Dean woke up at four thirty, naked and tangled in Rhia's limbs. If they stayed on track, they'd be in Maine tomorrow. That meant that he'd finally have to tell his father about his girlfriend. He didn't know what would happen then, but there was no way it'd be good.

He managed to get up without waking Rhia and went to take a shower. Shivering under the cold water, he let the cold sink into his bones. It hurt a little and gave him goosebumps, but it distracted him from the ball of nervous energy in his gut. There were so many things that could go wrong on this. His father wasn't exactly the kindest man when it came to Dean's relationships. No, John Winchester was much more approving of his sons sleeping with random bar skanks than trying to have actual relationships.

Then there was the obvious problem: the hunt. He wasn't going to lie to himself and say that Rhia would be much other than useless on this one. She didn't know much about ghosts, aside from what he'd told her last night. She also had no experience fighting them. That meant that Dean would be worried about Rhia the whole time instead of focusing on the fight in front of him.

Turning off the water, he stepped out of the shower and dried off. Then he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out to get dressed.

Rhia was waiting about two inches from the bathroom door.

"Boo!" she whispered, jumping out a little. Dean startled and yelped a little. Once he realized who it was, he glared at her while she laughed, poking her tongue out between her teeth.

"Not funny, Rhia. Not funny," he grumbled back.

"Yeah it was pretty funny."

"Whatever," Dean slipped past her, and she put a hand on his shoulder to help guide him past her. His skin was so cold, it was shocking. She almost said something, but decided that this wasn't a battle worth having. At least not right now.

On the bright side, Rhia had plenty of hot water for her own shower. She didn't think she'd taken a long time, but when she got out, Dean was sitting on the bed looking impatient.

"Get dressed. We have to get moving if we're gonna make it to Maine on time," he said simply.

"Dean, it's not even five a.m. yet. We have plenty of time."

"My father is not a patient man," Dean grabbed his gun and checked the clip. It made Rhia uncomfortable to see him tuck it into his waistband, but she didn't say anything. If he was that worried, it wouldn't hurt anything to let him have it.

She picked a simple black tee-shirt and jeans. It was chilly outside, so she grabbed one of her brother's old hoodies that she'd packed. As she shed the towel to get dressed, she could feel Dean's eyes rake across her naked form.

"Like what you see, Winchester?" she teased. Dean stepped off the bed and curled his arm around her waist, pulling her in for a quick kiss.

"Of course."

They drove for hours. Rhia offered to take a turn at the wheel, but Dean still didn't trust her with his car for some reason. Sometimes it seemed like he cared more for that car than he did for her. It was to be expected, though. He didn't seem to have much else in this world.

As they got further north, it got colder. Dean seemed hesitant to turn on the heat, at least until Rhia started to shiver into her brother's sweatshirt. Then he did, and a quiet rattle sounded from the vents.

"What's that?" Rhia asked, concerned there might be a problem with the engine. Dean chuckled uncomfortably.

"That is the sound of legos in the heater," he explained. She gave him a funny look until he elaborated. "I shoved 'em in there when I was a kid. They never left."

That explained why he loved this car so much. Rhia didn't even know cars could last that long.

She wondered if her brother still drove the old Pontiac her family had owned. She doubted it.

Dean must've noticed the change in her expression because he reached over with his free hand and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her against him and gently rubbing her arm.

They drove in comfortable silence for a while, aside from the music playing softly on the radio. Rhia was dozing against Dean's side. If he'd been driving with his brother, he'd be asking to switch by now. But Sam was at school right now.

Besides, he needed the distraction. The idea of his dad meeting Rhia was almost making him feel sick, and he really didn't want to sit and get lost in his thoughts. There was gonna be a fight tomorrow. That was guaranteed.

After dinner, he finally gave in and let Rhia drive for a little while while he took a quick nap. She grabbed the Beatles cassette that he had stuffed at the bottom of the glove box (how the hell did she know about that?) and he fell asleep to Hey Jude playing softly in his ear.

He had nightmares.

In his dreams, Dad was pissed at him again. He didn't know why, but he assumed it had something to do with him staying with Rhia and bringing her on a hunt. Some of it was memory, some of it was worry. They would get more and more intense until Rhia would shake him awake and he'd be back to resting with his head in her lap.

It was nice having someone to offer a little comfort after he woke up. Rhia was absently stroking his hair every few seconds now, whispering sweet nothings to him over the purr of the engine. She probably thought he was still asleep, but he was laying with his eyes open, staring at the steering column in front of him.

At some point, he finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Rhia pulled them into the motel they'd agreed on and left him in the car while she checked them in. While she was on her way back to the car, an older, obviously drunk, man tried to pick her up.

"Hey, bby. You by yersself?" he slurred, sliding his arm around her waist. This jackass was creeping her out.

"Sorry, my boyfriend is sleeping in the car," she explained. Please just go away.

He didn't. Instead, he pressed his face into her hair and whispered, "Hedon' gotta know what we're upta."

Now Rhia was starting to wish she hadn't left her gun in the car. One glimpse of the metal in her hand and this handsy freak would run as far and fast as he could. She was helpless like this, just hoping that someone would notice the problem and give her a hand.

The car door creaked open and Dean stumbled out. He was groggy, but if this guy saw her boyfriend, he'd figure it out. Bro Code or whatever.

"Dean," she called, the man still holding onto her. Dean's eyes widened in horror.

"Dad?!"

Hello, my lovelies. My parents are having a Netflix date in the basement, my brother's having a date upstairs, and I'm sitting here in the dark finishing this up. Gonna pretend it's a little less pathetic than it is.

I was trying to have this out at the beginning of the week because it's school vacation and I have no homework or anything to do at all really. And I have been working on it, I have. I've just had no energy whatsoever lately and I've just been sleeping a TOOONNNNN. What day is it again? I can't even remember anymore.

Just a reminder, this story will contain asshole!John. And asshole!John really is a huge asshole. If you're uncomfortable with that, or heavy implications of abuse, please step away for the next few chapters. I don't want to trigger anyone.

And on that note, don't forget to favourite, follow and review. Reviews make me happier than a creep with a fresh box of envelopes to lick. (thank you for the nightmares, mom)