There's not too much of it, but you'll find some swearing in this chapter.
That night, the bar was half packed and Manda had been there for about an hour already. She didn't normally like to sit directly at the bar, but tonight was different. She had wanted her drinks refilled when she finished them, but was now drinking them slowly. Too much was going on in her mind and drinking had seemed like a good idea, but it wasn't helping anything.
Now some clown was trying to pick her up and while she played along with it for awhile, she wasn't going anywhere with this guy. She was laughing at his jokes, because at least he was semi-funny, but his routine was old, and she'd heard it all more times than she could remember over the years. But he was drunk enough not get the sarcastic comments she shoved in, even though the bartender had overheard a few of them and laughed. And now he was asking her to play a game or two of pool, and she agreed just for the hell of it. It would be easy to kick his ass and win some money off him, but for now she played stupid by pretending she didn't know much about how to play as she walked over to a table with him and they started a game.
[ - ]
Sam and Dean wandered into the bar. Dean had chosen it as they drove around looking for a place to grab a couple of drinks. Sam hadn't really wanted to go, but Dean had persuaded him into coming with him.
Sam hadn't said anything when they got here, but he had noticed a certain car at the far end of the lot. Dean probably hadn't seen it, because if he had – they wouldn't be here.
Dean sat down at a small table that was near the poor tables while Sam went to order them a couple of beers.
Dean's eyes were scanning the place from the moment they set foot in it. There were enough attractive women for him to choose from, and enough guys for them to win some cash off of in a couple of games of pool. His night was looking up since the day had been an annoyance and a bust.
When Sam came back with their drinks, Dean guzzled half his bottle instantly. Then he heard a laugh, one he had heard before.
"You gotta be kidding me? She's here?" he said with a groan, and then looked around for the owner of the laugh. There was no way it could be her, he would have seen her when he was looking before, unless she'd had her back turned the whole time.
Dean finally spotted Manda at one of the pool tables a few feet away where a man looked like he was teaching her how to line up a good shot. His eyes hardened as he watched them, knowing that the man was just using it as an excuse to touch her. Dean had used the move plenty of times himself to know exactly what it meant. His grip tightened around his beer bottle.
"What?" Sam asked, playing dumb and watching as Dean tried to strangle the bottle in his hand.
"Frickin' Manda is here… last pool table on the right," Dean said annoyed, but he was still watching them. He saw her take the shot and sink the ball. The guy looked amused and had quite a wide grin on his face as he checked her out bent over the table.
"Do you want to leave?"
"I'm not done my beer, and she can leave if she wants to when she sees us." Dean spat out the words, looked back at Sam, and then downed the rest of his beer before starting on another.
"Uh… okay." Sam could tell Dean was pissed off, but he still didn't know at what or why. Or why Manda seemed to bug him so much. He hadn't gotten a chance to call Chuch yet to ask her, but as soon as Dean left him alone he was going to.
Looking over at the pool table then, Sam watched Manda cleaning up the table while a guy stood there with a grin quickly turning into a scowl.
"First she's in same city, now the same bar, what's next… the same motel?" Dean was muttering out loud.
"Ready to tell me what the hell happened between you two yet?" Sam wanted to know, but prying things out of Dean was never easy. He might tell him in time though, as sometimes it just took awhile for his brother to open up.
"You fuckin' played me! You said you said you weren't that good, that's why I put up fifty bucks," the man at the pool table with Manda loudly spoke, filled with drunken anger.
Sam and Dean heard the guy's voice and turned their attention to the table again to watch how it played out.
"Should we…" Sam started to ask.
"She'll kick his ass if she has to, but if he's got friends… then we'll jump in." Dean's knuckles were turning white on the hand he held his beer in.
"Beginner's luck, asshole," Manda mouthed off back at the man. "Not to mention I had to put up with your grubby hands on me at least twice… that must've given me enough incentive to win."
"Like you didn't like them there, whore." The man laughed and stepped closer to her.
"Whore?" she said with one short chuckle. "You're lucky I'm only walking away with your money and not your hands or tongue as well." Manda was sizing him up now. She wasn't looking for a fight, but if it was happening – she was ready.
"Goddamn bitch! You're threatening me? I'll show you what a real threat is." The man went to grab her by the arm, but stopped when he noticed a crowd watching them now.
