Meg's Diner
Dean was only half-listening as Sam explained what had happened at Emerson's store. He took a big bite of his cheeseburger and noisily chewed it as his younger brother gave him an annoyed glance. He just shrugged and held out a french fry for Sam. "You should eat something, Sammy," he said. "The food here is really good."
Sam shook his head at his brother's offer, cradling a nearly empty cup of coffee in his hands. He couldn't seem to stomach the thought of food right now. He nodded as a waitress came by to refill it. The middle-aged woman gave the boys a motherly smile before she walked away, which was more than most of the people in town had done for them. Sam figured they were only getting half of the wrath that Emerson endured on a daily basis.
"Why would she stay here?"
"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, his mouth still full from his recent bite.
"Emerson," Sam replied, unfazed by his brother's complete lack of manners. He was used to that kind of thing by now. "These people obviously don't want us here. I can't imagine how they might want her here."
"Dude, if you think I'm taking her with us," Dean suddenly said, "you're cracked. That's the last thing we need right now."
Sam sighed a little, although Dean didn't notice since Dean seemed to be quite wrapped up in eating at the moment, and nodded in agreement. The thought had crossed Sam's mind, however, but he had also figured that there was no way to get Emerson to leave town in the first place so he hadn't even planned on asking Dean. "So are you coming with me or not?"
Dean stuffed a fry in his mouth and grunted something unintelligible but most definitely crude. "She doesn't like me," he finally said, "and the feeling is mutual."
"Dean, she's been able to withstand something like seven years of this town draining something from her and at least three years of giving something else to others in an effort to help them on top of that," Sam continued, undaunted by Dean's statement. He shook his head. He honestly didn't believe that Dean didn't like Emerson nor did Sam believe that Emerson didn't like Dean. "Seven years of stares and gossip. And she doesn't get anything out of it."
"Maybe she's trying to atone for what happened to her brother," ventured Dean.
Sam looked across the table at his brother, a bit startled by the comment and the fact that it had come from Dean. He wasn't going to say it but he thought that Dean might be right. Emerson seemed to be hurting whenever someone mentioned her brother and a most of her appointments, from what Sam had been able to learn from another brief talk with Becky, were with the children in town. All of them were under the age of 15. Sam wondered how old her brother had been when he had fallen into a coma but guessed he wasn't older than 15 at the time.
He took a quick long drink from his mug and then grabbed his jacket, starting to slide out of the booth. Dean grabbed his wrist to stop him and Sam looked at him with a glare. "Let me go."
"You can talk to your little girlfriend tonight, all right?" Dean matter-of-factly said as he let go of Sam's wrist. "When we go pick up that research or whatever it is she has for you. Right now, we have a more pressing matter to attend to."
"What's that?"
"My car." Dean shifted to pull out his wallet as he watched Sam finish sliding out of the booth.
Sam gave Dean a confused look at he stood up. Dean sighed as he opened his billfold and left some money on the table, shifting to stick it back in his pocket. He didn't bother to ask for the check, just leaving what he thought would cover it on the table. He wasn't sure anyone would notice anyway. He grabbed his leather jacket and then slid out of the booth as well. Dean patted Sam on the back and nodded to the door. "It's at a garage in town. Hell, it's at the only garage in town." Dean sighed at the look Sam was still giving him. "Well, she did tell us to get the car checked out before we leave, didn't she?"
