Ashlee ambled along the dusty, winding road slowly. Her straight, dark hair was sticking to the sweat on her forehead. Despite the overwhelming heat, she was wearing jeans and a dark tee shirt. She always wore jeans, and today was the same as any other day. As she turned the corner, she thought she could make out a car in the distance, on the side of the road.
Dean Winchester kicked a rock on the side of the road, cursing his bad luck. He wiped his sweaty brow with a muscular arm. His car sat, smoking. The antique '67 model rarely broke down, but when it did, it was a hell of a mess.
"Jesus, Sam," Dean grumbled to his brother inside the car. "Get your lazy ass out here and help me!"
"What's there to help with? The car's dead." Sam replied.
Ashlee approached the two handsome brothers.
"Having car trouble?" She asked.
"No shit." Dean bemoaned, not tearing his eyes off his precious car.
"I apologize for my brother. I'm Sam Winchester and that meathead is Dean." Sam got out of the car and extended his hand to the girl.
"Ashlee. Ashlee Jacobsen." She shook his hand. "Y'know, my dad's a mechanic. I could call him and he'd be here in just a couple of minutes."
"You could? That'd be great!" Dean said enthusiastically. He turned to face the young girl, and found himself speechless. Being on the road so much, he had seen his fair share of girls. Tall and short, skinny and fat, blonde and brunette, he thought he had seen it all. And yet, there was something about this girl that left him dumbstruck. Her deep chocolate-brown orbs seemed to be starting into his soul. "I, uh..." He stuttered, thinking of what to say.
Ashlee failed to notice Dean's pathetic stuttering and whipped out her phone.
"Hey, dad? Could you come out over on Elm Road? Yeah, over by the old gas station. These two guys are stranded. Ew, that long? All right, thanks!"
She closed the phone and put it back in her pocket.
"He says he should be her in ten minutes."
"Thank you so much!" Sam sighed with relief.
"No problem, really. I can keep you two company while you're waiting. Hey, what're you two doing around here anyway? We don't get much traffic on this old road."
Dean regained his confidence and rediscovered his ability to speak. "We're on a road trip. Can't get enough of the open road, y'know?"
"I guess. I always love walking down here. There are never any irritating people to bother me. Well, except you guys. I mean, not that you're irritating!" Ashlee blushed. "Jesus, it's hot out, isn't it?"
"Yeah. You could melt a puppy on this pavement." Dean grinned.
"Melt a puppy? What the hell do you mean by that?" Sam teased.
Dean shrugged and removed his sweaty shirt. "It's too damn hot for clothing!" He declared, revealing a nicely toned stomach.
Ashlee couldn't help but stare. Growing up in a small town, she didn't get to see too many good-looking men. All the guys she knew were either rednecks or nerds.
Dean caught Ashlee staring at him. Their eyes met briefly before they both turned away shyly.
Sam groaned to himself. His brother could be such a shameless flirt sometimes.
"Hey, I think that's my dad!" Ashlee said, squinting into the distance.
Dean scrambled to put his shirt back on as the ancient pickup truck puttered into view. After all, he didn't want to give Ashlee's father the wrong impression.
---
Joe's Auto Shop was a quaint little place in the middle of the minuscule town. The owner, Joe Jacobsen, was a jolly middle-aged man. His eyes sparkled a bit as he inspected the 1967 Chevy Impala.
"You've got a nice lookin' car her, boys." The mechanic remarked.
"Thanks, Mr. Jacobsen."
"Please, call me Joe. Now, you're having some severe engine trouble, but it's nothing I can't fix. You're going to have to stay in town for a couple 'a days, though."
"Great. Shit, how much is this going to cost?" Dean was afraid. After all, the Winchesters had no steady source of income. They won most of their money in poker games.
"We'll see what we can do. I'll keep the cost down as much as possible. I tell you what, why don't you boys stay at my place? I run a little B&B out of my home. No charge."
"Really? That'd be fantastic!" Sam grinned.
"It's just two blocks north of here. It'll have a little sign outside. Ashlee should be home. She'll show you to your rooms."
---
Ashlee sighed loudly. Sitting in the living room, she thought about Dean. She had never seen someone so handsome in real life. Too bad he was so much older than her.
Suddenly, there was a very loud knock on the door. Ashlee jumped at the sound and got up to answer the door. When she opened the door, she jumped again. To her surprise, Dean and Sam were on her front porch.
"What're you guys doing here?" She blurted out without thinking.
"Well, hello to you too." Dean chuckled, entering the house. "We're going to be staying here for a couple of days while our car is getting fixed."
Ashlee had nearly forgotten they ran a Bed and Breakfast. They only had a few customers a year, and never in the sweltering summer.
"Nice place." Sam commented.
"Thanks."
"So, where're we staying?" Dean questioned.
"Well, one of you can sleep in the first room on the left, up the stairs. The other can sleep in the room up there at the end of the hallway, next to my room."
"Oh?" Dean raised an eyebrow.
"Well, unless you want one room. We usually get couples here, though, so each room has only one bed..."
