Sam could hardly believe his eyes--a girl had made Dean blush. That never happened.
Back at the motel, Dean tried to sound casual when he asked Sam, "What do you do when you want to be romantic?"
"What?" Sam was wondering if he'd heard him right.
"You know," Dean started to squirm. "What are some ideas for when you want to be romantic?"
"Well, it depends on the person, Dean," Sam tried not to smile at his brother's total loss. "If you aren't being yourself, she'll know."
"Fine. Tell me some romantic ideas." Dean was starting to pace. He turned to Sam and said, "Don't go giving me any of that crap from chick flicks either. I'd have to slug you once for telling me something like that, and another time in case you actually believe that shit."
Sam was having a very difficult time not laughing at his brother. He hadn't seen him flounder like this over a woman since Cassie.
"Don't look at me like that!" Dean snapped.
Sam raised his eyebrows and tried to concentrate on the computer screen in front of him. "I'm not looking at you like anything." He tried to keep his eyes on the screen but he kept getting glimpses of Dean out of the corner of his eye. "What makes this girl any different from the others?" Sam was fishing for more information.
"I don't know, she just is." Dean stopped in the middle of the room. "I'm asking for your help here, Sam." Dean looked so miserable.
That didn't tell Sam why Dean was tied in knots over someone when they'd be leaving town in less than a week.
"What do you usually do to be romantic?"
"I don't really do romance. A few drinks, some sex, that's about it."
"Why don't you try a dinner and a movie this time?" Sam suggested.
"That's too common and boring," Dean was really worked up. "I want to do something special that she'll remember."
Hmm. Dean wanted to be remembered. Did that mean Dean was going to be remember her?
"Okay," Sam was really trying to help but didn't know what to say. "Maybe try dinner before drinks? A drive in the impala?"
"My Baby can help me make it memorable," Dean got a look in his eye and Sam just knew he was thinking of the Impala's backseat--that's how quickly Dean's mind went from the task at hand to his favorite topic. Sam was surprised that Dean pulled himself out of the gutter before he said anything. Dean shook his head as if to clear it of a visual, "You mean like a drive to look at stars or talk?"
"Sure. Why not?" Sam didn't think that talking would be such a stretch for Dean since he seemed to charm women enough in the bar with his words.
"I don't know. What would I say?" Dean looked as if he was in pain.
"Whatever you usually say, Dean," Sam was getting really confused about why this certain girl had such hold on Dean.
"I don't think the usual lines are going to work."
"Why not?"
"She seems smarter than that."
"You're smarter than your usual lines. So, just try to stay away from the usual."
"She's going to ask what we do for work," Dean stated. "What do I tell her?"
"Tell her you're on a road trip vacation," Sam tried to think on his feet. "I didn't really explain the past to Jess."
"You were with her for eighteen, Dude. Eighteen months. She let you slide by without details for that long?"
"Yeah," Sam answered. "She just let the past be the past and we concentrated on the present."
"Wow." Dean replied. "She was a very special woman. I need to find one like that."
Sam laughed and Dean looked at him.
"What?"
"Since when have you wanted a relationship like that Dean?" Sam asked. "As a matter of fact, since when did you get so nervous over a date?"
"I'm not nervous."
"Sure. If you say so, Dean."
"I'm not."
"What makes her so different?" Sam watched as Dean's face screwed up as he thought about it.
"She is very pretty and smart and I just don't know."
"Just don't think too hard around her, Dean."
"Why?"
"You make an awful face when you do." Sam looked directly at Dean so that he could tell Sam wasn't kidding.
"No I don't," Dean started and then hesitated. "Do I?"
All Sam had to do was nod.
In the end, Dean had a memorable date. Dinner before drinks and a late night drive in the Impala. He didn't give out any details (an oddity for Dean) and it wasn't like Sam to ask. He could tell by the smile on Dean's face that his brother had had an evening he would remember. Sam was just happy that he'd been able to expand Dean's idea of romance, if only a tiny bit.
