still chasin' you

" Oh we're all a little crazy, aren't we ? It's what makes the world go 'round a little faster " Nora chuckled softly, thankful as soon as Savannah set her edible gifts down on the kitchen counter. Theirs was a strange kind of first meeting but it was certainly one of the most memorable and something Nora wouldn't forget for awhile. Hearing how their last encounter had left a permanent reminder on the other woman, Nora winced a little as she felt a little bit responsible for leaving such a scar. She was sure it was something that could be fixed by a cup of coffee and some sweet treats. " I think I've got a cream for that here somewhere. You'll have to remind me later " She assured, her motherly, caring essence in full bloom as she flicked on the kettle and reached into the cupboard for two mugs. Refreshing her dining room could definitely wait a few more hours especially when she was in good company. " Aw thank you, that means a lot coming from the girl who threw herself headfirst into my rose bushes " She shook her head, laughing under her breath at the now permanently ingrained memory. Though her heart warmed steadily as the talk turned to how long they'd actually been in the neighbourhood. " Hm, around four years, I think ? My sister-in-law actually had a lot to do with us moving here " It had been a decision they hadn't taken lightly, being newlyweds desperate to find their forever home was new territory for the both of them. Luckily they had a secret weapon in the form of her sister-by-heart, Haven who found them their home. " Oh no, just a little bit of D-I-Y. Nothing I can't save for later when Nessie's asleep. You want some coffee to go with the pound cake ? ". @savvy-sutton

Savannah waved off the offer for a cream to deal with her little scar, deciding that she didn't mind having a small blemish on her skin. She had been through much worse than a little scratch anyway. "Oh so did y'all live somewhere else in town or move from some place else?" She asked, taking a seat and smiling at the baby who had her eyes on Sav now. "Gosh she's awful cute. How old is she?" One of the few things in her life that Savannah felt like she would never have time to make right was not being a mother. While she had never had anyone show her how to do it right, the blonde had a strong maternal instinct. "Sure, that would be great actually, I feel like a bit of a caffeine addict these days honestly." She smiled and turned her attention back to the little one.

He didnt want to have to make her talk about it or see him more then he had too. He was going to make sure his staff was all updated and knew what to do about it. "Please, who wouldn't do that for a friend or staff" he smiled at her for a moment. He was worried about her for sure. That he did hope her ex would not show up. "I will make sure he leaves and will let you know about it. "But keep in mind if you need it you can stay in my apartment I have room or need someone with you ever let me know" he did want to keep her safe. "You need to hire someone so you dont need to be around him" a way to keep them apart and her safe. @savvy-sutton

Getting to her feet, Savannah nodded and ran a hand through blonde curls. "Thank you, really. You're bein' much more accommodatin' than most people would." She took a few steps back towards the door. "I'll get back to work but thank you for listenin' to me. And I'm workin' on the legal help for all this so hopefully it won't ever be a problem." She smiled and headed out the door.

Dean always had something to say about the men Savannah had taken interest in, and looking back at it he hadn't approved of a single one of them. Even if it was for something as simple as attending a yoga class, he always found a reason to not like them. "Oh yeah, I bet he's just adorable. Next thing you know you're going to tell me you started seeing a guy you met at the nail salon" he teased her, nudging her side gently. He shook his head again as she said the other girl was gorgeous, before adding, "That doesn't matter, I've met women at the gym when they were all sweaty that's never stopped me before." Of course, the fact that he'd just hooked up with these women and never talked to them again was implied but he wasn't going to say it out loud.

Whatever it was between them, whatever unspoken bond that tethered their souls together, it wasn't going to be long before she could no longer deny it. Whether she knew it or not, Savannah was falling into a mess that she couldn't climb out of. This thing between her and Dean had been dormant for the years he'd been gone, but now that she was here and laying in the back of his truck looking up at the stars, she knew something was brewing. He'd never seemed to feel that way about her but Savannah knew her own heart and it was still lingering on that decades old feeling for him. "Thanks for bein' here. For still bein' my Dean." She finally said, turning her head towards him so they were both now looking at each other and not the stars. There was so much more to say but tonight this was enough. She reached over and took his hand, feeling like a teenager again. Like all those years ago in Georgia were catching up to them. "If you weren't here I don't think I coulda done this." She admitted, eyes locked on his. "You're still my person after all this time."

