Hello again! Before we get to what you came for, let me warn you that there's a teeny tiny bit of Guy Who Can't Take No For An Answer in this chapter, but it's basically just and idiot being rude. No actual violence or roughness or anything. ~SG
Chapter 1
June 8, 2001
She wore a denim vest over a tight black crop top that pushed her boobs up, a pair of tight, flared jeans with a black leather belt threaded through the loops, and a pair of cowboy boots that peeked out from under the frayed hem of her jeans. There was a lot of skin exposed between the hem of her top and the waistband of her jeans that was actually nowhere near her waist, and her long hair, which was auburn on top and black underneath, was loose and curly, a little messy. She was pretty. Really pretty. Actually, Dean would call her hot. She looked like she had just stepped out of Coyote Ugly.
She was about his age, probably a senior in college or freshly graduated, and boy could she sing. He'd come into the bar for a beer after breaking up yet another fight between his father and brother, but he stayed to listen to her sing. The set she had just finished had included everything from Pat Benatar and Patsy Cline to Christina Aguilera and Shania Twain (He only knew because she said so). He'd been mesmerized by her version of LeAnn Rimes' version of Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", and she was currently belting out a Faith Hill song that had something to do with Elvis. He wasn't really paying attention to the words. He was more focused on her.
His eyes were glued to her until she finished her set, and announced that she was taking requests for the next one. When he realized she was headed for the bar he was sitting at he cursed himself for feeling a little nervous about the idea of talking to her. Get a grip, Winchester, he told himself as she worked her way through the crowd. He didn't get nervous around women.
Since she was taking requests he was thinking about asking her to sing "Hey Jude" for him. Partly as an excuse to talk to her, but also because he'd been thinking about his mom a lot lately. Sammy'd been asking questions about her again even though there wasn't anything new Dean could tell him.
He'd only had her for four years, and Sam was a senior in high school now. Dean had already told him everything he could remember more than once, but he never minded telling the stories again. It kept her alive in both of their memories.
The only open seat at the bar just happened to be the one beside him, and she slid onto it like it was made for her, ordered a rum and coke and a bottle of water before tossing a quick smile his way.
"Hi." he said, flashing her a friendly smile and offering his hand in greeting. "I'm Dean."
She smiled back and shook his hand. "Wren."
"That's an unusual name." he said as her drinks were delivered. He felt more like himself now that he was actually talking to her. "There a story behind it?"
She sipped her rum and coke, saving the water for when she was back on stage. "Not much of one. My mom named me after Tammy Wynette, but when I was little I couldn't say Wynette right. I said it with a R. Wrenette. So my mom just started calling me Wren."
"Aw." he said. "That's cute."
"Oh, I was adorable." she assured him.
He smiled. "I'm sure you were." He gestured toward the stage. "You're really knockin' it out of the park up there. I just came in for a beer. Wasn't plannin' on stayin' too long, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna leave before you finish singin'. I don't even know half the songs you're singin'. Probably more than half. I'm a classic rock kind of guy."
She smiled back. "I like a little bit of everything."
"I can tell."
"Anything in particular you wanna hear, Dean?" she asked, happy to sing it for him if she knew it.
She'd noticed him when he had come in just before she'd started her set. He was hard to miss. Tall and handsome, wearing a leather jacket in the middle of a New Orleans summer. Bad boy, she'd thought when she'd seen him. The kind of guy your parents wouldn't like. The kind of guy that was exactly her type. No strings, just fun. And oh, those green eyes. Now that she was looking at him close up she couldn't believe how green they were. She'd never seen eyes that color.
"You wouldn't happen to know "Hey Jude", would you?" he asked hopefully. "My mom used to sing it to me when I was little." He wasn't sure why he'd offered up that bit of information.
Wren smiled at the sentiment in his voice. "Sure I do. We've got two more sets tonight. I'll try to get it in there for you, but if not can you come back tomorrow night? I'll make sure it's in the first set just for you."
