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THE MISSING MONTHS #1
This one shot is set before the ritual takes place, therefore Dean is still female. She will be referred to as 'Dana' during the flashback, mostly because no one knows who she really is, that is until a blast from her past shows up.
'Dean drove into Sioux Falls and straight through. She knew exactly where she was going but would take a circuitous route to get there. Knowing she had at least two hours before anyone would start wondering where she was, Dean kept driving as long as possible. About an hour and 40 minutes after she left the closest thing to a home and only family she'd known in two decades she pulled over and picked up her phone. Resisting the urge to call or message Sam, she removed the battery and SIM card, placing them all in a zip lock bag and stashed it in the glove compartment then she cried and cried.'
…
*** now ***
Sam followed his nose into the kitchen to find Dean standing at the stove with Kayla strapped tightly in her high chair, playing with a pile of grated cheese and carrot sticks.
"Something smells good."
"I'm doing baked meatballs." Dean announced as she scooped some of the sautéed vegetables from the pan and placed them in a small dish then added some meatballs on top. With Kaylas portion separated, she added a liberal dose of hot paprika to the pan.
"Well, smells great, need help?" Sam offered.
"Nope, just make sure Kayla doesn't choke on the carrots."
"Will do." Sam agreed happily, any chance to play with his niece he'd take.
…
Half an hour later the Winchester's were settled around Bobby's table with the elder hunter himself and Caleb who always seemed to appear when food made it to the table, (then disappeared when it was time to clean up).
"This is amazing!" Sam declared as he tasted the meal.
"Don't know why you're surprised, Sammy. I've been cooking for you all your life." Dean said as she drizzled a spoonful of basil oil over her own meal.
"It is pretty good." Bobby agreed.
Caleb turned away from cutting Kaylas meatball into manageable pieces then ate a forkful of his own dinner.
"This...tastes familiar." He said. "Have you made it before?"
"Um, no." Dean replied. "You probably had it at the diner."
"Diner?" Sam asked.
"The one in South Carolina." Caleb said.
"That's the one." Dean agreed.
"How long did you stay there?" Bobby asked.
"'Bout four months." Dean replied, checking on Kayla.
"Why'd ya leave" Sam asked
"Joshua."
…
*** then ***
"Birdette? There's someone here to see you."
"Thank you Rachel, send her in."
"How did you know it was a girl? I didn't say." Rachel said.
"Cause if it wasn't, you wouldn't have asked me to see her."
Rachel smiled and turned away from the open doorway. Birdette could hear the low murmur of voices as she moved her order forms to the side of her desk. The owner of the diner was a woman in her early fifties but could almost pass for a woman a decade younger, almost. She had been running this diner for over fifteen years and it had become a bit of a haven for wayward women. She tended to collect the strays and home the homeless.
She looked up in time to see a pale, young woman wearing an oversized leather jacket, step into the office.
"Hello, I'm Birdette, the proprietor of this fine establishment." The older woman said as she stood, offering her hand.
"Ah, De...Dana."
Birdette smiled and nodded, please with the strength of the girls handshake. She indicated to a chair then returned to her own seat, folding her hands on the desk in front of her.
"Now, Dana, what brings you here?" She asked softly.
"Um." Dana shifted in her seat. "I need to lay low for a while and I was told that this was a safe place."
"Really?" Birdette raised an eyebrow. "By whom?"
"Ah, Dean Winchester."
"Mmm-hmm." Birdette hummed. "And how is Dean?"
"He's..ah...fine."
"Mmm, that he is." The diner owner agreed. "So, I can offer you four, four hour shifts a week. You can fill in if someone calls in sick. There's some rooms out back if you need somewhere to stay."
"Just like that?" Dana asked.
"If Dean sent you here it means he needs you to be looked after. And if he sent you here, it means he can't." Birdette has walked around the desk and was now perched on the corner with her arms crossed over her ample chest.
"He and I can't be together right now."
"Mmm-hmmm. The baby's his?"
Dana looked up at the woman startled.
"Baby ma'am?"
"Like I said, if Dean sent you here, means he needs you looked after. So, he's the father?"
"It's his." Dana replied, not exactly lying.
