No Strings Attached

Day 1

"Story for another time," he mutters, looking down at his drink. Then he smiles, his eyes alight when they return to Elena. "You're turn."

After rolling her eyes, Elena tells Dean the story of her childhood. She too had a little brother, but she hadn't seen him in years. Not since she had moved away with Damon. She actually hasn't seen anyone from her old life since then. Dean watches her face begins to sink, her homesickness taking root in her mind. Hating to see her so upset about something Damon has caused, Dean quickly changes the subject.

"You said you're a resident at the hospital?" Dean's question causes Elena's spark to return, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she talks about her work. It was obviously something she was passionate about and Dean admired this about her. It's rare for someone to be this engaged by an over-working under-paying job, but Elena seemed to enjoy it. Dean was astonished Damon didn't see how alive Elena's work make her feel.

Eventually the two ran out of things to talk about. They had worn out every conversation and there was no need to backtrack. Instead they sat in silence, remaining by each other's side as they continued to erase their sorrows. Elena wasn't exactly sure when it happened, but at some point during the night she noticed Dean's hand had moved to her thigh, his thumb gently rubbing circles across the fabric of her jeans.

Although the movement was small, it sent electricity through Elena's veins. Damon hadn't touched her that lovingly in a long time and it made her sick to her stomach. Yet she didn't remove Dean's hand for the comfort outweighed the sickness.

Soon after this realization Elena's lips found Dean's, the alcohol in her system telling her this was right. That kissing the man in front of her wasn't a mistake. Dean didn't hesitate to slide his hands across her waist and to the small of her back, pressing her against him firmly.

Somehow, although the odds were stacked high against them, the pair made it out of the bar and to the parking lot. Dean managed to get them into the Impala, the task quite difficult in their drunken stupor.

Elena was afire, her skin humming wherever Dean made contact. He was being sloppy, his fingers tangling up in her shirt as he attempted to trail kisses down her neck. Dean was shaking, although the reason for his shakiness was unclear to him. He felt guilty for something, but the bourbon was muddying his thoughts just enough to prevent him from pinpointing the cause of his guiltiness. Elena, on the other hand, was too drunk to think of anything other than the green-eyed man hovering over her. She didn't fully comprehend what she had done until the sun finally made its appearance in the sky the next morning.

Upon opening her eyes to the bright morning light, Elena frowns down at the unfamiliar arms wrapped around her. These weren't Damon's hands protectively holding her waist. This wasn't Damon's chest she was leaning against.

Elena lets out a puff of air as last night floods back to her, her poor decision causing her stomach to twist. She had slept with Dean. She had cheated.

Craning her neck over her shoulder, Elena glances suspiciously at Dean. He didn't seem like the kind of guy to trick a girl into bed, but what did she know? Dean could have been playing her the whole time and she wouldn't have noticed. She silently curses herself for drinking so much.

Stealthily maneuvering out of Dean's grasp, Elena lands on the floor. It takes her a moment to get her bearings, the pounding in her skull magnifying by the second. If she didn't move fast, the hangover would set in and she'd be trapped. With this thought in mind, Elena begins the search for her clothes. Although the Impala only has so many hiding places, this task turns out to be quite difficult.

"Lisa?" Dean opens his eyes sleepily, the blurry figure in front of him freezing at the sound of his voice. "Why are we in Baby?"

"Okay, so obviously you have no memory of last night," Elena comments, reaching under the front seat to grab her bra. Dean's eyes widen when he hears her voice, the unfamiliar sound snapping Dean out of his sleepy state.

"Elena? Shit," Dean groans, covering his face with the crook of his elbow. "How the hell did this happen?" Scoffing, Elena tugs on her jeans, struggling with the button due to the fact that her hands were shaking. Damon didn't deserve this. Even with everything he's done to Elena, he didn't deserve to be cheated on.

"Well, Dean, it was nice knowing you," Elena mutters, shrugging on her shirt and opening the Impala's door. "Have a nice life."

"Woah, woah, what? Elena, you can't just leave. We have to talk about this," Dean stammers, catching her wrist and preventing her from leaving the safety of the Impala. "What does this mean?"

"What does it mean? What are you, twelve?" Elena jerks her wrist out of his hand, hating the way her heart sinks without his contact. Maybe she enjoyed last night a little too much. "It means we cheated. And it means you need to forget this ever happened. Damon is going to kill me when he finds out." The guilt suddenly hits her, pushing down on her chest and making it difficult to breathe. Dean watches as she hides her face in her hands, mumbling several obscenities to herself.

"Hey, Lena, it's gonna be okay," Dean assures her, gently rubbing her back. She flinches away from him, not wanting him to touch her any more than he already has. Dean hesitates, but he quickly removes his hand. "This is on both of us. Not just you, okay?"

"I need to go," Elena says quickly, clambering out of the car and into the crisp morning air. She wobbles on her feet, the hangover threatening to incapacitate her. Clutching the door to the Impala, she bends over and ejects the alcohol from her body. Dean quickly gets dressed, climbing from the car to help a frantic Elena. "No, no, don't touch me. Please don't touch me."

"Sorry," Dean mutters, removing his hands from her back. Straightening up, Elena wipes her mouth before digging out her keys.

"Umm..." Elena keeps her eyes on Dean's feet, not trusting herself to meet his eyes. "I'm gonna go. Don't... Don't talk to me. Like ever again, okay?" Dean sucks in an alarming amount of air, surprised at himself for feeling this way. Elena was just the woman he had a one-night-stand with. Nothing more.

"Okay," he breathes out, closing his eyes as Elena walks away from him, getting in her car and driving away. She's going back to Damon, he thinks to himself as he gets back into his car. I should go back Lisa. To my girlfriend and her kid.

Although he knows this to be true, Dean finds himself regretting his decision. Not his decision to sleep with Elena, though. He regrets letting her go.

Author's Note:

Tada! My long-overdue Deanlena fanfiction! I really hope you all liked this first chapter. I have a lot of ideas about where I want to take this story so I'm very excited to write it. Thank you so much for reading!

Please comment/share/vote!

Until next time!

~ spnjackles