Chapter Two

Dean’s phone alarm chimed its melody to signal it was time for him to wake up, a pointless task as Dean had been awake for an hour already. It had been another sleepless night for Dean as nightmares plagued his already scarred mind, and the uncomfortableness of sleeping on such a soft mattress. It was one thing he never got used to, the luxury of a soft mattress. After years of spending most of his adolescence and adult life in the rough conditions of the army, he grew accustomed to the hard life and still found it a bit of a challenge settling into civilian life and its luxuries to this day. Cell phones, however, was a luxury he quite enjoyed regardless of how little he used it; a small device packed with all the convenience of the world.

 

Groaning, he rubbed his forehead as the alarm chimed for a minute more before he rolled over and turned it off. Letting out a deep sigh, he pulled himself to his feet, stretching out his back and hearing the familiar cracks of his shoulders and spine as he did so. His first few steps were sluggish as his body attempted to loosen his stuff limbs particularly his left leg which was always giving him trouble in the cold mornings from an injury many years ago.

He sluggishly changed into some running pants and a black t-shirt before pulling on his sneakers. The older he got, the less he enjoyed his morning fitness routine. But staying in shape took time, effort and dedication.

He did a few quick stretches in his room to further loosen his muscles and went to his door, patting his thigh to summon Chief to him, who just buried his nose deeper into the blanket and let out a sad whine. “If I have to for a run, so do you.” He said to the reluctant hound who let out a sound that could only be interpreted as complaining. “I don’t care if you’re comfy. You’re coming.” He replied as if Chief had actually voiced his complaint. “Come on.” He said again, and this time Chief obeyed and stood, stretching himself backward, sticking his behind in the air to stretch before trotting to Dean’s side and the pair headed outside.

 

His routine started with a light jog, which today, he accomplished by making multiple laps around the Manor’s exterior; thus, also allowing him to make his usual morning routine check of the perimeter �" especially if anything had happened overnight. The chilly English morning air felt sharp with each of his short breaths as he made his way around the building, he found himself inadvertently looking up to Luna’s window each time he passed, wondering if she was awake, but seeing there was no light on, he could only assume she was still sleeping. He wondered if she was an early riser or not. Most of his younger clients tend to sleep past the 8am mark, some not getting up until well past 10am due to clubbing and partying into the wee hours of the morning.

Not be distracted by these thoughts, he came to a stop at the Manors back entrance where a lavish outdoor dining area and pool had been built, and bent himself over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath.  
After a few moments of inhaling long deep breaths, he twisted horizontally at the waist to crack and stretch his back muscles before he then bent down to touch his toes; frowning at the pleasurable pain he felt as his back muscles loosened up for the next part of his exercise routine.
Dropping to the stone floor, he did a round of push-ups followed by sit-ups, and repeated the set three times; cold beads of sweat running down his face as he pushed his physically worn body. Taking a small breather, his steel green eyes glanced around until they came to a stop, eyeing off the sturdy beam across between two posts, and decided to do some chin-ups to finish his exercise.
Groaning softly as he got up from his seated position, he approached the steel rod and jumped slightly to reach it, wrapping his calloused hands around it, giving all the effort he had left to pull himself up and began mentally counting with each lift.

 

His shirt had lifted, exposing not only the faint abdominal muscles etched into his stomach, but also two of multiple scars that littered his body; a stab wound to the right side of his abdomen and a bullet wound scar on his shoulder that was covered and then uncovered by his shirt sleeve with each chin-up he made.
’87…88…89…90’ he mentally counted as he groaned and sighed when he dropped from the bar after his third set of 30 reps. He winced slightly from the pain in his arms, stretching them out slightly as he made his way back to the Manor to get ready for the day.

Chief trotted beside Dean as the pair made their way closer to the Manor when a scuffling sound made Dean’s head snap in the direction of the kitchen window. His hand automatically went straight for his gun that he kept tucked in his holster, only it was left behind in his bedroom while he came outside to exercise.
“S**t.” He muttered as he felt nothing but air where the weapon would usually be kept. Instead, his fingers came up to signal Chief to be quiet and stand on alert as he gingerly crept up to the window and peered in to see who the intruder was.

His shoulders immediately relaxed and he breathed a sigh of relief as he straightened up and continued on his path back inside the Manor. It was just Matt making noise in the kitchen pantry.
Regardless, this was still an important lesson to Dean… Don’t ever leave himself unarmed.