"Consider it done," Logan smiled at Savannah as her hand was squeezed by the blonde woman. "we don't get enough girl time, at all, which is actually a crime." Her head shook slowly, "I think that sounds like a great idea if you ask me." Logan was grinning now before the conversation hovered around her brother. "I agree," that caused her to look down at the table, "something isn't right. He hasn't responded to mine either." And though there had been a time in which he hadn't done so for six years but that was besides the point now that they had been reunited. "I want to give him space, but I just don't think I can anymore." @savvy-sutton

There were more people coming into the bar now as the dinner crowd started to pour in. She glanced behind her and then back at Logan with a smile. "You want somethin' to eat? I'll put in an order for you if you're gonna stick around. I'm tryin' to make a good impression on my boss though so I should get back to the bar." She leaned over and gave her friend a squeeze, hugging her tight. "Let me know how it goes with Dean and I'll see you later, okay?" Savannah knew she'd have to talk to Dean soon but tonight she needed to worry about paying her rent and being able to afford the lawyer she needed to get this divorce started.

"So you saw a dude doing yoga, and that's who you decided to flirt with?" Dean questioned, shaking his head. "Well no wonder you haven't had any luck, you're going after guys who do yoga- come on now" he teased. They both knew that you'd have to drag Dean to any kind of activities like that, and even then the chances of him actually participating were slim to none. Sports? For sure. Hikes? Definitely. But yoga? Absolutely not. "It's his loss anyway, I don't know who Wesley's dating but I'd bet good money that she ain't even half of you" he told her, though it was mainly for reassurance, he really did mean that. How anyone could meet her and not see how amazing she was, he had no idea.

"He's cute! You hush now, just cause you don't wanna be flexible and stress free, doesn't mean you get to rag on the men who are comfortable enough with their masculinity to do so." Savannah laughed as she rolled her eyes at Dean. He was always making comments about the men, or boys back then, that she was interested in. His comments about Eric had been a little less friendly, and he'd been right. "I don't know, she was pretty gorgeous. When I met him I was sweaty and lookin' like a hot mess." She shrugged and glanced over at Dean at his comment.

Donny did want to comfort her but he felt it was best for him to just stay in his chair and speak to her. He was going to do what he could to make sure she was safe when she was working. "Alright," he said writing it down. He looked at the phone and made a face "Can you send that to me" he was going to make sure all of his staff knew he wasn't allowed. "You can work any time you want okay or take time off," he said he make sure she was well taken care of. "Savannah know I am here for you ok" he smiled at her. He was worried for sure. "But you have a former Marine here as you boss and many people who care about you here" he said with a nod. "and if you ever need it come to my office" it was a safe space and the door locked. @savvy-sutton

She nodded and quickly sent the photo over to her boss, hoping that he would never need to look at it again after today. If everything went according to plan, Eric would be out of her hair before he ever had the chance to come looking for her here. "Thank you. Really, it means a lot to me that you're so thoughtful and that you're willin' to work with me and give me the space I need." Savannah wasn't used to having too many people to count on so this new life she was making for herself was really nice. It was good to feel like people cared about her. "If by chance he ever does come here when I'm not workin'...please let me know, I'm plannin' on servin' him with a restrainin' order but he's gotta get it in person and I know he's not home in Georgia so I'm gonna have to track him down somehow." @donnymorgan

"No one's waiting on me" Dean assured her, before adding, "And even if someone was, if they didn't understand you coming to stay with me right now, then they're not someone I'd want to see." That he truly meant, as problematic as it might sound for any relationship he could ever have, he was fairly certain that no matter what when it came down to it, he would choose Savannah over anyone. He rubbed her back comfortingly as he held her in the hug, quietly repeating that she never needed to apologize to him. "You stay as long as you need to, don't even worry about that" he told her as he pulled back a little, keeping one hand on her back as he lead her over to her bedroom so he could help her grab some essentials. "Let's just get some clothes for you quickly and then we'll get you out of here, alright?"

