Vrskaandrea: Dean voluntarily asked for and took pain meds so its safe to say she wasn't really running on all cylinders.

Blondie 20000: No, burned into the soul isn't a good thing but Missouri is sure it can be removed and she knows her stuff.

***JUST FYI, I am trying to use real towns but other than their names pretty much everything else is fictional. Occasionally I will use the name of an actual motel or bar or restaurant but that depends on the story line and how much I can be bothered researching. ;)

(Except this chapter, the town is made up.)

CHAPTER 37

The drive to Swan Reach took just over ten hours, getting the hunters there too late to visit the local library, so they sought out accomodation for the night. Once checked into the local motel the went searching for food.

"We're gonna have to rustle up some cash while we are here." Dean said as she chewed her burger.

"Tonight?" Sam asked fighting back a yawn.

Dean studied her brother.

"Nah, we can manage another day or two."

"Anything else I can get you?" Their server asked appearing suddenly at their table.

Dean looked the young woman up and down, a slow smile appearing on her face.

"I'm not sure, what else have you got to offer?"

The woman blushed slightly and made some remark about sweet pies but Sam wasnt listening, instead staring at his brother across from him. He didn't miss the twinkle in Deans eye and the familiar smile on her lips and rolled his eyes. He heard the server giggle then leave the table. Dean turned to face him and raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really have to do that?"

"Do what?" Dean asked going back to her meal.

"Hit on eyerything with boobs!" Sam exclaimed.

"She's a chick, Sam, it's what I do!" Dean said shrugging.

"I know, but with you like this, it kinda makes my world tilt sideways."

"What you homophobe now?" Dean teased knowing Sam is one of the most tolerant people she knew.

"No, it's just strange. That's all."

"Would you rather I hit on the fry cook?" Dean asked pointing to the ageing man in the kitchen.

"No...it's..I..." Sam stammered. "You know, let's just agree that's a thread we don't want to pull on."

"Agreed." Dean laughed at her brother.

"Good. Are you done? I wanna go back to the room and see what I can find online about this house."

"Yeah, just give me a minute."

The brothers finished their meals and Dean grabbed a slice of pie to go before they headed back to the motel.

"Hey, do you have any of those coffee bag things left?" Sam asked peering doubtfully into the coffee machine.

"Nuh, all gone but while you're there, can you make me a tea?"

"Tea?" Sam asked turning to face Dean. "Since when do you drink tea?"

Dean shrugged.

"I drink it...occasionally. Besides you're the one who got me onto that camomile crap, now I've gone and developed a taste for it."

Sam sighed and turned back to the counter. He rubbed his eyes and tried to count out the weeks but as Deans 'cycle' wasn't high on the let's discuss this list he wasn't able to figure it out. Maybe he would stock up on chocolate and gummie bears anyway...just in case.

•

The brothers spent a good part of the next day researching the history of the house at the local library but didn't find much more information than they already had.

"So, house was built in 1876, the owner and his wife lived there until the wife 'mysteriously died' in 1902. The husband quickly remarried and sold the house, left town and disappeared." Sam read.

"Well that's a little more than we knew two days ago. The husband probably killed her to make way for the mistress."

"Makes sense. According to this article, the wealth was all the wife's. Which means if they divorced he'd be left penniless."

"Right. Where is she buried?" Dean asked.

"Doesn't say." Sam answered, scanning the printout. "Oh, wait, she was cremated and the ashes interred at the local church."

"Can never be straight forward, can it?" Dean bitched. "Okay, so there's no bones which means there has to be something else binding her to the house."

Dean studied the picture of the wife. She was young and dressed in the clothing of the time, wearing a pendant on a chain around her neck.

"She was pretty." Dean observed. "The replacement must have been a stunner. Okay, I think we know as much as we are gonna, time to hit the bars and scam us some gas money."

