Supernatural
Oklahoma Girl
AN: I do not own anything Supernatural, Eli Young Band's song, or Clint Eastwood and his movies! Let me know if you like! Set after Season 11. Mary is back, but no British Men of Letters.
"Fell in love with an Oklahoma girl
She stole my heart took over my world
She lit my cigarette and never had to ask
One look and I was gone like that" Eli Young Band "Oklahoma Girl"
/
"So, what do we know Sammy," Dean asked as he looked around the busy coffee shop finding it hard to hear the details of the case they were working over the noise. From the sign at the front door, the heavy traffic was due to an author signing in the attached bookstore. Sam had geeked out when he read that it was one of his favorite authors, E.K. Murray who wrote a spy series.
Dean wouldn't admit it, but he had 'borrowed' them from Sam and they weren't half bad even though they had a female lead character that sometimes fell in to clichés. She seemed to manage situations quite well and Dean would never admit to admiring her a bit so he kept the reading to himself.
They were in a northern suburb of Tulsa, Oklahoma a town called Owasso hunting a werewolf. Sam looked up from the notes he had taken at the morgue earlier and ran through the info. "Three women with their hearts ripped out. All between the ages of 25 to 30. Brown hair. Medium build. One was a waitress. Another a student and the third and most recent, a cashier here in the book store. They all crossed paths here at the coffee shop. Given the appearance of the wounds, the werewolf is young and inexperienced. Shouldn't be too hard to track him tonight."
Dean nodded, "Good. A nice, quick job and then with any luck, a vacation. I gotta say, I'm beat." Sam watched his brother for a minute before shaking his head, "One second your non-stop hunting and the next you want a break." Dean smirked, "What? Can't a guy want to lay in bed with a sexy woman, watch a Clint Eastwood marathon, and pig out on cheeseburgers?"
Sam curled his nose, "That's your idea of a vacation?" Dean grinned as he continued to scope out the people passing by looking for their potential werewolf. All the tables were full, but the coffee shop was fairly small and he could see almost everyone, except for the person right behind him. He could hear them typing away on a keyboard though, and found himself a little impressed at the speed. Not even Sam could type that fast.
A waitress hurried towards them, winding her way through the customers. She looked to be in her early twenties, blond hair in a ponytail that bounced with each step she took. Dean noticed other things bouncing as well and decided to turn on the charm. No reason not to start recruiting early for his vacation. "Hi! My name is Amanda. Sorry about the wait, it's crazy in here tonight what with the book signing and all. Can I get you guys anything?" Her bright smile bounced from Dean to Sam then back to Dean where it stayed and brightened if that was possible.
Sam shook his head at the typical scenario. Dean returned the smile, "Not a problem sweetheart. Two coffees and do you have any pie?" Amanda bit her lip, looking for all the world like she wanted to be the pie, "I think we have a slice of blueberry left." Dean's smile went lopsided as he laid it on thick, "Make sure it's not too sweet darlin', I think I've already got a sugar high from your smile." Amanda took the line like a champ, winking as she walked away with an exaggerated swing in her step.Dean watched her until she disappeared behind the counter, then looked back at Sam. Sam raised his eyebrow, "Dude." Dean wiggled his eyebrows and smirked at his little brother until he heard the person behind him ask with a laugh, "How many times has that actually worked?"
Dean turned around in his seat only to come face to face with a set of laughing green eyes only inches from his own. His gaze quickly scanned the rest of the face that was so close noticing thick black lashes that framed the eyes and a straight, pert nose that led to a full set of dark pink lips that were currently smirking.
/
Eleanor, or Ellie to her friends, had been sitting in the coffee shop for hours. She was stuck on her current novel trying to decide if the heroine would save the love interest or if she would be too late. She kind of thought the heroine should fall in love with the pain in the ass partner, but trying to bring that about would be a task.
The partner was a booze drinking, woman chasing man's man who could turn on the charm like a switch, but over the series she had shown his heart to the readers as well so maybe it could work. This book was the last in the series and even though she preferred happy endings she didn't know if it should come in a traditional form or a surprising one. Her last paragraph she had typed five times and was beginning to erase it again, when the two men walked into the shop. Like every woman currently there, she had stared at the striking looks of them and had a hard time tearing her gaze away.
