"We don't allow hustlers in here, boy!"

Dean Winchester glanced over at the bartender/owner who held a bat in one hand while he slowly tapped it to the open palm of the other hand. The two guys he'd won money from stood behind the owner, glaring at Dean. All of them looked more than ready to beat Dean into the floor.

Ordinarily, Dean would have loved to push this to see how far they would go but he'd been working twelve hour shifts at a nearby factor all week. Actually, he'd been working that much almost two weeks now so he was definitely past exhaustion. Plus, a lot of his coworkers were out sick with the flu and he felt yet another cough bubbling up in his scratchy throat. He cleared his throat in an attempt to keep the cough away then tried to talk his way out of this.

He put on his most charming smile and coaxed, "Come on, guys. Don't tell me that you're sore losers. You're the ones who kept asking me for another game to recoup your losses. I didn't hustle you," he finished in a firm voice that held warning. Fortunately, for once in his life, that was true.

The owner frowned then glanced at the men behind him. "That true, boys?"

They shifted guiltily but totally ignored the charge. The taller one evaded, "Now, Mort, who are you going to believe? Us or this nobody. You've known us your whole life and he's only been around for, what? Two? Three months?" The owner arched an eyebrow at the evasion, like he was unsure what to do.

Dean smirked ironically then snarked, "Yeah, way to go, Lenny. Avoid actually answering the man and play on that good ol' boy network. What's next? Telling his mom that he didn't stand up for you and steal back the money you lost."

The smaller one piped up and addressed the owner, "Part of that was my poker money for tomorrow night. You know how your sister is about giving me money for that. You don't want to play without a partner."

"Oh, my bad. Sister, not mom. Big surprise there," Dean insulted irritably. "Way to go, Squiggy. You two are definitely a couple. When do we get to the part of where I actually did something wrong instead of Darwinism working?" That insult got a lot of blank looks but a snicker from behind him.

Dean turned slightly to face the new player while keeping the old ones in his sight. He groaned inwardly over the fact that he actually had to look up to see the face of the new guy. It was a human who looked like he could hold his own against all involved right now. He wasn't sure about the IQ yet but he could see all the muscles bulging from the tight fitting t-shirt. His hair was the right color black and the skin had a nice even tan. His eyes were nice light green which seemed to reflect intelligence. Dean thought, He could probably attract more women than me, momentarily distracted before getting back on track.

Holy crap, Dean swore mentally. This is really going to hurt. He quickly ran a physical inventory. His ribs were still sore but had mostly healed from the last hunt. His shoulder still twinged but nothing he couldn't handle. So, other than exhaustion and illness, everything was normal.

Never one to back down from a fight, Dean taunted again, "Who are you? The third cousin, twice removed? 'Cuz, man, you are definitely a genetic anomaly. No, wait, let me guess . . . I wouldn't like you when you're angry?"

The newcomer gave a lightly amused scoff before fixing the owner in its gaze then stated firmly in a rich baritone voice, "He didn't hustle anyone. I've been watching for the past hour and he's just that good. Now, you want your little bar here to have a reputation for being crooked or one that's friendly to travelers because I can make either happen."

"And just who the hell are you?" The one Dean dubbed Lenny demanded.

The newcomer's lips twitched before he borrowed, "Your worst nightmare, if you don't do the right thing here. Like the man said, you won't like me when I'm angry." Then the newcomer glared at them and they both quickly lost their courage.

"Uh . . . it's cool, Mort." Squiggy stuttered out. "I gotta go anyway."

"Yeah,. . . me, too. The missus is waiting on me for dinner," Lenny squeaked out as he turned tail and ran.

The owner's face showed that he was torn between amusement and irritation. He shook his head and muttered something about morons before he sighed, "Sorry about that, guys. Most travelers do hustle in here but I've seen you here a lot lately. You work at the factory, right?" Dean nodded but turned his head let out the hacking cough that he couldn't stop this time. Mort winced in sympathy before continuing, "Heard there was a nasty bug going around. Hope you didn't catch it. How about a beer to help kill the germs?"

"Sounds good," friendly stranger answered as he studied Dean who also nodded his appreciation to Mort. Mort moved away to get the beers leaving the two of them alone. Dean cleared his throat again before he turned to his company.

The handsome stranger stuck out his hand and offered with a smile, "I'm Derek. Like I said, I've been watching you play and wondered if you still had some time. It's been a while but I'd like to try you out. What do you say?"

