Dean Winchester sat in a near empty diner, reading a newspaper, trying to stay focused on the task at hand: being normal. It was hard for him to read the stories and not try to pick them apart, turn them into something supernatural. He wanted this. That was something he had to remind himself over and over again. It was true, he did want a normal life and he did want to settle down but it was one of the hardest things he had ever tried to do. This was going to take a lot more effort than he thought.
He stood up and left the tip on the table before he made his way to the register to pay. The woman who turned to him caught him off guard. She was beautiful in a rushed, frazzled sort of way. Her name tag read 'Grace'. Dean smiled at her. If this had been a few months back, he would have been more than happy to invite her to his hotel room. But, because he was trying to be normal, he decided that it was best to go about this slowly.
Grace smiled back but there was something in her eyes that told him that she was not okay. Fear, maybe? She gave him his change and her fingers brushed his before she rushed to the back. He looked into her eyes, confused, before she rushed off.
Dean walked out of the diner, totally caught off guard by what had happened. He tried to shake the feeling that something big was coming but as he lay on his bed in his hotel room, he thought only of two things. Grace, and what had happened when she had touched him.
The next day, Dean dropped in the diner once again for breakfast. This time, Grace was his waitress. He smiled at her and a look of recognition crossed her face. "Well, you're becoming a regular here," she said with a smile.
Dean nodded. "I'm Dean," he said with a soft smile. "And let me guess…you're Grace?" he asked.
"Well, how on earth did you ever guess that?" Grace laughed. "What can I get you?" she asked.
Dean smiled. Any other time he would have had plenty of ideas. "I'll have bacon and eggs," he said. "And a coffee. Black."
Grace nodded as she wrote it all down. Dean watched her as she walked to the back to give his order. She seemed more composed today but he still sensed that something was wrong.
When she came back with his order, he asked her when her next break was.
"In about fifteen minutes," Grace informed him. "Why? Are you going to try to pick up on me? Kind of cliché, don't you think?" she said with a smirk.
Dean laughed. "Very," he said. "But I thought it was worth a try…" he said with a crooked smile.
Grace grinned and nodded. "Alright," she said. "Give me fifteen minutes." she added. As Dean nodded she went to the next table to take their order.
Fifteen minutes later, Dean sat in his car with Grace as sounds of Metallica drifted through the speakers.
"So, why are you here, Winchester?" Grace asked him suddenly. Dean had to look up at her to make sure she had really said that. Her voice sounded different, more harsh.
It took him a moment to respond. "I…I'm traveling," he said. "How did you know my last name?" he asked.
"A friend told me," Grace said with a sigh. "Look, you're in a lot of danger. I suggest you get out of town as quickly as you can. They're planning on coming after you and I don't want to see you get hurt…"
Dean frowned. "Wait…who is planning on coming after me?" he asked. He noted that she said she didn't want to see him get hurt. That meant she cared, right?
"They are…" Grace sighed. "The shadow demons. They said they know you." she said quietly.
Dean felt himself pale. "Grace, how did you get involved with something like this?" he asked.
Grace shook her head and looked out the window. "I can't tell you that right now. But please…please get out of town." she said softly. At that, she got out of the car and went back into the diner, leaving Dean in shock as he stared at the door of the diner.