Chapter 2: The Suburbs aka Dean's Hell
After a great meal at the Awen Tavern, they went to the Bed and Breakfast that Rosie had recommended as nice but not expensive. Apparently the town was too small for a motel and the nearest town was twenty minutes away. They didn't have one either the closest motel was a half an hour away but not nearly as nice as Brentwood according to Rosie anyway.
After that 'convincing speech' Dean was all for driving a half an hour and finding a fleabag motel, but Sam KNEW there was something to his painless vision and that it was about this town. Even without the vision there was something about the town that called to Sam, that made him want to stay and find out what it was. So after convincing Dean that he really wanted to stay, not that hard in truth, they found the Bed and Breakfast.
It was a nice old-fashioned house, blue classic heritage style with a huge front yard and beautiful garden full of flowers and fortunately none of those creepy garden gnomes some people liked so much.
"Sam you do realize this is my version of Hell right?"
"Yeah Dean I know you don't like, how do you put it? 'Creepy, leave-it-to-Beaver' small towns like this but I REALLY need a vacation okay? Don't make me do the look again." Sam looked at Dean, ready to use any blackmail necessary to keep them in the town, because of the strong feeling the vision had left him with.
"Fine, fine, I just want you to know how much I dislike the idea of staying here, the town is just…creepy." Dean looked around the street at the mowed lawns and flowerbeds and the expression on his face didn't match the peaceful scenery.
"It is not 'creepy' you're just paranoid and can't relax!" Sam threw open the door and slammed it, Dean wincing at the damage being done to his baby.
Dean followed Sam out of the car and walked up the front path, Sam with a spring in his step and Dean like he was on a Death March. Sam rang the doorbell while Dean's eyes kept darting around the yard like he thought a demon was going to jump out from behind the rose bushes, or a werewolf was going to drop from the roof and rip them to pieces. Sam nudged in him the shoulder to stop fidgeting; Dean just nudged him back and kept shuffling his feet. Sam rang the doorbell again and was about to do it a third time when the door opened to reveal a flour covered figure at first faintly looking like a ghost, because of all the flour. Dean jumped a foot.
"Oh, hey. Sorry I was just making some bread, it's kind of temperamental, it I don't, and well you don't really need or want to know now do you?" She said taking a breath and smiling at them, "I'm Iris and you" she looked at Dean "must be Dean and you" she looked at Sam "must be Sam, or my sister it delusional."
"Who told you that we were coming?" Dean asked, suspicion clear in his voice.
"Uh, my sister Rosie works at the bar and said she mentioned my B&B to you boys so you might be over." She gave Dean a close look, "I hope that is alright. There are only two B&B's in town and, I think mine is the nicest, but of course I'm biased, I guess."
When she smiled Sam could see the resemblance to her younger sister, they both had a heart breakingly beautiful smile. Though she was not as tall as her sister, Rosie had been about 5'7" and Iris couldn't be more than 5'3", had light brown hair with blue eyes and was curvier than Rose, you could tell they were related. Dean just shook his head in disbelief and muttered something about small towns.
"No, no problem at all," Sam replied, giving Dean a stern look, "We're just not used to being the talk of a town is all. Rosie did say you had rooms to rent and apparently 'the best French toast ever' for breakfast?" Sam asked hopefully, home-cooked food would be a nice change from the fast food diet they'd been living on.
"Yeah, I've got two rooms as it so happens, they are up on the third floor, but they are nice and clean. You can get breakfast and lunch, and dinner here though not on Sundays and Wednesdays because I have a family dinner thing." At this Dean rolled his eyes at Sam, "So on those two days you'll be finding your own. I charge twenty bucks a night a room, twenty-five for meals. Any questions?" She looked at them in anticipation, waiting for a reply.
"Uh, not that I am complaining or anything but isn't twenty-five a bit cheap or something?" Dean said, his suspicion flaring up again.
"Well yeah, but the thing is um, they're on the third floor which no one ever stays on because it is kind of haunted and occasionally things happen. That's why the cheaper price, the rooms are just as good as the rest but the haunting issue bothers some people."
Sam looked at Dean but his face had shut down but there was a gleam in his eye and he nodded slightly to Sam.
"Sure we'll take it, we don't have any problems with ghosts." Sam said confidently.
"There is just the one and he is fairly harmless." Iris smiled helplessly.
"Yeah, we don't really believe in that ghost stuff anyway." Dean said smiling widely, Sam bit his tongue and tried not to smile at the joke.
They had grabbed their stuff and followed Iris to the third floor and been given the grand tour of the tiny bathroom (Sam would have to slouch in the shower), and been shown the old fire escape outside of their windows.
"I wouldn't use it unless the place is burning down though, it is not safe." With that she'd left them and went back downstairs to her baking.
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"Well, isn't this place just..." Dean began, looking around his room, "Man it's creepy, the real world is not like this! It is just freaking weird man." He glared at Sam, accusingly. "I can't believe you talked me into this."
"You need a vacation as much as I do," Sam replied, looking out the window at the rusty fire escape. It looked like it was about to fall off the building.
"Maybe I am sick or something because I almost believe that, I'm going to catch a nap then grab a shower."
"Yeah okay, hey do you wanna go out to diner tonight or stay here?" Sam gathered up his stuff and turned to leave looking over at his brother, who was digging through his bag for something. "Dean? What are you looking for?"
"My EMF, she said something about a ghost so I figured…" He shrugged his shoulders in a non-committal way.
"Dude we are on vacation and you just can't let this 'ghost' thing go? You are suck a workaholic sometimes." Sam scoffed.
"Yeah, so where is it?"
"It is in the trunk where you tossed it last night." With that Sam left the room with his stuff, rolling his eyes as he thought, Some people just can't relax, some people being Dean of course. He really does need a vacation more than me I had a vacation with school.
As Dean heard Sam going in for his shower he grabbed his EMF and went downstairs to talk to Iris about her ghost.
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"Really it is almost no work at all, I just do a little research, well actually Sam does the research, and finds out who it was and why they are still here and then we can get rid of it." Dean said, with a reassuring smile.
"No! I like Norton, he is nice to have around, and he is even useful sometimes. He is great for protection. And before you say it he has never been violent or mean or anything so you just leave him alone. You got me? Leave him alone!" With that she spun on her heal and left a stunned Dean standing in a kitchen full of bread and cookies. A minute later she came back in blushing a little. "This is my kitchen and so you leave and don't you dare bother Norton."
Dean retreated to his room and sat on the bed a little dumbfounded. "Huh, now that is just weird." He looked around the room. "Well, uh, Norton uh I guess hi and that you are safe so I'll leave you alone and you'll do the same?" He felt kinda stupid talking to thin air but with his words the tension that had been in the room earlier was suddenly gone and it was as if the ghost was saying Fair's fair. He shook his head and grabbed his stuff for a shower, Weird place.
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Author's note: Yes I did name the ghost Norton on purpose for my techie friend and mentioned the protection angle just for that reason, so look for stuff like this in the story, it is just my twisted sense of humour.