Breaking Glass Part 2
Soundtrack:
Within Temptation All I need
Awolnation Kill your heroes
The Birthday Massacre I think we're alone now
Five for fighting Chances
Def Leppard Pour some sugar on me
Patrick Swayze She's like the wind
Eric Carmen Hungry Eyes
Emma Stone Knock on wood
Ester Dean Crazy Youngsters
Foreigner I've been waiting for a girl like you
Foreigner I wanna know what love is
The next morning Dean was up early and was already at breakfast when his parents came down. They helped themselves to food at the buffet before joining Dean, who was shovelling bacon and eggs into his mouth like his life depended on it.
"What's the rush?" Mary asked, looking amused.
"I said I'd pick Lacey up at 9:30." Dean told them.
"Lacey?" John raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, Amy's sister. We're going out for the day."
"Oh, so that's where you disappeared to yesterday." Mary smiled, knowingly. "We had a great time taking a tour of San Francisco with Sam and Jessica, we missed you." Dean shrugged.
"Sorry Mom, I'll go with you another time."
"Why don't you invite Lacey to come to dinner with us all this evening?" John suggested.
"Uh, yeah, sure, I can ask." Dean said as he got to his feet. "I'll see you guys later."
"Don't forget, the reservation is at 8!" Mary called after him.
As Dean drove the Impala round to the other side of Campus he spotted Lacey and another girl standing on the corner waiting. As he pulled up to the kerb they walked over.
"Hey." He said, winding the window down.
"Dean, this is my room mate Dani, Dani this is Dean. She wanted to make sure I wasn't getting in a car with a molester or something." Lacey joked. Dani didn't flinch at this description as Dean gave a chuckle.
"Well, you've got my licence plates now." He joked back. "I promise to bring her back unmolested." Dani nodded, satisfied.
"It was nice to meet you." She told Dean. "You have my full approval, hun." She told Lacey, then more conspiratorially, "He's gorgeous!" Before she headed off. Lacey laughed and shook her head before getting into the car.
"Sorry about that. She's more nosy than anything."
"That's ok." Dean smirked.
"So, do I get to know where we're going yet?" Lacey asked.
"I figure you can start guessing as we drive." Dean told her.
"Ok." Lacey did her seatbelt up, looking excited. As Dean started the engine Led Zeppelin began to blast out of the speakers.
"I love Led Zeppelin!" Lacey said happily as they pulled away. Dean smiled at her.
"I think we'll get along just fine then."
As they drove further along the highway Lacey studied the signs they were passing.
"Ok, we bypassed San Jose and now we've gone past Santa Cruz… I think I may know where we're going." Lacey declared as they continued down the coast road.
"Go for it." Dean encouraged.
"Carmel?" She guessed. Dean smiled. "Am I right? I did say I loved it there when we talked the other day."
"You are." Dean told her. She let out a squeal of joy.
"Oh my god! Thank you so much! It's definitely one of my favourite places in the world." She jabbered, excitedly. They drove down the coast road, enjoying the sights and listening to more of Dean's classic rock albums as they went, eventually ending up in the town of Carmel-by-the-sea. Dean parked the car on 7th Street and they got out.
"This way." Lacey took hold of Dean's hand and they wandered round the corner and into Dolores Street and into the fairytale section of Carmel. They wandered through the picturesque streets before stopping at the Tuck Shop and picking up some food. They headed back to the car and Dean drove them further along the coast before pulling into the wayside. They grabbed the food and a blanket Dean found in the trunk and headed down to the beach for a picnic.
"This is so amazing, thank you." Lacey told him as she dug into the pastries.
"I'm glad you're having a good time." Dean looked up hesitantly. "So my parents said to invite you to dinner tonight, we're going out with Sam and Jess. Don't feel like you have to come though." He hastily explained.
"No, it's cool, I'd love to come." Lacey smiled at him reassuringly.
"Ok, great." Dean's expression cleared.