Dean grinned. "Well, don't I feel special. I'll definitely be back tomorrow night."
He was about to ask if she took tips because she sure as hell deserved them when some shaggy haired jerk rudely wedged himself between them, and practically demanded a beer from the bartender. The bartender motioned for him to wait a minute while he tended to another customer, and Dean cringed when he put his arm around Wren and "Hey baby"d her.
"Hey, Abercrombie." Dean said, noting that Wren didn't seem at all interested in this guy. "We were talking. You mind?"
"Sorry man." Shaggy said. "She's taken."
"Oh, no she's not." Wren said as she knocked his arm away. "We broke up, remember? Get lost Brad."
The bartender delivered his beer, but Brad didn't get lost.
"Oh, come on, babe." he said. "You're not still mad at me, are you?"
"Oh, no. Of course not." she said sarcastically. "You cheated on me, you ass. Of course I'm still mad. I'm pissed! I don't want anything to do with you."
But Brad wasn't taking no for an answer. He slipped his arm around her waist. "I screwed up. It won't happen again. I swear."
"Hey." Dean said, pushing the entitled jerk back and away from Wren. "She said she's not interested. Back off."
"You gonna make me?" Brad challenged.
Dean stood up, towering over the shorter man. "You don't wanna fight me, asshat. You'll end up in the hospital. Leave her alone. Don't make me tell you again."
Brad finally gave up and left the bar, making sure to let Wren know that her bodyguard wasn't going to be around forever. That may be true, but Dean was definitely going to make sure she got home safely tonight and tomorrow night. He couldn't be around forever, but no one was going to hurt her while he was.
"Please tell me that's not the kind of guy you go for." he said as he sat back down.
"That was a huge mistake." she said, and downed half of her rum and coke. "Actually, you're much more my type. Thanks for that, by the way."
Dean smiled, encouraged by her statement that he was her type. "Anytime. I can't stand to see a woman mistreated. Actually, I can't stand to see anyone mistreated. Except maybe Brad. He deserves to get his ass kicked."
"Hard." she agreed. "I don't know what I was thinking when I let him talk me into going out with him. And then I stayed with him long enough for him to cheat on me. The day I was supposed to move in with him."
"Clearly you kicked him to the curb." Dean said. "But what about the living situation?"
She took another sip. "Moved back home."
"Ouch."
"Nope." she shook her head. "My mom's my best friend."
"What about your dad?" he asked.
"Good question."
"Sorry."
She shrugged. "No big deal. It's always been just me and Mama. I mean, yeah I'm curious about my dad, but it's not like he's a deadbeat or anything. He loved my mom, but he had to leave."
"How come?" Dean asked, and realized he was prying. "Sorry. That's none of my business."
"It's okay." she assured him. "He was her teacher. My grandfather threatened to shoot him. And then call the cops."
"Well, yeah."
"It wasn't like that." she said. "They were in love. Both of them. No one was forced or anything. They were both willing participants. They just weren't quite careful enough, and here I am."
"But he was her teacher." Dean said, getting hung up on that detail just like everyone else did. "They had to have known that was wrong. He had to have known at least."
She smiled, understanding his reaction. She'd had the same one when she'd first found out. "He was also thirty-five and she was sixteen. None of it looked right, but you can't help who you fall in love with, Dean."
"The heart wants what the heart wants." he said. He could see her point, but still.
"Even if the brain says no." she added. "For instance I bet you're just passing through town, so I probably shouldn't have anything to do with you. You'll be here for a few days, and I'll never see you again. I'm not looking for anything long term, but why risk the possibility of getting attached? But here I am anyway."
He flashed her a smirk. "Does that mean I might get more than some conversation and a song out of you?"
"Maybe." she said, and downed the rest of her drink because her break was over. "If you play your cards right."
"Which cards do I play?" he called after her. He'd never wanted to play the right ones more in his life, but she just smiled at him and headed back toward the stage.
"I can't give you any hints." she called back. "Where's the fun in that?"
Did anyone else see those sparks? ~SG