"So how far along are you?"
"Um, three months I guess." Dana answered.
"You've seen a doctor?"
"No ma'am. I took one of those pharmacy test things." Dana replied.
"Alright. First things first. I'll get you set up in a room out back. Tomorrow I want you to go see a doctor friend of mine. She works at the Family Planning just next town over. Once she gives you the all clear, you can start working on the counter."
For the first time in weeks Dana relaxed.
"Thanks Birdette."
…
Rachel lead Dana through the kitchen then out the back door. The diner was one of those stand alone types, situated on a large block. There were two brick units containing the sleeping quarters Birdette had mentioned. They were separated by a heavy black metal fence that ran from the back of the diner to the first building then across to the back fence.
"Okay, so there's six rooms out here for the girls who work the diner. Yours will be this corner one. There's three other girls living here at the moment."
Dana unlocked the door and stepped into the room. It wasn't anything special but it looked clean. It looked a lot like the kind of cheap motels she had stayed in growing up with Sammy and dad. There was a small kitchenette to the left of the door, a small bathroom with a shower, toilet and basin to the right. A double size bed, dresser and wardrobe filled the far end of the room.
"There's a laundry at the other end, this side of the gate." Rachel continued with the tour.
Closing the door behind them, Dana followed the other woman down to the laundry where she was shown where the clean towels and linen was kept. Rachel pointed out the six rooms on the other side of the solid metal fence.
"They're the rooms Birdy keeps for the truckers and such. We clean the rooms on a rotating roster. It means she don't need to pay cleaners and also you get your room cheaper and free meals. If there's no one staying then you just gotta go in and do a quick dust and vacuum but if there's guests then you gotta go make up the beds, out in some fresh towels and do a complete turn over of the room once they go. Keep the gate locked and the truckers don't come this side of it and if you're in a room, they don't go in until you're done. If they do and give you any trouble, you let Birdette know. She'll fix 'em."
"Thanks...Rachel, was it?" Dana asked.
"Yeah, that's me. Anyway you go settle into your room and I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow."
…
Dana moved Baby around to the parking spaces Rachel had shown her, thankful that Birdette had spent the money and installed automatic gates. She removed her bag and returned to her room. Being a corner room she noted that she got two windows and there was extra floor space. Dana suspected this would fit a crib perfectly.
She looked around the room, smiling at the protection signals carved around the place. She remembered meeting Birdette when in town on a hunt with her dad. The diner owner had seen right through their bs about rogue animals and accepted the truth without so much as a blink of an eye. She gave them a place to stay while in town and they warded her diner to keep her, the employees and patrons safe.
It wasn't all that difficult to pretend she didn't already know her way around the back of the diner, although the gates were new. Dana thought it was a good investment to keep the women safe. Birdette knew how to look after her girls.
Dana had just finished unpacking when Birdette came knocking on the door. She gave her a slip of paper with name and address on it and told Dana to be there at 11 am the next day.
Dana looked at the paper and nodded.
"I will, thank you." She replied with a small smile.
Birdette just patted her on the shoulder and told her to come inside when she was ready to eat, then turned and left Dana alone.
And suddenly, just like that, Dana felt the loneliness. After two weeks on the road, the sudden stillness rocked her. She sat on the bed, staring at that slip of paper. It was all too real now. She had a new life growing inside her but had left Sammy alone and unprotected. To protect one she had to lose the other. It was all too much.
Dana curled up on the bed and let the tears run silently down her face. She stayed there until her breathing evened out and her eyes slipped closed.
…
Dana pulled into the Planned Parenthood parking lot twenty minute before her scheduled appointment and was surprised to see a small group of people milling around the entrance. They were holding right to life placards but generally just standing around, drinking coffee and talking amongst themselves. She didn't think they would be too much trouble but suddenly wished she had brought a gun, feeling naked and exposed without the comforting weight of her trusty Taurus.
Pulling on a cap she exited and locked the Impala. As she walked towards the door, the small crowd descended on her. They surrounded her and began talking and yelling at her.
"Go away!" She shouted back as she tried to elbow her way through the people.
