"Ok, Dean," he muttered to himself, raking his hands through his untidy hair and mustering up his courage, "you can do this. Just do it. You'll be fine." He didn't believe himself, though. He'd only met his wife because his father had pushed him in the right direction, and he'd never really had a serious girlfriend before Cassie. Worst of all, he was scared to death. What if she said no? What if she didn't want him?
"Just do it, man," he hissed, reaching out one shaking hand and knocking lightly on the door.
"Who is it?" a suspicious female voice called out.
"It's me," Dean replied, his voice wavering with nerves as he tried to calm himself. The woman on the other side of the flimsy piece of wood the motel owners called a door was going to die soon, he knew that. But maybe he could protect her, just as his father had always protected him. Maybe he could save her life, keep her longer. Maybe she would want him when no one else would. Maybe he could start again.
The door opened suddenly to reveal Meg, wearing a baggy t-shirt and blue jeans. "Come on in," she said, stepping back to allow him entrance, "is something wrong?"
"Uh, no. Nothing's wrong. Sam agrees with us on our whole 'the demon knows we're coming' theory, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Oh? What, then?" She closed the door slowly and watched the young hunter she'd met on the plane. He was nervous about something, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. What he was nervous about, however, was a mystery.
"Um, well, I was kind of wondering," he floundered, glancing nervously at everything in the room but Meg, "if you maybe kind of wanted to, you know, possibly go out with me sometime. You know, while we still have a chance. I was thinking that tonight would be nice, but if you're busy…"
Meg bit her tongue to stifle a laugh. The man in front of her seemed positively terrified, which struck her as odd after the stories his brother had told her about their earlier, original hunts. It was so much fun watching him squirm, she almost forgot to reply.
"Well?" Dean asked, his eyes pleading desperately for a positive response.
"I'm sorry," Meg finally said, smiling, "but I can't. I'm just not interested. You're a great guy and everything, but-"
"You like Sam."
It wasn't a question, but a statement, one so filled with rejection, bitterness, and resentment that Meg's smile faltered. "Maybe," she replied, "but-"
"It's all right," the elder Winchester said, hanging his head, "I get it. You want something normal, predictable, good. I got it. I'll just, um, show myself out." He left the room, head still down.
Meg ran to the window and threw back the thick curtains in time to see her new friend disappear across the parking lot, heading for the small array of shops that sat in the downtown area.
Sam sighed, glancing back at his watch. He'd called his brother half an hour ago, and the elder hadn't shown up. Meg had left earlier that morning, around the time Sam had walked out of the shower to find his brother gone. She had told him it was probably nothing and that she would scout ahead. She now had a larger head start than Sam had imagined she would, and that worried him.
Finally, he spotted a familiar leather-jacket-clad figure trudging through the parking lot. As Dean got closer, Sam had to blink and rub his eyes just to make sure he was seeing the right person. His eyes seemed to be in fine working order, and the hunter left his motel room, locking the door behind him as his brother approached.
"You cut your hair," Sam marveled, grinning at the short, familiar style.
"Yeah," Dean replied, shrugging, "so?"
"So, you don't look like a member of a boy band anymore!"
Dean scowled. "I was going for the whole 'Leo DiCaprio' look. I guess it's better than being mistaken for one of the old Duke boys, though, huh, Luke?" He smirked briefly, taking the car keys from his pocket, and climbed in behind the wheel.
"Meg left already," Sam informed, "she said she'd meet us there."
"Great," Dean sighed, "climb in and we'll head on up to New York."
"So," Sammy began as the car's engine revved, "what made you decide to change your style?"
Dean shrugged, pulling slowly out of the parking lot. "I dunno. Just thought it might look better short. Be easier to see on hunts, you know?"
Sam nodded, though something didn't feel right. His brother was hiding something from him, something big.
Of course, when Sam had suggested they pull the Impala over just north of the New York state line for gas, Dean had refused, and, of course, the car had sputtered to a stop near an old antique shop. The younger man had grudgingly helped his brother push the car into the store's lot.
Dean had pulled an old gas can from the trunk, only to find that it was empty. Sam had agreed to stay and 'protect the car' while his brother hitchhiked to the nearest gas station. Now the younger stood, facing the road and looking for his brother, as some sort of auction went on in the shop behind him.
"Excuse me," a sweet, feminine voice asked cautiously as a light hand touched Sam's shoulder, "but are you here for the auction?"
The hunter turned to find himself staring into a very familiar face. "Um, no," he managed weakly, his pulse suddenly quickening as he met Sarah Blake's eyes, "my brother and I are on a road trip and our car ran out of gas. I'm waiting for him to get back."
"Oh, a road trip?" she asked, smiling, "that sounds like fun. Where you headed?"
"Lake Moore," Sam nodded, "I'm Sam, by the way."
"Sarah. Um, I should probably get back in there. My dad'll have my head if I miss a minute of the action. It was nice meeting you."
Sam waved as she walked quickly back into the antique shop. He suddenly felt as if his whole world had been turned upside down. He'd forgotten about Sarah, about the way he'd felt when he'd been with her. Best of all, she was safe. If he could find her again, after finally destroying the demon, maybe things would work out. He could start over, and-
"You loved her, didn't you?" Dean asked, startling Sam from his thoughts. The older man had suddenly appeared, clutching a heavy gas can, and stood watching the antique shop door. "In that other time of yours, with Jess gone, you loved her."
Sam nodded as the form of the young woman disappeared into the shop. "Yeah, I did."
"Ok," Dean began, taking the gas can and starting to refill the tank, "random question time. Did I ever have anyone like that? You know, anyone other than Cassie? Someone I just clicked with?"
Sam thought about it as he climbed back into the car. "Uh, no, man. Not that I can remember, anyway. Why?"
Dean sighed, finishing with the gas and replacing the can in the trunk. "No reason."
All right, well, to sum everything up: Dean's acting weird, jsut got a haircut, and the boys are heading up to Lake Moore to check on Max. Any questions? No? Good!