Road Trip, Chapter Four
Oct. 12th, 2009 05:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fleurlb
Disclaimer: SPN and FNL are copyright of their respective copyright holders. I don't own anything here and am just doing this for fun.
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Chapter Four
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Dean put the last of the weapons in the bottom of the trunk, dropped the false bottom to cover them, and then closed the trunk. He turned around and leaned against the car, looking up just in time to catch the beer that his brother tossed him.
Sam joined Dean in leaning against the back of the Impala and looked out over Lake Hamilton. For once, they’d finished a job early enough to see the sunset. He usually enjoyed these quiet moments with his brother, but right now, he just wanted to go back to the motel and sleep. As jobs go, it hadn’t been too bad, but Sam was feeling the strain of months on the road, each day bleeding into the next.
“Nice work today,” said Dean as he popped open the beer.
“I’m sorry I got a little out of control with the blowtorch,” replied Sam sheepishly. “That bastard just moved so fast.”
“Don’t worry about it. We didn’t lose anything that can’t be replaced.”
“What about the IDs?” Sam felt doubly bad about that one. Dean had warned him about carrying all the IDs in his backpack.
“I know a guy in Shreveport - does awesome work. We’ll go tomorrow.”
Sam nodded but said nothing.
“So, Sammy, we’re done early for once. What do you want to do tonight?” asked Dean as he crushed his beer can, flattening it into a neat little circle.
“Sleep.”
“Yeah, before that. Hit the bars maybe? Scout the local talent?”
“No, Dean, I just want to sleep.”
“What are you, one of the Golden Girls? You want to get the early bird special and be tucked in for Murder, She Wrote before nine?”
Sam opened his mouth to argue, but sighed instead. Dean was partly right, mostly wrong, and there wasn’t any point in fighting with him anyway. Sam took a long sip of beer and waited for his brother’s next insult.
“C’mon, Sammy, it’ll do you good. Get out a little bit,” said Dean, his tone softer.
“Really, I just need to sleep. I haven’t been sleeping very well lately. Maybe if I have an early night, I can catch up and I won’t make more stupid mistakes like today.”
Dean looked over and Sam returned the gaze, his mouth set in a stubborn line and his eyes serious.
“Okay, okay. But you don’t mind if I go out, do you?”
“Knock yourself out.” Sam drained the rest of his beer and got into the car.
The ride back to the motel took only a few minutes. Dean pulled the Impala up in front of their room.
“Sure you won’t change your mind?”
“I’m sure.” Sam stepped out of the car and shut the door. He gave a half-hearted wave and watched Dean drive away. Then he unlocked the motel room door and stepped inside.
It was dim and smelled faintly of mold. Sam didn’t bother to turn on a light. He sat down on the bed closest to the door and then lay back and closed his eyes.
It was easier when he was working, when he was moving, when he was talking to Dean. He knew he needed to sleep. But that didn’t make being alone any easier. Because whenever Sam had a minute to think, all he could think about was the jagged hole in the middle of his heart and everything he’d lost.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Palace of Pie, Shreveport, Louisiana
Sam sipped his coffee and watched Dean polish off his second piece of pie. Dean had insisted that if they were in Shreveport, they had to stop at Palace of Pie. Had to. Like it was a written rule or a moral imperative. Sam had agreed, mostly because he knew better than to stand between Dean and food. Guy could lose an arm, doing something stupid like that.
“Sammy, you really should’ve come out with me last night. There was a nurses’ convention in town,” said Dean, looking up from his pie with a wolfish grin.
Sam shook his head. “I really did need the sleep. I feel a lot better today.”
“Good, then maybe you can go out tonight.”
“I don’t know, Dean. Haven’t really been feeling much like going out,” said Sam, looking down into his coffee like it held all the answers to life’s questions.
“I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through, this last year or so, and I know you’re hurting.....but don’t you think that maybe it’s time you gave yourself permission to live again,” said Dean.
Sam looked up and met his brother’s open, honest gaze. He felt his cheeks flush and he shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know, Dean. I just don’t feel....ready or something.”
“You’re dragging your feet, Sammy. I’m not going to pretend to know the reasons why or to think that I can offer some great advice to make you see the light, but I’m telling you, if you don’t start moving on soon, you’re going to be stuck where you are forever.”
