The Impala idled outside the gas station, exhaust clearly visible in the chill night air. After about fifteen minutes, an impatient Dean turned off the engine and stomped inside to find his brother.

A peevish-looking teen wearing a beaten-up Frodo Loves Sam t-shirt looked up from behind the counter.

"Where's the big guy, came in about fifteen minutes ago?" Dean snapped.

The teen jerked his thumb toward the back. "Bathroom, dude."

Dean hurried down the aisle. Just as he reached the men's room door, it opened, and a rumpled-looking Sam stepped out.

Relieved, Dean glared at him. "Thought you fell in."

An unseen woman giggled, and Sam flushed.

"Whoops!" Dean raised his hands in apology. "My bad. Take your time!" Chuckling, he turned to go, leaving Sam speechless behind him.

As he passed the counter, the teenager gave him a nasty smirk.

Dean laughed and flipped him off. "Ego, mibo orch, pe-channas!*

ΩΩΩ

Feeling sick, Sam watched his brother saunter past the gaping clerk and exit the store.

Wearing nothing but a sated, lazy smile, Ruby stepped up beside him and wiped a speck of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Looks like we've got time for another round."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

* For anyone not conversant in Elvish, he's telling the clerk, "Go kiss an orc, idiot!"