"Don't do it sweetheart." And older man said, grabbing her by the arm. "You got a life in there. You gotta cherish the gift god gave you."
"Let me go, weirdo!" Dana yelled as she tried to jerk her arm from the old mans grip.
People were crowding around her, jostling her side to side.
"I'm not doing anything, just let me past!" She yelled as she fought her way through.
The old man tightened his grip on her arm.
"Just give us one minute to show you, show you what you are doing!" He yelled tugging her fiercely.
Suddenly Dana was surrounded by pictures of bloody fetuses the crowd were shoving in her face and she just snapped.
"Fucking let me go!" She screamed as she threw her free elbow back connecting with an unsuspecting woman who was leaning around Dana and waving one of those photos in her face.
The woman staggered back as blood began to flow but Dana paid her no attention and she rounded on the man gripping her arm. A solid fist into his nose freed Dana from his hold and then it was on.
She don't know how many hits she got in before two pairs of solid arms wrapped around her and began dragging her away.
"It's okay miss. We don't want to hurt you, we just want to get you inside safely." A deep voice said as she was pulled towards the doorway.
Once safely inside the arms released her and Dana took several steps back before straightening up and readying herself for another attack.
"It's okay ma'am." A large man of Islander descent said, holding his palms out to her. "We're not gonna hurt you."
Dana relaxed when she noticed both the men were wearing security uniforms.
"Okay, thanks."
"Dana Smith?" A woman to Dana's left spoke.
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry, we normally would have had security waiting to escort you in but you were a little earlier than we expected. Are you alright? Did they hurt you at all?" The woman asked.
"No, I'm fine, just a bit shook up." Dana replied.
"That was some fight you put up out there." The Maori guard remarked. "Maybe we should put you on the payroll."
"Thanks, my dad taught me to take care of myself." Dana answered with a smirk.
"Well jokes on them, we don't even perform that procedure here, so in fact, their presence here is probably endangering the babies they are trying to save. Morons." The woman said. "Anyway, I'm Doctor Sinclair, but you can call me Naomi."
"Hi Naomi, Dana."
Naomi looked at Dana's knuckles as they shook hands.
"Do you have any other injuries besides these scrapes here?" She asked.
"Don't think so." Dana answered, taking a mental tally of any new aches and pains.
"Wonderful, let's just take you though and check how things are going, shall we?"
…
Dana was sitting, slightly shell shocked on the edge of the examination table. She was staring at the blurry black and white picture in her hands. There it was, it was fuzzy and weird looking but in her hands she held the undeniable proof that she was in fact, growing a human in her womb.
"So you're one of Birdettes?" The doctors voice broke through her stupor. Dana looked up to see her standing in the doorway.
"Yeah, I guess." Dana answered.
"Well, don't you worry, Birdette takes good care of her girls." Naomi said. The doctor paused for a moment, waiting to see if Dana would answer. "It's a bit overwhelming, right?"
"The heart beat was so fast." Dana said. "Is it supposed to be that fast?"
"Yes it is. From all accounts your baby is strong and growing well. I put your estimated due date somewhere mid May."
"May, Sammys birthday is in May."
"Sams the father?" Naomi asked.
"No, my brother." Dana said looking back to the picture.
"Well I'm sure he's going to love his birthday present." The doctor smiled.
…
Security escorted Dana to her car. It was unnecessary as the small group of protestors had mostly dispersed and those that remained gave her a wide berth. She drove back to the diner almost on autopilot and after parking Baby securely she let herself into her room.
She was now sitting at the small table staring at the ultrasound picture.
A baby, she was having a baby. She had heard the heart beat. She had seen it move! It was there and real. She sighed and shakily put the picture to the side. The doctor had sent her away with prenatal vitamins and a mountain of leaflets about caring for herself and her child. She made a coffee and sat down to read through all the information and pull out and examine each item in the sample bag she had been given.
Looking over the table, covered with information she laughed to herself.
"Where's Sammy when I need him? Research was always his thing." She then dropped her head in her hands and cried. "What am I going to do?"
…
Dana had allowed herself one emotional breakdown then boxed everything up and shoved it to the back of her mind in a box marked, 'do not open until May 2009'.