Shaking herself, she decided she needed to get out more. Staying in her home, typing away all day was clearly altering her perceptions and stunting her writing she thought wryly. When the men sat down right behind her, she tensed all over, feminine instincts twitching at the thought of them being so close. Over the years, she had become quite good a turning down advances, mostly because no one had interested her and because she knew she wasn't a one night stand girl. She didn't think there was anything wrong with it, but she knew her heart would become too entangled to be able to let go so she avoided the problem all together, but the guys behind her made her want to test that theory. Laughing at herself for her silly turn of thought she returned her attention back to her laptop.
She focused on her story once more and soon lost track of time until she saw Amanda making her way through the crowd. After hearing the exchange, and the ridiculous pick up line offered by the guy directly behind her she knew she had to ask for permission to use it. It was absolutely something her character's partner would say. She wasn't quite prepared for him to come nose to nose with her and she inhaled quick even though she was able to maintain her smirk. The smell of him was like an instant aphrodisiac and Ellie had to work hard to keep her smirk from sliding into a glazed-over stupor. He smelled faintly like men's shower soap, after shave, and some woodsy sent that was hard to place but entirely appealing.
He was even more impressive up close and Ellie had to remember to exhale. His eyes drew her in, making her want to stay in the moment, but she forced her eyes to examine him while she had the chance. His hair was just long enough to run your fingers through and it looked soft, tempting her to try. His nose had a slight bend in it where it looked to have been broken and the lips underneath looked both hard and soft although currently they were stretched over even, white teeth in a smile.
Feeling that she ought to break the tension she leaned back a little and held out her hand, "Pardon me if that was rude. I don't get out much. Eleanor Walker." The man blinked a little as if startled before his smile deepened as he took her hand in his own, "Agent Hudson, but you can call me Saul." Ellie noticed his hand was rough, as if he did a lot of manual labor despite the suit he was wearing and the fact that he had just given her a law enforcement title. "Agent," she asked, noticing he still held her hand. The man from the other side of the table leaned around then and introduced himself while holding up a badge, "FBI. I'm Agent Rose. My partner and I are investigating the murders of the three local girls."
Ellie looked back and forth between them, trying to decide if she should let them know she knew their identities were fake, but she thought she'd let it play out for the moment. They didn't seem to be a threat and who was she to judge about fake ids. She'd had several them over the years researching for her novels.
The author in her still needed to know about the line and she sensed a plot off these two. She nodded to 'Agent Rose', "Pleasure to meet you. I do hope you can find out what happened." She turned her attention back to the man still holding her hand, "In the meantime, you still haven't answered my question. How often does that line work?" The man ran his thumb lightly over the back of her hand and said with a wink, "Every time it needs to."
Eleanor couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, throwing her head back at the unexpected swagger in his voice. "Touché," she replied still chuckling. "Would you mind if I use it," she asked. He laughed, "I don't know that it would sound the same coming from you." Ellie shook her head and explained, "I meant in my book. I'm a writer and that line could become a classic."
'Agent Hudson' seemed to like that, "I always did think I was a classic." Ellie heard the other man snort and try to cover up a laugh, so she leaned around to ask him, "Is he always this incorrigible, Agent Rose?" He grinned back at her, "Always." Ellie noticed the novel of the author that was signing, sitting on the table so she asked, "Are you here for the book signing as well as your case?" 'Agent Rose' brushed his fingers over the worn-out cover of the book and smiled, "I wouldn't mind meeting the author. I've been a fan of the series since it began seven years ago."
Always interested in what people liked or disliked about books, Ellie stood up to bring her chair around when she realized her hand was still clasped in 'Agent Hudson's' hand. Looking down at him she smiled, "You already cast your line at Amanda tonight and clearly caught her. You can try again another time." He took the teasing surprisingly well, giving her hand a slight squeeze, "Never hurts to try darlin'."
