Not much to say, just here's part two, and I hope you enjoy!
"When Stars Cross"
Part 2
Minnie looks like crap the next day, as she usually does during this time of the month. Poor girl must have one of the worst menstrual cycles Emma's ever seen—and, again, she's been to prison and hasn't seen anything so sad. She and Becca sympathize, of course, lending help where they can, but while Minnie always looks grateful, Emma can tell that nothing's helping.
There's always this nagging doubt that Minnie's lying, but Emma can't suspect her coworker of anything—it's like her "superpower" is betraying her. So, as usual, when it comes to Minnie, Emma ignores it.
She needs all the friends she can get.
Becca hands Minnie some Advil and a fresh slice of pie during her break, and Emma brews some tea. There's a silent camaraderie between the three of them—a sort of "we're all in this together" vibe. They don't seem to mind that Emma has been in prison, and Emma doesn't mind some of Minnie's mood swings and Becca's overenthusiasm.
She can sense the beginning of a tryst, however.
And of course, it has to do with a guy: Dean.
"I don't trust him is all," Minnie declares, crossing her arms over her chest. Emma recalls the look Dean had given her earlier and concurs. No, she doesn't trust him. But Minnie has all her defenses up, and is being a bit too quick to judge.
Usually that's Emma's job.
"Why not? He was incredibly nice to all of us," Becca defends, grazing her hand on Emma's arm. "He couldn't keep his eyes off of you." There's a hint of jealousy in that tone, but Emma can tell that Becca isn't too bitter at her, just disappointed.
Emma withdraws her arm and scoffs. "Me? I'm not interested in some pretty boy Fed." Even if he isn't a Fed. But she feels the need to protect Dean's ego for some reason.
"I think it's kind of cute that he's sweet on you," Becca assures, not letting the subject drop. "It's kind of romantic—you're all withdrawn from relationships, and he could persuade you that not all guys are like… well, Neal."
Yes, she's told them about Neal, but she never mentioned anything about her son—God knew what they'd think of her if they knew she'd given up her kid like that.
"Yeah, well, if that's the case, I'm still not interested. He doesn't seem too bad, but Minnie's right—we probably shouldn't trust him."
The girls usually let Emma have the last word; after all, they kind of know about how good she is at detecting liars just through observation.
Still, much as she is wary, she has to admit, her conversation with Dean was probably the most interesting she's had in a long time.
Old Joe turns up in the woods with his heart torn out of his chest a day later, and Dean's back in the diner asking questions. It can't be a coincidence. Minnie, for once, looks amazing and happy, and Becca's getting paranoid about walking home, so Emma offers her a ride home.
Looking out the window, Emma also figures that '67 Chevy Impala parked next to her Bug here at the diner is also a coincidence.
But, looking around, the only new person in here is Dean, questioning Hank and Minnie about what might have happened.
Son of a bitch.
She gets them all coffee, and the environment in the diner takes on a very somber tone at the loss of its oldest patron. Even she has to admit, there was something about Old Joe that kind of validated the rest of the place, gave it a sense of community like this place belonged on the map no matter how dumpy, no matter how much of a jerk the old geezer was. Yes, Emma even finds herself affected.
Strangely, the only one who seems glad the man's gone is Minnie.
She couldn't look happier, despite the false frown she wears on her red lips.
Dean sits at Emma's station again. Just another coincidence, yep.
"Welcome back," she deadpans, refilling his coffee. "Should I just get you what you had last time, or do you have more questions for me?"
Shrugging, he looks up at her with pretty eyes, and he knows they're hard to resist. "Not if you're going to tell me the same as last time."
"You still think it's murder?" she inquires, taking off her glasses to clean them on her skirt.
"Like I said, you've gotta consider all the possibilities…" he trails, before placing a gentle hand on her arm. Emma is about to snatch it away when she notices Dean is regarding her. Really assessing her.
It makes her feel naked.
"You shouldn't wear those things," he remarks, pointing at her glasses. "They cover up too much of your face."
"I need to see, you know," she quips, but inside all Emma can hear is her rapid heartbeat. Dean is looking it her almost painfully sincerely, like he sees something she can't.
"… 'Course," he finally answers after a moment, pulling his hand away. And suddenly, he just clears his throat and is back on the case again. Emma's glasses are back on her face.
"You like Minnie over there?" he asks instead.
