Chapter 2
An hour later, Justine was complaining loudly about her outfit, stressing over how short her skirt was. She desperately tried pulling it down a bit, annoyed to find that it only felt uncomfortable and weird.
"Dude, you look fine. Leave the skirt alone, it's supposed to be short like that." Paige said with a groan.
She was sitting on the arm of the couch, arms crossed in annoyance. Her short, but flowy, black skirt ruffled as she stomped to her friends' side. "Jesus Justine, seriously you need to stop because you look so pretty!" She exclaimed, motioning to her outfit. Justine looked down, examining her own outfit for the hundredth time. A black cardigan lay over a red and white striped cami; her skirt was a little on the short side and she scowled as she saw it.
"Is she fussing over her outfit still?" Michaela called from the bathroom. She was changing her outfit for the fifth time.
"Yup." Paige replied, stretching on the couch. Michaela skipped out of the bathroom, satisfied with her new attire and shimmied in front of her friends. "How-about-this-outfit." She asked in between shimmies. Paige popped up from the couch suddenly.
"Awwww I love it!" She exclaimed. She was sporting a tight fitting gray tank top under a well worn black leather jacket, with a pair of ripped skinny jeans and combat boots; and her curly hair was pulled back into a loose bun. Michaela grinned and spun around a couple times, cursing as she lost her balance and bumped into Justine.
"Hey watch it," she said jokingly, gently pushing her friend toward the couch.
Michaela plopped back onto it and stared at the ceiling, covering her eyes with her arm as the room spun wildly still. "Uuuunnnnghh. Bad idea…." she trailed off and groaned again. Justine seemed to accept the fact that her skirt wasn't going to be long enough and held up a finger.
"Okay, uhm I'm gonna go change real quick, this skirt is not going to work."
Before anyone could protest, she ran into her room and locked the door. Michaela and Paige exchanged looks.
"Look, how about I go walk down to the Grill and save us seats? It's-" she grabbed her phone out her pocket and checked the time, "-5:47. Seating is going to fill up pretty quickly and I will be damned if we are not going to drink and be happy and dance on tables."
"Loki dokey! Sounds good, Justine and I will meet you there in-oh whenever she is done changing." Paige replied.
Michaela grabbed her small bag and quickly made sure she had everything. She looked over her shoulder to make sure Paige wasn't watching her, and unzipped a side pocket of her back. Inside was a small handgun, and she ran her hand over it reassuringly before closing the pocket, shouldering her bag, and heading out the door. It took her a couple minutes to get out of the building and outside, but she made quick time in getting to the American Grill and was able to get a booth near the window. Michaela picked up the drinks menu and scanned over it lazily, half zoning out and half comprehending the list of drinks. She failed to notice the waiter that was standing by the booth, staring at her. He cleared his throat.
"Uhm, Miss? Are you ready to order o-", he began, but was cut off as Michaela jumped at his voice and cursed.
"Holy sh-Oh." She exclaimed, but upon realizing who he was, smiled sheepishly. He inclined his head slightly in apology and repeated his question. "Oh uhm, I'm waiting for my friends," she said quickly. The waiter raised his eyebrows, and she immediately took offense.
"I'm telling you the truth, jesus don't give me a look like that…." Michaela snapped, squinting to read his name tag, "Robert."
"I-I um I didn't mean to offend you, I was just wonderi-", he said quickly but she cut him off.
" Wondering what?!," she exclaimed, voice rising in anger. A couple people sitting near the booth gave her looks, then resumed conversation. "Just get me three shots of Bacardi." She said, slamming the drink menu on the table. Robert nodded and scuttled away. Michaela checked her phone and scowled as she had several texts from Paige.
P: Be there soon, Justine is still changing. - 6:02
P: Nevermind, be there in like 15 minutes. -6:07
P: I'll txt when we're on our way. -6:11
" What the hell." Michaela muttered, tossing the phone into her bag. A couple minutes passed and she glanced around for her waiter, who wasn't in sight. Feeling hopeful, she looked at her phone but hadn't received any messages.
Across the Grille at the bar sat agent Sully and his partner agent Stark. Agent Stark motioned towards the far window where Michaela sat, looking extremely bored as she waited for her shots.
"Dean, isn't that one of the girls' we talked to earlier?", Sam asked. His brother gulped down the rest of his beer before glancing over. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth before looking over. A smile crept across his face.
"Well I'll be damned, it is her." He pursed his lips and scanned the Grille, which was starting to fill up with customers. "Hmm...I wonder where her little posse is. I don't see them."
Sam rolled his eyes, sensing what his brother was up to.
"Dean, don't bother her. She doesn't look too happy." He warned, giving Dean a look. Naturally, he ignored his brother and stood up, taking a moment to give himself a once over before heading over to the booth. He pushed by a couple people who were waiting to be seated, earning rude looks as he pushed by them. Dean reached the booth and casually leaned against it, putting on his best smile.
"Weird seeing you here."