 

By the time he came inside, Matt had exited the kitchen and was on the same path upstairs as Dean was. “Matt…” Dean called out to the tired surgeon who stopped in his tracks and waited for Dean to jog up to him with Chief in tow. “Would you have a problem if I installed some extra cameras and floodlights for security? There’s a few blind spots that has me concerned.”
Mattie shook his head, “Nah. Go for it.”
The two awkwardly made their way upstairs; Mattie to go to sleep no doubt, and for Dean to get ready for the day.
“You’re up rather early..” Mattie commented, breaking the awkward silence.
“I could say the same for you.” Dean gruffly said, not really giving a proper answer. Then again, he wasn’t the type to talk about himself or give any other details than necessary. A habit he picked up as a Bodyguard.
Mattie chuckled, “Just getting a midnight snack and then I’m crashing.” He held up a biscuit that he must have retrieved from the pantry as evidence of his ‘midnight snack’ before shutting himself in his bedroom.
Dean summoned Chief quietly as they passed Luna’s room, in case she was still asleep and shut himself in his own room to have a shower and get ready for the morning.

 

Luna, on the other hand, had been awake and getting ready for the past half hour. Dressed in blue scrubs and her medical coat, with each of her accessories attached in their corresponding places, she stared at herself in the mirror as she brushed her hair and placed it in a simple ponytail. A small and frail looking body stared back at her. Her height and medium-sized round glasses gave her the appearance of such a child that it was no wonder people constantly doubted her abilities as a capable physician and surgeon! If it wasn’t for the fact that she carried the Rosewood name, she probably would’ve easily shied away from the pressures of the hospital and chosen to work in a small clinic instead.
She carried her name to honour the memory of her late parents and carry on their legacy that they left behind. Her, and her brother. Together.

A sound, that closely resembled that of a dying whale, pulled her from her thoughts as her stomached grumbled in protest at the lack of food in her system. Understandable so, as she barely ate anything yesterday. Banana’s and Tea wasn’t the most fulfilling diet to be on. As it was breakfast time, she had to prepare something for Mattie for when he wakes up. Night shifts were horrendous and Luna always made sure Mattie had a decent nutritious meal to wake up to as he would be too tired to eat once he got home.

Making her way downstairs, she wondered if she should make some breakfast for Dean. Is that the norm? She certainly didn’t want to seem rude by not offering to make him some breakfast. He might not even like her cooking. Either way, she’ll make something and what he doesn’t eat �" Mattie will.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, she retrieved all the ingredients and utensils needed to make breakfast. She figured an omelette would be the easiest way to go if there were 3 of them. Mattie’s could be placed in the fridge to eat later if she didn’t see him that morning. While the omelette mixture was slowly cooking in the pan, she scooped up all the empty eggshells and placed them in the kitchen bin. A red packet caught her attention and she peered down into the rubbish with a small frown. She immediately recognised that it was the empty packet to her favourite biscuits; Jammy Dodgers.
‘Mattie!’ she mentally seethed in anger as she straightened up and turned her attention back to the omelette mixture in the pan. As much as she loved her brother, there were plenty of things he did to push her buttons. And she knew most of the time he would do it for his own amusement, but this time, even if it wasn’t potential, it still remained a pet peeve for her.
She continued to push and pull at the omelette mixture until she heard footsteps walking towards the kitchen and without turning around; she began to chastise her 35 year old brother. “You know Mattie, if you’re going to eat all my biscuits, at least do the courtesy of letting me know!” she spun around from the frying pan, one hand on her hip, the other waving the greasy spatula in front of her as to exaggerate her point, “Better yet �" oh.” Brown eyes widened as realisation dawned on her softly annoyed features and her cheeks turned red with embarrassment as she had mistaken Dean for Mattie.

 

Dean raised his eyebrows as he found himself on the receiving end of a waving spatula as he walked in the kitchen, not expecting to see his client �" and certainly not expecting to be immediately reprimanded for something so trivial such as stolen biscuits. He saw her cheeks flush to the colour of embarrassment as she turned back to the omelette she was cooking.
“Sorry, I thought you were someone else.” She murmured.
“Clearly.” Dean gruffly agreed, earning himself a side glare from Luna that went completely unnoticed by him as he walked past her and made his way to the coffee machine �" only for his hands to reach out to it and stop midair. There was no coffee machine on the counter.
A slender hand reached over and flicked the switch on to the kettle, making Dean feel a little sheepish. “Sorry. We, uh, in America, we don’t have electric kettles…”
“Clearly.” The soft voice behind him muttered, throwing his words back at him. A small grin tugged at the corner of his lips quickly at the wry remark.
Luna hadn’t meant for her comment to sound as blunt or as rude as it did, but little did she know that Dean found it refreshing. She was just so use to comments like that from her brother and to constantly having to stand up for herself to other Doctors and many other professionals that immediately doubted her capabilities upon first glance.