What the hell? "She's fine. Bit tough, but you kind of have to be to work here," she replies. "But if you're interested, I wouldn't count on it. Becca, on the other hand… She's pretty eager to just do something—"
"What?" Dean interrupts, confused. "No, not like that. Like… have you noticed anything strange about Minnie, lately?"
Is he serious? "She's incapable of murder," she assures. Sure, Gil and Old Joe weren't the nicest to any of them, but Minnie wouldn't kill… especially in such a sloppy manner.
Just who is this man and what is he doing here?
Ugh, in her negligence, Emma accidentally left the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the motel door all day. She needs some fresh sheets, damn it. Sighing, she gathers her key and slips on her red leather jacket (one of the only things she has from before Tallahassee) before starting to make her way to the front desk.
A door opening all too quickly almost smacks her right in the face. "Hey!" she cries. "Look before you take someone's nose off!"
Of course, who should be on the other side but Dean, who only gives her a boyish smile in return. Emma has to admit, he looks so much different in a flannel and jeans as opposed to his usual suit.
But damn it, she has a thing for the rugged look, and Dean pulls it off way too well. She hates the fact that yes, if he did ask, she would probably jump his bones like an idiot, even if she's sworn off men. Emma hates how desperate she is for some support—support that Neal had provided, and she now missed. But she has to stay strong. After what Dean asked about Minnie earlier, there's no way in hell she can trust him yet.
Dean recognizes her and smirks. "Sorry… thought that was your Bug in the parking lot. Guess you really are living here."
Emma sneers, offended. How dare he judge her like that! "Well, you're not much better off," she deadpans, stepping around him. She needs those sheets, pronto.
"Hey, if it's hard times, I know the feeling." He's in step with her, tone of his voice much more… empathetic. "Used to live in nothing but motels most of my life, too."
It was foster homes for Emma. Motels sound like a godsend while making the comparison. But he at least gets it, to some extent.
He notices her silence and sighs. "Look, I'm trying to not be a jerk, but you keep giving me the cold shoulder. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were hiding something."
"Hm, excellent observation, Sherlock." Emma is far from impressed. Can't he hit on some other girl? Becca is more than interested. "You were just born to be a fake FBI agent."
"Hey, I'm trying here, okay? You just… really look like you need a friend. I don't know who burned you in the past, but he must have been a real asshole," Dean observes, and even opens the door for her.
Neal wasn't that bad, he just… he betrayed her so suddenly, just when she thought things were looking really good. It not only confused her, it frustrated her, made her think she'd done something wrong for the longest time. Even worse, if prompted, she would probably admit that she still loves him.
"He put me in prison," Emma blurts, leaving Dean to process that information as she asks for someone to clean the room. She shakes her head out of its confining ponytail and realizes that she's going to have to drive somewhere for about an hour while waiting. Well, the local bar, while depressing, could pass the time. Or she can just hang out in her car.
"Come on," Dean urges, and Emma raises a brow at him.
"Where?"
"Just come hang out in my room." And there's no innuendo behind it; Emma can tell. His tone is completely innocent, despite the fact that he's flirtatious and knows exactly how to get a woman into bed with just his looks and a few choice words.
It would save her the boredom and the drive… Again, Emma's wary, but it's her best option. Besides, prison's toughened her up. She might be able to take this guy. "… Sure," she agrees after a moment, following him.
He doesn't want sex, that much is clear. He probably just wants to interrogate her further. If this is still murder, which Emma highly doubts.
Dean's room is minimal, save for his clothes in a duffel bag, toothbrush in the bathroom, and ruffled sheets. Emma stands beside the cushioned chair found in every room here and crosses her arms tersely.
"You still don't like me and I'm gonna try and change that."
"Why? Looks like you're going to be around for much longer," she points out, gesturing to his one bag. "Why concern yourself it it's just one girl from one nowhere town?"
He shifts uncomfortably and sits on the bed. "Because you kind of remind me of my mother," he finally admits.
Emma doesn't know whether to be flattered or creeped out by this statement. So she just smiles uncertainly. "And you find that attractive in a girl?" she asks instead.
"You don't really act like her, but… the resemblance. I can't help but see a bit of it." It's a vulnerable moment—why he's revealing so much, she's uncertain.
"You didn't answer my question." Emma shifts her weight onto her left foot. "Why do you feel the need to tell me this?"
"I don't know—yes? No? Just a bit. Never met a girl who really pushed me away. I think it's just kind of a new thing." Dean answers, scratching the back of his head. "But after what you said… I'm sorry. I've been there; I know it."