Michaela's head popped up at the sound of his voice and she stared at him suspiciously.
"Agent Sully? I thought the FBI didn't really mingle in publ-"
"Please, call me Dean. Mind if I sit down?" He said, seating himself down without waiting for her reply. Michaela crossed her arms over her chest and glared at them, but before she could say anything Robert appeared by the table, carrying a tray of shots.
" I apologized it took so long, it's getting busy." He said quickly, voice shaky. Michaela waved her hand dismissively at him.
"Just give me my drinks." She said rudely. He placed them on the table and asked if she would be getting any food. Michaela grabbed a glass and drained it, slamming it on the table before replying.
"I told you, my friends are meeting me here."
Roberts' eyes flickered to Dean and back to her as he nodded and told her he would be back for her order. Dean leaned back in the booth, watching as Michaela downed the last two shots. She noticed he was watching her and slowly placed the glasses on the table.
"Uhm so…..", she stated lamely, unsure of what to say. Michaela bit her lip nervously as the silence between them grew. Dean shook his head and leaned on the table, closing the distance between them. She found herself looking at his eyes then at his lips, briefly wondering how soft they would be against her own.
"Where are your friends at?" He asked, throwing Michaela out of her fantasy. She blinked and resumed her tough composure, sitting up straighter and glaring at him.
"They're on their way." She said. "Soon, I hope, I'm getting really hungry." She added to herself. Dean nodded.
"Hmm. Okay then, well since they're on their way, would you like to have a couple drinks with me at the bar?" He tilted his head to the side, waiting for her answer.
"Wow he is really cute when he tilts his head like that." She thought to herself, then sighed. "Fine, I'll have a couple drinks with you until my friends get here." Dean smirked and stood up from the booth, holding out a hand to Michaela. She shouldered her bag and took his hand as he helped her up.
"Thanks." She muttered, following him to the bar. Sam looked a bit surprised as he watched his brother pull out a chair between them and motioned for Michaela to sit. He sat on her opposite side, giving his brother a smug look before ordering a round of beers.
"Hello agent Stark," Michaela said politely. Sam smiled and nodded at her.
"Nice to see you again." He responded. She smiled at him and tapped her fingers on her thigh, feeling very awkward.
Sam asked her how old she was, catching her off guard. She stared at him for a moment.
"I'm 21, I go to New York State, I want to be a Veterinarian, I'm going for my masters in microbiology and genetics." Michaela replied with a smile, mentally punching herself for saying too much. The bartender came over with their beers and gave each of them two. Sam took a small sip from one bottle and put it down, watching as Michaela downed half of one in one gulp. He busted out laughing at Dean's shocked expression.
"Dean, I think you've got competition," Sam said in between laughs.
Dean had a look of approval on his face as he took a long sip from his own beer. Michaela drank the last half of her first beer and turned to Dean. She swooned a bit as she spoke to him.
"I think you're very cute," she said, placing a hand on his thigh. He choked on his beer he was drinking as she slid her hand further up his thigh. Dean took her hand in his and put it in her lap, chuckling as he did so.
"You're drunk." He stated. Michaela pouted and crossed her arms.
"You're mean!" She replied, trying to glare at him but suddenly started giggling again. Her bag started to play AC/DC's Back in Black, and she retrieved it, squinting at the screen.
"Hellooo?," She said.
"Yo! We're on our way! Justine and I should be there in a couple minutes," Paiges' voice piped from the other side. Michaela jumped to her feet.
"Finally! I'll meet you guys halfway, kk?" she replied, giggling at her rhyme. Paige sighed.
"Dude, you're drunk I can tell, just stay there we'll be there soon."
Michaela scoffed, "Psssh I'm fine. Only had a couple beers…" Dean asked who she was talking to and she flipped him off. Paiges' voice got suspicious.
"Who was that?!" She demanded.
"Oh uhm, that was Dean you know one of those agents we talked to earlier."
"Dean? Who the hell is Dean?"
"Get your asses here and you'll find out! See you shortly," Michaela said pleasantly, hanging up.
Sam gave her a questioning look.
"My friends will be here soon." She said with a nod, then smiled at Sam." My friend is coming, the one with red hair you were staring at earlier." His face grew red and he took another sip of beer, then cleared his throat as he stood up from the bar.
"I'm going to step outside real quick," he said, making his way to the front of the Grille and stepping outside.
Michaela watched him walk away and turned to Dean, giving him a concerned look. He rolled his eyes and winked at her.
"Don't worry about him, he just got embarrassed."
Dean took a sip of beer and offered it to Michaela, who paused for a moment before taking it and shrugged. She took a small sip from it before handing it back to him, feeling her face grow hot. He grabbed the bottle and placed it on the counter, watching her closely. Suddenly his pocket vibrated and he scowled, retrieving his phone and quickly scanning the screen. It was a text that read:
Come outside, we have a problem -Sam
"I'll be right back, I need to ask my partner something real quick. I think we may have a new lead on the case." Dean said, flashing Michaela a lazy smile as he turned around, heading to the exit.
