civil war au } { meddling mothers

[hasperkynipples]

Her son received a letter from a woman.

Not that the idea of Dean having female suitors is unheard of in the Winchester household, but before the war they weren't particularly ones to write. After the war - well, they were almost non-existent. Mary isn't one to deny the fact that her son came home different, a little bit colder but still gentle in the ways that mattered. He grew up in his time away and while the things he's seen were likely not pleasant, he isn't letting them mar him. At least, not in ways that she can see.

All the same, the letter from a woman, a Miss Christine Chapel, finds its way to their front door, and the inherent curiosity gets the better of her. She informs him of the letter, lets him read it, and waits for him to do something in response. In fact, she waits an entire week, and when he doesn't give her a return letter to put through the post, she takes matters into her own hands.

John will probably scold her for it later, but she also saw the look on her son's face when he read it. This meddling is worth doing.

It's takes some time for mail to travel, so much so that she almost completely forgot about the invitation she extended this "Christine Chapel." So when the blond woman appears at their doorstep while she's tending to the flowers in front of their home, she can't help but blink at her in surprise.

"Can I help you?"

Comments

[hasperkynipples]

"Very well." He draws them to a stop outside the barn and swings his leg over the side of his horse to lower himself to the ground easily. He walks the horse back into the stables to rest, before returning to help her off hers. "How'd it feel?"

[hypospraying]

"Better than I initially thought it would," she admits, letting go of the reins and setting her hands down lightly on his shoulders as he helps her down.

"I can see now how horse and rider have to trust one another." She had to trust that the horse wouldn't throw her or take off in a gallop, and the horse had to trust that Christine knew how to guide her properly.

"I don't know when I'll ever have opportunity to ride again, but I'm thankful for such a gentle creature for my first time. Thank you for taking me out."

The entire time she's speaking, she doesn't remove her hands from his shoulders. She's forgotten about propriety and personal space, it seems, either because she's excited to talk about her experience, or because this feels so natural a thing to do. Maybe it's a bit of both.

[hasperkynipples]

"Of course," He nods, before leading both of the horses back to his stalls. "With just me around they don't really get out to ride as much as they used to. I'm sure they were happy for the exercise without having to put in a lot of hard work."

[hypospraying]

"You mother mentioned your father had hurt his back. It's a shame you two can't go out riding together." She follows behind him, giving him plenty of room to guide the horses where they need to go. As he focuses on that, she takes the opportunity to touch her hair to make sure the pins aren't slipping after her ride. She may be much different than she'd once been, but there's still a little vanity present, wanting to look decent in front of him.

[hasperkynipples]

He nods a bit at that. "He and my mother used to go riding all the time. Now, not as much as they used to. But that doesn't mean they haven't found other ways to occupy their time."

[hypospraying]

"It is good to hear they have." They don't sound like her parents at all. Hers only shared meal times or carriages.

"Back to the house?"

[hasperkynipples]

He nods a bit in return. "Back to the house. I'm afraid my mother may insist you stay for dinner."

[hypospraying]

"I could easily be persuaded to stay in your family's company a little longer." Because she does want to get to know them better.

[hasperkynipples]

His smile widens a bit at that before nodding. "Good." And with that, he will offer her is arm to escort her back inside for a lovely (if not nosy) family dinner.