She suspects something of the sort—he's a bit sketchy. But not a bad person. Emma had that thought of Neal, though—look where that got her.
"Yeah, well… guess you could say we're both screw ups, then. Nowhere to really go and no one to attach ourselves with." All Emma really has is the little money in her wallet, her red leather jacket, and her little yellow Bug. Tallahassee is yesterday's dream; now she just needs to focus on staying anonymous in a bigger city.
"I guess there is something in common between us, then." Dean's still keeping his distance, though. "Just two drifters trying to make a living day-to-day."
"We've no that alike," Emma defends, mostly because she has no idea who this guy is and he shouldn't be making assumptions. As much as he wants to admit that he's not looking for a hookup, his mannerisms now suggest that he's trying to get in her pants.
The silent moments that pass after that are too awkward for the both of them, so Dean tries to fill it.
"You should ditch the ponytail and glasses—works better with the badass jacket you're wearing," he decides to say instead.
Her hair's already down, but Emma doesn't think she can afford contacts. Besides, all Dean's doing is flattering her more. "Yeah, well, I can't always attempt to look good—especially at work. No one's going to care, least of all me." Not like she wants another guy in her life. Ever. Nor does she want an old geezer at the diner slobbering all over her.
"You hate it here," he reasons.
"Just trying to get by," she clarifies.
"See? We do have some stuff in common." He smirks.
There's a part of Emma that wants to say yes, to pour it all out to someone—all the foster homes, all her pain she's ever felt. She can't, though. Growing attached to someone only makes it that much harder to leave. This backwater town is only meant to be a halfway home, until Emma finally straps on her boots and gets the hell out of here.
That's what's dangerous about Dean. He's not looking to settle down here. He can't stand it here, either. Spilling to him is so much more tempting than to, say, Becca.
That's probably why he's telling her so much. He's been through this before, with different towns and different women. Emma is no different in his book.
But if he really wanted to seduce her, he would have done it already.
She really can't figure this guy out.
"I'm still not ready to admit it."
"You're really scared of opening up," he realizes. "You really think I'm the same as that other guy? I have no good reason for you to ever take the blame for what I do. That was this guy's problem—he thought of the two of you together instead of individuals so he had someone to take the fall for him if he got in trouble."
Emma, pissed as she is at Neal, doesn't like to hear some stranger talking about him so matter-or-factly. "No. That whole thing was out of character, even for him."
"Or maybe whatever he had with you was out of character, and that betrayal was what he was aiming toward the whole time," Dean reasons.
Emma sneers and walks to the door. She's made that assumption herself, but it hurts to hear someone else say it. Most of all by someone who could betray her in the same way.
"Wait." Dean sighs, and Emma hates that she actually pauses.
"What?" She doesn't turn just yet.
"You can ask me something personal. Retaliate."
Is he serious? Emma turns finally. "Why tell me anything about yourself if you're trying to keep a low profile? About your mother and your past, I mean," she says.
Dean walks up to her and shrugs. "Because you're a challenge. Because you're not like any other girl I've ever met. Because you kind of remind me of my mother, but I… I see parts of myself, too. It's weird, but attractive," he admits, and none of it is a lie.
She blinks at him, not knowing what to say.
"You think I'm creepy," he concludes.
"… A bit." She doesn't deny it.
Worse, Emma still finds him damn attractive, and she wants to get to know him because of what he's just told her. There's still something about him that's drawing her toward him. She hates it, after her vow.
She doesn't really realize that she's been leaning in toward him. She doesn't know his last name, his birthday, his phone number, or his family, and that makes it even worse.
It's then Emma's common sense kicks in and she shakes her head, pulling away as she reaches around for the door handle. "I'm sorry," she murmurs, realizing she'd rather feel bored at a bar or in her car than awkward and tense here.
It's not the last time she's going to see him, she knows. What will happen then, that's the scary part.
Obviously I'm rather bad at doing mystery, but I'm not trying to really focus on that, more on Emma and Dean's relationship. Their parallels are just great, and I really like thinking Dean might be pushing himself on what he likes in a woman. It's just that if and when they ever met up, she would definitely leave an impact on him.
Also posting for Jensen Ackles' birthday, holla~
Next part: Lines are drawn in the sand, regrets are made, and Emma realizes just what Dean can teach her for the rest of her life.
As always, reviews are always appreciated! Let me know what you think!
~Eliza
