Title: A Shoulder to Cry On
Author: Dannyblue
Fandom: Supernatural
Word Count: About 700 words
Rating: G
Summary: Third in "The Beth Winchester Series." Sequel to Family Matters and By Any Other Name. Dean tries to comfort his cousin. He just isn't sure how to go about doing it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.

The sounds of sniffling filled the Impala.

Dean Winchester glanced over at his passenger. Beth sat slouched in her seat, the very picture of misery. She was pressing a ball of damp, crumpled napkins against her eyes.

"You okay?" he finally asked, voice gruff with discomfort.

"Yeah, I'm f-fine," she nodded. But then her face scrunched up, her bottom lip started to quiver and, just like that, she was crying. Again.

Sighing, Dean shook his head. Why didn't he keep his mouth shut? Every time Beth tried to talk, the waterworks started all over again. So asking her a question hadn't been the smartest move.

But he couldn't help it. Seeing his cousin crying made him want to fix whatever was bothering her. But nothing he'd tried so far had done any good.

Dean took some fresh napkins from the fast food bag resting between them and passed them to Beth. The young teen accepted them with a grateful if watery smile.

"Thanks," she said, voice hoarse. She glanced at him with puffy, red eyes. "And thanks again for coming. I know it hasn't been a whole lot of fun for you."

"Yeah, well, don't mention it."

"It was just so..." Beth took a deep, shaky breath. "He just loved that little cub so much, ya know? But then he had to take her back to the woods and leave her all alone...But it was okay, because her mama found her...And it was just so...So..." And she lost it again. Abandoning the napkins, Beth covered her tear-streaked face with both hands, shoulders shaking with sobs.

Dean would've rolled his eyes, but he was trying for sensitive today.

He wasn't sure how he ended up in a multi-plex watching "the feel-good movie of the season." After her latest self-defense lesson, Beth decided she wanted to go to the movies. Dean, happy to be in one piece (aside from a little bruise from when Beth somehow bumped her head into his) was all for it. There was a new super hero flick out. Beth loved those. The movie was PG, so the chances of seeing some skin were slim. But the TV ads made it look action-packed, and Dean figured it could be fun.

Only, when they got there, Beth revealed she wanted to see some Disney...thing in which a young boy finds an injured cub, takes it home, and tries to secretly keep it as a pet.

Watching the movie, and all the wacky hyjinx that ensued, was torture Dean. And sitting in a theater surrounded by kids had been downright embarrassing. He really hoped no one he knew saw him. Not that it was likely, but you never knew.

The only upside had been the looks of interest he got from a few single moms as he followed Bethie down the aisle. At least he assumed they were single the way they were eyeing him.

None of those single moms gave him a second glance when the movie was over. They were too busy crying right along with Beth and half of the audience.

Dean didn't get it. It was just a movie! Yeah, watching the little boy bond with the cub had been kinda...sweet or whatever. And it was a little sad when the kid realized the cub belonged in the wild. And, when the cub found its mother, the way she lovingly nuzzled it with her nose had been really...

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Dean cleared his suddenly tight throat. Then cleared it a couple more times when the tightness wouldn't go away.

"You okay, Dean?" Beth asked.

"Yeah, fine," Dean said, followed by a sniffle. "I think I'm coming down with a cold or something."

"Oh," she said, doubt in her voice

"Yeah." Dean blinked rapidly, because the road ahead was a little blurry for some reason.

"I guess you've got something in your eyes too, huh?"

Glancing over, Dean started to ask what she was getting at. But before he could say anything, Beth held a napkin out to him. And grinned knowingly.

Dean scowled at her. "Shut up," he grumbled.

Which only made her grin wider.

With a sigh of defeat, Dean took the napkin.

The End