It was early when they hit the first bar, pickings were slim but they managed a few hundred. By the time they hit the third bar they had their play down pat and, as it was later in the evening, the marks were drunker and therefore more generous. They had managed to catch the attention of a couple of guys in their mid twenties.

"Hey guys, wanna play?" Dean asked when they wandered over.

"Sure." One Of them shrugged.

"Wanna play for money?" Dean asked outright.

"Dana!" Sam exclaimed.

"Ugh!" Dan roiled her eyes and turned to the marks. "Sammy here has his panties in a bunch because I want this new bikini but our parents have told us we have to be 'more responsible with our money'. So now he won't let me get it but it's such a terrible thing to try and earn it by playing pool. God, brothers!"

She gave the mark a playful shove on the shoulder.

"A new bikini, huh?" The guy said taking a step closer to Dean.

"Yeah. It's black and has these little coloured lines that run up along here." She said lowering her voice and trailing two fingers along the swell of her breast. "And it has these tiny little strings here."

She ran her finger along her hip pulling the marks eyes there.

"Well, we really would hate for you to miss out on that." He said. "How much is it?"

"Oh, you're kidding?" Sam said, rolling his eyes, playing along.

"Ignore him. He's such a good boy. Me? Not so much." Dean said giving a quick glance back at her brother. "It's $100."

"$100 it is then."

Dean pouted and bounced a little.

"But then I will miss out on the little dress thingy that goes over it."

"Okay, let's make it $200. Winner takes all." He said, his eyes dragging over Deans body and lingered on her breasts.

"Deal." Dean said with a happy bounce. "You break."

She turned back to Sam with a serious face and gave him a wink. Sam had to look down to hide his smirk.

They siblings dragged the game on longer than necessary and even took the offer of a second game at double or nothing when they, of course, won.

Dean leaned down to take her shot when someone across the room caught her eye. Following the girls eyeline she looked back at Sam who was too busy watching the game to notice. Dean shook her head.

'Of course he wouldn't notice.'

After keeping the second game close as well, Sam sunk the winning shot. Their marks handed over the money with good humour and a few innuendos, but Dean was saved from any awkwardness when their girlfriends turned up and dragged them off.

"Well that was a profitable evening." Dean said, pocketing the money. She looked up to see the girl at the bar still looking at Sam. If Dean wasn't a hunter trained in noticing things she would have missed it, but she was, and didn't.

"You know, you are scarily good at that." Sam said.

"It's so much easier to hustle being a chick!" Dean smiled. "Okay, let's go get a drink."

"I'm gonna hit the head, meet you there." Sam said heading off to the bathrooms.

•

Dean made a beeline for the bar and parked herself near the girl who was watching Sam and her friend. She ordered two beers and a couple of shots before turning to the other girl.

"Dana." She said holding out her hand.

"Um, Megan." She said, shaking Deans hand.

"Hi. So I saw your girl there checking out my Sammy." Dean said evenly.

Megan turned to her sister.

"Marnie, were you checking out this girls boyfriend?"

"Oh...um." Marine blushed and looked in Deans direction with large frightened eyes. "No?"

"Just fucking with you. Sams my brother." Dean said laughing. She leaned over and held out her hand. "Dana."

Marnie stared at her outstretched hand and slowly reached out and shook it.

"This is Marnie, my socially awkward sister." Megan said.

"So you're interested in Sam?" Dean asked Marnie.

"Um, well, yeah? He looks...um...nice?" She answered.

Dean looked up as Sam approached.

"And speak of the devil." She smiled. "So Marnie, haaave you met Sam?" She asked with a flourish of her hands.

Sam just stared at her in confusion while Marnie blushed furiously. Megan and Dean both sighed and shook their heads.

"So Sam, you play pool quite well." Megan said.

"Um, yeah, I get by." Sam said.

Dean handed Sam his drink.

"Here you go." She looked and saw Marnie didn't have a drink in her hand. "Marnie, you don't have a drink. Are you thirsty? Doesn't she look thirsty, Sam?"