Her first shift was early the next day and after Birdette had supplied her with some various coloured bowling shorts with the diners name printed on the left of the shirt and across the back, she was teamed up with a particularly cheery girl named Beth.
By the end of the morning shift, Dana had pretty much mastered the routine of taking orders and cashing out the customers. It wasn't hard work, just tiring from being on her feet and dashing from one customer to another. Dana soon found out that Birdettes was the place to eat and the diners didn't stop all day.
She grabbed a sandwich and soda on her way out at the end of the shift and then collapsed on her bed. She was definitely going to start tipping waitresses better from now on.
When Dana awoke from her nap an hour later, she sat at her little table and ate her small meal. She began to feel nervous and twitchy being cooped up in her small room. As much as she complained about hunting and being on the road, she had never liked extended down time. Dean had always liked to be in motion and as Dana, nothing had changed. Eventually the walls began closing in so she changed into her running clothes and took off for a gentle jog, as advised by her doctor.
…
As time passed, Dana fell into a routine. Sleep, work, run, eat, repeat. She was almost grateful when one of the other servers left and her shifts increased to five per week. Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, she was still left with an abundance of free time. Baby had never been in better shape with the almost weekly tuneups, well at least as best Dana could manage with her small collection of tools. It was nothing like Bobby's garage but she made do. She had managed a couple of hunts nearby. Simple salt and burns, nothing she couldn't handle on her own.
The diner was too busy over the Christmas period to allow Dana to dwell too much on the fact she was apart from Sammy, except at the dead of the night, when she would sit at her little table holding her phone in one hand and the battery in the other.
'One call wouldn't hurt, right? Just to let him know I'm okay.'
In the end she would just sigh and return the objects to their clear plastic bag and climb into bed, staring at the ceiling and pretending to sleep.
…
January was almost over and Dana was beginning to think she had managed to sneak her birthday past everyone when a knock came on her door.
"Hey Dee? You in there?" It was Callie, one of the servers.
Dana opened the door.
"Yeah, what's up?" She asked.
"Well, Rachel's had to go home and we need someone to cover the rest of her shift. You think you're feeling up to it?"
Dana sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. She was a little tired but it wasn't like she had much else planned.
"Sure, give me five minutes to change and I'll be right in."
A huge smile appeared across Callies face.
"Awesome, I'll let them know you're on your way."
Dana frowned as she watched the other woman practically dance across the wide strip that separated the diner from the accommodation. It's not like Callie never smiled, it's just she wasn't normally an exuberant person. Shaking her head, Dana closed the door and quickly changed into her uniform.
She walked through the kitchen, greeting the cooks and grabbed an apron and pad from under the counter.
"Okay, so where do you want me?"
She looked up and froze at the bright balloons decorating the back corner of the diner.
"Surprise!"
"What? What is going on?" She asked dumbfounded.
"You honestly didn't think we were going to let your birthday slide past unnoticed did you?" Birdette asked as she wrapped an arm around Dana's shoulders and led her to a table covered with presents and two brightly decorated cakes. "Welcome to your joint birthday party and baby shower."
Dana sat in an empty chair and stared at the display in front of her.
"You guys did this for me?" She asked.
"Of course we did, silly!" Rachel exclaimed. "You're one of our family now."
It wasn't like Dana had never celebrated her birthday before, well I guess it was exactly like that, but Dean had managed some celebrations a time or two, but this! This was a whole new level, one she never thought she would ever achieve.
"Thanks guys, this is amazing."
She said with a genuine smile as she looked around and took in all the friendly faces around her. All the staff were there and several of the regular customers. She couldn't believe they had done this for her and staring at the food and gifts on the table, she didn't know where to begin.
"Here, open this one first." Frank, one of the weekend cooks, said. He thrust a paper gift bag in her direction.
"Okay, thanks." Dana answered with a chuckle.
Inside the bag was a eight spark plugs and a radiator belt.
"I've seen you out there, tinkering with your car, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to have some spare parts." He explained with a shrug.
"This is awesome. Exactly what a girl needs. Thank you Frank."
Dana leaned sideways and gave the man a quick hug.