They finished their picnic and spent some time walking on the beach before heading to Monterrey for ice cream and Mini golf. After that they headed back up to Stanford. They stopped at Lacey's Room so she could change for dinner. When she re-emerged she was jeans, black high heeled boots, a black mesh top with a chunky gold necklace and a green jacket with sequins on the sleeves.
"You look beautiful." Dean told her as he opened the car door for her.
"Thanks." She blushed, looking down at her feet. They drove into town and headed to the restaurant where Sam, Jess, Mary and John were waiting at the bar for them. Lacey hugged Sam and Jess and Dean introduced her to Mary and John.
"It's good to meet you. We wondered why Dean kept disappearing." John said as he shook her hand. A waiter approached them and led them to their table. There was some small talk about the weather and the graduation ceremony before the conversation turned to Lacey.
"So tell us about yourself? What do you study here?" John asked.
"I study history and Anthropology." Lacey told him, taking a sip of her drink. John looked impressed.
"And do you hail from out West originally?" He asked.
"No, I grew up on Long Island, I just moved out here at the beginning of the school year." Lacey told him.
"Long Island, there are some nice places out there, what do your folks do?"
"My dad runs the family company in New York." Lacey told him. "My brother works with him too."
"Is it a big company, would I have heard of it?" John continued to pry.
"Dad." Dean raised an eyebrow. "I don't think Lacey needs the fifth degree before dinner."
"I'm sure she doesn't mind, it's not like she's got anything to hide." John smiled back at her pleasantly.
"It's fine." Lacey reassured Dean. "You might have heard of it. McNulty Enterprises?" The table quieted down at this.
"McNulty Enterprises? The big investment company?" John asked, sounding surprised.
"Yeah, that's the one."
"So you're Lacey McNulty?"
"Yeah." She smiled as if it were the obvious answer.
"I've read about McNulty in the papers, your family has made millions in investments and on the stock market." John commented.
"Millions?" Dean looked at her slightly shocked.
"Now you know why I wanted to split lunch yesterday." Lacey joked.
"So Jess, have you decided what you're going to do now that you've graduated?" Mary asked, changing the subject. Lacey gave her a grateful smile. The rest of dinner went off without a hitch and the six of them finished up with a last drink in the bar before Mary and John said they were heading back to the hotel. Once everyone had said goodbye Dean walked Lacey to the car.
"I don't feel like going home yet, do you wanna go somewhere else?" Lacey asked.
"Sure, where did you have in mind?" Dean asked as they got in the car.
"There's a lookout point over by Ravenswood, it's right by the lake?" Lacey suggested.
"Sounds good to me." Dean turned the key and the car sprang to life. They drove for about ten minutes until they reached the nature reserve and Dean parked them up by the landing point.
"I'm sorry about my Dad earlier." Dean said as they got out and climbed up onto the hood of the car.
"That's ok. I'm kind of used to it."
"So when you said you grew up in a beachy suburban town you meant…?"
"The Hamptons." Lacey admitted.
"So people here know who you are?"
"A few people do, my friends, Sam and Jess know. It's not like I took out an ad in the school paper when I arrived." Lacey joked. "I hope this doesn't change anything between us, Dean." She looked at him apprehensively.
"Of course not." He said, taking hold of her hand. "But you were right about one thing." Lacey frowned at him, not understanding. "The burgers are on you next time." Lacey broke into giggles.
"You got it, all the burgers you want."
"Don't tempt me." Dean smiled, leaning in to kiss her. They leant back on the hood, their kiss deepening.
"Do you want to go back to my place?" Lacey asked as they separated.
"Are you sure?" Dean looked at her uncertainly. "Don't feel like you have to."
"I'm sure, I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise." She smiled at him. Dean smiled back at her and the two of them got back into the car and headed over to Lacey's.
Later that evening Dean drove back to the hotel. He parked up the Impala and headed inside, as he walked through the lobby he spotted John, sitting in the lounge.