"What?" Sam still hadn't caught up. Dean kicked him in the ankle. "Ow!"

"Offer Marnie a drink." Dean whispered.

"Oh, oh right. Marnie would you like a drink." Sam asked the young girl.

Megan poked her sister with her elbow.

"Oh, yes please. That would be nice, thank you." She replied rubbing her side and giving her sister a dirty look.

Drinks received all round they moved to a table where Dean and Megan kept trying to initiate something more than a generic conversation between their younger siblings.

"So what do you do?" Dean asked, watching Sam from the corner of her eye.

"I've just finished my degree in accountancy and Marnie is studying bio engineering." Megan said.

"Cool." Dean replied.

"Yeah, you?" Megan felt lame asking but if they didn't talk then all four of them would be sitting around in an uncomfortable silence.

"Oh Sam and I are in a...specialised field of pest removal."

"Eww, like rats and things?" Marnie asked, finally joining the conversation.

"Bigger." Sam said.

"Like cougars and bears and stuff." She asked.

"Yeah, and stuff." Sam mumbled into his beer.

Megan and Dean sat up excitedly, finally their siblings were beginning to warm up to each other.

"So Marnie." Dean said. "I saw you watching Sam out there playing pool. Do you play?"

"Oh no, not really." She said. "I'm not sporty, it's not really my thing."

"Oh well, it's really just about angles and stuff. You're into science, I'm sure you'd pick it up in no time." Dean encouraged the younger girl.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you wanna learn? I'm sure Sam would be happy to show you."

"Oh." She said glancing a Sam. "I don't want to be a bother."

Megan rolled her eyes while Dean kicked Sam under the table.

"Ow, stop that!" He hissed.

"Marnie would like to learn how to play pool. How about you show her. You can explain all about the angles and trajectories and shit." Dean said slowly nodding her head in Marnies direction.

"Yeah, Okay." Sam cleared his throat and turned to Marnie. "Would you like me to show you how to play?"

"Thank you Sam, I'd like that."

The two stood and walked to a table where Sam racked up the balls.

"I love my sister but, man, she can be so inept sometimes!" Megan said watching her sister as Sam showed her how to hold the cue.

"Tell me about it. The amount of times Sams been interested in a chick but just walks away because 'we're just going to leave anyway'. Sometimes that's the best part!" Dean shook her head.

"Not ready to be tied down yet?" Megan asked.

"Me? Nah, don't think that's in the cards for me."

"Ah, a woman after my own heart!"

•

"Oh my God, sisters right?" Marnie said as Sam showed her how to hold the cue. "I'm really sorry about this. Megan can get a bit pushy."

"That's cool." Sam replied. "Mines just as bad. She practically raised me so there's a lot of 'I know what's best for you' about her."

"Tell me about it! I wanted to stay at the motel and read, but noooo, she made me come out, 'for my own good'!"

"Oh really? What are you reading?"

"The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality."

"Oh, is it any good?"

"No it's a heap of trash but it's better than those crappy romance things Megan reads."

Sam laughed.

"De...Dana only reads comics...or porn." Sam said with a sigh. "So what else do you like to read?"

"I like the classics. 'One flew over the Cuckoos Nest', 'Of Mice and Men', I really enjoyed Hemingway's 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'."

"No way! I just got that for my birthday!"

"Really? You like Hemingway too?"

Sam nodded an Marnie launched into a big explanation of all her favourite Hemingway books and all the reasons she loves him as a writer.

•

"Oh God no!" Megan exclaimed looking at her sister.

"What?" Dean asked, sitting back down with fresh drinks.

"She's talking about books!"

"How do you know?" Dean asked.

"See the way she's speaking a million miles a minute and really animated with her hands?" Megan said.

"Uh-huh."

"That's how. Oh this is a nightmare." Megan leaned forward a bit and squinted. "Hang on, Sams eyes aren't glazing over. Why aren't his eyes glazing over?"