Manda scanned the bar to make sure this jerk didn't have any friends with him. She hadn't seen him with any, but that didn't mean they weren't there. And that's when she saw who was sitting at a table not too far away. "Oh look, my brothers are finally here. And while they know I can take you… you touch me, you're gonna have to answer to them." She nodded towards the table and waved at Sam and Dean.
Dean just sat there watching and waiting, his face serious and angry looking.
Sam stood up, nodding back at her to let her silently know they'd help, not that she seemed to need it in his opinion.
The guy looked at them and his jaw clenched tight enough to break his teeth, but he didn't move or say anything.
"You're not worth the fifty bucks or the free ice I'll have to stick my hand into later after I knock your face around a few times." Manda smiled and walked away, headed towards Sam and Dean.
"Fuckin' stupid bitch!" the guy shouted at her, and then stormed off with his money she had left behind.
"Making friends like always, I see," Dean said to Manda as she sat down beside him. His eyes were back on the bottle in front of him already.
"Not my fault that guy's an idiot and thought a girl couldn't kick his ass at the game," she replied. "By the way, you're my brothers should that dick come back."
Sam laughed. "I'm sure he bought it, but I bet boyfriend and his friend or brother would have been more believable."
Dean scoffed.
"Like anyone would believe either one of you would date me," Manda laughed.
"I need another beer." Dean got up and then walked over to the bar.
"Well, don't let us stop you, Prince Charming," Manda said.
Sam chuckled, glancing after Dean weirdly. "He's just, uh…"
"Being Dean," she said his name like it came with a sting attached to it. "He can't help it."
"Yeah…" Sam wanted to laugh, she had it right. "So, will you tell me what happened between you two? I remember you guys getting along just fine, it was all laughs and playful bickering a month ago. Now it's like you can't stand the sight of each other."
"Nothing." Manda looked away from Sam, but not before he saw what looked like a bit of pain in her eyes before it disappeared almost as quickly as it came.
"That's what he said too. But it's obvious it was more than nothing."
"Of course he did." She chuckled sort of sarcastically. "Typical."
"What?" Sam was sure he was getting somewhere now. He knew she might tell him what had happened.
"Well, you know how sometimes you get along too good with somebody and that isn't always a good thing?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah, and?"
"I don't know what to tell you, Sam. We're just… a lot alike and still pretty different." Manda scanned the bar and found Dean. He was chatting to some woman and seemed to be kicking back the booze. Two empties sat on the bar in front of him, as did a new bottle of tequila, a shot in his hand.
Sam saw her look at his brother, but didn't see any emotion he could read on her this time. "Okay, but that still doesn't explain why there's this crazy tension and what seems like some serious anger between you guys."
Manda looked back at Sam. "I need another drink, you want another beer?"
"Sounds good."
Manda got up and went to the bar.
Sam watched as Dean turned his head to look at her while he was still talking to the woman he was standing with. His eyes stayed on her, went back to the woman next to him for a second, and then were back on Manda as she stood there waiting for the drinks she'd ordered. He noticed Manda hadn't turned her head once, not even when she must have felt Dean's eyes on her.
She returned with a beer for Sam and two shots for herself.
"Thanks," Sam said as he took the beer she handed to him. "Okay, tell me you didn't just notice him staring at you once again."
"I didn't notice." She hadn't, she had been trying too hard to not turn and look at him with whatever bimbo he was hitting on tonight.
"Uh huh. So tell me what happened."
Manda downed a shot, tapped the glass on the table when she was done. "You really want to know?"
"Yes."
"I think… I think maybe I bruised his ego when I rejected him. I don't think your brother took it too well seeing as he's not used to it." Her voice was quiet as she said it.
Sam laughed. "Serious? You turned him down and that's what all this is about?" He wasn't sure how many times Dean had ever been turned down by a woman, but he knew it wasn't very often and could probably be counted on one hand.
"I might have insulted him as well when I did it."
"How?" Sam wanted to know how she'd managed to insult Dean bad enough for the way things were between them.
"Well, as you said, we got along fine. There was some attraction there, but we had more in common than we wanted to admit and when he made his move, I just… I don't know… I was drunk and might have said some things that got to him." Manda knew what she had said and why, but she wasn't telling Sam all the details.