"We'll take separate rooms!" Sam replied quickly.
"Excellent. Here're the keys." Ashlee placed the keys in Dean's hand, her fingertips brushing his palm momentarily. It felt like a surge of heat between the two of them, and their eyes met once again. This time, they held the gaze for a considerable amount of time.
"Thank you." Sam said loudly, shaking the two out of their trance. "Come on, let's put our stuff away."
"Okay." The two brothers walked up the creaking stairs.
"You can have this room, I'll throw my stuff in the one down the hall." Dean said.
Dean walked down the hallway to his room. He opened the door and found a spacious room with a king sized bead and potpourri waiting for him. A bit girly, but who was he to complain? It was free, after all.
On his way back to his brother's room, Dean noticed the door to Ashlee's room was slightly ajar.
"Well, shit. One little peek couldn't hurt, right?" Dean rationalized to himself.
He opened the door a little further and looked in. It was just a normal room, blue walls, a few clothes on the floor. Nothing special.
"You're so pathetic!" A voice from behind Dean frightened him. Dean whirled around to find himself face to face with his brother.
"Man, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, come on! I keep catching you staring at her. I know how you love the ladies, but she can't be any older than seventeen."
"Dude, I'm not a pedophile. You know that." Dean couldn't think of how to tell his brother that this girl was different somehow. She wasn't just some hot blonde chick. She was special.
"Look, her dad's being so nice to us and I don't want you to screw this op. Just stay away from the jailbait."
"Whatever."
"Dinner's ready." Ashlee's voice floated angelically up the stairs.
"You go; I'm not hungry." Sam retreated into his room.
Dean followed the smells of tomato sauce and garlic bread to the kitchen.
"Sam's not going to eat with us, he's up in his room." Dean announced, sitting down at the table.
"Well, I guess it's just you and me then." Ashlee smiled as she took her place at the table.
"Really? What about your parents?"
"Dad almost always misses dinner – he works hard and usually comes home late. And my mom died when I was little."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I was really little. I barely remember her." She looked down into her plate of spaghetti. The two sat in awkward silence for a few minutes.
Ashlee could feel Dean staring at her. Usually, it would've made her feel like a little kid, but this was oddly comforting. She couldn't bring herself to look up at him, though. Talking about her mom always made her feel vulnerable, and she hated that.
"I lost my mom, too. When I was little." Dean said, breaking the silence. "It really sucks."
"Well, it's not like I ever knew her. But I miss her sometimes, you know? I miss the idea of having a mom. I mean, my dad's cool and all, but it's not the same." She still refused to look up.
"I know what you mean. I still feel that way, and it's been over twenty years. I don't really talk about it too much either."
"Sometimes, I see her in my dreams. Like, I know it's her, I just know. And she tells me things. She tells me that everything's going to be okay. She's always there for me."
Ashlee looked up to gaze into Dean's dark eyes, her own brimming with tears. She'd never talked about this before, with anybody. Why today? Why did she just share her innermost secret with this very good-looking but nevertheless strange man?
Dean smiled. "I'm sure you see her. They say that mothers never completely leave their families when they die. Their spirits live on." He got up from his place at the table and put his empty dish in the sink. "Dinner was fantastic, really."
"Thanks. I cook a lot." Ashlee stood up, and put her dish away in the sink as well.
"Here, let me help you with the dishes. It's the least I can do."
"Alright. I'll wash, you dry."
Ashlee turned on the faucet, and within a few minutes soapy bubbles covered them each.
"You got some in my hair!" Ashlee doubled over, red in the face from laughter.
"You started it!" Dean chuckled.
He grabbed her slippery hand and pulled her towards him. They were close, very close. She moved even nearer to him. There was only a thin strip of air separating them now. They held the position for only a fleeting moment, but it felt like forever. Ashlee wished she could forever remember this moment, the apprehension, the excitement, everything about it.
A noise from the porch forced the two to pull away.
"Ashlee, honey! I forgot my keys. Could you please let me in?" Mr. Jacobsen's voice sounded.
Ashlee ran to the door, blushing.
"Hi honey. How're Sam and Dean? You didn't scare them away, did you?" He winked.
"They're fine, dad." Ashlee mumbled.
"What happened to your hair? Did the dishes explode?"
"There was a little, um, problem." Ashlee's face was a slightly lighter shade of red now, more approximate to a pink. "I'll clean it up."
"Well, it sounds like you all had fun then."
"Sir, your daughter is a great cook." Dean said charmingly.
"I always thought so. She takes after her mother, you know, bless her soul."
"I should go to bed. I've had a long day, and I'm tired. Thank you so much for your hospitality." Dean went up the stairs to his room.
Ashlee waited until her dad was out of the room and sighed. She had been so close. Yes, he was old for her, probably far too old for her. But she didn't care. He was nice, sweet and the best-looking man she had ever seen. She couldn't wait for tomorrow, when her dad would be back at work.
---
(Next Chapter: Dean and Sam discover a paranormal presence within the town. Ashlee tries to attract Dean's attention once again, while Sam tries his hardest to keep the two apart.)