"Sammy loves reading too." Dean said with a shrug, leaning back in her chair and playing with her bottle. "See the way he's just staring at her and leaning in a bit? That means whatever she's saying, he's really into it."

"Seriously?"

"Yep." Dean took a long drink from her bottle, secretly glad that their attempt at matchmaking seemed to be paying off, even if Megan wasn't so sure.

"What are the freakin' odds that there's another book nerd in the same bar we are in?" Megan wondered.

"Who cares. Marnies a hottie and Sams no slouch either, so heres to book nerds!" Dean said raising her bottle.

Megan laughed and tapped her bottle against Deans.

"To nerds!"

•

A member of the bar staff appeared at Sams side and handed him two more beers, pointing in Deans direction, interrupting Marnies detailed assessment of Hemingway and other authors she admired. Sam was enjoying watching the young woman before him come to life as she spoke, he had been moving closer to her with every word, and was a little disappointed at the sudden interruption.

"I'm sorry." Marnie apologised. "I tend to get carried away."

"I can see that." Sam said, handing Marnie a her beer.

"It's okay if you want to leave now. It would give me a reason to go finish that book." Marnie looked down, fiddling with the cue in her hands.

"Why would I want to leave?" Sam asked. Marnie looked up surprised. "So you're passionate about literature? I think that's awesome."

Sam reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Marnie smiled shyly and blushed slightly.

"Um, so, you still want to show me how to use this thing?" She asked, holding up the cue.

"Sure, yeah." Sam said, stepping closer.

He took their drinks and carefully placed them on the side of the table, then wrapped his arms around Marnies back to show her how to hold the cue correctly.

•

"Oh. My. God!" Megan clutched Deans thigh with both hands. "Look, look!"

Dean looked over towards their siblings, wondering what had Megan all excited. She sat up straight, dropping one of her own hands down on top of Megan's

"Holy balls! It worked!" Dean broke out into a giant grin.

They both watched as Sam put his arms around Marnie and showed her how to hold the cue, then they leaned over the table and Sam helped her line up her shot.

"Shit! Did you see that?" Megan asked excitedly, tightening her grip.

"Yep."

Marnie had pressed back against Sams chest as her helped her play and neither older sibling missed the move.

"We might have a problem though." Dean said.

"What's that?"

"Not to cast dispersions on your sister, but Sammy isn't really the one night stand type of person and, while this looks promising, we might have to step this up a notch."

"And how do you propose we do that?"

Dean looked down to where Megan's hands were still on her leg and stroked one with her thumb.

"Well, I was thinking we have to...reduce their options for accomodation tonight. Problem is our room has two beds."

Megan met Deans eyes with a slow smile of her own.

"Marnie and I share."

"Awesome." Dean grinned.

"So Dana, tell me one thing."

"What's that?"

"Are you a 'one night stand' kinda chick?"

"Every chance I get." Dean leaned in and kissed Megan softly on the lips.

"You know, this is Texas. Maybe we should take this some where private. Like your room." Megan said.

"I like the way you think." Dean smirked.

•

Sam was showing Marnie where to aim when Megan appeared at their table.

"I'm going now. Dana and me are going back to her room so you and Sam are going to have to share our place for the night." Megan told her sister.

Sam looked over at Dean who was waiting by the door. He shot her a 'what the hell!' look but Dean just gave him a wink and two thumbs up.

"What, you just expect me to take him back to our room?" Marnie hissed at her sister.

"Yes and I expect you to do all sorts of debauched things to him!" Megan whispered back.

"Megan!"

"Oh come on. Drop the little miss innocent! You know you want to."

Marnie looked at Sam standing at the other end of the table.

"Well, yeah." Marnie shrugged.

"That's my girl." She gave Marnie a playful shove. "Well, we're off! Enjoy and stay safe!"

Megan turned and headed back across the room to where Dean was waiting, both of them giving their younger siblings a wave goodbye.