As the car pulled up into the motel parking lot, Dean turned to Lola expectantly,
"Go inside." He said tensely. Lola looked between the two of them before knowing better than to argue. She climbed out and wandered into the motel room to warn Sam.
Dean took in a breath, staring at Maggie in the rear-view mirror,
"What's it gonna be, Daddy? Stop my allowance for a few weeks? Ground me perhaps?"
"You're not funny." Dean answered seriously,
"I think I'm hilarious." She smiled back,
"Damn it, Maggie." Dean growled, "You could've compromised the whole job! If you two had got yourselves expelled that would've been the end of the hunt! That spirit could've gotten away and we haven't even found it yet! You've been so careless."
"I guess it runs in the family then, eh Dean?"
"This isn't about me."
"Whatever." Maggie muttered, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut. Dean followed and as he attempted to follow her through the motel room door, she turned and slammed it in his face unsuccessfully as he grabbed it with his arm, slamming it back against the wall making Sam, who was cleaning and dressing Lola's wound, jump, along with the auburn-haired hunter. The two exchanged worried looks as Dean stomped up to Maggie, gabbing her arm tightly,
"Where did you get the journal from, anyway?" He asked,
"Don't touch me!" She shot back, pulling her arm away roughly,
"Let's get a beer." Sam said to Lola as she pulled her hair back off of her face,
"Yeah…" She agreed, running off to get changed,
"What were you doing with it, anyway? You're not a hunter and you never will be! Stop trying to be something that you're not."
Maggie narrowed her eyes at him,
"Well I hate to break this to you Dean but you're not daddy's golden boy anymore!" She shouted back. Sam's eyes widened as the words left Maggie's mouth. He looked over to Lola, who'd just emerged from the bathroom, looking equally as awkward and moved around the edge of the room to join her,
"Bye guys…" He called softly,
"Where're you two going?" Dean spat,
"Well, call me crazy…" Lola began, "But I don't fancy standing here watching you two tear one another apart for the millionth time,
"Oh that's fine…we're done here." Maggie said with a bitter smile,
"No. We're not." Dean insisted, "I don't get you…" Dean murmured as Sam and Lola left quietly and unnoticed, "You're always going on about how I'm your brother and how you want us to be close and how we should just accept what our dad did, but when I try to be your older brother and come down on you like I do Sammy, you just don't want to know. What the hell is your problem?! Either you want me to be your brother or you don't. Figure it out and let me know."
"Sam doesn't tear me a new one every time a step a foot out of line with his! All you do is yell and scream or ignore me!" She snapped before lowering her voice, "After Lola died I was there for you one hundred percent but have you shown me a single bit of gratitude or the same kind of understanding? No. No how are you feeling? Or any words of comfort because I cared about her too! Sam and I both did and then we had to watch you destroy yourself after that, we thought we were going to lose someone else…and you STILL haven't said sorry for killing my mom!"
"I thought you were over that…"
"Over it?!" Maggie fumed, "You shot her cold dead in front of my very eyes! Tell me that wouldn't screw your head around!"
"I had to do it and you know that."
"I'm happy she wasn't suffering anymore, but come on Dean a bit of sympathy?"
Sam sat down opposite Lola at the bar, sliding her a glass of double vodka and lemonade across the table. She took it with a smile and nodded a thanks as the pair looked down into their drinks,
"Lola," Sam began carefully, "I'm sorry if I made it seem like I wasn't happy to have you back. I am. I'm very happy…I was just so preoccupied with what he'd done. I'm sorry."
"It's okay Sam." She reassured, "I'll forgive you because you bought me a drink."
"I missed you." He said, looking down into his beer bashfully, "It wasn't quite the same, you know?"
Lola nodded slowly, wondering why Sam was acting so strange,
"Are you okay?" She asked, leaning down slightly to look into his face,
"Truth is…" He breathed, "I'm not."
"Sam, what's wrong?"
"It's about Dean."
"Oh."
"I'm sorry to tell you this, but Maggie and I discussed it the other day and we agreed it would be the best thing if you knew."
"Knew what…" Lola asked warily,
"When you died, Dean took it really hard." He said softly, toying with the neck of his beer bottle, "It got to the point where he'd come back unable to stand up. He looked like hell. He wasn't sleeping and he was barely eating. He was constantly drinking. He was drunk the night you returned. We tried to help him and confront him but he just threw it back into our faces. He swore he didn't have a problem…but I think it's pretty obvious that he does."