SNSNSN
The miles passed under the tires of the Impala and Dean was lost in thought. He was thinking about the date he'd been stressed about. After talking to Sam, Dean had felt better. Plus, he'd had a wonderful time, but he didn't have to tell Sam that.
Dean couldn't tell Sam what Dean himself didn't know. Like why that girl was different from the others or why he had her number in his wallet and thought that he might actually call her. Dean wasn't used to feeling what he couldn't name. Especially when he didn't know why his perception of women was changing. He'd considered himself somewhat of an expert on them before. Now, he didn't know.
"You sure are quiet," Sam's remark made Dean look at him quickly, like Dean was afraid Sam had read his mind.
"Just tired," Dean replied. "You wanna drive for awhile?"
Sam nodded. He wasn't tired. He'd been watching Dean over the last few miles and noticed that he wasn't tapping on the steering wheel or singing along like usual. Maybe a little rest would get him back into being Dean.
Dean pulled his baby over to the side of the road. They walked around and stretched a little before switching sides and getting back in.
"You know where you're going, right?" Dean asked as he slid into the passenger seat.
"Sure do," Sam told him. "I've already looked at the maps. I've memorized the first few turns and I'll wake you if I forget."
"I don't want to wake up in the middle of nowhere," Dean warned.
"Most of our jobs are in the middle of nowhere, Dean," Sam pointed out.
"Yeah? Well," Dean had to agree, "just don't take us to one the middle of nowhere places that we don't have to see. I need to know there are gas stations nearby to fill up and dump some of your garbage out."
"Get up on the wrong side of the bed, Dean?"
Dean glanced over at him. "Just let me get some sleep."
"Fine."
Dean put his sunglasses on. He sunk into the seat until he found a comfortable position. Then, he crossed his arms as he found a good place to rest his head. Dean closed his eyes and thought back to when Sammy had been the one with questions about girls. Sam had turned red, stammered, and could barely get his question out. Dean relaxed as he remembered . . .
"So you want to ask her out?" Dean was struggling to guess at what Sam was getting to.
"Well, yes," Sam couldn't even look at Dean, "But I think I know how to do that. I've seen you do it enough."
Sam was silent and Dean waited.
"It's the other stuff," he glanced up at Dean and his yes pled with Dean to see the questions he couldn't ask.
"Is it kissing?"
"We could start there."
"Sammy, have you ventured further where you should have been asking me about protection and didn't?"
"God, no," Sam was shocked at the question.
Dean looked a Sam for a moment. " I don't do the holding hands. Kissing can be great, though . . ."
SNSNSN
Dean awoke when Sam stopped the Impala. Dean groaned, realized that he had picked the best position to sleep in, and remembered why it was that he usually drove.
"You hungry?" Sam asked. "I thought we could gas up and eat at the same time to get there faster."
"I'm still half asleep. My brain can't tell if my stomach is empty. But, sure. Might as well."
SN SNSN
Two days later, Dean left Sam at the library. Sam was so involved in research that he hardly noticed when Dean left.
Dean walked into the motel, his heart pounding. He looked in his wallet and took out the small sheet of paper that was causing his heart trouble. There, in flowery handwriting was a name and a number. Dean had thought about calling all day. Heck, he'd thought about her since he'd dropped her off after their date. He couldn't get her out of his mind. Maybe if he called her, he would be able to concentrate better on the hunt they would be going on tonight.
He took out his cell phone and checked his signal and battery. They were fine to make a call. He had the number. Her name, there was no way he'd forget that. If he could just get his heartbeat back to normal, maybe his voice wouldn't betray his nervousness.
Dean sat on the bed and tried to take deep breaths. He could do this. He could do this.
He had to laugh. His thoughts sounded like the Little Engine Who Could. That calmed his nerves. He reopened his cell phone and dialed. He cleared his voice as he waited for the call to go through.
"Hello."
"Hi, Kylee. This is Dean."
"Dean, it's great to hear from you."
"It's no nice to hear your voice." Dean realized he was getting close to chick-flick territory but he felt so good when she laughed. "What have you been up to?"