"Dad? What are you doing up so late?" Dean asked, looking at his watch and realising it was almost 1am.
"I was waiting for you." John told him, taking a sip of his whiskey.
"Dad, I'm 30, I don't really think you need to wait up for me anymore." Dean smirked. John smiled back.
"Sure, I just wanted to talk with you a little before you go to bed."
"Ok." Dean sat down. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Well, I'm a little concerned about Lacey." John told him.
"Concerned? In what way?" Dean frowned. John sighed and put down his glass.
"Dean, I don't want to sound like a downer but, don't you think she's a little… for want of a better phrase, out of your league?" Dean's frown deepened. "Don't get me wrong, I like her, she's a very nice, smart, beautiful girl. But she also comes from a completely different background to you."
"Why does that matter?" Dean asked.
"Well, right now it doesn't, but say the two of you really hit it off, you stay together, you start going home to meet her family. That's when the problems start to arise. Her father and her brother run one of the most successful financial investment company's in the country. Dean, you barely graduated high school. Imagine going all the way up to Long Island and meeting her folks and they find out, you didn't even go to college, you're just a mechanic. I can't speak for her parents but I can imagine they're only going to look down on you, son. I mean, what do you have to offer their daughter?" Dean looked down at his hands, John's words ringing true. "Look, I don't want to get you down, I just don't want you to get your hopes up that this is going to become anything more than it is, a summer fling. Something to think about." John drained his glass and got to his feet. "I'll see you in the morning, Dean." Dean nodded, but stayed where he was, his fathers words echoing in his mind.
Lacey woke up the next morning feeling contented but apprehensive. Today was the day she was going to have to say goodbye to Dean and she was kind of dreading it. She got up and dressed quickly, they'd agreed to meet downstairs and go for breakfast before Dean and his parents had to head off. As soon as she was ready she grabbed her bag and headed downstairs. As she reached the front door she spotted Dean waiting at the bottom of the steps as usual.
"Hey!" She ran down and gave him a hug.
"So where do you want to go for breakfast? I'm thinking pancakes." Lacey smiled at him. Dean only offered her a thin smile back.
"Do you mind if we talk first?"
"Sure." Lacey frowned slightly. "What's up?"
"I've been thinking, maybe this isn't such a good idea, I mean we've had a good time but, really we come from different worlds and I don't think, in the long run, they're going to mesh well." Dean said as they walked across the green. Lacey stopped and stared at him.
"You've been thinking? In the what… seven hours since I last saw you? You had this massive revelation?" Lacey looked back at him, the anger and hurt evident on her face.
"Well my dad came and talked to me and…"
"Your dad? What has this got to do with him?"
"Lacey." Dean took her hands. "I'm just a mechanic. I don't fit into your world."
"You don't know anything about my world. You barely know me, and that was enough until your dad made you think twice about circumstances that are out of our control." Lacey glared at him. "If you care about me, that should be enough."
"I'm sorry Lacey, I do care, but it's not enough. This can't go any further." Dean let go of her hands and turned to walk away.
"Dean!" Lacey called after him, but he didn't look back.
It took Dean, Mary and John a couple of days to drive back to Lawrence from Stanford. Every time they stopped Dean would check his phone. Lacey had messaged him a few times the morning they had left but had given up hope on getting a response. They reached Lawrence two days later and Dean dropped Mary and John off before heading back to his apartment. As soon as he was inside he dropped his bag on the floor before shuffling into the bedroom and flopping down on the bed. He couldn't get Lacey off his mind. He'd done the right thing, hadn't he? He tossed and turned for hours, wrestling with his decision before eventually falling asleep.
It had been a week since Dean had left California and he still didn't know if he'd made the right choice. He felt like crap if he had to admit it to himself. He was going through the motions, getting up, going to work, coming home, going to bed, on repeat. But that was it. Everyone in his life had noticed a difference. Dean was normally a happy go lucky kind of guy, but since his return he was sullen and moody. Dean clocked into work and began his normal routine. He went into the office and picked up the paperwork assigned to him for that day.
