It was 11:00am on the first of November. They had been driving for 8 straight hours and Dean had finally pulled up to a pump. Since Dean was driving and both siblings had gotten a full nights rest, they all sat in silence listening to the slim collection of taps that the Winchester men had collected over the years, all three siblings deep in their own thoughts. Dean got out of the car and hooked the car up to the gas pump. Sam and Alex sat in the car in silence, refusing to look each others way, both still a little gun shy after last nights events. Alex was startled by a knock on her window.
"You hungry?" Dean asked. His voice muffled from the glass between them. Alex looked up, scowling slightly and shrugging her shoulders. Dean sighed, feeling defeated, and then turning to his brother, Sam shook his head almost immediately.
"Alright more for me" he called behind his shoulder, walking into the gas station market.
Sitting in the car alone with Sam seemed like pure torture. It wasn't so much that she really had a hard time sitting with him in silence, but that the amount of energy it took to be mad at him (constantly scowl, not look in his direction, keep silent, etc.) was exhausting in and of itself. After Alex was sure it had been twenty minutes, she started to wish that Dean had ignored her previous denial of food and gotten her something anyway.
After what seemed like forever, Dean walked back to the car with a large handful of assorted snacks. She was suddenly grateful of his constant interests in her eating habits. Handing her a snickers bar she did her best to look anything but exited, and reluctantly took the candy. Dean handed Sam a bag of chips, that he took eagerly, and started the engine.
Alex was used to long car rides. Seeing as she was too young to ever stay in a hotel room by herself, her entire life, it seemed, was spent being shuttled around the country. She used to spend most of the time in the impala with Dean, as he took the most direct root, her father often stopping to gather more information along the way. She was also accustom to staying with strangers. If the hunt was going to be particularly long or difficult she was dropped off along the way to stay with one of Johns close group of allies, usually Uncle Bobby but occasionally others like Missouri or Pastor Jim.
Alex remembered one of her favorite visits was when she was dropped off to stay with Caleb for a few days. He taught her how to pick a lock with a shoe lace and let her carve into a piece of wood with his butterfly knife, even gave her one of her own until John came back and took it from her, scolding Caleb at how dangerous it was. She remembered sitting in the backseat of the Impala driving away after her father had just given her a lecture about the knife. She had had so much fun and her father had ruined it all. She had been so mad that she had raised her foot back in preparation to kick and simply…
"Cut that out", Dean told her, starting into the backseat. Alex hadn't meant to kick the seat, it was simply a reflex but she found she liked the reaction she got from Dean and pulled back her foot to do it a second time. "Uhhr" Dean growled low in his throat, this time he turned around almost completely, taking his eyes off of the road. "Do you need another lesson on behaving?" he asked her, his voice totally flat this time. This was not what she wanted. She liked the attention that she was getting from Dean but she most certainly did not want a spanking. She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head, trying her best not to pout. Dean held his gaze, "Huh? No?" he asked her. Alex had learned from an early age that when you were asked a question you gave a verbal response. Her father was not an unkind man however, his years in the military service and as a hunter had made him expect more from his children.
"No sir", Alex replied. Refusing to look at her brother until she felt that he was turned around again. When she looked up however she was surprised to meet Sam's eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Alex turned away, blushing. She did not want him to see her being scolded, she was supposed to be grown up and mature. He was supposed to see how good she was and then feel so bad for leaving them. She still felt his gaze on her, judging, so she tucked her head into her chest and turned into the seat of the car, hiding.
"Is she awake?" Alex heard as she was drowsily woken from her sleep.
"We'll just drop her off here and go talk to some people in town, then we'll be back in time to pick up a motel room."
"Yeah alright." She heard shifting around the car. She scrunched up her face and moved around on the seat. Her door was wrenched open.
"Come on." Dean told her, "We have to get you set up before we leave." Alex only moved away from the noise.
"Nooo Dean, m'tired" she said almost in a whining tone. She heard his trademark sign and felt as he reached in the car, grabbing under her armpits and lifting her up.
"Why have you been so difficult lately, huh?" he asked her quietly, rubbing her back. Even though Dean was still a little ticked off at her antics before, he felt a sense of relief as he felt her grasp onto him tightly, wrapping her legs around his waist.
"M'trying" Alex all but whispered. It wasn't that Alex was a bad kid; it was more so that being good was so difficult. Even so, Dean had noticed her being a particular challenge lately.
"I know." He told her, giving her back a quick rub and then, much to Alex's displeasure, setting her down to walk beside him.
They walked into the diner across the street, Sam lingering behind. Dean found the booth closest to the back exit and told Alex to sit. He slid her a twenty,
"Sammy and I are going to just be around town talking to some people Ok?" Alex nodded, "I want you to stay here while we're gone. We should be back in about three hours. You have my number don't you?" Alex nodded again. "Good girl. Now, I don't want you to move off of this bench you hear me? I'm serious." Dean said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes Dean" Alex assured him, looking him straight in the eyes.
"Alright" he said, giving her a rye smile and kissing the top of her head quickly, "Call if you need us". He shouted before leaving the diner with Sam. Alex had a feeling that something wasn't going to go right.