"Damn he is really cute." She muttered to herself, feeling a bit sad without him around. Her eyes scanned around the Grille. It was pretty full, people sat in groups, laughing and being happy, waiters and waitresses weaved in and out of people, serving food and picking up dishware. She ordered drinks for her friends, anticipating them to arrive soon. The bar was full, and all the seats were filled. There was a guy about her age who walked up next to her, trailing his eyes up and down her body. He smiled.
"Hey." He said, "Are you here with anyone special?"
Michaela gave him a look.
"Yeah, my friends," she replied in a monotone, pointedly ignoring him. She turned away from him and looked earnestly at the front of the Grille for her friends. The man looked around to make sure nobody was watching him and pulled a small bottle filled with red liquid from his pocket, quickly pouring its contents into Deans' beer. He stood up and seemed to disappear in the crowd. Michaela didn't notice any of this as she spotted her friends enter the Grille. Justine had changed into a short black dress with a grey cardigan, looking much more comfortable. They reached Michaela and sat around her. Justine began apologizing for their tardiness but Michaela busted out laughing.
"Stop! Don't worry about it, let's just enjoy ourselves okay? Plus, uh we have company too….those agents from today." she said quickly, waving over the bartender. "Uh, another round of beers please, a jolly rancher, and a lemon drop." Paige nodded in approval. Justine stared at Michaela.
"Those agents are here? The taller one is here too right?" She asked.
Michaela smiled.
"Yeah! They went outside to talk real quick about a "case". They should be back soo- Oh look! drinks are here!" she exclaimed, thanking the bartender and passing the drinks out. Paige took the lemon drop happily, quickly sipping it. Justine took a small sip of her jolly rancher, making a face at its tartness.
"Oh, this is really sour. Oh gosh." she said, scrunching up her face. Michaela stuck her tongue out at her friend and grabbed a beer, taking a long swig of it. She coughed and put the bottle down quickly, the taste catching her off guard.
"Ew, I think this beer is bad. It tastes off." Michaela said, pushing it away. Paige set her drink down and gave Michaela a surprised look.
" So, how's this Dean guy? Is he nice? DO you like him?" Paige asked. Michaela went to reply but broke out in a coughing fit, pausing to sip from a new beer. She gave Paige a thumbs up and held up a hand as she continued coughing for a couple moments. Justine looked worried and lightly touched Michaela's shoulder, who promptly waved her off.
"I'm-good now. Whoa," she said, taking a huge gulp of air in, " I think that went down the wrong pipe! What was that about Dean?"
"What does he look like? Omg,-" she looked around the Grille as if she expected him to appear, "Where is he?"
Michaela laughed and pointed outside.
"Him and the other agent are outside still, like I said before."
Paige realized who Dean was and jumped up and down happily, clapping her hands.
"Stop! It's that cute guy with green eyes you were talking to earlier!"
Justine put down her drink, looking confused.
"Wait, aren't they FBI agents? I thought they couldn't, you know, go out to places like this" She commented. Michaela and Paige shrugged.
"I don't know, but they're here!" Michaela said, smiling. She began to quickly catch them up on what happened while she was waiting for them.
Dean shook his head as Sam spoke to him.
"-in there. A couple vampires, I can tell. They're all scattered in the Grille. Dean, I'm telling you, we have to get those girls away from here."
"Do you think they're the ones we're looking for?" his brother replied, still not convinced. Him and Sam had been tracking a group of vampires who were pranking innocent victims. They would take a small amount of blood, slip it into the victims drink, and watch all hell break loose. Only two of the victims died from these "pranks" because a vampire decided to bite them; which, coupled with their blood already in the victim, changed them into a vampire themselves, craving blood, sharp teeth, everything. Unfortunately, once the victim changed , the only way to save them was to cut off their head, which Sam and Dean wanted to avoid and decided to hunt down the pranksters. Sam put his hands in his pockets.
"I think there's a very good chance this is them. Hanging around this place-," he nodded at the Grille, "- filled with drunken customers? Easy to slip the blood into drinks."
Dean sighed loudly and nodded his agreement with his brother.
"I think you're right, let's get back inside then and scout out any suspicious people. First, the girls though. Let's get em outta here." He said, opening the door to the Grille and walking back inside, Sam close behind. They made their way back to the girls, who were laughing. Michaela however, was leaning on the chair, coughing hard. Sam nodded at Justine.
"Hello." He said, smiling. She blushed slightly and said hi back. He pointed at Michaela, who winced as she coughed into her fist. "Is she ok?"
Justine nodded.
"I think so, she drank her beer and started coughing, said it tasted weird?" She shrugged. Dean leaned on the counter next to Michaela, watching her with a worried expression. He put a hand on her arm.
"Hey, are you good?" Dean asked in a soft tone, his piercing green eyes making her breath hitch. She nodded, clearing her throat loudly and flashed him a mischievous grin.
"Wanna do some shots? I bet I can do more than you can," She challenged.