Maya stood in front of the library steps, eyes trailing up the ivy-covered stone façade. “So... this is our date?”

Jack grinned beside her, hands in his jacket pockets. “You said library. I delivered.”

“You know I meant it as a joke, right?”

“I know. But I also know you’ve been dreaming of ancient stones and weird symbols and waking up like you’ve been through a battle. We can flirt and fight evil. Multitasking.”

Maya tilted her head, smirking. “You’re getting dangerously good at this.”

He offered her his arm with mock chivalry. “Milady, shall we uncover the secrets of your subconscious?”

With a quiet laugh, she looped her arm through his, and they entered.

The library was warm and quiet, dust motes dancing in the golden sunlight that streamed through the tall windows. Shelves towered like monuments, every aisle humming with stories and secrets. Jack led them toward the history and folklore section, clearly in his element.

“This feels like something Sam and Dean would’ve done,” Maya said, flipping open a worn book on dream symbology. “Minus the flannel. And the Impala.”

Jack chuckled. “You can be Sam. I’ll be Dean. Or maybe Cas?”

Maya raised an eyebrow. “You? More Cas than Dean.”

He looked mock-offended. “Why?”

“Because you’ve got that confused-but-soulful stare down to a science.”

Jack gave her a wide-eyed look. “Like this?”

Maya giggled. “Exactly.”

Their banter faded as they dove into research. Ancient dream lore, symbols that matched what Maya had seen, recurring elements like forests, light, runes — things she’d never consciously known but that appeared again and again in her dreams.

“Here,” she said, tapping a passage. “Glowing stones representing divine access. Usually seen by those with latent abilities or those being watched by... celestial beings.”

Jack leaned over her shoulder to read, and she felt the warmth of him so close. “Divine access,” he murmured. “That’s subtle.”

“Is this your way of hinting you’re a celestial being?”

Jack blinked, then offered her a slow smile. “Would that be so bad?”

Maya held his gaze for a beat too long. “Not if you stop being so cute about it.”

He laughed under his breath. “I’ll try. But no promises.”

After nearly two hours of researching, giggling over strange book illustrations, and finding more questions than answers, Maya leaned back in her chair and sighed. “My dreams are either a coded warning from the universe or an overactive imagination with very fancy visuals.”

Jack closed his book and reached across the table to take her hand. “Well, if the universe is trying to warn you, I say we outsmart it.”

She smiled, squeezing his fingers. “Okay, Winchester.”

Jack glanced at the clock and stood. “Come on. Library time is over. I’ve got something to show you.”

“Another clue?”

“Something better.”

---

Ten minutes later, they were walking down a quiet trail in the woods behind the library. Maya looked skeptical. “Are you kidnapping me?”

“Absolutely not,” Jack said cheerfully. “If I was, would I do it in broad daylight?”

She gave him a sideways glance. “I don’t know. You’d be the most polite kidnapper ever.”

Jack stopped at a clearing—and with a flick of his fingers, the world changed.

Blankets unfurled across the mossy earth like petals. Tiny lights appeared in the trees overhead, twinkling like fireflies. There were floating candles above them, soft music humming from nowhere, and a woven basket with wine, strawberries, and pastries laid out like a scene from a fairy tale.

Maya’s mouth dropped open. “Are you serious?”

Jack looked adorably pleased with himself. “Picnic upgrade.”

She spun around, arms wide. “You literally summoned a dream.”

“Technically, I just shaped what was already here.”

Maya stepped toward him, eyes full of something soft and glowing. “How do you keep doing this?”

He looked confused. “What?”

“Making me feel like this is some kind of movie. Or a spell. Or both.”

Jack smiled, a little shy. “I guess I’m just good at noticing what you need.”

They sat close, legs touching, eating strawberries and watching the sky shift toward dusk. Jack leaned on one elbow, facing her fully.

“You really want to figure this out?” he asked gently. “What the dreams mean? Why they keep getting stronger?”

Maya nodded. “I need to. Because they’re not stopping. And the weirdness... it’s creeping into the day now. I see things out of the corner of my eye. Lights flickering. Shadows where they shouldn’t be.”

He was quiet for a long moment. Then: “You’re changing, Maya. Something’s waking up in you.”

She looked at him sharply. “How do you know that?”

He hesitated. Then gave her a small, honest smile. “Because I feel it too.”

Their eyes met. Held.

“Do you ever wonder what this is?” she asked, voice quieter now. “Between us?”

“All the time.”

“And?”

Jack reached out, gently tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I think it’s the beginning of something I’ve never had before.”

Maya swallowed hard. “You mean love?”

He nodded. “I think so. And it scares the hell out of me.”

She let out a breathy laugh. “You’re not the only one.”

A beat.

“I’ve never… I’ve never done this,” she said, gaze fixed on the moss below. “Not really. I’ve kissed people, dated, but... I’ve never felt like this. Never wanted someone so badly but also felt like I could tell them anything.”

Jack reached for her hand again. “You can tell me anything.”

She looked at him, vulnerable but steady. “I want tonight to be easy. I want to be close to you.”

Jack nodded slowly. “There’s a little motel near here. Just one night. No expectations. Just... holding you.”

Maya leaned in and kissed him, slow and deliberate. “Good. Because I was going to ask if I could fall asleep on your chest.”

He grinned. “You’re kind of perfect.”

“I know.”

---

Later that night, tangled in the warmth of too many blankets in the small, cozy motel room, Maya lay curled against Jack, his arms wrapped securely around her. His heartbeat was steady beneath her cheek.

“You’re really staying the whole night?” she murmured.

“Of course. You asked for cuddles. I'm morally obligated.”

She giggled, then turned slightly so their faces were inches apart. “You smell like magic and waffles.”

Jack blushed. “Thanks... I think?”

She kissed him, gentle and soft, and they stayed like that for what felt like forever.

But the peace didn’t last.

Somewhere around 3 a.m., Maya shot up, breath caught in her throat. The room was still, but her skin crawled.

“Jack,” she whispered, shaking his shoulder. “Jack—something’s here.”

He was awake in an instant, eyes glowing faintly gold.

The mirror in the corner shimmered—and then cracked from the inside.

Maya’s eyes widened as a dark shape oozed through the glass. Not quite solid. Not quite shadow. Its eyes locked onto her.

Jack stood, hands out. “Stay behind me.”

The thing snarled.

Maya clutched the sheets. “That’s it. That’s the feeling from the dreams.”

Jack didn’t answer.

He stepped forward, golden light pouring from his palms.

But the shadow didn’t flinch.

Instead, it spoke—a voice like wind through dead trees. “You cannot protect her forever, Godling.”

Maya’s blood turned to ice.

The shadow vanished in a burst of smoke and glass shards.

Jack turned to her slowly. “Maya... I—”

But she was already staring at him, breath shallow.

“Godling?” she echoed.

Jack’s mouth opened, but no words came.

And Maya, suddenly aware of just how much she didn’t know, whispered, “Jack… what are you?”