Dean sighed as he pulled his coat off. He'd been busy checking off tasks on the honey-do list for the past two days. Every completed task made him feel more and more normal. He felt like he was just a normal guy. He was the good son-in-law around the Roadhouse, patching up the place where Ellen told him to patch up. He was a good friend, defending Ash from some drunks who seemed pretty offended by some genius comment he made. He was a good husband, cleaning up where he went because he knew Jo was busy.
He had seen Bobby pull up about an hour before. He had been too busy with the roof at the time and knew that the moment he got down, he wouldn't want to go back up. Sam had only gotten back about half an hour ago with some groceries (he talked Dean into giving him that job for the day).
He was greeted by Bobby who gave him a quick pat on the back. "Those women got you working on your birthday, son?" he asked. Dean gave a chuckle.
"Actually Bobby, I was way behind on my list. I've received a few happy wishes through the day... I'm good," he told him. "In all honesty, I think the best present I could have gotten was the opportunity to fix that roof. That leak was a pain in my ass..." Bobby gave him a smile before turning to walk down the hall.
Dean watched him retreat for a few seconds before he called to him. "Hey Bobby! How long did it take you to find a shirt that says "Great Uncle Bobby"? I love you man but you're not all that great," he joked as he rolled up his sleeves. Bobby began to walk away again, his hand waving about.
"I'm pretty damn great if I may say so myself, ya idjit!"
Dean couldn't help but laugh at the response before falling silent once more. Once he made sure all his things were organized, he proceeded forward into the next room. It was too cold for the bar to be busy. There were only a few hunters chatting about the recent jobs over a few beers. They greeted him with nods of the head or a wave of the hand. He returned the gesture as he neared the bar.
"Dean, my man!" came Ash's voice. "It's a damn shame you had to take care of all those chores on a day like this." Dean gave Ash a shrug.
"Doesn't bother me. I like making progress," he replied. Ash merely nodded before handing him a beer.
"Hey, nothing like having a less sucky roof on your birthday," he commented, taking a swig of the beer. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "Happy birthday by the way."
Dean thanked him before taking a gulp of his own drink. He however became suddenly interested in Ash's black t-shirt, spelling "Super Nanny" in bold white. He quirked an eyebrow.
"What kind of bet from hell did you lose to have to wear a shirt like that?" Dean asked. Ash gave a confused expression before glancing down at his shirt. He pulled the fabric away from his body to read the words upside down like he had forgotten they were there.
"Oh! Actually, it was this chick from this bar. She has made me honorary baby-sitter," he said as he smoothed the shirt back out. "I like to think it's because of my calm demeanor..." Dean nodded before taking another gulp.
"Didn't know you were into kids."
"Gift from God I say," he grinned. "Gotta go and check the computers. Been working on some important business.." Dean watched as the strange man disappeared to his room.
Dean was left to himself to finish his beer. It was relaxing having the dim lighting of the bar. He mulled over the thought of starting a fire. That would be nice and homey. His thoughts were interupted by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to find Ellen behind him.
"I was about to go and track you down, boy. I was beginning to wonder if you froze up there..." she said. "Good thing you came back because I would have thrown out my back just thinking about getting you down from there." Dean laughed. It was always a comfort listening to Ellen. She was that annoying mother-in-law who he adored and feared.
"I'm sorry. I got really focused and I-"
"I'm just messing with you. Don't apologize," she said as she pat his hand. Dean grinned at her. She was wearing her usual flannel shirt, he noted, but there was something odd about seeing the print on the t-shirt under it. He read it to himself...
"'GrandMama'? You and Bobby both... Don't smother yourselves with the love you are showing for yourselves."
"I am pretty grand, aren't I? I mean, I raised that crazy kid, Jo. I deserve to be a grand mama," she joked as she leaned over the bar. "Jo gave it to me."
Dean let out an "oh, I see". "Nice shirt... Where did she get it?"
"Oh! A website online. She had one made for Bobby and I. Think she even made one for your brother too," she told him as she wiped down a section of the bar that was recently vacated.
"What's his say?"
"Dean!" Sam's voice boomed as he strode into the room. "Dude, have you seen my flashdrive?"
Dean shot him a look. "I've been on the freaking roof, Sam! Unless you have been surfing the web on the roof, I haven't seen a thing." Sam let out a sigh in response before rubbing his eyes.
"I'm going crazy... I could have sworn I left it..." he paused and reached into the breast pocket of his flannel. "Dammit."
"Left it in your pocket?" Dean inquired, receiving a sharp look from his brother in return.
"No, Dean. I, in fact, have seemed to have misplaced your keys," he grumbled. Dean's eyes grew wide. However, Sam only chuckled before shaking his head. "Dude, I'm kidding. I drove Jo's truck today. Chill."
"They why are you freaking out? Something wrong with your left boob or something?"
Sam huffed. "No. I just forgot to grab your birthday gift! I must have left it in the car... I really don't want to bundle up just to go out to the truck." Dean waved his hand.
"Sammy, seriously! I can wait. I mean, it's not like I'm doing much for my birthday as it is. Got some of the honey-do list checked off, a nice cold beer. I'm content..." he assured him. "Are you wearing your shirt from Jo too?"
Sam shook his head. "Not at the moment, no. I'd thought I would wait..."