Sam knew his brother’s heart was in the right place, but that didn’t make the words any easier to hear. He nodded and looked back down at the table.
“Look around, Sammy, the girl of your dreams could be right here, just waiting for you.”
Sam laughed. “Dean, every woman in this place is at least forty years older than me.”
“Hey, cougars need love too. Even elderly cougars. I saw that wink Clara the waitress gave you. And she brought you an extra scoop of ice cream. I’m telling you, you’re in there for sure.”
“Thanks....thanks a lot,” said Sam and grinned easily. For the first time in longer than he could remember, his smile was genuine. He didn’t know how Dean did it, but he suddenly felt just that little bit lighter.
The bell above the door chimed and both brothers looked up to watch a pretty blonde walk in. She was young, maybe college-age, and her hair was long and hung straight down her back. When she smiled at the hostess, it was the kind of smile that could light up a room.
Sam watched as the girl followed the hostess to a booth near the window. She was wearing an oversized blue sweatshirt and black shorts that showed off her long tan legs. She sat down on the side of the booth so that she was facing Sam’s general direction and he tried be smooth and not stare openly.
Dean, of course, had no such qualms. He slid to the wall and turned so his legs were stretched out across the bench. He put his arm along the back of the booth and tried for the casual look, but he was a bit too excited to pull it off.
“That’s the one, Sammy. I’m telling you. It’s like Fate just walked in here. You’ve got to go talk to her.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Dean.”
“I’m not. She’s perfect for you. Beauty and brains, all in one cute package. You’d be a fool to walk out of here without talking to her.”
“Brains, huh? And how do you know that? Because of your famous people reading skills?”
“Yes. And she’s reading Faulkner. Well, when she’s not checking you out, she’s reading Faulkner.”
“Are you serious?”
“About the Faulkner? Dead serious.”
“No, not about the Faulkner, about the other thing.”
“See for yourself.”
Sam took a deep breath and looked up. The girl looked down quickly, a blush rising in her cheeks. Sam grinned and watched her for a moment, willing her to look up. When she did, he held her gaze and she gave him a warm smile before looking away.
“Go talk to her,” commanded Dean as he pulled out his wallet.
“No, really, I can’t. We have to go to that guy.”
“Tino doesn’t like dealing with more than one person, so I’m going by myself. I was going to make you wait in the car, but you might as well wait here.”
“I’ll wait in the car.”
Dean sighed and dropped enough money on the table to cover the check and a tip. “Fine, Sammy. Have it your way then but you’re missing out.”
Sam followed Dean out toward the door. When they got near the girl’s table, Dean tripped and crashed into it, knocking over her iced tea.
“Oh god, I’m so sorry,” said Dean, grabbing the napkin dispenser and trying to mop up the mess. He looked over at Sam and gave him a wink.
“It’s okay,” said the girl as she slid over in an attempt to get out of the way of the iced tea, which was starting to cascade over the edge of the table. Dean nearly emptied the napkin dispenser but he soon had the spill mostly cleaned up.
“Hi, I’m Dean and this is my brother Sam.”
“I’m Julie,” she said, looking from Dean to Sam, her smile getting just a little brighter.
“I’m really sorry about this. I can be a real klutz sometimes.”
“It’s okay, really. Don’t worry about it.”
“You know what, Julie? Let me make it up to you,” said Dean as he grabbed Sam’s shoulder and shoved him onto the bench across from Julie. “Sammy here can buy you a new iced tea. I have an errand to run, but I’ll be back soon. You kids have fun.”
Sam turned to glare at Dean’s retreating figure, but realized that was like cursing the sun for rising and setting each day. He turned back to Julie and smiled at her.
“Sorry about that. My brother’s......well, I don’t know what exactly he is, but I’m sorry.”
“Really, it’s okay,” said Julie as she put a bookmark into As I Lay Dying.
“So, do you live around here?”
Julie shook her head. “No, I’m from Texas. I’m on a road trip with one of my friends. It’s sort of a graduation thing, I guess you could sort of call it.”
“Congratulations. How long have you been on the road?”
“This is only the second day. We’re heading to New Orleans.”
“Great town. I bet you’ll like it.”
Julie smiled. “I hope so. I’ve been planning this trip for months and, well, sometimes it’s scary, like it could only end up being a disappointment.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” said Sam, surprised at how relaxed he felt. “So, where did you graduate from?”