She nodded, wiping at her cheeks to catch the stray tears still rolling down her flushed face. Dean had been her safe place for her whole life, when he had left and she no longer had one, she'd learned to deal with things on her own. It felt almost wrong to be depending on anyone else again. "Thank you." Sav whispered as she pulled away from him once she entered her bedroom. She was quick to pack a few changes of clothes and grab a small toiletries bag from her bathroom before picking up her little duffle bag off the floor and heading towards her front door. "I promise it'll just be until I get this mess figured out, a couple days at the most." Whatever that meant, she had no idea how she was supposed to fix this. @dean-walker

"If there's anything I can do," though she didn't know what that would be, Logan would be there for Savannah. The other woman had been the sister she never had growing up and nothing had made her happier, besides reconnecting with Dean, was to find out Savannah was also in town. "I will, yeah," she nodded her head, "I know he will hate it, he's always hated when I've pestered him, but," Logan shook her head as she thought about how he was acting, "I just - something doesn't feel right to me, you know? Especially if you've said he's supposed to help you," she didn't know why Dean would bail on Savannah in regards to her divorce. @savvy-sutton

She placed a hand over Logan's and gave it a squeeze. "Honestly the thing that would really help the most is just some girl time. I feel like we haven't had enough time to get properly caught up. Maybe we could do like a skin care and movies night at my place soon." Anything to distract her from the mess going on in the rest of her life. Savannah wasn't all that proud of the dump she lived in over in Sutherland Park, but Logan had seen the way Savannah grew up so she would understand. "Somethin' is definitely wrong with him but he's bein' real hush hush about it. I was thinkin' about goin' to see him when I get off work but he hasn't been respondin' to my messages today." @loganxwalker

Following Savannah as the blonde took her hand and led her to a table on the far side of the bar. She shifted out of her jacket after unzipping it and sitting down across from Savannah. "You have?" Her eyes furrowed toward her nose and her heart twisted as the other mentioned Eric, "You deserve to be out of that marriage, I wish there was some way I could help," her journalism powers only helped in some situations. "No," she shook her head, feeling perplexed by her brother, "He has, which makes me think something is up with him." Though, she really hadn't known him for the last six years and while she had only been in town for the last six months give or take, she doubted she knew her brother the same way she used to. "I'll stop by to check on him after we talk." @savvy-sutton

She hated bringing this up and hopefully this would be the last time she needed to until she got the lawyers involved. "I'll be okay, really. I just need to get all this handled and my head's been a mess tryin' to work it all out." Savannah left out the part of the story where she'd almost left town before Christmas when she'd realized her husband was looking for her in East Haven. If it hadn't been for Dean, she would have. "I've barely heard from him since Christmas and he told me he was gonna help me out with all this divorce stuff." Savannah pulled her phone out and looked at their text messages with a frown. Almost all one word replies from Dean. "Would you? That would make me feel better if you could just pop in on him. I know he's gonna say everythin' is fine but I also know you and I know better than to take that at face value." @loganxwalker

Hearing what she said he was getting more worried about it as she went on. She was great at his bar and a friend of his now, so he wanted to help her out. "Just let me know his name and give a photo I will make sure myself and the staff know he's not allowed here" to help somewhat he hoped. That if he did step foot in the bar he be stopped and everyone would know to call the police. "You're fine, but thank you for telling me" part of him wanted to get up to hug her, but he didnt want to do to much for her. "I am here for you no matter what okay" he nodded as he looked at Honey who was doing her thing to help people try and relax and feel better. "But you can work whenever you want or if you need time off let me know too" he wanted to do what was best for her. @savvy-sutton

The real problem with all of this was that Savannah needed to work and she really couldn't afford to take any time off. If she was going to avoid her husband showing up here and causing a scene, the best thing for Tequila Cowboy was for her to not be there, but that meant she couldn't pay her rent or put food on the table and that wasn't an option. She nodded at his request and swiped at the tears running down her cheeks. "His name's Eric Rutherford." Saying his name out loud, her own legal last name, made her sick to her stomach and she scrolled through her phone until she found a photo, sliding the phone across the desk to Donny. "I wanna be at work. I need to be. I just needed you to know if I seem distracted or somethin' happens, this is why." Or if something happened to her. If she stopped showing up at work, people needed to know why. @donnymorgan

Every moment that he stayed there watching her unravel just broke his heart even more. It was his own fault, he should’ve been here when she called and he hadn’t been. If he wanted to really be hard on himself, he would say that the whole thing was his fault anyway despite that, because if it hadn’t been for him, she would’ve never ended up with that damn Eric in the first place. “I know I don’t have to, I want to. Come on- stay with me. Please” he said, but at this point he wasn’t really asking. He was going to convince her one way or another that staying with him was her best option, because he really thought it was. Frowning when she said she should’ve called the police, Dean retorted, “No- no, you did right by calling me; it’s my fault I should’ve answered, that’s not on you. That’s me, I fucked up.” Every sentence that left her mouth just had him feeling worse, and he didn’t have much to defend himself with. “I know, I wasn’t here but I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere. You’re not interrupting my night, stop talking like that, you’re okay” he said, pulling her in to his chest and just holding her there for a moment, “You’ve never been a problem for me and you never will be, okay?” He assured her in a hushed whisper. “You’re gonna be alright, let’s pack you a bag and get you over to my apartment.“