When she settled in her chair at the table with them, she shifted her focus to 'Agent Rose'. "So, the last book in the series, you didn't think the ending was too much," she asked hoping to get an honest answer. The man leaned forward and looked eager to discuss the book, "Not at all. It ended with just enough excitement to make you want to read the next installment and just enough closure to be able to wait." Ellie nodded her head, "I thought so too, but I wasn't sure of the relationship between the main character and her on/off lover. It felt a little… I don't know, stale, maybe? I keep thinking she should end up with her partner."
She looked back at 'Agent Hudson' and he shook his head, "Don't look at me. Never read 'em. Too chick-flicky for me." Ellie smiled, "I can see that. The main character isn't testosterone driven with great pick-up lines. She's no Bond." She ended the statement with a wink that had 'Agent Hudson' grinning.
Ellie couldn't believe she felt so easy flirting with him, but it just seemed to come naturally and she was enjoying it quite a lot. 'Agent Rose' drew her attention again answering, "I don't think it's stale. I think it's part of what keeps the plot going although the author may find it difficult to keep it fresh after five books. I could definitely see her ending up with her partner though I had never thought about it until now. Have you heard how long they intend to keep going?" Ellie shook her head about to answer, when her friend Margaret tapped her on the shoulder. Turning around to Margret, Ellie asked, "Time already?" Margaret nodded as Ellie stood up and pulled her chair back to the other table. She closed her laptop and placed it in the backpack she always carried. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she stopped by the table with the agents one more time.
"It looks like the signing is starting so I had better go. Thank you for the line," she said to 'Agent Hudson', "And for the good conversation", to 'Agent Rose'. She leaned down close to the table and whispered, "You also have to tell me how often the Guns n' Roses theme passes as real." When they looked at her stunned, she walked off with a wink and a grin towards the growing line.
/
Dean thought he might possibly be in love. As Ellie walked away, her hips swaying gently from the heels she was wearing he tried to get his brain back on line. In a matter of twenty minutes, she had challenged him on his pick-up line, laughed at his quip about it working, challenged him on hitting on her, winked at him while admiring Bond, and then made it plain that their cover was completely blown with her because she liked classic rock. She had to like classic rock Dean thought because nobody knew the names of the band in passing. The summer dress she wore swung around her legs in a cloud of white flowers and as she stopped to talk to a man big enough to be security, she brushed her dark brown hair over her shoulder making Dean wonder if it was as soft as it looked.
Sam interrupted his thoughts, "Guess we are going to need new id's if people are picking up on the names." Dean shook his head picking up his coffee, and then wondered when it had shown up. His pie was there too, but he couldn't remember anyone bringing it. Sam watched his confusion and chuckled, "Amanda brought it ten minutes ago, while you were clinging to Eleanor's hand." Dean shook his head, grumbling in to his lukewarm coffee, "I wasn't clinging."
Sam smiled and then looked back at the line, "I don't see her anymore, I wonder where she went. She fits our victim demographic, so it might be good to follow her until we find our werewolf." Dean's eyes shot up to scan the room, but couldn't find her either and his heart sped up a bit when he heard Sam's sharp inhale. "What," Dean asked sharply. Sam pointed to the table stacked with books at the head of the line. Dean sent a silent thank you to whoever was listening, that he hadn't admitted to reading the books, because Eleanor Walker was the author, E.K. Murray.
/
Sam and Dean watched the customers come and go as the line for the book signing dwindled. They were beginning to lose hope of finding their werewolf when a man caught their eye. He made sure to stay between book shelves and kept looking at the rapidly sinking sun through the giant store windows. When he left the store at nine-thirty that night, they quickly followed him. Dean glanced back at Ellie as he pushed his way out the door and she raised her head just in time to meet his eyes. She smiled before returning her attention back to book she was signing.
Dean caught up with Sam and they tracked the werewolf in to a park as night fell, the summer heat cooling down to a humid warmth. They tracked him for over an hour, waiting for him to turn, when he was suddenly gone. "Damnit Sam, where did he go," Dean whispered loudly as he spun around in circles trying to find a clue. Sam ran his hand through his hair, forcefully exhaling, "I've got no idea. Maybe we should head back to the book store and start again. Maybe he circled back?" Dean nodded, swearing, as they set off at a lope.