"Uh huh. What'd you say to him?" Sam was getting real curious now as she let out more of the story.
"Something mean, probably summed up who he is and what's he's like. Then I told him it was a mistake and asked him to get out of my room."
"Ouch." So that's what had happened, Sam knew it had been more than just a "no." "But why are you angry with him?"
"Angry," she laughed. "I guess I should tell you because I've told you almost everything anyway." Manda downed her second shot before she continued. "So I turned him down, kicked him out and maybe in the morning I regretted being so bitchy with him, but by the time I came around to your room… well, you guys were already gone." She paused a moment. "There was no goodbye, no text or call. Not a word from him even though he played it cool with me when he left and said he'd see me in the morning before you guys left. You know I even called him a few times to try to apologize, but he never picked up or called back."
So that was the whole story, or most of it according to her. She had managed to hurt his brother and then he'd hurt her in return. She wasn't angry, Sam could see it now. She was just hurt by the fact that Dean had disappeared and pretended like he didn't know her. Now it seemed to make more sense as to why Manda barely looked at Dean and why he kept looking at her.
"He told me he had said goodbye to you the night before, you know? After we'd finished saying bye to Chuch I asked him why you weren't there since the two of you had been hanging out. All he said was that you'd said your goodbyes the night before, that you wanted him to say bye to me for you and then he smirked at me."
"He lied, and now you know the tale of Dean and me." She slid one of the shot glasses back and forth on the table between her hands.
"I'll talk to him."
"Leave it be, Sam. What's done is done." Manda's tone was a touch icy.
"God, you're both stubborn," Sam snickered.
Manda laughed. "That is one of the ways we're alike."
"He told me to leave it alone when I said I'd call Chuch and ask her if she knew what was up between you."
"Have you talked to her lately?" Manda asked him.
"Last week, why?"
"Just wondering."
"Okay..." Sam wondered why she had asked, but didn't bother to pursue it any further. He knew they were friends and that Manda talked to Chuch more than he did.
"Well, as much as I love to hang around a bar until the early morning hours, I'm gonna get going."
"I'll walk you out in case that guy is waiting around outside for you," Sam said.
"I can take care of myself, but sure." Manda agreed knowing it was easier that way.
Both of them got up from the table, and then Sam walked with her out of the bar and over to her car.
"Thanks, Sam." She smiled at him as she opened the door of her black 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS.
"You're okay to drive?" He would offer to drive her to her hotel if she needed it since she'd been at the bar before they had gotten there.
"Yeah, and I think you better stay that way too. Dean looks like he's hitting it pretty hard tonight."
"I noticed, didn't think you did." Sam was surprised since he'd only seen her look over at Dean once when they had been talking.
"I noticed," Manda admitted. "As much as I tried not to, I noticed." Her eyes went soft for a second then went back to being hard to read.
"He noticed you too you know, especially when that guy had his hands on you." Sam thought she needed to hear that.
"Oh... good for him," she paused. "Anyway, thanks again… night."
"Night, Manda."
Manda got in her car and started it up while Sam started to walk back to the bar.
He was almost at the doors when she pulled up in her car alongside of him and stopped. "I know you always do it, but look after him, Sam. And like I said before, please leave it alone."
"Uh… all right." Sam didn't know what else to say, he was still finding this whole thing odd.
Manda waved at him and then drove off.
Sam stood there for a moment finding it a bit funny that although she played it tough, she still cared. That made her a lot Dean in his mind. He wondered who had been more scared of the other and if they would ever put this tension behind them in order to be a little friendlier to each other like they had been before.
Wandering back into the bar, Sam called Chuch to find out what she knew and the stuff Manda had probably told her but not him. And when he was done talking with her it would be time to deal with a drunken Dean.
[ - ]
Manda was back in her hotel room watching some crappy movie. She wasn't really watching it though, and had only put it on for the noise, the distraction it could offer. But it didn't seem to be working for her.
The night hadn't gone quite the way she had planned. She had gone to the bar to have a few drinks to help her forget she'd run into Dean, but then him and Sam had shown up some time after she'd already been there. It just figured that once again something was throwing them into the same place at the same time when all she wanted to do was forget.
