It was dark and they had been on the road for hours. When he heard Sam's stomach rumbling as well his own he knew they were going to have to stop at the first place they saw. He didn't really care where. Beggars couldn't be choosers.
Finally in the distance, Dean saw a flickering neon sign for a diner and pulled into its parking lot. It looked small, and in somewhat questionable condition, but they had eaten in worse places. Sam didn't even wait for his brother, he was practically inside before his brother had a chance to put the Impala in park.
After a few quick glances at the menu, and a nod at the late night waitress, Dean and Sam were soon feasting on a couple of burgers and fries. Sam wanted pie but all they had was apple and Dean involuntarily shivered at the site of the huge pie staring at him from the pie case. Apple pie equaled apple orchard and apple orchard equaled fugly scarecrow. Nope, after that little episode Dean figured he'd never be able to eat apple pie again.
After paying the bill they headed back to the Impala, sitting alone in the parking lot. Dean got to the car first and was almost inside before he realized his little brother was no where near by.
"Dude, if you really wanted a piece of pie you should have gotten it when we were still inside." Dean called out thinking his brother had just gone back to the diner.
Silence. Nothing.
Perturbed, Dean started back to the diner before noticing a back building and Sam about to go inside. Above the narrow doorway was sign flashing in bright neon colors…Bowling Alley.
"Damn it Sammy, what the hell?" Dean called out to him and followed inside the dark building. Sam hadn't gotten too far inside when they both stopped amazed at what they saw in front of them.
A full size bowling alley complete with 12 lanes. They turned and looked at each other.
"Where the hell did this come from?" Dean asked realizing the building they saw was much bigger than what it looked like from the parking lot.
"Weird…" Sam said looking around.
"You're telling me." Dean answered also looking around. Even more surprising were the number of people bowling considering the lack of cars outside. "It's a bowling alley, dude….in the middle of nowhere."
"Cool." Sam responded, a smile growing on his face.
"Dude you're not serious, bowling is so not cool." Dean gave his brother his patented wtf look.
"It is if you're with the right girl." Sammy answered before turning and heading over to the shoe rental booth. Dean followed convinced his brother had lost his mind. When he heard Sam tell the guy in the booth what size shoe he wore, he walked up behind him and spun him around.
"Cristo!" Dean said, looking Sam square in the eye.
"Dean I'm not possessed. C'mon I just want to roll a few." Sam answered with a chuckle. "Um my brother here is a size, um Dean what size shoe are you?"
"No way….No way I'm putting on someone else's dirty nasty old shoes." Dean said backing away.
"Just give me another pair the same size as mine." Sam told the guy and pick up both pairs before turning and heading over to a nearby bench to put his on.
"C'mon Dean they won't let you on the lanes in your boots." Sam cajoled his brother.
"And this is a problem how?" Dean answered arms crossed, shaking his head.
"For me….just once…c'mon." Sam said holding up Dean's pair giving his brother his best puppy dog eyes look.
"Dude they're blue and red. They're like clown shoes, big ugly honkin' clown shoes." Dean said wincing as he took the shoes from Sam's out stretched hands.
"Yeah well just shut up and put them on." Sam said as he finished tying the ones he had on. "And hurry it up."
"I have a feeling I'm gonna regret this." Dean said pulling off his boots and gingerly putting on the ugly bowling shoes. Getting up he handed his boots off to the clerk with a surly look. "Don't lose those or I'll have to hurt you."
Sam had already picked out a lane and was checking out bowling balls when Dean hobbled over to him.
"Not only are they the ugliest shoes I've ever seen but they don't fit either." Dean said trying to walk around without wincing.
"Cry baby." Sam answered, finding a ball that fit.
"Bitch!" Dean retorted before wandering over and looking at the balls that were left. "Aw man these are all girly balls. Dude you got the only one that even remotely looks cool."
Sam just rolled his eyes. "Just pick one and get the hell over here Dean."
Watching the pins reset, Sam set up and let his ball roll down the alley. Stunned Dean watched as Sam rolled a strike his first time out. Hoopin' and hollering Sam spun around to Dean's astonished face.
"Dude what the hell, you never told me you knew how to bowl." Dean said as he walked to the edge of the alley and looked down at the pins resetting. Shaking his head at his brother's accomplishment he gave Sam another bewildered look. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"
Sam shrugged his shoulders and his eyes got a far away look to them.
"It's something Jess and I used to do now and then with some of our friends. Of course usually we were all drunker than hell but it was fun. The minute I saw the little neon sign above the door, I just had to come inside. I know that sounds stupid….I'm sorry let's go." Sammy said as he put the ball back, a sad smile on his face now.
"No way, I want to see Mr. Bowling pro here hit a few more strikes." Dean said sitting down, smirking with his arms folded. "Show me what you got little brother."
