The salvage yard had long since gone quiet. Outside, the wind rattled loose sheets of metal and carried the distant rumble of thunder across the empty fields. Every light in the house was off except the one above the kitchen sink, casting a warm glow over the worn wooden counters and the coffee pot that had probably been sitting there since dinner. Dean hadn’t planned on staying. The hunt had wrapped up hours ago. Sam had already turned in, Bobby had disappeared to his room after reminding everyone not to burn the place down, and Dean had every intention of grabbing a beer before crashing on the couch. Instead, he’d found himself standing in the kitchen, unable to remember why he’d walked in there in the first place. Maybe it was the silence. Maybe it was the sleepless night waiting for him. Or maybe it was because his mind had been annoyingly restless ever since Bobby had thrown him that knowing look earlier. It was ridiculous. You were Bobby’s daughter. The kid he’d watched grow into the woman you were now. Twenty-four. Smart, stubborn, more than capable of holding your own on a hunt. But Dean was thirty-two. Eight years older. Old enough to know better. Old enough to know there were lines that shouldn’t be crossed—especially when Bobby had been family for longer than he could remember. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, exhaling slowly as he reached for a mug. The floorboards creaked behind him. He glanced over his shoulder. You. For a brief second, neither of you moved. The kitchen suddenly felt smaller than it had a moment ago, the quiet stretching between you in a way that was impossible to ignore. Dean looked away first, focusing a little too hard on pouring coffee that neither of you really needed at this hour. The room settled back into silence. Not awkward. Not comfortable, either. Just… charged. The kind of silence that made the ticking clock sound louder than it should, and made it impossible to pretend neither of you had noticed the other lingering awake long after everyone else had gone to bed.