Chapter 2 - Southern ladies don't take no shit

There is something you have to understand when you're contemplating the Winchesters: there inseparable. No matter how many times they have tried to get away from each other, sacrifice themselves for the other, or whatever else Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory try to throw at them they always come back together. Sitting in this in this creepy little Podunk mom n' pop dinner in no wheresville Tennessee that was exactly what Dean was doing. Dean knew that this probably was why he was feeling so anxious to meet this chick. When you little brother is the most important thing in your life; more important than pie, more important than sex, more important than his own soul, you don't exactly get the good kinda tingelies when a girl calls you out of the blue to warn you he's gonna die.

Their relationship had been described as overly co-dependent and dysfunctional, he wouldn't deny that it was either of those things. But protecting his Sammy had been the only constant in his life and he wasn't gonna change that now. Even when they were separated by Stanford he still didn't let that stop him from protecting Sam. He would show up and practically stalk his brother just to make sure he was safe. And now he was doing the same thing, he hadn't let Sam out of his sight for more than an hour since that call, and all he could do now was wait sitting with his back to a wall for this chick to show up and tell him about these visions of him watching as Sam died.

"Dean, stop worrying, she'll show up and we will deal with whatever she says just like everything else." Sam said pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Sammy, I don't want to deal with this like everything else. Up until recently everything we have dealt with has ended up in one or both of us dying. I can't lose you this time. I won't lose you this time. Not when everything the has been the way it has been between us lately and I don't care if this overly estrogen filled conversation is not my normal style, I just couldn't take that on top of everything happening with Cas and the trials and Crowley!" He said the speech through gritted teeth but Sam could tell he meant every word.

He would have replied telling his older brother to calm down, that for the moment he was fine, when a trim, short, and beautiful woman slid into the chair next to him. He just looked at her, she was as beautiful as any goddess he had ever read about he thought, and could tell his brother thought so too by the weary yet smoldering look in Dean's eyes.

"Shawna?" he extended his hand. She took it with a firm grip and said "Hi Sammy."

Before he could reply and tell her it was Sam, not Sammy, Dean's growled response had her looking at them both inquisitively.

"No one gets to call him that but me!"

"Calm down Mr. Overprotective, before I shove that attitude right back down your throat and make you say thank you ma'am afterward."

Sam just watched them stair each other down while mumbling just loud enough for them both to hear what sounded like 'That I would love to see'.

"Shut up Sammy." Dean had no idea how he to to feel right now. She was here, but not at all what he expected. She had long raven colored hair and a complexion so fair he was reminded of that coma girl from a case a few years back, the one who was a ghost reenacting the Grimm's fairy tales. She had brown eyes with specks of green that where so expressive he was sure a few years back he would have been more than happy to drown in them. Yeah he thought she was beautiful but he also thought she looked so frail, at no more than 5'2" and a buck twenty-five she didn't look like she could be a hunter. "You said you were a hunter?"

"No, I said I WAS a hunter; that was before about a year ago when the premonitions started, now I am just trying to warn you. I want to know why this demon is trying to kill you and try to help you stop it. Hopefully, after that I won't have to see you morons die every night." Shawna knew how she looked but she didn't like hearing the doubt in his voice.

"Yeah we want the same things but we don't know we can trust you. You have visions for Christ sakes or so you say. We know you aren't a demon 'cause Sammy has been whispering and exorcism for the last couple of moments, we 'spilt' salt all over the table you just put your hands all over so you can't be anything salt hurts, and you have been fondling you silverware which thanks to us is real so you're definitely not a shifter. But how do we know you're not working for any of those things?"

"Well you'll just have to trust me. And once you hear my story maybe you will but before we get to that, I'm gonna eat." Shawna said thinking about some good old gravy and biscuits.

When neither brother said anything for awkward amount of time she looked at them. They were both looking at her like she had seven heads.

"Why do you think I told you to meet me at a restaurant for dummies? A, I wanted to make sure the men that I called are the men I saw in my dreams. Second, I wanted lunch from my favorite restaurant. "As she said this she smiled and waved over an older waitress.

That made Dean smile at Sam and say, "A woman after my heart!" with a mock love-struck voice but Sam knew he was at least half serious. A woman who thought with her stomach and still looked like that is exactly Dean's ideal woman, especially if she loves pie.

The waitress stopped beside Shawna and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Hey baby girl, what can I get you and your handsome friends today?"

"Hey Mammaw, this is Sam and Dean. I met them through Adrian's uncle Bobby, you remember meeting him at the wedding right?"

"Yeah, he was a cutie" Mammaw replies a smile on her face. Dean thought he was gonna be sick. The thought of Bobby having a hook up was seriously gross.

"Yeah well there in the same business as he and Adrian where, and came by to ask me to help. I might be going out-of-town for a little while." Mammaw just frowned so Shawna continued. "Please don't start, I'll be fine, plus I'll be with them. Two big strong men, how much more safe can I get."

"Yeah, sure! Your husband dies on the job, you won't tell me what you to did, and now you're gonna go off with two male strangers, Shawna I don't like this. "

"Well Mammaw you're at work right now so we can talk about this later. I want fried Chicken, and green beans. Oh and biscuits and gravy. And cherry pie!" This earned her an even worse look from Mammaw.

"Shawna you ain't gonna be young forever and all that food will catch up to you one day. What about you boys?"

They ordered there food and said there thank yous to Mammaw. Dean was totally confused about what had just happened, but right now all he could think about is that cherry pie he had just ordered. If there was one thing he loved almost as much as Sammy it was pie.

Sam was just as confused. He had never really been around people like this. He figured now was as good a time for any for some answers though.

"That's your grandmother huh?"

"Yeah. She raised me after my parents split, closes thing I ever had to a real mother. She means well and everything but she doesn't really know about hunting just that my job was dangerous and it was Adrian's family business. She owns this place so your meals will be on the house."

"That's great cause the only thing better than pie is free pie!" Dean interjects as Sam just looks at him silently saying 'seriously'.

While Shawna is laughing at Dean, Sam decides to take the opportunity to start asking questions. "So Adrian was you husband? How did you meet him?"

Her face falls immediately. Shawna really didn't want to talk about this in here but she knew she didn't really have a choice.

"Yeah, we met when I was fifteen while I was walkin' home from church. He and his dad had been tracking a werewolf that decided I looked as tasty as fried chicken. We kept in touch and he visited a couple times and we were married the year I turned 18."

"And you just gave up your life to go be a hunter with him?" Sam said thinking how he would have given almost anything to have a choice like that.

"There wasn't much to give up. I wasn't good in school, I wasn't exactly the house wife type, and the only family I have is Mammaw who can take care of herself pretty well for a 65-year-old. By the time we married I already had three black belts, could do exorcisms in my sleep and knew how to kill half the baddies out there. Plus I was in love. It was only logical."

"Three black belts!?" Dean was half impressed half scared; he didn't think he could flirt with a woman that could kick his ass.

"Close your mouth or you're gonna catch flies."

"Why do you need three black belts, once seems like it would have been enough." Sam says showing he is clearly impressed too.

At this point Mammaw comes up beside them with their food. "That is a good question there Sam. But my opinion is that if you're gonna be an attractive southern lady and not depend on a man you have to find a way to show all of those men that southern ladies don't take any shit."

"Yes ma'am."

As Mammaw walked away they all just looked at their food. Finally Shawna's stomach got the better of the silence. "Let's just eat and we'll finish this back at my place after."

The boys nodded in agreement and they all dug in.