“If you have somebody waitin’ on you I don’t wanna show up and make things weird.” She shook her head but Dean had already started pulling her into his chest. Savannah closed her eyes and slid her arms around his mid-section, burying her face in his chest. That familiar feeling was still there, the way he made her comfortable and relaxed just by touching her was something she’d never felt with anyone else in her life. Somehow he still smelled the same too and that made her fear subside just a little. While she wasn’t sure what Dean would do to protect her, or maybe she didn’t want to think about it, she knew that he would. If Eric came back, he would protect her. “I’m sorry.” She kept saying it, despite what he was telling her because the guilt of being a burden on anyone was strong. “I’ll get it figured out. I promise I won’t stay long I just need to get outta here tonight.” In case he stuck around and kept looking for her.

“You did?” Dean questioned when she mentioned that she’d tried flirting with someone here once. He didn’t know why the idea of that bothered him a little bit- he wanted her to be happy, of course he did, so why? “Who did you try flirtin’ with?” He asked, looking back at her for a second before looking back out at the road. Smiling a little to himself when she took his hand, he continued to hold onto hers while he drove. “It’s weird, I thought my life was calm and quiet when it was just me here. Then you both came back into my life and that was hectic at first but now I think it’s even calmer than when I was alone” he admitted. It had been hard for all these years to hide so much of himself and his past from everyone he knew, so having two people who knew everything about him and still loved him despite all of it was something he really needed. After a bit of driving and horribly singing the songs that came up on the radio, he pulled up to a secluded quarry that overlooked a cliff side. Dean parked the car before turning to her again with a crooked grin, “I got a six pack by your feet, you mind grabbing that for me while I go open the trunk bed?” He asked before getting out of the car and moving to the back, opening the truck up to reveal the pillows and blanket he’d brought before turning back to the cliffside, looking out at the view of the snowcapped mountain ranges and deep blue sky scattered with stars. “You don’t get views like this in Georgia” he told her, his accent thickening again as it so often did when he talked to her.

“This guy I met takin’ a yoga class. His name’s Wesley. I saw him again at your friend Johnny’s wedding and we were flirtin’ a little then too. Then I saw him not long after that with some woman in town holdin’ hands and I was mortified.” Savannah blushed slightly, realizing that she never should have been flirting with anybody. Her life was a mess and she was still technically married so she should probably keep it to herself for now. “I don’t know how I survived those years without you guys honestly. I ain’t ever been so miserable.” She said softly looking down at their hands before he parked the truck and she let go of him to get out.

He was glad that Honey could do what she was trained to do even for others. She could feel when a person needed her and would go to them. Savannah had something going on and Honey knew it so there she was happy to lay on Savannah and get some pets. "Okay" he said feeling a little worried something was going on with her. Hearing what she said he nearly jumped he didn't expect it from Savannah. She was such good person, a sweet women so the fact a man was mean towards her he didn't like it. "What do you need" he said he do what he could to help her for sure. "You know you have here, the bar, the office my place... whatever you need okay" he said he open his door for any friend that was in need. "But please do not quit you are find to work here. Or if you need time off let me know" he still let her keep it. "I am here for you" he wanted her to know that. He maybe out of the Marines but he still knew how to keep people safe. @savvy-sutton

Truthfully she didn't want to quit her job or give up any part of her new life here in East Haven. "Right but, I guess I just want you to know that it might get ugly. There's a possibility he might show up here and if he does the police are gonna get involved and I just really don't wanna mess up business for you here." She looked down at her lap and tried to will herself not to cry, despite the prickling heat behind her eyes. Honey laid her head in Savannah's lap and the blonde ran her hand through her soft fur slowly. "I'll do my best to keep the drama outside of work but I just wanted to make sure you knew. If I seem like I'm actin' a little off that's why." @donnymorgan