"What's it say?" he asked. "Does it mention anything about your lovely flowing locks? Maybe it says something about how you make the lady sasquatches weak in the knees?"
Sam let out a giggle. "No! I actually have yet to read it. I'll probably wear it later or something when I see Jo around. Pretty sure it has something about a moose. I saw antlers..." Dean couldn't help but throw his head back and bellow with laughter. If there was one thing that Dean liked about knowing Crowley, it was the silly nickname endowed to his unfortunate little brother.
"I know, hilarious," Sam chuckled.
"Hey, Sam?" Dean perked when he heard Jo's voice.
"Yeah?"
Jo appeared with a blue and grey flashdrive held between her thumb and pointer finger. "Is this yours?" She tossed it to him.
"Where did you find it?" Sam asked.
She ran her fingers through her hair before responding. "It was sitting on the bar earlier today when it had gotten slightly busy. Some drunk guy attempted to take a bite out of it..." Sam let out a squeak before shoving it into his jean pocket, wiping his hand down his flannel over and over with a disgusted expression. "He discovered pretty quickly that it wasn't that appetizing or that perhaps his dental insurance wouldn't cover it."
"Uh... Thanks Jo. I'm going to, um..."
"Yeah, I guessed as much," she smirked as he hugged her and gave her a grateful peck on the top of her head.
"Hey, Mama. I turned the sign off," Jo told her mother as she leaned over to kiss her mother's cheek.
"Thank you, darlin'. Hopefully business will pick up. Especially now that we may be able to keep the heat in," she told her.
Jo turned to Dean, smiling widely at him. "Hi honey, did you fix the roof?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck sweetly. He replied with a low "mm-hm" before leaning down to peck her on the lips.
"I think I am going to let your brother grocery shop from now on," she continued as she nestled into his chest.
"Why?" Dean asked. Jo recognized the slightly offended tone. She knew that Dean was always trying to beat his little brother at stupid things. It wasn't relevant to anything, she just wanted to see his reaction.
"Sam sticks to the list that Mom and I so carefully write out. You on the other hand..." she jabbed him playfully in the chest with her finger," You have self-control issues and tend to bring back more junk food than anything."
Dean huffed, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Jo. So it was that one time that I went grocery shopping and I brought back four pies. I assure you that not a single bite went to waste."
"Dean, sweetheart... I forced you to put back two boxes of pop tarts one time after you had picked up four. You have to limit yourself! I can't have a flabby hubby!" She wrinkled her nose at him playfully as she pushed herself away. Dean watched her as she moved around to the behind the counter along with her mother. He smirked at her, leaning forward on an elbow.
"You scared the girls are going to make fun of you?" he questioned. He soon found her face mere inches from his, assuming their usual stance for playful banter. "Are you afraid that the other guys are going to question why you married me? I bet I'm not the only one who loves a good cinnimon-sugar-apple filled pastry. Sometimes I even settle for some cherry. "
"Trust me. You're almost the worst, but not quite. Tilly's husband came home the other week with ten ice cream tubs," she informed him as she began to move about once more. "Ten tubs of ice cream in the winter."
"Every sweet tooth is different."
"Speaking of 'sweet tooth'," Ellen interupted as she pointed at her daughter. "How's about you go and get the other three?"
Dean's features fell to show confusion. As he mulled over how the love for sugar cane and "others" related, Jo had left to round up the other three. Ellen shooed away the last few customers, telling them that they could go and get some booze somewhere else. They had grumbled but stumbled out nonetheless. Before he could really realize what was happening, his nose was filled with the scent of baked apples and the wax of cheap birthday candles.
Sam placed a still warm pie in front of his brother. Dean glanced around to see that Ash had emerged from his room and Bobby was settling himself on the nearest barstool. Ellen reclaimed her spot behind the counter while Jo pressed next to Dean.
A loud and insanely out of tune chorus of "Happy Birthday" filled the room. Dean felt a blush slightly rise on his face in response to the sudden attention. When the chorus died, he stared at the candles.
"Are you thinking about making a wish?" Jo asked.
He gave a small shrug. "Why not?"
"Oh my God... Some one call in a missing person's report. I seem to have lost my brother," Sam laughed, clapping his brother on the shoulder. Dean shot him a look before focusing back on the candles. A few seconds passed and the candles were out.
All began to move around again. They went to retrieve plates or silverware. Jo leaned onto Dean's shoulder, asking: "Should I get my hopes up in regards to you telling me your wish, Dean-o?"
"Nope," he said, popping the "P". "That, I believe, is against the rules. And until I find a case that provides the opportunity to debunk the belief that sharing a wish will only ruin your chances, I am going to be superstitious and keep it my little secret." He placed a kiss to the crown of her head before a giant piece of lovely apple pie was placed before him.
"Don't get too comfy right there, Dean. We'll be moving into the living room for presents in a little bit. You're the center of attention until midnight strikes for the twenty-fifth of January," Ellen told him as she handed Jo a piece of pie. "None of your 'I'm alright, you guys shouldn't have' crap. Enjoy the spot-light."
"Yes ma'am..." he chuckled as he took a bite of his birthday pie. As long as he got to get one more piece of pie without his wife telling him he's going to get fat, he was alright with remaining the center of attention for the rest of the night.
(To Be Continued)