Despite tracking the man for so long, they really hadn't gone far since he had paused often as if knowing they were tailing him. They had just reached the store parking lot which was now empty when they heard gunshots from the side of the building. Despite Sam regularly running for exercise, Dean beat him to the alleyway in time to see Eleanor empty her pistol magazine into the werewolf who was closing the distance between them at a run. Another quick thanks that he was angled horizontal to the werewolf so that he wouldn't risk shooting Eleanor and Dean squeezed the trigger, sending the silver bullet through its heart, dropping it at her feet.
/
Eleanor was a bit disappointed the guys had left, but then mentally shrugged her shoulders and focused on signing. This was the first she had ever done and since she used an alias, many of the readers were shocked to find out she was a woman. For that reason, the signing lasted longer than she had planned. By the time everyone had signed, talked, and taken pictures with her, Eleanor was exhausted. She had the best time meeting and talking with her fans, but with the sun down and quickly approaching eleven o'clock she knew it was past her bedtime.
She tried to help clean up, but the staff had told her that they would take care of it. After a quick word to her manager Margaret, she decided to head home. Shouldering her backpack, she stepped out into the thick, late July night and took a deep breath, glad to be going home. As she turned the corner into the alley she sensed someone following her and tried to control her furiously beating heart. She had been taught from an early age to be aware of her surroundings and as soon as she had been old enough to own a pistol she had bought one, taken the concealed carry class, and began practicing every weekend.
She knew how long it would take her to spin towards her attacker, pull up her dress far enough to access the pistol strapped to the inside of her thigh, aim and shoot. She was thankful now for her classes because despite knowing what to do, her hands still wanted to shake. She heard the footsteps pick up speed and knew it was now or never. In one fluid motion, she dropped her bag, had her pistol out and told him to stop or she'd shoot. When he kept coming she squeezed off the first round dead center of his chest.
When the attacker paused for a moment to look at the wound, Eleanor felt the first cold finger of fear slide down her spine. When the attacker looked back up at her with eyes that were closer to an animals' his jagged teeth bared and snarling at her, she felt the whole bucket of ice cold fear wash over her. The attacker hunched down as if to spring at her and Eleanor wasted no time emptying everything she had into him. She thought she was going to actually die when he lunged for her only to hear another gunshot and have the attacker drop dead at her feet.
She knew her eyes were peeled wide in fear as she stared down at the body in front of her and after what felt like years she looked up to see who had saved her. When the two agents walked out of the shadows she took a deep breath, relaxing her grip on her pistol. "Holy shit. I can't tell you how glad I am to see you," she said as she ran a shaking hand through her hair. 'Agent Hudson' reached her side, "Are you all right? He didn't bite you, did he?"
Eleanor thought that was an odd question until she looked back down at him and saw the claws on his hands disappear as well as the large teeth. She had the overwhelming urge to jump away from the body just in case it sprang to life, but she furiously tamped down on the feeling. Instead she asked, "Was that a werewolf?" She had meant to ask the question firmly, but it came out in almost a whisper. 'Agent Hudson' gently grabbed both of her arms and had her face him, "Yes it was. Did he bite you?" Eleanor shook her head as she stared up at him, "No, but not for lack of trying. Jesus… If you hadn't… I …" She started to look back down, but he pulled her to his chest hugging her and she let herself sink in to the reassuring warmth and comfort that she hadn't realized she needed. She heard them talking about getting rid of the body and she came sharply back to reality.
Pulling away from his embrace she was suddenly full of questions, "Who are you?" Without looking at each other, they answered as though they had done it a million times, "I'm Dean Winchester and this is my brother Sam." Sam continued after Dean saying, "We're hunters." Eleanor looked at them for a moment before asking, "So you kill werewolves?" Dean nodded, "Among other things." Eleanor was about to ask what the other things were when Sam interrupted, "Dean." Dean seemed to understand and he began to draw her away, back towards the parking lot. "Wait, my car," she started, but Dean shook his head. "You shouldn't drive right now. I'll take you home and Sam will bring your car later."