"Me next!" Rachel exclaimed picking up a brightly wrapped box and handing it to Dana.
Dana carefully removed the paper and held up a brightly coloured beanie and scarf set.
"Now you will have something to keep you nice and warm when you go for your walks." Rachel said, beaming ear to ear.
"Thanks Rach, I love it."
Dana unwrapped a dozen gifts, each practical in their own right, 'happy birthday' was sung loudly and out of tune and Dana blew out the candles on the chocolate Devils Food cake in front of her. After everyone had had a small slice Birdette declared the birthday celebrations over and they moved on to the baby shower. Dana begrudgingly participated in a few silly games and then it was time for more gifts. A large basket was placed in front of Dana. Inside was a few onesies, some bottles and pacifiers, a hooded bath towel and matching wash cloth, three warm looking blankets and a pile of singlets and socks.
"Oh my god!" Dana exclaimed. "This is great."
"That ones from the customers." Birdette said.
"Really?"
"Yeah, we have a good bunch of people here." Birdette replied as she put an arm around Dana. "Now this ones from your family here." The older lady helped Dana swivel in her chair to see Callie and Beth walk in from the direction of the office carrying two large boxes, with the assistance of the cooks. They placed the boxes in front of Dana who moved the large bows out of the way and then gasped when she read the front.
"A jogging stroller and a portable crib?" She exclaimed. "These must have cost a fortune!"
"Not really. We all chipped in and I got a good deal from the baby store. The boxes are a little damaged, who knew people would be so fussy about that stuff?" Gail, one of the older waitresses said.
"These are perfect! Thank you everyone, I don't know what I would have done..." Dana stopped there as she choked up and tears threatened to fall.
"It's okay sweetie." Birdy said as she wrapped her arms around Dana and pulled her in for a hug. Dana hugged her tightly back then stepped away, swiping her tears from her cheeks. "Now this stuff here are the necessities. Besides a car seat, this is really all you need. I know some people insist on having all that fancy matching change tables and rockers and such, but you don't need any of it. You know what I used for a change table? A folded blanket on the end of my dining table, and my eldest slept in a drawer for the first two months." Birdette said with a smile. "Now let's pull this stuff out and see if we can figure out how to set it up."
Birdy had closed the diner for three hours so everyone could enjoy the party and the rest of the time was spent figuring out how to set up and then collapse down the pushed and cot. Dana did it several times and eventually was able to open the pusher one handed. Birdette flipped the sign back to open just as the expectant mother was sitting down to a well earned cup of coffee and a piece of the Angels Food cake they had gotten her for the shower. Many of the regular customers called past and wished Dana a happy birthday and good luck on the impending birth. Dana managed to last of a whole hour of well wishers before she claimed to be exhausted and with the help of the crew, not scheduled to work, she carried all her gifts, and a decent hunk of both cakes, back to her room where she fell on the bed and slipped into the first decent nights sleep she had had in a long time.
…
February had just slipped into March and Dana had decided to hang out in the diner and eat her lunch and just chill with her fellow employees.
She had been chatting with the staff as she finished up her lunch. After another slice of pie and cup of coffee she checked her watch and stood up off the stool she had been sitting on at the counter.
"This has been real, but I gotta go guys." She slapped her open palm on the counter then waved at the kitchen crew.
Grabbing her coat from the back of her stool she slipped it on and was looking down, fiddling with her zip when she collided with someone walking in the door.
"Oh, I'm sorry miss." A deep voice said as two hands steadied her.
"No, don't worry, it was my...fault." She hesitated as she looked up right into the face of Caleb's friend, Joshua.
"Hey? Don't I know you?" He asked releasing one hand from her shoulder and pointing at her.
"No, I don't think so." She said, trying to step around him.
"Yeah, yeah! You're Caleb's friend. Umm..." He screwed up his face as he tried to remember her name. "Darla, no, Dana! Yeah. That's it, you're Dana. I'm Joshua. Caleb introduced us a while back, remember."
"Oh yeah, right." Dana said. "Well it was great seeing you again but I have to go."
She tried to step around him but he grabbed her arm.
"Why don't you stay? I can buy you a coffee, it'd be great to catch up."
