The M&M Retrieval

For Michele Chadwick

"Meth-head looking for munchies."

Dean pointed to the skinny man in holey jeans and a ratty shirt with red-rimmed eyes two aisles down. His squinted at the Combos and Pringles labels, as if trying to decipher a foreign language.

"Teenagers hoping their fake IDs will pass inspection." Sam pointed at a pair of girls whispering to each other in the corner, huddled together over a small white box.

Dean paused, considering, then shook his head. "Nope, first-timers looking for a pregnancy test."

One girl tucked the box under her arm, revealing a bit of pink, and they marched toward the counter.

Now Sam turned to Dean, eyebrows raised. "I don't want to know how you know that." He placed bottled water and a collection of oranges, apples, and protein bars in the shopping basket.

They'd been on the road for two days, with ten hours left to go to their destination. It was a relief to stretch their legs, and take in a little local entertainment. They had grown over the years, but the games that had begun in the backseat of the Impala hadn't changed. There just wasn't that much to do on the road.

The bell above the door chimed, and a middle-aged woman charged into the store as if she'd just shot out from a set of racing blocks, and headed directly for the ice.

"Last-minute party run," Dean declared, and dropped several bags of candy into the shopping basket.

"Yeah, but that's easy," Sam said as the clerk rang them up. "Retirement party? Bachelorette? Weekly backyard cookout?"

"House full of eight-year-old girls," Dean declared, and hefted the bag of groceries off the counter. He fished out a bag of M&Ms, not willing to wait until they got back to the car to start his sugar binge.

Sam raised his eyebrows and held the door open. "How'd you get that?"

Dean nodded to the mini-van that was still running in the parking lot. "Elsa and Anna." The two princesses smiled from a sun-shade pulled over the passenger window.

"That doesn't mean anything," Sam said.

"Hey! What the-?" Dean stared at his suddenly empty hands. The M&M's were gone, caught in the teeth of a lovely chocolate lab puppy with a blue bow perched on her collar. She shook her head, rattling the bag.

"Hey! Those are mine!" Dean reached down to get the bag back, but the pup skittered backwards. She growled playfully and woofed, dropping the bag. Dean leaned low and swiped at the bag, but the pup grabbed the candy again. Dean overbalanced and toppled to the pavement.

"Looks like you've met your match there, Dean," Sam said, not bothering to contain his laugh. "She looks pretty fierce to me. Do you need some help?"

"I got this," Dean growled. On hands and knees he reached forward again. "Come on, pup. Those are my M&Ms, and you're going to hand them over."

The puppy just shook the bag again, and danced out of his reach. She backed into the crevice between the trash can and the storefront, where Dean couldn't reach, and proceeded to paw at the bag, scattering M&Ms across the cement.

"Aw, come on!" Dean wedged his shoulder into the crack.

Sam reached into the grocery bags and unwrapped a strip of jerky. He crouched on the ground and said softly, "Here, doggie. Come and get it, girl."

The puppy's nose lifted into the air, quivered for a moment, and then the M&Ms were abandoned. The puppy landed in Sam's lap and devoured the jerky. Sam beamed at the puppy.

"No, you can't keep her." Dean said, emerging with his M&Ms. Half the bag was still intact, and Dean swallowed a entire handful jut to prove they were his now.

The woman in a hurry burst out of the door, ice, places, and ice-cream in hand. She let out a yelp and dived for the dog's leash. "Oh my gosh, she got out of the car! How did she do that? Oh, thank you!"

Dean caught the ice and plates before they spilled out of the woman's hands. "No problem, ma'am. Having a party?"

"Yes, my daughter. She's turning nine, and this little lady is her present." The woman picked up the dog, and Dean placed her purchases in the van with a smug smirk in Sam's direction.

After the van left, Dean turned to his brother and popped another M&M into his mouth. "Ha! I won that round."

"No, Dean, I'd say the dog had you beat but good."