Eleanor nodded, knowing he was right about her not driving. Later she would wonder about her complete trust in two strangers she had just met, but for now she let him lead her to his car, his hand on the small of her back, offering warmth and reassurance. Her nerves were already beginning to settle and her curiosity was taking full charge when they reached his car. "This is your car," she asked incredulously.
Dean smiled, "Yeah, this is Baby."
/
Dean was impressed that she could forget the danger she had been in and appreciate the classic car he cared so much about. She was really something else and she shocked him even more when she smiled up at him saying, "Forgive me for drooling over your car, but Impala's are so rare, especially in this condition." He meant to answer her, but for a second he forgot how to breathe until she looked away from him and back to the car.
Dean cleared his throat, saying, "Drool away. So, you like classic cars?" She bent over to look in through the open window and replied, "I do, although I confess I don't know a single thing about the mechanics. I just love the way they look. Nothing compares." Dean smiled, "Well, get in and we can talk about them on the way." Dean opened the door for her and Ellie slid in to the passenger seat. When they pulled out of the parking lot, she gave him directions to her house then relaxed back in to the seat. She went to clasp her hands together in her lap and noticed that they were still shaking.
Dean reached over, enfolding her hands in his one, "It's just adrenaline. It'll pass." Ellie looked over at his profile in the light of the passing street lights, "Thank you. I don't think I ever said that after you saved me." Dean smiled, glancing over at her, "No problem. It's what we do."
That statement brought all her questions up again and so she asked, "What else exists?" When she saw his jaw tighten she pressed, "Please? You can't leave me hanging like this. You said you hunt other things. So, vampires, ghosts, demons?" For a moment, she didn't think he would answer, but then he nodded, "Everything you named and more. Djinn, shapeshifters, ghouls, wendigo's, basically every nightmare you've ever had." Ellie let that information sink in, then continued, "Are there other hunters?" Dean nodded again and Ellie asked, "Are there more monsters or hunters?"
The tightness returned to his jaw so Ellie spoke, "Ok so definitely more monsters. Why don't people know?" She could tell Dean thought about his answer as he said, "So that people can have a normal life." Ellie nodded in understanding as she also realized he meant that he and Sam didn't have a normal life.
They pulled in to the driveway of her house before she could finish her questions. Dean shut off the car and started to get out when she put a hand on his arm, "We might as well sit in here. My house key is on my car keychain." Dean relaxed back in to the car and for a moment they sat in silence as Dean texted Sam the address. Ellie began to feel exhaustion kicking in as the adrenaline left her body. To stay awake she asked, "So the car, how did you get it?" Dean smiled, "It was my dad's. He always had me help him fix her up for as long as I can remember." Ellie smiled back at him, "That sounds like a good memory."
"It is," he said simply. "What about you? Is your family around?" Ellie shook her head, "My parents and siblings live about four hours south in the place I grew up. I moved originally for teaching, but then my writing took off and I just stayed even though I could move anywhere." Dean nodded, "Sam was a little upset you didn't tell us who you were before you got him talking about your books." Ellie smiled, "I like knowing honest opinions and I could say the same about you guys and your fake badges. Do people never get suspicious?" Dean laughed, "No not usually. We've gotten some funny looks, but never been called out. You're a first." Ellie laughed with him, "I can't believe that. People have to like classic rock. I mean come on. It's classic for a reason." Dean gave her a look of amazement, "I know, right?"
They sat there smiling at each other for a moment, before headlights pulled in behind them letting them know Sam had arrived. The moment broken, Dean started to get out of the car when he noticed Ellie running her hand along the seat before opening her own door. She really did appreciate his car. Shaking his head, he climbed out nodding to Sam over the top of the car as Sam helped Ellie stand. They followed her up the steps to her door and continued inside when she held the door open wide for them.
From the doorway, you could see the entire living space and down the short hallway to the bedrooms. It wasn't a very large house despite the three bedrooms, but with the sale of her first novel and the contract for more, Ellie had been able to knock out the walls separating the living room, dining room and kitchen allowing for one giant space that made the house feel bigger. Ellie tuned to face the guys as she said, "I really can't thank you guys enough. Do you have some place to stay?"
