Ten years later my door opened again and two tall boys walked in. They both looked done in and dragging. I figured the older one was in front, the boy behind him was taller but had that look of being younger, and with dark eyes, a hollow look and a huge bandage on his cheek, he sure looked more ragged.
I pegged them as hunters though it's unusual for hunters to travel in numbers greater than one. But they had that look.
"We need a room for the night." The boy in front said. He seemed familiar but I couldn't quite place him. He set his plastic on the counter and I gave him the standard answer for hunters.
"Your credit's no good here."
The younger boy breathed out a soft sound that could've been derision or it could've been despair, but the older one smiled at me, "And why would that be?" and I realized all at once who they were.
"Hunters get the discount – and John Winchester's boys stay for free." I gave them half a minute but no more to get their reaction. Dean – I still remembered their names – didn't lose his smile but he was appraising me. Sam lifted his eyes about halfway up Dean's back but otherwise didn't react.
"You don't remember about ten years back? You stopped here with your Daddy. 'Course we weren't any bigger than spit on a brick back then, just a few rooms and a diner. But the Good Lord saw fit to bless us with an exit right off the interstate in our laps and we kinda exploded since then. Motel, restaurant, Laundromat, full service gas station. You don't remember?"
Dean's eyes narrowed, trying to remember. Sam behind him whispered, "Wagner. Meganne Wagner," sounding like that was all the strength he could muster, and Dean's expression cleared. He nodded.
"Father Jake, Uncle William. And of course your sister Adelaida." He gave an appropriate shudder. "No, I didn't recognize the place at all. I remember stopping, but…" He trailed off and I took stock of them again. Tired and looking near about to drop both of them. I took the key out of its special spot in the special drawer.
"Here you go, second last room on the left, number 11. Restaurant's open 24/7, charge it to your room and it'll be taken care of. Anything you boys need, you let me know."
"Thanks." Dean turned and waited a second, but Sam didn't register that they were leaving. "Sam?" Dean asked, sounding gentle and concerned and he touched Sam's arm. He got a questioning look from his brother. "Go to the room?"
"Oh. Okay. Sure." And he opened the door and Dean held it while they walked out and in a minute that beautiful car drove past and down to their room.
There'd been talk in the past few months that no one had seen or heard anything of John Winchester. Judging from the looks on those boys' faces I expected the worst. And I was surely gonna miss that man.