Lola nodded her head slowly, staring at a blank spot on the floor,
"I always thought Dean was stronger than that."
"Your death hit him hard, Lola, like I said…he just…stopped functioning."
Lola took in a deep breath,
"Well…" She looked down at her hands; "I'm shocked because I always pictured Dean as someone who wouldn't let anything stop him. Y'know…what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
"Are you angry with him?"
"No…" She murmured, "I'm devastated that he'd have such a blatant disregard for his own life after the sacrifices that we've all made for him. His selfishness amazes me sometimes, it really does…but unfortunately, I love him very dearly, so I am stuck in this hopeless land and standing by his side."
Sam cracked a smile,
"I'm sure he'll be fine now."
"That remains to be seen." She breathed as tears began to trickle down her cheeks, "How could he…?" She rasped as Sam stood in a hurry, rushing over to wrap his arms around her comfortingly,
"I'm sorry Lola…"
The bar door opened and in stormed Dean and Maggie, still furious with one another, though they'd thought it would be in the interest of the hunt to join up with the others. Dean stopped beside the table, frowning at his brother and Lola,
"What's going on?" He asked.
Lola turned her eyes to him angrily,
"Dean…" She said carefully, grabbing her near-full glass. Before anyone could react she chucked the entire contents into his face, "There. You should like that." She stated before turning, "And don't you dare follow me because I swear to God Dean Winchester I will kick your ass!" She growled over her shoulder before disappearing out of the bar. Dean blinked in shock before turning to Sam, an eyebrow raised,
"Have a nice chat?" He asked, trying to hold back his anger, "Women…" He huffed as he dropped into what had been Sam's seat, swigging his beer,
"Uh…Dean…" Sam began carefully, "Perhaps you should have some juice."
"What the hell are you going on about?" Dean snapped, "What did you say to Lola, anyway?"
"The truth."
"Meaning…"
"Dean…I told her about your drinking."
Dean slammed the bottle down on the table top, staring Sam down with an unimpressed look,
"Hey Maggie…"
"Matt!" Maggie beamed, nervously wringing her hands together as she turned and smiled up at him, "Uhm…this is my brother Sam," She said, motioning to Sam who nodded in greeting, "and that's Dean. Boys, this is Matt."
"It's nice to meet you." Sam said as he extended his hand,
"Yeah…" Dean agreed dryly as he reached over his hand, "Matt, isn't that a kind of rug?" He asked thoughtfully. Maggie kicked him in the calf before giggling nervously,
"Would you like a drink?" Matt asked, looking at Maggie,
"I'll have a whiskey." Dean said, but wet unnoticed,
"I'd love one." Maggie sighed as she and Matt wandered off to the bar,
"Come on." Sam said to Dean, "Let's head back."
"Is it my bed time?" Dean remarked as he finished Sam's beer and stood to leave, following Sam who smiled reassuringly at Maggie,
"You'll have to excuse them…" She said to Matt with a sigh, "It's been a tough month."
"I could've guessed, if that public display before was anything to go on. So am I to guess that your friend isn't seventeen, either? I mean…if she's throwing drinks around in bars?"
"That's Lola."
"So what brings you to Saint Edmunds?"
"I just…kind of…fancied getting my diploma."
"You're a bit far from home, aren't you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, "So what's the REAL reason?"
"It's uh…complicated. I'd love to tell you but I think my brother would actually kill me."
"…fair enough." He smiled, "Let's not endanger you then." He joked, "I always wondered what happened to you. You just disappeared one day and I never heard from you again…"
"What would you like to hear first? My mother going insane or finding out that my biological father's dead?"
"Oh Maggie…" Matt breathed, "I'm so sorry."
"That's okay…I have Sam and Dean…well…I have Sam…I'm still working on Dean."
"And your drink throwing friend." Matt laughed softly,
"Yeah, her too!" Maggie giggled, "So what're you up to?"
"I'm teacher training at Saint Edmunds." He said seriously,
"Oh…and how's that working out for you?"
"Well…besides the teachers getting killed off…good. Sorry…that was rather insensitive, huh?"
Maggie shook her head,
"I hadn't heard about that…" She lied.