He had been hired to protect bratty rich teenagers before. Hell; even grown women that act like bratty rich teenagers… but none of them were like Luna. She never spoke down to him, except for the ‘lost puppy’ comment she made yesterday and the only time she gave him any kind of attitude was usually because he gave it to her first. In his defence, it was to keep her in line (or a constant attempt at keeping her aware of the seriousness of this situation).
The kettle flicked off, signalling the end of its boil and Dean busied himself in preparing his morning coffee.

“Mr Ryder? Would you care for some breakfast?” Luna asked as she switched the stove top off and brought the omelettes over to the two plates that were already sitting out on the counter top.
“I’ve got my breakfast, thank you Miss Rosewood.” Dean said as he lifted his steaming mug in recognition of his breakfast.
“Coffee? It’s hardly a nutritious meal to start the day.” Luna automatically chastised him with her medical authority before she could help herself. It wasn’t because she thought herself better than him. It was because her job is to worry about people, and being a Doctor meant that her concern for others is not strictly 9 to 5.
“Being a Doctor, you’d know that.” He muttered as he brought the steaming mug to his lips and welcomed the first sip of the day.
“It’s also common sense.” She muttered as he walked past her to sit at the table, pulling out his phone.
“I dunno. I’ve met some pretty dumb people in my time.” Dean said, raising his eyebrows slightly in uncertainty that everyone had common sense.
“I’m currently talking to one.” Luna muttered under her breath, but loud enough for Dean to hear. There was no malice in her tone. Just the very faintest hint of a gentle challenge.
Dean was about to say something when his stomach made a loud grumble, causing Luna to glance over at him with raised eyebrows of her own in a slight smug expression. “The offer is still there…Or maybe you don’t like Omelettes…I should have thought about that. Or your lactose intolerant? Or you’re vegan? I’m more than happy to cook you something else? Maybe you won’t even like my cooking…”
He inwardly cursed at the inconvenient timing of his empty stomach, “It’s fine. The omelette is…fine.” He sighed as he reluctantly took up on her offer. If this was the only way to shut her up, he’d be glad to surrender to this argument. Unfortunately the smell of her cooking that filled the kitchen with such a homely delicious aroma had made Dean’s stomach betray him. Even if this was completely out of the norm for him as a Bodyguard… He still appreciated her offer, especially when he found himself in a new position where his client was concerned for his overall wellbeing. He found it to be an odd feeling yet he also, hesitantly, welcomed it.

Luna pulled out another plate and placed the omelette down before putting the frying pan and spatula in the dishwasher. She retrieved some cutlery from the drawer before bringing everything over to the table.
Dean moved his hands away from the table as she placed the plate in front of him. He had planned to make a few phone calls sussing out security companies in order to install additional CCTV cameras and floodlights. Not wanting to be rude when he was offered a home-cooked meal, he placed his phone back in his pocket and decided that he could make the phone-calls later. Whilst it was a priority, they wouldn’t be able to come and install it until the weekend as his clients’ working hours conflicted with the normal business operating hours.
“I hope it’s to your liking.” She muttered softly as she leant over him slightly to place the plate down in front of him.
Dean found himself in close proximity with her to the point where he could smell her floral scented perfume, and should he turn his head to the left, he’d come face-to-face with her chest. Despite the makeup she wore, he could still see her exhaustion beneath it. Suffering with insomnia plus working long hours must be hell for her. Dean’s life revolved around lack of sleep and long hours. Both in the army, and as a Bodyguard. Perhaps it was because he caught a glimpse of her true being last night and that’s why he’s now very aware of her and her features.
Clearing his throat as she left his side, he had to be careful. He was here to do a job, get paid and fly back home to the States.
He took a mouthful and almost greedily went back to take another bite without even finishing his first bite. But he had to remember he was in the company of a refined lady, and he had to keep up the professional appearance of a bodyguard; which included manners.
“It’s delicious…really. Thank you.” He very humbly said, extremely grateful for the first real decent meal he had in months.

Luna gave a small smile and quietly began eating
 
“You not working in the office today?” Dean asked, breaking the awkward silence he felt. Again, he normally wouldn’t ask questions he already knew the answer to with his clients. But the silence was too awkward for him to sit in any longer… and he felt this odd compelling feeling to get to know her a little better than her just being the ‘rich brat he babysat’. Her scrubs were an obvious giveaway that she wouldn’t be attending meetings nor doing business in her office.