Nora hadn't quite anticipated what the start of her day would bring. She hoped it'd be a little bit better than the ones she'd been having recently. Ines had been restless since their sleepover in the mall, unable to sleep without being attached to Nora any chance she got and there was also the small matter of trying to clean up the mess in the dining room and the backyard the howling storm had left in its wake. She wasn't exactly the handiest of people but she was ready to make her house more liveable again. Dressed in her messy art clothes, Nora was ready to turn into Easthaven's answer to Bobby Berk when her handyman fantasy was interrupted by a knock at the door. Her concentrated frown turned upwards as she finally recognised her caller without the hidden camouflage of her mother's pink roses. " Oh wow, I've never had someone hide in my bushes then come back with a fruit basket as an apology. I could get used to this " Nora teased, leaning against her front door as she folded her arms tight across her chest. She couldn't help but smile at the genuine effort her new companion had gone through, especially knowing how awkward their first interaction was. Easing her front door open a little further, Nora was charmed by the other woman's sweet, apologetic gesture, enough to invite her into her home. " You comin' in ? That fruit basket looks like it weighs a tonne. Or are you going to feel more at home among the roses ? ". @savvy-sutton

"Well, I'm a special kinda crazy I guess." Savannah blew a piece of stay hair out of her face and looked down at the basket in her arms with a nod at the invitation to come inside. "You know what I still think I have a little scar on my arm from the cut one of them thorns gave me when I dived into the bushes." She admitted and blushed slightly as she came inside and followed Nora to where she could set the basket and the pound cake down. "Your home is beautiful. Y'all lived here long?" That was one of the only things Savannah missed about her life in Georgia. When she'd been with her husband, he'd been so focused on outward appearances that he'd made sure they always had a beautiful home. Though their relationship might have been ugly, their house had looked like the inside of a magazine. "Sorry, I hope I'm not intrudin' on anything important." @norasinclair

When Logan saw Savannah, the woman breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a while since she had heard from her and Dean, actually. Logan was beginning to worry about the both of them more with each passing moment they hadn't responded. "You don't have to apologize," she smiled at Savannah, reaching out to give her arm a small squeeze, "Tell me what?" Her brows furrowed as her hand dropped from the other woman, "Honestly, I haven't seen him since the holidays, he's been impossible to get ahold of." And eventually, she was going to have knock until he opened his door. @savvy-sutton

"Oh." Savannah paused as she looked around to see who was in the bar today as she didn't really want to do this in front of anybody who might tell her boss. She took Logan's hand and led her to a table on the far side of the bar and gestured for her to sit down while she did the same. "I've been havin' some trouble. Eric's in town lookin' for me so I'm tryin' to lay low until he gets outta here. I'm makin' some plans to get myself outta that marriage but it takes time and I'm nervous so I gotta talk myself into it. I told Dean before the holidays and he was tryin' to help me out but, I guess I just assumed he woulda told you about it." She frowned when she realized she hadn't really heard much from Dean lately either. "I wonder if he's okay, he's been pretty quiet lately actually." @loganxwalker

Dean laughed at her saying she didn’t have anyone to tell, “Okay that’s bullshit, you can’t tell me that you haven’t batted your eyelashes and talked your way into the hearts of East Haven by now” he said, knowing the kind of person she was and how much everyone he’d ever met in town would love her. He had a hard time believing she didn’t make a lot of friends here yet, she was the most genuine person he knew and all the more lovable. “That is fair though, you do keep a hell of a lot of secrets for me” he admitted, knowing there were several things about him that he hadn’t even told Andrew so she was the only person who knew them. “How dare you doubt me like this, I’ve had seven years of driving around by myself to clear my head and you think I haven’t found the sickest spot in the whole area? I’m offended” he teased her with a look of feigned agony. Shrugging at her next question, he didn’t really have a good answer for it. By all accounts he was doing well, better than he normally was. He had great friends, he had a girlfriend, he had Logan back in his life and things were going well on all fronts. So why did he always feel like he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop and it would all come crashing down? “I don’t really know” he said, which was generally his answer for most things as she would know, he never understood his own emotions. “Nothings wrong. I guess I just wanted a little quiet, that’s all” he landed on saying, that being the best way he could think to describe it.

“I tried flirtin’ exactly one time and now that man is datin’ someone else, so no I ain’t been doin’ too much eyelash batting.” Savannah rolled her eyes and laughed at the way her ‘flirting’ had turned out. It was hard to think about anybody romantically anyway when she had a husband still looking for her. She hadn’t quite figured out what to do about that mess yet but she was working on looking into divorce papers. The fear that crept in was quickly squashed as she decided that’s not what tonight was for.