"Sounds awesome but maybe next time. I'm really in a hurry. Rain check?" She said, grateful for her thick coat covering over her slight baby belly.
"Come on! What's one coffee between friends?"
His gripped tightened and his eyes took on a menacing, dark sheen.
"Is everything alright over here?" Birdettes voice interrupted them, full of forced curtesy.
"Yeah, sure it is." Joshua said, reluctantly releasing his hold on Dana's arm. "Just gonna grab a coffee and catch up with an old friend, the people you bump into in small towns, right?"
"I believe the young lady already told you 'no'. Now would you like one of the hostesses to seat you, sir?"
"Are you sure you don't want to join me Dana?" Joshua asked one last time.
"Sir, the lady has already turned you down. Miss?" Birdy said to Dana, pretending not to know her. "Would you like an escort to your vehicle?"
"No, thank you. I'll be fine." Dana said, silently thanking Birdette as she turned and rushed through the door.
Birdette made sure to keep Joshua from following.
"Sir? If you'd like to follow me, I'll take you to your table." Her tone brooked no argument so the man just followed her to the back corner of the diner.
As soon as he was seated and Birdette had walked away, Joshua pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts list. Selecting Caleb's name he pressed call and waited for the hunter to answer.
"Caleb, you're never gonna believe who I just ran into."
…
Dana's hand was trembling as she fumbled with her door key. Swearing under her breath she finally got her door open and rushed inside, firmly closing and locking it behind her.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" She swore quietly, crossing the floor, dragging her hands through her hair.
She stopped pacing and looked around her little room, the place that had become her safe haven for the last few months. She dragged a hand down her face, covering her mouth in a very Dean-like manner.
"Son of a bitch!" She spat out before walking to the wardrobe and dragging out her duffle.
She had just started shoving her clothing in, when there was a knock on the door. Pulling her gun from under her pillow she silently made her way the short distance across the room and reached for the knob.
"Dana? You in there? It's me, Birdette."
Dana let out the breath she was holding and relaxed her grip on the weapon, hiding it behind her back as she unlocked then opened the door.
Birdy stepped into the room and her eyes immediately fell on the bag on the bed. She nodded understandingly.
"Is he dangerous?" The older woman asked.
"Nothing that I can't handle, but he'll be broadcasting that I'm here, and I can't be here when they come looking." Dana looked at the woman with sorrowful eyes as she slipped her gun into her pocket. "I'm sorry."
"I get it, you don't need to say anything else." Birdy said, pulling Dana in for a hug. "You're not the first to have to do a midnight flit, and I doubt you'll be the last." She released Dana and stepped back, reaching into her pocket. "Which is why I always have these handy."
She handed a thick envelope to Dana. Inside was a large pile of cash, much more than Dana's weekly wage.
"This is too much. I can't take this." She said trying to hand it back.
"You can and you're will." Birdette responded firmly, pushing the money back to Dana. "Now do you need help packing?"
"No, it's just my clothes and toiletries. I've been storing the baby stuff in the Impala."
"Right." Birdy nodded. "You finish here and I'll get the bathroom stuff."
Dana returned to packing while Birdette disappeared into the small bathroom.
Suddenly another knock sounded on the door. Dana stiffened her eyes flying to Birdette who stepped from the bathroom and motioned Dana to stay where she was. The older woman carefully opened the door and looked out before opening it wider.
Frank stood in the doorway holding a small foam cooler.
"I made up some food for the road. There's sandwiches, I put in some pie and a few sodas. Nothing too difficult but enough to get you a ways down the road before you will have to stop."
"Thank you Frank." Birdy said taking to cooler.
"Yeah, thanks." Dana said gratefully.
Frank stepped past Birdy to hug Dana.
"You be careful okay? Take care of that little bundle and make sure to send us lots of pictures."
The old cook always had a soft spot for Dana and it made her even sadder to have to leave them all.
"Thanks, I will." She said, as she stepped back, nodding and wiping away a tear.
"Okay, you need to get on the road before that guy finishes his food." Birdy said. "You finished in here?"
"Yeah, I think I got every thing." She said as Birdy handed her her haphazardly packed wet pack.