But what was she going to do? Skip town and leave like he obviously wanted her to even when she felt that there was a job somewhere here. Manda decided she would give it one more day and one more night, and then she was leaving. If nothing happened in that time, then that was it - she was out of this town and leaving it, Dean Winchester, and all the drama she had with him behind.
So what if Sam had told her he had noticed her with that guy, and then the comment about him staring at her when she'd been at the bar getting drinks? None of that matter. She was and never would be anyone Dean wanted to be around, not after how she had treated him.
Manda tried to reason with why she had lashed out at him with wicked words again, and she'd come to one conclusion. It was easier for her to have pushed him away than it would have been to let herself fall for him. One night wasn't worth what she'd be left with – a longing for someone she could never have. The hunter lifestyle wouldn't let it happen for more than a night or two, he wouldn't let it happen either and neither would she. Actually, she knew she couldn't let it happen. So she had spit out hurtful words and acted like a stone cold bitch instead. She was sorry for it, but there was no turning back time, and he hadn't been and wouldn't be interested in whatever apology she could try to give him for it once again.
Manda turned off the movie, let the quiet sink in around her, and started trying to push everything, and most of all, Dean, out of her mind.
[ - ]
Sam had talked to Chuch for awhile. While he'd been on the phone with her, he'd kept his eye on Dean, who had finished off almost the whole bottle of tequila either by himself or with the girl that had been with him awhile ago. She had left when it was clear he was too wasted to be of any use to her, and he had continued to drink.
"Come on, Dean, time to go," Sam said as he walked up beside his brother who was now sitting on a stool at the bar.
Dean finished the shot he had in front of him, smacked the glass back on the bar. "Sh-she g-g-gone?" he slurred out his question, taking a deep breath when he was done.
"Yeah, she left awhile ago." Sam wasn't sure if he was talking about Manda or the blonde that had been keeping him company.
"Good."
"Can you walk?"
"'Course." Dean stood up and stumbled backwards as he lost his footing, knowing then he was drunker than he had thought.
Sam steadied his brother. He had to slouch a bit to support Dean properly. "I got you. Let's go."
"Thanks, Sammy," Dean grinned drunkenly.
Sam helped Dean walk to the car, helped him get into the passenger's seat, and then climbed into the driver's seat. "Keys?"
Dean reached in his pocket, pulled out the keys and tried to hand them to Sam, but missed his hand. "Quit movin' your hand, Sammy."
"I'm not." Sam reached out and took the keys from Dean. "You're just seeing doubles or triples by now."
Dean laughed. "So that's what it is… wondered what was up with your hands."
Sam shook his head and fired up the Impala's engine. Dean was on the verge of passing out as they pulled out of the lot and drove back to the hotel.
Once Sam had parked the car out in front of their room, he shook Dean. "Wake up, Dean."
"Mmhhh." Dean's eyes fluttered open. "What?"
Sam got out, walked around and opened the passenger door. "Come on, Dean."
Dean was having trouble standing up, but he'd gotten half way out and Sam had pulled him the rest of the way out and up. Then he helped Dean walk from the car to their room.
"Another few steps and we're there." He hadn't seen his brother this drunk in a long time now, and he was almost sure what had caused it – seeing Manda.
"Wha- what did I do, Sam?" Dean muttered out the question. "Why's… she… she so…"
"Who?" Sam thought he could guess who the she might be, but apparently Dean didn't want to say her name.
"Y-y-you know… her."
Sam opened the door, walked Dean to his bed and eased him down to sit. "Her?"
"Who?" Dean asked as he fell back on his bed.
"Never mind. Sleep it off, Dean." He took off his brother's shoes for him and then shook his head again as he saw Dean had already passed out and was snoring.
Sam had never seen his brother get this way over any girl. This wasn't like Dean at all. He figured that whatever Manda had said had really hurt Dean, which would be hard for the older Winchester to handle. It was either that or just that he had liked her enough to let her get under his skin, and that was something that would be even harder for Dean to deal with. But now the younger Winchester wondered if it was both.
Maybe Dean wouldn't get so trashed over a girl, but that's where I went with it. This girl is a lot like him in a lot of ways, which might be starting to become obvious now but will probably be a little more later on.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter... and as always - comments/thoughts/suggestions are welcomed.