"Work, the usual," Kylee paused. "I was wondering if you'd call."
"I said I'd call."
"I know but sometimes.. " her voice drifted off. "I'm just glad you did. How are you doing?"
"More forced quality time with Sam with us trapped in the car and many miles to go," Dean smiled. "How have you been?"
"Thinking about you," Kylee admitted.
"Really?" Dean had a huge grin on his face because he felt such relief. At least he wasn't the only one having trouble with thinking lately. He couldn't help but ask, "Now why would that be?"
Dean could hear her blushing over the phone. Kylee was so different from the other women he'd known. "I just have," she replied.
"That was mean of me," Dean realized he'd slipped back into one of his usual lines and he wanted this time to be different. "You've been on my mind, too. Would you like to get together the next time I am in town?"
"Sure," Kylee didn't hesitate. "Any idea when that might be?"
"I don't know yet. I'll be checking in with you meanwhile, if that's okay with you," Dean was toying with his bootlace.
"Call anytime," she tried not to sound too eager.
"I should give you my number--"
"I have it on my phone," she interrupted him. "Is it okay if I use it?"
"Call me as often as you like," Dean offered. "I like talking to you."
"I will then," Dean could hear the smile in her voice. "Goodbye, Dean."
"Goodbye, Kylee."
Dean clicked off his phone and laid back on the bed, pleased with himself. He didn't need the tiny piece of paper since he had her number in his phone, but he tucked it back in his wallet anyway. Sentimental value.
His phone started to ring, and he assumed it was Sam until he saw the number. "Hello."
"Just checking," Kylee's voice washed over him.
"Checking on me?"
"No. Yes. I just wanted to call," she was flustered.
Dean settled back into the lumpy motel mattress. He and Kylee talked like that had that night in the Impala
SNSNSN
The hunt was over, but it hadn't gone smoothly. Since when did anything go as planned for them? They wearily trudged into the motel room as daylight was starting to break.
"I am so tired," Sam flopped down on a bed. "I think I'll just shower right before checkout."
"Fine," Dean answered. "But I'm getting a shower."
When Dean got out the bathroom, Sam was snoring, loudly.
Dean was mulling over the thought of going to see Kylee. They didn't have another hunt to go on immediately. Maybe they could do look for another hunt while in Kylee's town. It would be just as easy to surf the internet and look for future hunts there as anywhere else. He'd convinced himself. Now, how would he convince Sam with a minimum amount of embarrassment.
SNSNSN
Sam was waiting in the car while Dean went to pay the bill with another fake credit card. Still tired, Sam wondered if they should catch some shut-eye in the Impala before getting on the road. No sense in them driving exhausted and getting careless.
Dean came out of the office, talking on his cell phone. Sam saw that Dean has a bounce in his step and smile on his face. To Sam, that meant that Dean had found another hunt and was already raring to go. So much for Sam's idea of getting some rest.
"Who was on the phone?" Sam asked, expecting an answer of 'Bobby' or 'Ellen'.
"A friend of mine." Was all Dean said.
"Where to now?" Sam refolded the map. "The Road House?"
"I'm thinking we should just backtrack."
"Why, Dean?"
"There's someone that I need to see," Dean's eyes were glued to the road in front of them.
"Is this certain someone fond of late night drives?" Sam tried not to smile. There was no way he'd forgotten about when Dean asked him how to be romantic.
"As a matter of fact, she is."
"Does she have a name?"
"Kylee," Dean turned onto another road. "And she's expecting me to take her to dinner tonight."
"Will you be bringing her flowers?" Sam asked.
"What?" Dean shot a glance at Sam. "What would I do that for?"
"Girls tend to like flowers, Dean," Sam tried not to laugh. "Aren't you still trying to impress her?"
"She's already impressed," Dean replied. "Besides, I don't know if she likes flowers."
"What does she like?"
"Me," Dean got his usual cocky smile. He saw the look on Sam's face, and his smile faded. The car was silent as Dean tried to think of what Kylee would like.