She shoved it on top of her clothes and after taking a deep, fortifying breath, she hefted it onto her shoulder and turned to leave the room. Frank and Birdette walked her to the Impala and after she was settled in the drivers seat they gave her one last wave and she drove off into the sunset.
…
"Caleb, you'll never believe who I just ran into..."
Fuck! Those where the words he'd been waiting to hear for months. He had put the word out with a small group of fellow hunters that he was looking for his missing friend and by stroke of luck Joshua stumbled across her at a diner in South Carolina. Giving Sam a lame excuse of a fellow hunter needing help, he jumped in his truck and high tailed it across the country to hopefully pick up a lead he could actually follow.
Dean wasn't known for his chatty nature but Caleb hoped, as he walked into the diner, that he had said something, anything, to one of the people there that would give the hunter a clue to his friends whereabouts.
He took a seat at the counter and pulled out his phone while he waited. It didn't take long for one of the waitresses to notice him.
"Hi darlin', what can I get ya?" She asked smiling widely.
"Just a coffee and some information." He replied.
"Coffee I can help you with. The information? Well unless you're looking for a decent motel, I'm not sure how else I can help. Regular or decaf?" She asked holding up two pots.
"Regular thanks...Callie." Caleb answered looking at her name badge. He waited until she had placed the cup in front of him before holding his phone out. "I was wondering if you have seen this woman?"
Callie glanced briefly at the picture on the screen and shook her head.
"Sorry I don't recognise her." She said with a shrug.
"Please, look again. She might have been in here in the last couple of days."
Again Callie looked at the picture of Dana.
"Sorry man, we have hundreds of people come through here every week, I just don't remember seeing her."
"What about one of the others? Might they have seen her?"
"Hang on, I'll ask around."
Just then Rachel walked past to put an order in at the kitchen.
"Hey Rach? Can you take a look at this and see if you remember seeing this lady around?"
Caleb tilted his phone so Rachel could see the picture.
"She's pretty." She said.
"And missing. Have you seen her? I was told by a friend that she was seen here a couple of days ago."
"Mmmm, no sorry man. Doesn't ring a bell."
"Are you sure?"
"Sorry, I serve probably over a fifty people a day, five days a week. It's hard to remember everyone." Rachel explained.
"She probably would have ordered pie." Caleb added.
Callie laughed.
"Birdettes pies are famous around here. Everyone orders pie." She said.
Caleb slouched in his seat, crestfallen as Beth walked past to grab an apron and start her shift.
"Hey Beth? Do you recognise this chick?" Rachel asked.
Beth looked at the picture and frowned.
"Isn't that the girl that had the trouble with the handsy guy?" She asked.
"So you know her? You've seen her?" Caleb asked hopeful.
"I'm not sure. There was a girl here a few days ago, had some trouble with a guy. He kept grabbing her as she was trying to leave. Looked like it was getting nasty, Birdette had to step in."
Caleb ground his teeth. If Joshua hurt Dean, he would have more than the supernatural to worry about.
"Are you sure it's her?" Caleb asked, holding the phone out.
All three women looked at the photo.
"Could be?" Beth said.
Callie stared at the picture and slowly shook her head.
"No, that girl was red head and chubbier in the face." She said.
"No she had dark curly hair." Rachel argued.
"Wasn't she Hispanic?" Frank called from the kitchen.
"Shut up Frank! Every hot chick is Hispanic to you!" Callie called back.
"Can any of you tell me if this was the girl or not?" Caleb snapped, quickly loosing his patience.
"No, sorry. Maybe Birdette can? I'll go get her." Rachel said before disappearing down a short hallway.
Moments later a woman appeared. Caleb took in her appearance as a trained hunter is likely to do. Early fifties, dressed in a pencil skirt and white blouse, a red rose pinned over her left breast. Her hair was pulled back into a loose chignon and her make up subdued with the exception of the bright red lipstick.
"Hello, I'm Birdette, the owner here. Rachel said you wanted to see me? How can I help you." She asked as she held out her hand.
Caleb grasped her hand and shook it, pleasantly surprised at the firm grip.