"You ok?" Joe, his boss, asked as he followed him out into the garage.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Dean said, studying the papers in his hands.
"You sure? You don't seem yourself lately." Joe commented.
"I'm fine, ok?" Dean snapped. "I just want to get on with my work."
"Ok, suit yourself." Joe shrugged and went off to talk to one of the other mechanics. Dean grabbed his tool box before sliding under the car he was working on that morning. He immersed himself in his work and the time passed quickly. His concentration was only broken when he realised the usual sounds around him had stopped, the radio which normally played classic rock stations was suddenly the only sound, and it was playing some big band song.
"Hey guys, who changed the station?" He asked but got no answer. Sighing to himself he rolled out from under the car, only to come face to face with a pair of legs, definitely of the feminine variety.
"Lacey?" He asked, getting to his feet and wiping his hands on a rag. "What… what are you doing here?" He sounded surprised but not angry. The corner of Lacey's mouth twitched into a small smile.
"After you left I spoke to Sam. He told me what your dad was like and gave me your address. He also gave me a message for you, he said stop being an idiot, jerk." She told him. Dean stared at her for a moment before chuckling.
"Yeah, that sounds like Sammy." His expression sobered. "I'm sorry, Lacey. I thought I was doing the right thing but I've been miserable since I got back. I let my dad get in my head, it was stupid."
"You know, you think we're from really different backgrounds but, that definitely sounds like something my dad would do." Lacey told him, Dean laughed.
"Yeah, I guess we aren't so different after all."
"Duh! You paid no attention in the Breakfast club, did you?" Lacey teased. Dean smiled back at her, before leaning down and kissing her.
"Maybe we should watch it again."
Lacey woke with a start. She sat up and turned on the lamp beside the bed. She was drenched in sweat and her heart was pounding. She glanced around the room, trying to ground herself in the familiar sights. There was a knock on her door and Sophia poked her head in.
"You doing ok? I thought I heard shouting in here?"
"Oh, I'm sorry I disturbed you." Lacey motioned her to come inside. "I was having a really vivid dream."
"The good kind?" Sophia asked, sitting down on the bed beside her.
"Yeah, I think it was." Lacey gave a small smile. "It did kind of complicate things though. I want to forgive Dean and go back to him and the dream made me realise, we're kind of meant to be together, I just don't know if I'm ready for that yet."
"Baby steps. You still care about him. That's enough of a foundation. Now you gotta find out if you're both willing to work on it." Sophia told her gently.
"Yeah. You're right. That sounds like a good place to start." Lacey gave her a smile and squeezed her hand. "You always have the best advice Sophia."
"Well, it comes from being this old, living through two world wars, and two Darrins on bewitched." Sophia told her good humouredly. Lacey laughed.
"I stopped watching after the first one. Should I give it another shot?"
"Absolutely."
Dean woke up slowly, the dream still playing in his mind. There was a rustling noise next to him and rolled over. Sam was going though his back pack, looking for something.
"Hey dude, you getting up? I caught wind of a case in Idaho." Sam told him. Dean groaned and sat up.
"Yeah, I'm up, I'm up." He grumbled.
"What's up with you?" Sam asked raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing, I was just dreaming." Dean yawned.
"Oh, really?" Sam sounded interested. "What about?"
"Lacey." Dean admitted, getting to his feet and starting to dress. "I've been a complete and utter jackass, Sam. This dream only proved to me, I gotta get her back."
"Well, I'm glad you're finally thinking straight." Sam nodded his approval.
"Grab us some breakfast and I'll meet you at the car?" Dean suggested as he headed for the bathroom. Sam nodded and grabbed his bag. Dean walked into the bathroom and stood in front of the sink, looking in the mirror. He started to smile. Just a bit. But it was a real smile.