Now grinning, Sam reached over and picked up the ball again. Tossing it down the alley, this time he missed the strike but made the spare on the next toss. Dean sat back amazed that after all this time he was still learning something about his brother.
"Bowling, who knew?" He muttered to himself shaking his head. Sam continued for a few more minutes, hitting a few more strikes, before wiping off the ball and bringing it over to Dean.
"Alright dude your turn." He said holding the ball out.
"You're really gonna make me do this eh?" Dean asked standing up and taking the ball.
"Yep." Sam answered with a wicked grin. Checking it out first, Dean swung it around a few times before moving to the line where he had seen Sam stand minutes before. Still not quite sure what to do, he hesitated.
"C'mon Dean it's not a snake it won't bite you, throw the damn thing." Sam yelled from the bench. Taking a deep breath, Dean arched back with the ball like he had just seen his brother do and let it rip towards the pins. Trouble was his aim was a little off to the left and he winched when he saw where the ball was about to land. Sam burst out laughing as he watched Dean's ball land in the gutter of the next lane and roll to the back leaving the pins virtually untouched. Practically falling off the seat, Sam laughed until he started crying much to Dean's chagrin.
"Dude keep it up and the next one is going up your ass." Dean said picking a different ball and threatening his brother with it.
"I'm sorry….im sorry…" Sammy laughed wiping his tears from his face. "Dean you didn't even keep it in the right lane….dude that is so, oh my god….."
Sam clapped his hands together and continued to laugh. Dean glared at Sam before turning around and looking down the lane. Undaunted, he picked up another ball and tossed it, this time keeping in his own lane but the result was the same…a gutter ball.
"GRRRRRRRR!" Dean growled as he picked up another ball. Tossing it down the lane, it had the same effect.
Over and over Dean threw until finally he managed to hit one single….lonely…pin. Triumphant, he turned around to see Sam giving him one of the biggest grins he had ever seen his brother give. Bouncing up, Sam came over and pounded Dean on the back.
"I knew you could do it, I knew you could do it." Sam said sounding like a proud parent. Dean shrugged him off, walked over to the bench, and sat down. Ripping the ugly bowling shoes off he shot his brother another glare, and stomped over to retrieve his boots. Slamming the shoes on the counter, he wordlessly challenged the shoe guy to produce his boots who already had them ready. Knowing they were done, for the night, Sam retrieved his shoes as well and chuckled to himself as he put them on.
"Not a word." Dean threatened as they both headed back to the car. "Not a word or I'm gonna go back in, grab a bowling pin and beat you to death with it."
"Aww c'mon you had fun admit it." Sam said as they both reached the car. Dean shrugged and looked back towards the building.
"Me bowling, never again." he said before looking over at Sam. "It was kind fun watching you though, you're good, but we are never, and I mean, never doing this ever again do you hear me?"
"Yeah sure whatever." Sam answered with a laugh before climbing in the car. Dean quickly joined him and they pulled out of the parking lot. The diner had closed for the evening and all the lights were out giving it an eerie, deserted look. As Dean drove off Sam looked back and was shocked by what he saw.
"Dean stop! Stop!" he yelled. Dean slammed on his brakes and Sam quickly jumped out turning back towards the diner and bowling alley. Dean jumped out as well and looked back to were his brother was pointing. Both stood there stunned at the scene now before them.
The diner and bowling alley were now nothing but piles rubble, their walls barely standing, long ago destroyed by fire. The neon signs they had seen flickering only a short while ago were now filled with broken bulbs and pealing paint.
"Holy crap!" Dean said running his hand through his hair.
"Dean what the hell?" Sam asked shocked looking between his brother and the ruins. "We were just inside…...bowling."
"Don't forget the diner, that food tasted pretty real to me." Dean answered remembering how tasty the burger had been.
"Dude what the hell did we just eat?" Sam turned, his eyebrows raised remembering how it all seemed so real.
"Ghost food?" Dean asked with a smirk.
"Weird even for us." Sam answered before climbing back in the car.
"You got that right." Dean said as he too got back inside and started the car up again. They continued down the road, each lost in their own thoughts before Sam spoke up again.
"Next time Dean, I picked the diner. No more ghost food for me"
"Hey does that mean I never actually went bowling?" Dean asked in a hopeful voice.
"Your secret is safe with me." Sam promised but not before he pulled out his camera phone and looked at picture he had snapped of Dean and one of his many gutter balls, ugly shoes and all. "Yep Dean, your secret is safe with me."
The end.
Authors Notes: Once again a little mindless fic which mostly came to me in the middle of the night. I figure, why not share it with the world and subject you all to its insanity. Yep, I need a new hobby. Thanks for reading, and leave a review if you so wish.