Dean coughed again then checked his watch. Dad wasn't due back in for another day and Sam was supposed to call him to pick him up when he was done at the library. Sam graduated last month, at the top of his class, of course, but he still seemed to have some kind of fixation for the library. Maybe it was the librarian. Dean really hoped so because he really believed that Sam needed to get laid or something. He was entirely too uptight lately.

Dean shrugged, "Yeah, I have an hour or so. Name's Dean." He wiped his hand on his pants before he shook Derek's hand because it was damp. He still denied that he was ill but he felt flushed and if he were honest with himself, which he never was, he would have known he was running a fever.

The hand he shook spoke of firm strength but, for some reason, it comforted him and he actually felt better than he had all day. Maybe it was the smile or the bright eyes but he smiled slightly in return as soothing warmth flowed into him. All in all, Dean prided himself on knowing people and knew deep down that Derek was one of the good guys.

After a long moment, he realized that they were still holding hands while he'd been soaking up the warm feeling. He quickly let go and he offered to cover the awkwardness of the moment, "Want to break? You know, since technically I'm still the one on top."

Derek arched a challenging eyebrow and taunted, "How so? You ain't played me yet. I've seen your moves but you haven't seen mine and I'm always on top."

Dean scoffed lightly, ignoring the vague sense of innuendo which caused his face to flush with more warmth. He argued lightly while he put the feeling off as part of his fevered delirium, "You don't have anything that I haven't seen before."

"How do you know? Not all of us play the same way," Derek countered.

"I've been around," Dean countered as they started to set up the table. He totally ignored the flirty feeling to their banter and just went with the flow. Overthinking things only served to increase the pounding of his already throbbing headache. He pushed it to the back of his mind with everything else for the moment, concentrating on the game.

Mort sent their beers over with a barmaid. It was a girl that Dean had had a night or two with recently. Dean took his beer and flirted lightly, "Thanks, Flo. When you getting off tonight?"

Flo leaned in close and slid a hand down his chest while she flirted back, "Whenever you come, baby."

Dean smirked with cocky pleasure but turned away when she tried to kiss him. He cautioned wisely, "Might want to wait until I get rid of this cough, babe." Flo pouted then moved to give Derek his beer.

Derek put on his most charming smile and offered, "Let me know if you want company while you're waiting for the Plague over there to get better."

Flo blushed with pleasure at the attention but answered cockily, "We'll see. Depends."

"On what?" Derek wondered curiously as he leaned against the pool table with the cue stick in his hands.

"He's about the best kisser around here. Not sure that you'll measure up and sloppy seconds ain't exactly my style," Flo taunted flirtatiously.

Derek glanced at Dean and saw his cocky smile. Derek nodded and acknowledged with false resignation, "Yeah, okay." Then he taunted evilly, "Just let me know when you prefer to be kissed by a man rather than an immature pretty boy." Both their eyes widened at the insult before they both grinned.

Flo laughed aloud then assured him, "I'll keep that in mind." She sauntered off to check on her other customers.

"So not cool picking up other guys' chicks, man," Dean admonished lightly while they finished setting up the pool table.

"But she's not your chick, now is she? And you really weren't in the mood for hooking up tonight, were you? So am I really stepping on any toes, beautiful?" Derek reasoned.

"Touche," Dean acknowledged with another crooked smile then frowned. "Beautiful? Look, dude. I'm not gay, or even bi."

Derek laughed, "I'm not, either. I'm just not sure if you're a guy or a girl with that beautiful face of yours. Man, you sure are a pretty boy."

"Can still kick your ass," Dean warned hotly before he countered, "At least I don't look like a dorky version of the Rock."

"Dorky?" Derek asked, wondering where that came from.

"Hell, yeah. Tall, dark and brawny don't help anything when you're too goofy or ignorant to know a guy from a girl," Dean snarked back.

"Aw, don't tell me I hurt your feelings. Are you that much of a girl?" Derek teased.

"Just break, asshole. I'll show you girl when I take all your money," Dean ordered.

Derek smiled wicked and continued teasing, really enjoying Dean's reactions, "Oh, I did hurt your feelings. Don't worry, beautiful. I'll leave you some money to go back home with. With that complexion, I'm sure you have to moisturize or something nightly." Dean growled low in his throat but a cough took it over soon. Derek just laughed again then broke the balls to start the game.

After an hour of playing and taunting each other playfully, Dean was up three hundred dollars but it was a very hard fought three hundred. Dean was tired and, even though he was having fun, he knew he had to leave soon. He called, "Last game. I have to go after this."

Derek nodded then smirked and challenged, "Double or nothing?"