Looking up as Dean spoke Luna shook her head. Her ponytail swishing slightly with each slight shake of her head. “No. I’m working alongside Doctor Jones for a while. He worked closely with my Father, and if I’m to follow in his footsteps, the Board graciously offered for me to learn from him.”
Dean frowned slightly, “Is this the guy that was with you in your meeting yesterday?” he asked with a hint of concern in his tone.
“Yes. Why do you ask? Do you suspect something?” Her head snapped up from her plate and she abandoned the next mouthful she was about to take as she left her fork midair, her eyes wide with worry. Immediately worried that Dean suspected Alaric Jones was behind the phone calls.
Which was absolutely preposterous in her opinion!
Dean saw the worry in her features and quickly reassured her before her fear got the better of his client. The last thing he needed was for her to become paranoid and risk making overhasty decisions that would jeopardise finding the culprit.
“No, no. Nothing like that. Just…um…Doctor…Jones, was it? He confronted me in the parking lot. Going off about me being there and I tried to tell him to take it up with you or Matt. But he wouldn’t have a bar of it…” Dean rubbed his bearded chin in the crevice of his forefinger and thumb as he tried to explain his side of the story to her. “He was being an arrogant, self righteous prick and pushed me too far…Talked trash about Chief and…” he waved his hand in surrender as he sighed, the weight of heavy burdens etched in his weary face, “I snapped. It’s no one’s fault but my own… but I want you to know that I am sorry for my actions.”
‘Although I don’t regret them. Piece of s**t had it coming.” Dean thought to himself though he certainly wouldn’t be voicing this thought to Luna.

Luna quietly and patiently listened. Being the person she was, she tried to understand it from Dean’s perspective. And she did, but only to a point. Unfortunately Luna didn’t share a bond with the dog, or any type of animal, to the point where she would actively defend it. However, she also knew Alaric Jones wasn’t the easiest person to get along with. He had quite a superior God complex over a hospital that wasn’t his. Probably because he worked so closely with her Father that he would quite often step in as ‘Acting Chief of Medicine’ in her Father’s absence.
“It’s quite alright.” Luna said softly as she tried to quickly process this information. Today would certainly prove to be interesting. She would need to apologise to her mentor for the actions of her bodyguard! “I daresay it was partially my fault.” She murmured softly as she took a bit of the almost-forgotten piece of omelette she had resting in midair.
She glanced over at Dean who had a questioning look on his face and so she explained further, “Mattie…and myself, I suppose, may have overlooked with informing Doctor Jones of the current situation.”
“Things like this, Miss Rosewood, are preferably on a ‘need-to-know’ basis.” Dean said, knowing that his client was still coming to terms with suddenly finding herself having a bodyguard at her side, and may not know exactly what that also entails.
Luna nodded softly as she bit the inside of her cheek in thought, “I know…But he’s worked closely with my family since the hospital first opened. Considering I’ll be working closely with him, I guess he does have a right to know.”
“He doesn’t. For all we know, he could be the one behind the phone calls. Cases like these, quite often, it’s just driven by petty jealousy by people who are close to you.”
“I highly doubt Doctor Jones is the petty type.”
“You’d be surprised.” Dean muttered gruffly, having seen firsthand who was out to get his client and how ugly it can get. Especially when it was someone close to the client.
Luna raised her eyebrows in pure disbelief at this allegation, “So I should be wary of him?”
“You should be wary of everyone. It’s just common sense.” Dean shrugged as he offered the only sound advice he could give to her right now. And for him, it was general everyday advice. Hell, he had seen comrades in arms betray each other when it was ‘every man for himself’.
“So I shouldn’t trust anyone? Because, what? That would be the dumb thing to do? I’m dumb to have friends? I’m dumb to trust my fellow colleagues?” Luna’s emotions got the better of her when she tried to understand but still found this whole situation completely ridiculous.
Dean’s patience was clearly wearing thin with her when he dropped the formalities. “Look, lady, I have been hired to protect you and find out who has it in for you. I can’t do that if you’re sprouting off information to them.”
“Don’t ‘lady’ me! I don’t appreciate being told that I can’t trust the people I’ve known for years! And I certainly wasn’t the one who asked for a bodyguard!”
“Get used to it ‘cause I ain’t going anywhere!” Dean growled as he stood up from the table and brought his empty plate with him, depositing it in the dishwasher before walking out of the kitchen, leaving Luna alone at the table. Her chest rising and falling heavily with each deep breath she took as she mentally seethed to herself.
Again, she knew he was just doing his job. She truly understood this. What she didn’t understand was the big deal being made out of a few phone calls and now she had a bodyguard entering her personal life. It had only been a day, it wasn’t like she would immediately graciously accept the situation.

 

 

 

Author's Note

Please ignore the inconsistency of the format. I've tried to change it but it's not cooperating with me. I've copied & pasted from a Word Document.