"My names Caleb. I'm looking for my friend. She was spotted here a few days ago and these lovely ladies think maybe she was involved in some altercation that you stepped into to break up?"
Caleb held out the phone with Deans picture. Birders took the device and examined the picture closely. She hummed and handed it back to Caleb.
"I'm sorry but I think you came all the way out here on a wild goose chase. This isn't the woman I helped." She said apologetically.
"Are you sure?" Caleb asked.
"Positive." Birdette replied.
"Well, have you seen here? Maybe one of the other girls remembers her? Maybe she came in in the last week?"
"Oh honey." Birdette said placing a hand on Caleb forearm. "We have hundreds of people come through here each week. Even if she was here, I doubt anyone would remember her. After a while, they all tend to blur into one another."
Caleb slumped in his chair and dropped his head into his hands. Birdette gave a curt nod of her head to signal the others to make themselves busy elsewhere.
"Sweetie, I know you're desperate to find her and I'm really sorry we can't help you." She said softly to Caleb.
"It's okay. It was always gonna be a long shot that she'd be still around." He dropped his hands and looked at the woman.
"You look beat. Let me get you something to eat. Feel free to ask around but like I said, I'm not sure if anyone can help you."
"No, that okay. Thanks anyway, but I'd better get going." Caleb said as he started to rise.
"Please, humour an old lady. Stay and eat. I'd feel better." She gave Caleb her most charming smile.
He smiled back and dropped back into his chair.
"Fine, you win. Far be it for me to disappoint a lady." He gave a half smile back, and that was almost more than he could managed.
Birdy patted his hand then disappeared into the kitchen. A few minutes later she returned with a steaming bowl and placed it in front of him. Inside was a mound of mouthwatering meatballs covered in a spicy smelling tomato sauce. A layer of golden melted cheese sat on top and it was all finished off with a swirl of a green oil concoction, which Caleb discovered, once he tasted it, was a mix of garlic and basil. A warm, crusty roll sat to the side. His stomach rumbled loudly as soon as he smelt the delicious food.
"Now be careful, the bowls hot." Birdette warned.
"Thank you." Caleb said wearily as he tore into the roll and dipped it into the sauce.
Birdy watched him eat for a few moments the, after placing a glass of cola in front of him, walked away to let him eat in peace. Once he had finished his meal she rejoined him.
"Feeling better?" She asked.
"Yeah, thanks. That was delicious."
"Our house special." She informed him as she whisked the dirty dishes away.
"How much do I owe you?" He asked, reaching for his wallet.
Birdy held up her hand.
"Oh no. On the house."
"Thank you." He said with a grateful smile. "I guess I had better hit the road. I've a long drive ahead of me."
He pushed away from the counter and Birdette walked him to the door.
"I'm sorry again, we couldn't help you with your friend." She said.
"Me too, but I'll find her. I'm tenacious like that!" He joked.
"I'm sure you are." She smiled back.
They said their goodbyes and Birdy stood and watch him through the window as he walked, shoulders slumped in defeat, to his truck.
"You think he believed us?" Rachel asked, coming to stand beside the diner owner.
"Yes I do. You girls did great."
She watched the hunter drive out of the lot only moving once he was out of sight. She sent a silent prayer that Dana keeps one step ahead of her pursuers but one thing is for sure.
Birdette knows how to take care of her girls.
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A/N
Do you ever have an idea and think that would be really great and then when you write it down you think "no, it's really not"? That's how I kind of feel about this, but then I kind of always feel that way, My stories always seem so much better in my brain before I have to put in actions and describe emotions and stuff, but I started it about three months ago and finished it up now, (trying to work on some of the half done fics in my files, let's see how successful I am at that!), so I figured, why not post it?
Having said that, I really hoped you liked the first of: *Kayla-verse/'the missing months'. I really want to write one for about four major points of Deans absence but we will see if that happens.
So just two things about this story, firstly I've only done one read through and I hope I caught any spelling errors or other typos. I want to post it before I chicken out.
Secondly, the whole Family Planning scene by no way indicates any opinion I have regarding Pro Life / Pro Choice. Each to their own. What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for the next.
Any way did you like it? Did you hate it? Let me know.
Stay safe
S
xxx
