll let out a naughty belly laugh, giving his leg a squeeze and placing her lips on his. Afterwards after they've pulled apart Haley remains close to Dean, embracing the looks they were being given as they unknowingly continue their loved up display.

"Me a bad influence. Whatever do you mean by that, my love." She takes the last few dregs and bites of her hot chocolate and breakfast option before indicating to the waitress that they would like their bill for the morning.

[officerzeppelin]

He smiles gamely.

"Oh, you know the effect you have on me, Beautiful." He flips a curl off her face, tucking it behind her ear and leaning in close. "I can't maintain my heroic, cool image around you." He moves closer until he is but a breath away. "I lose control when I'm with you. Totally unprofessional." He steals a quick but chaste kiss, smiling impishly. "Ask me if I mind though."

[inthis_together]

Haley wishes the waitress would hurry up with the bill so that she and Dean can get out of the cafe before the other customers are given another public display of affection, which she'll gladly give them without another thought. She welcomes everything Dean is offering, cupping his cheek in her hand she whispers into his ear.

"How about we pay and you can show me how much you don't mind?" Kissing him back she pulls back before moving into a second kiss whilst getting up from the booth and taking his hand in hers. On the way to the car Haley won't break the close contact they maintain.

[officerzeppelin]

Dean doesn't waste time with the bill. He just tosses enough to cover their order with a generous tip on the table and allows himself to be dragged out the door. Unable to help himself, he sends a cheeky wink at one of the harried husbands watching him them with envy.

Before she can let herself into the passenger seat, her turns her around to face him and kisses her properly. When he parts from their kiss, he keeps her close, smiling down at her. He looks undeniably lighter than normal, his eyes bright with lust, his smile easy. For once, thoughts of all they have to deal with on a regular basis are a million miles from their bright, sunny breakfast date.

"You taste like chocolate."

[ooc: Sorry for the delay - I was away all weekend unexpectedly. As an FYI, I'll be out of town Thursday - Monday as well. I may have some opportunity to tag from my phone, but I'm not certain :) ]

[inthis_together]

She glances backward and notices what Dean does as they leave and can't help but snigger at his response, waving to the gentleman with her free hand. Haley is more then happy to be pulled in for another kiss as they get to the car, her smile almost as wide as Dean's. This man does things to her body that she can't explain, nobody has ever made her feel this way not since her first romance in High School anyway. Pressing her hips into his, she grabs his biceps and replies to his comment. "You taste like coffee." She's not a drinker of coffee but has grown accustomed to the taste since getting to know the Winchester brothers.

"As much as I love what we have going on, I won't be able to contain myself for much longer if we don't get a move on." She gives him a quick peck before tickling him to get herself out of his hold.

[officerzeppelin]

"Tickling is cheating," Dean accuses as he feigns an attempt to dodge her grasp. He acquiesces and hurries to open the car door for her. He pauses a moment, leaning on the door. "And anyway, isn't your complete inability to resist me kind of the point?" He smiles impishly before finally closing the door and hopping in on the driver's side.

He drives them to an empty stretch of highway and pulls off into a copse of trees. A few yards away is an old, sagging fence they can use to pose targets, and plenty of daylight to spend shooting into the woods. He turns off the car and gestures to the glovebox. "There's a 9mm in there. Pretty nice." It was a Heckler & Koch VP9 with a tiny grip, so it'd be ideal for her to learn with. The gun looks ridiculous in his and his brother's hands, but it had come in handy (heh) more than once.

[inthis_together]

Prior to getting out of the car Haley places her hair back into a bun, exactly the same style that her hair had been in first thing this morning. Putting on a leather jacket she had thrown on the back seat when she had gotten into the impala earlier on in the day, pulling it tight against her body as the wind picked up slightly. Getting out the gun from the glovebox she weighs it up in her hand, amazed with it feeling as light as it looks.

"I have many life skills I'd just never imagined I'd ever need this particular one. Where do you want us to start?"

[officerzeppelin]

"It's a good one to have, if only for a bit of fun." He gives her a wink and heads off toward the fence. There are a couple of beer bottles lying around a nearby makeshift fire ring, and he dumps out the contents before lining them up on the fence.

He joins her a few yards away from the targets and shows her how to make sure the safety is engaged. Once they breeze through the quick lesson in safety, he helps her into position.

"Square your hips to whatever you're aiming at." As she follows his instructions, he moves behind her, gently moving her hips into alignment. "You should feel the ground under your feet solidly." He can't resist the opportunity to drop a kiss onto her neck. "No matter what the distraction."

