"I can't believe you've really never done this before."

"Never really had any desire to."

Jo scoffed at Dean's nonchalant response, shaking her head. She'd managed to weasel him and Sam into bringing her along on their latest hunt, and once she got her mother's furious panic under control, they'd agreed. Currently, the Impala was parked outside a cheap motel somewhere in Florence, South Carolina, and Sam was inside, passed out in his bed, but neither Jo nor Dean had been able to sleep. Blame it on the ridiculous amounts of pie they'd both consumed at dinner. Either way, they were hyped up on sugar and bored out of their minds. So, naturally, Jo came up with a plan. A plan Dean had reluctantly agreed to, what with it involving possible acute damage to his baby.

Stargazing. Call it cheesy, call it foolhardy, call it whatever you will, but Jo loved it. Maybe it was because she and her father had done it when she was a little girl, before he died, and she had some sort of attachment to the activity. Whatever the reason, she'd managed to convince Dean to accompany her this time.

Given that the dirty pavement was no place to lie, she'd opted for them to use the hood of the Impala, and Dean had begrudgingly agreed, partially because of her damn fluttery eyelashes, and partially because she was scary as hell when she was mad. He assumed she'd inherited that trait from her mother, given that he'd never had the pleasure of meeting William.

"How can you honestly tell me you've never just wanted to lie out in a field somewhere and stare up at the stars?" she inquired, and he made a face as he shrugged.

"They're just big balls of gas, right? Who really cares?"

"They're not just big balls of gas," she retorted, swatting his arm with a frown. "They're... special."

"How are they special?" Dean scoffed, flinching back when she lifted a hand to swat him again.

"They just... are." Sighing, Jo shook her head. She doubted he would understand her attachment to the night sky. "When I was little, my daddy used to take me out back behind the saloon, and we'd stay awake for hours after Mom went to bed, just looking up at the sky, finding pictures and making wishes. I guess stars just remind me of the good days. The days when life was... simple."

Dean did understand. He found himself longing for the days like that more than he liked to admit. The days when his mother had been alive, and his father was happy and not vengeful. The days when he'd wait up for John to get home from work; work that didn't involve salting and burning remains. The days when the family business was working on cars, not hunting demons.

"I can understand simple," he stated after taking a breath, releasing it outward in a sigh. "Apple pie."

Furrowing her brow, Jo tore her gaze away from the sky to look over at him. "Apple pie?"

"Yeah. Apple pie." Nodding, Dean looked away from her so he wouldn't feel as awkward about revealing something he preferred to keep buried deep. Choosing instead to stare up at the stars, he finally continued, "My mom used to make the best apple pie. I'd help her. I guess that's why it's my favorite. It reminds me of... simple."

Blinking a bit at his revelation, Jo found herself speechless for the first time in his presence. She'd always just assumed Dean liked apple pie so much because it tasted good, and eating was his favorite hobby. She'd never even considered the possibility that he might have some kind of emotional attachment to it. "...oh."

Sighing, he nodded, shifting a bit awkwardly and trying desperately to find a way to change the subject. If there was one thing Dean hated, it was opening up to people. Not even Sam knew a fair amount of the things that went on inside his older brother's head. "It looks like a bunny," he finally managed, and Jo furrowed her brow again, glancing up at the sky.

"What does?"

"The stars. See? A bunny." Pointing upward, he traced the pattern so she would notice it more easily, and a small grin tugged at Jo's lips.

"Oh hey, it does! See? You're not so bad at this after all, Winchester."

"I'm a gifted kind of guy, Harvelle," he remarked with a smirk as he put his arms behind his head, looking up suddenly. The car was on, purely so there would be the sound of the radio to fill any awkward silences, and his ears had picked up on the song that had just started playing

"...REO Speedwagon..."

A grin tugged at Jo's lips as she peeked over at him, that night in the bar flashing back in her memory. "Damn right, REO."

Sitting up suddenly, Dean smirked to himself as he grabbed her hand. "Dance with me."

"What?" she asked, laughing at his eagerness, shaking her head. "You're crazy."

"Why am I crazy?" he asked, his grin growing smug as he tugged her into his arms. "Your mom isn't here to skin me this time."

Shaking her head, Jo grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You never know. She might have tailed us."

Smirking, his arms snaked around her waist, holding her closer as they swayed lightly to the music. "It's a risk I'll just have to take."

"Oh, how brave of you," she scoffed, but she was grinning as she leaned her head against his chest, closing her eyes and trying not to shake with silent laughter when he started singing along.

"And I can't fight this feeling anymore, I've forgotten what I started fighting for- what?"

"Oh, nothing," she said quietly, a laugh escaping her as she opened her brown eyes to peek up at him. "Your singing is... wonderful."

Rolling his eyes, he leaned his cheek against her hair. "You're worse than Sammy..."

"Don't be pouty," she scoffed, toying with the hair at the nape of his neck. "It's cute..."

"What? My pouting or my singing?"

Shaking with quiet laughter, Jo shook her head, swaying to the music in his arms. "Maybe both..."

"Maybe?"

"Don't push your luck," she said with a sigh, gasping quietly when he dipped her downward, her arms tightening around his neck.

"I'll push my luck all I want. It's kind of my thing..."

She opened her mouth to retort something sassy in response, but her words caught in her throat at the look in his green eyes. It was different than she was used to... His eyes were lacking that taunting sparkle, even if his smirk was just the same. His eyes were staring into hers in a way that made butterflies flutter in her stomach, and she found her own falling shut as she leaned up, capturing his smug lips with her own in a kiss she'd been longing for practically since they met. Dean paused with honest surprise for a moment before he pulled her back up slowly, his arms tightening around her waist as he returned her kiss deeply, the song reaching its climax in the background, making the moment practically like something from a cheesy 80s movie.

It was perfect.

Knotting her fingers in his hair, Jo moved her lips with gentle eagerness against his, a hand cupping his cheek as his own grazed along her back in ways that made her shiver. Damn it, Dean; she could feel her walls coming down as she gave in to his touch, pulling back slowly for a breath.

"That was..."

"...pretty damn perfect," he finished for her, pressing his forehead to hers, and she closed her eyes, letting him twirl them around the parking lot in the moonlight. A star fell above their heads, and Dean noticed, but he didn't make a comment. Any wish he could make wouldn't make this moment any better than it already was.