“Dillon....High School.” From the pause, Sam could tell that she’d considered lying or letting him think she’d graduated from college. He gave her points for honesty but wondered if she was maybe too young for him. He knew Dean would say she was plenty legal and that he should stop over-thinking every thing.
“Where are you going to college?”
“Berkley,” said Julie, her whole face lighting up with excitement.
“It’s a great school, I’m sure you’ll love it there.”
“Yeah. It’ll just be nice to be somewhere that high school football isn’t considered the highlight of the social and cultural calendar. So...how about you? You live around here?”
Sam shook his head. “No. I work with my brother and we travel a lot.”
“Really? What do you do?”
“We’re sort of....like exterminators, but not exactly. We take care of people’s pest problems, but not ordinary pests.” Sam knew he should have a stock answer to the question, or that he should just learn to lie the way Dean did, but he found that he didn’t want to lie to Julie. But he also knew he couldn’t tell her the truth. Not the whole truth, at least.
“What, like alligators and boa constrictors?”
“Something like that.”
“That sounds cool. How did you get into that?”
Sam shrugged. “Our father did it, so I guess we were just kind of born into it. But that’s boring, tell me about your trip.”
Sam felt better, steering the conversations away from his shady occupation. Julie’s trip was interesting, based on authors of the Deep South, and Sam felt like he was learning a lot about her. They chatted for the next half-hour, the conversation moving smoothly with no awkward questions or uncomfortable pauses.
“Hey, you know, we’re headed down to New Orleans today too, so maybe we could meet up for dinner tonight. If you don’t have any other plans,” said Sam, his comfort making him unusually bold. Dean would be proud.
“Yeah, that would be great, although,” said Julie, frowning and biting her lip.
“Although what....oh..... You have a boyfriend,” said Sam in a flat, disappointed tone.
“No,” replied Julie, shaking her head. “Do you? I mean, do you have a girlfriend?”
“No. So what’s the problem? I’m sure your friend and my brother will get along great.”
Julie giggled. “I don’t think my friend is going to be your brother’s type.”
“Don’t worry about that. My brother doesn’t really have a type, per se.”
“Well, for one thing, my friend is named Tim.”
Sam laughed. “Right. Well, then, I suppose Tim probably isn’t my brother’s type. But I’m sure they’ll get along fine. It’ll be fun.”
“Good,” said Julie as she pulled out her cell phone. They exchanged numbers and made plans to meet on Bourbon Street at 8pm. Just as they were finished making their plans, the door chimed.
“Taylor,” said a deep voice. Sam looked up and saw a guy, who he was guessing had to be Tim. The guy was broad-shouldered and had longish hair that fell down into his eyes. He looked momentarily confused and then eyed Sam suspiciously.
“Hi Tim. Sam, this is Tim. Tim, Sam,” said Julie, speaking quickly.
Tim held out a hand and Sam gave it a firm shake.
“I guess we better hit the road. See you tonight, Sam,” said Julie as she scrambled out of the booth and gathered her things.
Tim opened his mouth but Julie silenced him with a single sharp look, leaving Sam both amused and impressed. He waved to Julie and watched her walk out the door.
Sam smiled to himself as he decided two things. One, Dean was right and he was going to give himself permission to have fun tonight. And two, not telling Dean about Tim had the makings of a great practical joke.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
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no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 04:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 06:35 pm (UTC)I loved the interaction between Dean and Sam--you got Dean's snark just perfectly.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 07:02 pm (UTC)Oooh! I can't wait for Dean to meet Tim, and then the two of them to be utterly confused by Sam and Julie. This is a brilliant story, I'm wondering where you're headed... ♥
no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 05:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 12:44 am (UTC)Tim opened his mouth but Julie silenced him with a single sharp look, leaving Sam both amused and impressed. He waved to Julie and watched her walk out the door.
Julie Taylor is a force of nature and yes, Sam is right to be amused and impressed.
Sam smiled to himself as he decided two things. One, Dean was right and he was going to give himself permission to have fun tonight. And two, not telling Dean about Tim had the makings of a great practical joke.
Oh yes indeedy. Great practical joke.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-01 07:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-31 09:27 pm (UTC)A night out on the town with the Winchester boys ought to be interesting. :)
no subject
Date: 2009-11-01 07:48 pm (UTC)