[inthis_together]

She hadn't thought the idea of holding a gun in her hand would be so terrifying however now that Haley has it in her hands (thankful she is that she had asked Dean in particular to teach her) they still shake somewhat. The feeling of him against her settles whatever nerves and apprehensions she has, leaning against him somewhat she listens intently to everything she's being told. Changing her feet to the position they need to be in Haley finds she bounces on her heel to get the ground underneath her body. Once she feels comfortable she'll whisper into Dean's ear.

"Whatever distractions would you be talking about?... Get your head in the game, Winchester?" Eager to truly begin their firearm session.

[officerzeppelin]

Dean chuckles and steps back, inspecting her stance carefully. It's unrealistic to think she'll never need a gun, so it's important to Dean she's both comfortable and able to shoot without hurting herself.

He adjusts her grip, showing her how to cradle the butt of the gun in one hand and how to position her trigger finger for the most control. He takes a large step back and instructs her to disengage the safety.

"When you're ready to fire, aim down the sight and squeeze the trigger toward you."

[inthis_together]

Taking a deep breath Haley locks eyes with Dean for a second before pulling her focus back to the front. Counting to three in her head Haley pulls the trigger, aiming for the top of the beer bottle, telling her boyfriend exactly what she was doing. Haley felt talking through the process helped her somewhat; She wanted to feel the impact of the gun going off before hitting a target. Her palms sweating throughout that time, a sense of uncomfortableness on her shoulders.

"How did I do?" He should be able to hear the emotions running through her tone as she puts the safety back on the gun and giving it to Dean for a moment or two so she can wipe her hands on her jeans.

[ooc - Hope that post was okay. I myself haven't shot a gun before so didn't want to write too much detail in case I got it wrong. xx]

[officerzeppelin]

Dean beams at her. Even if she hadn't shattered one of the targets, he would have been proud. He points down to the fence. "You got one, sweetheart! You hit it! First shot!" He scoops her up into a hug, picking her up a few inches off the ground before setting her back down. He grins cheekily. "Must be that excellent lesson."

[ooc: Yes, of course! You don't have to worry about me not liking something - I'm fairly chill ;) ]

[inthis_together]

Before she knows whats going on Haley realises that she's being lifted from off the ground, in response she presses her face into his neck whispering. "Thank you, baby. I'm certainly pleased with that." Once back on the gravel she cannot contain the grin on her lips, taking the gun from his hand she asks. "Can we go again?"

Placing herself into position she was in previously she takes off the safety before holding the gun the way that Dean had taught her, this time aiming for the middle of the next bottle rather then the top. Giving Dean a wink before she proceeds.

[officerzeppelin]

"Okay - both eyes open, remember to breathe, feet on the ground." These are the same things his dad had taught him so many years ago, a mantra he repeated to himself so many times, he'd forgotten it. Once, he'd imagined teaching his own children (though for recreation and not the purpose he'd learned). It's a little bittersweet to have to teach Haley because she needed to know rather than just for fun, but he's still grateful for the opportunity.

[inthis_together]

She looks at him for a second, a puzzled look on her features, she quickly taker her lip between her teeth, teasing him.
"If I forgot to breath, Dean. You'd be without a girlfriend." Winking at him she fires the gun.

It may have been irresponsible but she's pretty confident of shooting in the right direction. Looking back she's managed to shoot the can right in the middle, putting the safety lock on Haley puts the gun in her jeans waistband, throwing her hands around his neck. "Who knew I'd be such a great student?"

[officerzeppelin]

When she makes another shot, Dean exhales - apparently, he was the one who needed reminding about breathing. He covers his nerves by dropping a kiss onto her lips. He pulls back, beaming down at her.

"Well, you have a great teacher." He wraps his arms around her, careful of the gun. "Want to try something more advanced?" He waggles his eyebrows suggestively, though he is really just planning on taking her a few more paces away from the targets.

[inthis_together]

She can't help but watch him take a deep breath, a smile passes her lips as they come closer together, she'll never get bored of looking at his handsome face. Haley hadn't expected her life to turn out this way but there are so many positives to go with the negatives they've experienced and she's come to accept that the negative usually outweigh the positives. Kissing him back she presses herself into his neck for a short while, enjoying this new closeness they are getting between them.

"I'll trust you with whatever you decide. However, even I can figure out what your more advanced version of shooting a gun is." Haley sniggers, again teasing him by pulling her lip between her teeth and putting a hand on her hip for emphasis.