Dean turned the car around.
"Where are we going?"
"To get something," Dean didn't say another word.
They went back to the motel and Dean went inside the office. He was in there for a several minutes. When he came out, he was carrying an envelope.
"What's that?" Sam asked, pointing at the envelope.
"Just something for Kylee," Dean had a big smile on his face. "Screw the flowers. I have something better."
Sam didn't even ask.
SNSNSN
"What do I say to her folks?" Dean asked out of the blue.
"When?" it took Sam a minute to respond.
"I get to meet them tonight." Dean was staring straight ahead. "How does something like that go?"
"Does she have siblings?"
"Two sisters. Why?"
"Don't flirt with them," Sam told him. "And no matter how hot any of her female relatives might look, do not comment on it except to say that they look nice. Kylee can look beautiful. Most importantly, don't be staring at any breasts, including Kylee's."
"I can't even look at Kylee?"
"You can look at her. Just don't look at her breasts. Her dad will sense what you're doing and do his best to protect his little girl from you."
"Sam, she's the middle girl of the family."
"Doesn't matter," Sam replied. "Each one is Daddy's Little Girl when it comes to protecting them. Don't give him any reason to dislike you or he can make your life hell."
"How do you know that?"
"Jessica's dad," Sam spoke slowly as he admitted, "He, uh, walked in on us kissing and my hand was moving toward . . ."
"I get it," Dean cut Sam off because he knew it would take Sam forever to say he felt Jess's boob and her dad saw.
Sam's blush started to fade and he settled back into the seat.
"What do I do about conversation?" Dean got right to the point.
"Stay with the information you've already told Kylee, just make sure it's okay for parental ears." Sam tried to think of topics for him. "Tell them about working on cars at Bobby's, and the places we've traveled to."
"I can't mention hunting and that's the biggest part of my life," Dean sighed.
"Not unless you want to lie about what you do, Dean. I don't recommend that. You'd have to explain yourself to Kylee eventually if it works out," Sam gave him a sympathetic look because he knew exactly what Dean was talking about. "You don't want to have a relationship based on lies."
Dean sat there, silent.
"Are you looking for a relationship?" Sam asked.
"Maybe," Dean replied. "I don't know. I'm willing to meet her parents if that tells you anything."
Sam laughed. "That tells me an awful lot. She's got you hooked."
"No she--"
"Parents, Dean. I don't ever remember you meeting parents."
"Well, they are in town visiting so she wanted to introduce us," Dean answered. He thought about it for a moment and then sounded panicked ,"Does that mean something?"
"Just that she likes you," Sam tried to calm him. "It's nothing to worry about. You must have made her happy and she mentioned you to her folks. Makes sense that they'd want to meet you."
"Oh, great," Dean sighed. "Now I remember why I spend the night and leave."
"Do you want to just leave Kylee?"
"No."
"Well, then this is how it goes," Sam wasn't surprised that Dean didn't know. "You meet the parents, make a good impression, they tell Kylee they like you, and she feels safer dating you."
"Really?"
"I think so," Sam tried to explain. "Parents are like the second line of defense. If Kylee didn't see any red flags when she went out with you, and her parents don't either, it will re-enforce her confidence in herself and her judgment."
Dean looked at him strangely.
"Kylee needs to know she can trust her gut. Especially if her gut trusts you," Sam saw Dean nod and knew he understood.
SNSNSN
Dean tried to remember what Sam had told him. Some things that his father had taught him helped him, too. He made sure to open doors, pull out chairs, call Kylee's dad 'sir' and tuck his amulet under his shirt. Dean thought that the meeting went good but wasn't sure until her parents were gone and Kylee pulled him into a long kiss.
"I brought you something," Dean said when his mouth was free. He pulled the envelope from his pocket.
Kylee opened it and smiled, "Thank you, Dean." She stretched up against him to kiss him again, and Dean was all for that.
The paper drifted to floor. On motel stationary, Dean had written a simple message: Kylee, I wish you were here. Dean."