Yey! New story involving Sam, Dean, and Taylor is finally up! It took me awhile to get everything figured out for this story so sorry for the wait & I had to repost it because of a mix-up with this chapter. Sorry for the confusion and I hope you like this one & review if you like it & want me to continue. Thanks & enjoy: )
"Kay, would you rather wear a Speedo and nothing else everywhere for the rest of your life or get a really bad face burn and have to wear a bag on your head for the rest of your life?" Taylor asked with a laugh and Sam burst out laughing at the question. Dean grinned, ready for the challenge. They were sitting at a booth at the local diner playing an intense game of Would You Rather? Dean stared out the window beside him for a few seconds before he came to an answer.
"Definitely the Speedo," Dean decided. "Wearing a bag on my head forever would just get irritating." Sam and Taylor laughed and before Taylor could turn to Sam to ask him a question they were interrupted by a woman approaching their table.
"Taylor?" The woman asked incredulously and Sam, Taylor, and Dean turned to look at her. Dean and Sam had never seen this girl before, who looked to be about Taylor's age, maybe a year older. But by Taylor's shocked and happy expression Dean assumed they knew each other.
"Rachel?" Taylor asked back with a huge grin. She slid out her booth seat and got up to give the girl a huge bear hug. Dean and Sam just continued to look at them, wondering when they were going to be introduced.
"What are you doing here?" Taylor asked a few moments later after they'd stopped hugging and stood side by side staring incredulously at each other.
"I had to go to a meeting with one of Todd's doctors to get some test results," Rachel told her, and Taylor nodded understanding while Sam and Dean looked at each other, wondering if the other had any idea what was going on.
"How is he? Is he with you?" Taylor asked eagerly, but Rachel shook her head.
"He hates traveling now so I came myself. I'm flying back home in a few hours," Rachel told her and Taylor nodded. She looked around casually and when she remembered Dean and Sam her face lit up as if she'd just remembered they were sitting there.
"Ohhh Rachel, I'm sorry I forgot to introduce you. This is Sam and my boyfriend Dean," Taylor told her friend, gesturing to Sam and Dean who nodded with a grin towards Rachel casually. Rachel smiled back with a nod of approval at Taylor.
"Well, I just came to get a cup of coffee before I go to the airport," Rachel told them, turning back to Taylor. "I'm sure Todd will be surprised when he hears that I ran into you." Taylor laughed, agreeing.
"Tell him I say hi and I hope everything goes okay with, you know, everything," Taylor said, saying "everything" a little quieter and Rachel nodded with a sweet smile while Sam and Dean shot each other a confused look.
"I will, thanks," Rachel said with a smile. She gave Taylor another hug, waved to the boys, and then departed the diner. Taylor sat back down in her seat, feeling the boys' stares. She looked up as if to say, "What are you staring at?"
"Care to explain who that was?" Dean asked, a little annoyance in his voice, wondering why Taylor hadn't mentioned this Rachel before.
"She's one of my friends from school," Taylor told them, taking a sip of her coffee.
"And who's Todd?" Sam asked curiously and Taylor immediately looked away, looking a little sad.
"He was one of my friends and has been her boyfriend for awhile," Taylor told them a few seconds later, not daring to look at them with sad eyes, obviously remembering him.
"And what happened to him?" Dean asked, trying to get the information out of Taylor before she could change the subject.
"He's been paralyzed for awhile after a huge car accident," Taylor told them after taking a deep breath. "He's one of the few in the car who survived." The table was silent for a few seconds, people talking and laughing at booths around them as Dean and Sam thought of comforting words to say.
"I'm really sorry, Tay," Dean said after a few more seconds, reaching for Taylor's hand across the table. She grasped his hand and held it for a few moments, looking close to tears.
"I knew everyone in that car," Taylor told them. "I haven't talked about this for awhile so it's weird seeing someone who brings back those memories." Sam and Dean nodded, understanding. Taylor mumbled something about wanting to leave so Sam and Dean quickly paid the check and followed her out of the diner.
Later that night, Taylor sat on the pull-out couch watching TV but not really paying close attention to the re-run of America's Next Top Model. She'd been utterly baffled when she'd encountered her old friend she'd knew since middle school, Rachel, and couldn't stop thinking about memories from her teen years. It was if seeing an old friend's face switched a light bulb on in Taylor's mind causing her to remember everything. She jumped, feeling a hand on her shoulder. As she turned around she sighed with relief, seeing it was only Dean with a grin on his face.
"Sorry if I scared you," he said, sliding beside Taylor. She quickly turned off the TV, seeing as she wasn't really watching it anyway. "You okay?" He asked her, sounding concerned, a few seconds later. "You've been really quiet ever since you ran into your friend at the diner."
"It's just," Taylor started but then trailed off, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Sometimes seeing someone you haven't seen in awhile makes all these old memories flood back into your brain. And sometimes they're not always great memories." Dean shot her a confused look so she continued. "You know that car crash I was telling you about?" Dean nodded so she went on. "Well, a few of my best friends died in that, including my best friend Nate. He was basically my brother so when he died I think I took it harder than anyone else. I think about him a lot and seeing Rachel again really made me remember everything." Taylor looked away sadly and Dean put his arm around her comfortingly.
"How did they get in the crash?" Dean asked gently, trying not to make Taylor upset.
"They were driving home from this party at a friend's house and some of them were drunk. And they were the ones who ended up driving and colliding with a truck." Taylor held back the tears that were trying to escape from her eyes as Dean gripped her shoulder comfortingly, silently saying how sorry he was.
"I just wish I had more of an official goodbye then just saying I'd see him the next day before he left the party," Taylor confessed and leaned her head on Dean's shoulder. She stayed like that for awhile, silently crying.
Taylor awoke in the middle of the night to a sound in the kitchen. It sounded like someone had tripped over the trash can or something and it had tipped over, spilling its contents. Taylor guessed it was probably Sam or Dean, but when she looked over at Sam's bed he was sound asleep and Dean wouldn't still be hungry since he stayed up with Taylor for a few hours eating and making fun of some of shows that were on TV late at night.
She groggily sat up in bed, rubbing her tired eyes. She slipped on a pair of socks and sneakers since the motel they were currently staying at around an hour or so away from the previous one was pretty cheap and you never knew what could be lying around on the floor. She tucked a loose piece of dark brown hair behind her ear and tiptoed out of her room quietly. She closed the bedroom door behind her slowly and walked slowly to the kitchen. She couldn't see anything except for Dean sleeping on the couch a few feet away. Her heart beat started to quicken now and she looked around frantically for any sign of anyone else. That's when she heard the voice she hadn't heard in so long.
"Hi Taylor."