"Oh, baby, please," said Dean, as he ran his hand soothingly over the dash. He could feel the heat coming from the engine as he sighed. After all these years, his car was beginning to feel the wear that had taken root in him a long time ago. Dean slowly pulled off to the shoulder of the highway and brought the Impala to a halt.
He resignedly turned the key, turning off the car. The quiet night air was only stirred by the soft knocking and ticking of the motor settling. Dean rested his head on the steering wheel, over his interlaced fingers.
It was past the time when he was supposed to meet Sam and he still had a couple hundred miles to drive throughout the night. Dean raised his head and surrendered to the fact that the problem wasn't going to fix itself. It rarely does, thought Dean, I'll just step up as usual.
Pulling his jacket tighter, Dean pushed open the door and stepped out into the late autumn air. A cool breeze ruffled his hair while he opened the hood of the Impala. The heat coming off the engine slightly steamed the night air. Letting the breeze cool the engine, Dean walked back and unlocked the trunk, pulling out the work lamp and heading back to the front of the car. Hooking the light to the hood, he flicked the work lamp on. The bright light blinded him and he blinked away the spots that danced before him. Leaning over the engine, Dean mentally went over all the possible causes of an overheating, hoping that it would be an easy fix.
As he checked the coolant and head gasket, he thought back to when he had grown to appreciate the mechanics of his car. He could practically feel the hot summer days from when he and Bobby had used to pour over cars in his salvage yard, pulling out pieces that could be useful. The slight smile that had lit Bobby's face when Dean joyfully presented a decent transmission that he had retrieved from a Ford with a wrecked body, his eye catching the reusable part. Bobby would always adjust his hat and rest his hand on Dean's shoulder when he felt particularly proud of him, a look that Dean had yearned to see.
Shaking the thought to the side, Dean regarded the fan belt and noted that it had slipped. Testing the tension, he felt that it was slightly loose and in need of replacement soon. He slid the belt, making sure it was secure, in position, and not going to slip and prevent the water pump from circulating coolant. Huffing a laugh at the easy fix, Dean slipped around and into the driver's seat to turn the engine on as a test. His baby purred to life and he got back out and walked to the front, watching the belt to make sure it wasn't slipping anymore.
Satisfied that the belt was fixed, he unhooked the work lamp and switched it off. Once he had stored it securely so the lamp would not shift while driving, Dean closed the trunk and walked around to look at the engine one last time. The gentle rumble was soothing, giving Dean comfort in his solitude. No matter how many things changed in his life, people who left or hurt him, the black paint and shiny chrome of his Impala would always warm him and bring his cheerful memories to the front of his mind. There was no home like his Impala.