Sam answered, "Yeah a motel not far from here." Ellie curled her nose, "You can't mean that run down one that's been there since the 40's." When they nodded, Ellie shook her head, "I can't let you stay in that flea-bag motel. Not after tonight. You can stay here. The least I can do is offer you clean beds, clean bathrooms and a good breakfast in the morning." They started to protest, but Ellie held up her hand, "Please? You have to at least let me attempt to repay you, although I think it would take a lifetime." She could tell Dean still didn't want to accept, but Sam spoke, "All right. If you're sure." Ellie smiled as Dean said he'd grab the bags from the car and she told Sam to follow her down the hall.
After showing him the two spare rooms and the bathroom, she excused herself to her own room. "I'm not sure if werewolf blood will come out of this," she said as she pulled the bloodstained skirt of her dress out to examine it. At the wry look she got from Sam, she nodded, "I didn't think so. I'll have to burn it. Oh well, if you guys need anything just knock. I'm going to shower and I assume fall in to an exhausted sleep. I can barely keep my eyes open." As she turned in her doorway, she saw Dean coming through the front door with two bags, she nodded goodnight to him as she shut her door.
In her bathroom, she stripped out of the ruined clothes, turned on the hot water full blast, stepping inside when the shower was its own personal steam room. Despite it feeling wonderful, Ellie made the shower quick. She threw on her usual gym shorts and shirt to sleep in and crawled in bed expecting to knock out. Instead, as soon as she closed her eyes she saw haunting yellow eyes, dripping fangs and horrible claws. Her eyes flew open as her heartbeat fluttered in her chest. She took deep calming breaths, willing herself to not be so foolish. She hadn't been eaten alive or had her heart torn out of her chest like those other poor girls. To worry about it now was pointless, but after an hour of tossing and turning Ellie gave up on the idea of sleep. No matter what she told herself, she couldn't stop picturing what would have happened if Dean and Sam hadn't come around the corner just in time.
Knowing she needed a distraction, she climbed out of bed and opened her door softly. The house was dark and both spare bedroom doors were closed. She hoped they could at least get some decent sleep as she tiptoed past the rooms and made her way to the couch. Turning the television on low, she flipped through the channels until she found the Clint Eastwood movie Hang 'em High. She had grown up on John Wayne and Clint Eastwood so she could follow the movie without hearing it.
Grabbing the blanket from the back of the couch, she wrapped up in it and curled in to the corner just as Clint's character Jed was being hung. Letting herself get absorbed in the movie, she didn't hear Dean come in to the room until he was right beside her. Jumping a little and leaning away from him, she threw a hand over her heart trying to keep the thing from leaping out of her throat, "Jesus Christ." Dean looked sheepish as he said, "Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you." Ellie laughed nervously, still trying to steady her nerves, "It's all right. I'm more jumpy tonight than usual."
Dean nodded and she felt him really looking at her as he said, "Couldn't sleep?" Ellie ran a hand through her hair, letting out a self-depreciating snort, "No. I thought I could lay down and go right to sleep, but that would be a no. Regardless of not being in any actual danger, my mind can't help conjuring up images of what would have happened if you hadn't been there." Dean sat down on the couch next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to lean against his chest. "It'll fade," he said into her hair.
Suddenly aware that Dean was in just a t-shirt, boxers and socks and that she was laying against his chest, Ellie looked up at him, grinned and said, "Is this how you get the girls that don't fall for your lines?" For a moment, he looked surprised then he chuckled, "You know it darlin'." Ellie laughed then, "Well, I'm not that kind of girl, darlin'." He laughed at her mimicking him and squeezed her shoulder, "Then how about just some company and a good movie." Ellie wrapped her arm over his stomach, "Now that, I can do."
/
When Sam woke up the next morning to go for his usual run, he found them stretched out on the couch, Dean's back pressed against the back of the couch with Ellie facing him, tucked under his chin, a blanket thrown over them both, and the credits of a Clint Eastwood movie rolling on the TV. Sam shook his head as he put his earbuds in, looked like Dean got his perfect vacation a little early.