Dean arched his eyebrows then shook his head. He had plans for the money and couldn't afford to risk that much. Not now anyway. He told him honestly, "Can't. Not this time around. Can only afford a hundred this game."

Derek frowned, "Why?"

"Money's for someone else."

"Payback?"

"More like, going away present for someone who needs it," Dean answered honestly then wondered why.

Yeah, he'd enjoyed talking to Derek during the game and joking with him but Dean knew not to get close to people. They would always use him then discard him when they were done. He was sure Derek wasn't any different but there was something about the man's eyes and personality that lowered most of Dean's defenses. For the first time in his life, he wondered what it would be like to actually have a friend.

Derek nodded, "That's cool. Just a hundred then. Double or nothing."

Dean frowned suspiciously, "Just like that?"

Derek looked confused for a moment then asked, "What were you looking for?"

"I don't know. Most, hell, all people protest, saying that I have to give them a chance to win it all back. No one says, 'That's cool.'" Dean protested hotly.

Derek smiled wide. "I'm not most and, honestly, this money was for fun. Guess what? I'm having fun. In fact, it's probably the most fun I've had in the past few months so it's worth it. I mean, I could tell you were good from watching you earlier but, damn, boy, you've really shown me how rusty I am."

"What the hell?" Dean started then argued, "Boy?"

"Well, I probably have about a decade on you, youngster," Derek snickered lightly then continued. "I haven't played in over eight years. Since I graduated. Before that, well, this is how I got all my beer money, and, man, did I drink back then but there wasn't a lot else to do where I grew up."

"Grew up? That reminds me. What the hell did they feed you out there? Only muscle maker food because you are one built mother," Dean asked distractedly.

Derek laughed and started setting up the table again. "Nah, I'm just your standard grain fed boy from the coast."

"Dude, I'm from the Midwest and I'm not a slacker but you definitely have me out muscled based on appearance."

Derek leaned over to break but peered up and taunted in condescending voice, "Were you grain fed? Eat all your vegetables like a good boy?"

"Are you kidding? That stuff is gross," Dean played along, trying not to remember how many times he'd gone to bed hungry as a boy. Bed hungry? Hell, how many times had he gone days without eating? No wonder Sam had outgrown him so much. All those times he'd given everything to Sammy but, of course, he wouldn't have changed a thing. He shook off the morbid thoughts then focused on the game.

Derek broke the balls and glanced over to see Flo arrive with their last rounds. Dean took his beer, took a drink, and then lined up for his shot. Flo moved closer to Derek to hand him his bottle which he accepted, dividing his attention between Dean and Flo. Flo set her tray down on a empty table nearby and slid up next to Derek, reaching out to caress Derek's chest lightly. Derek focused more on her with a big smile on his face. His eyes danced with laughter as he leaned down slightly and drawled out playfully, "Something I can do for you, darling?"

She smiled up at him then, after a quick glance at Dean to make sure his attention was on her, she reached up and pulled Derek's lips down to hers.

Derek was no fool. That one look told him that she was mainly trying to make Dean jealous but he didn't care. Derek wasn't looking for anything permanent anyway. Just some fun to stop thinking about the reason he was in this small town instead of at home. So he let her pull him down to her lips.

Just because he knew she was playing him didn't mean that he wasn't going to prove a point. Dean might have beaten him at some games of pool but Derek knew he was going to win this. Derek touched his lips to hers and gently ran his tongue over her lips, caressing them and nipping at her lower lip. He heard her moan then felt her press her body tightly up against his. She opened her mouth and pulled his lips forcefully against her own. He teased with her lips for a few more seconds before swooping in to devour her mouth in a blatantly seductive kiss.

With one arm only around her, he straightened back up as he continued the kiss. She moaned again and rubbed against him aggressively. He felt his body start to respond about the same time he heard Mort calling her. He slowly pulled his head back then released her, letting her slide leisurely down his firm body.

She gulped air like a fish out of water, causing Derek to smirk in amusement, then he glanced over at Dean who was also smirking. She finally seemed to come around and stared at Derek with unabated hunger. Mort called again, louder this time, and she snapped back loudly, "I'm coming."

"Not yet," Derek promised huskily with heavy innuendo.

Her eyes popped open wider and her whole body clenched with desire before she let out a heavy sigh. She grabbed up her tray and ordered, "I'm off at two. Don't be late." She glanced over at Dean and shrugged, "Didn't think anyone was better." Her eyes went even wider and glazed over. "Holy shit," she cursed then looked between the two men. "Oh, God," she groaned as she shuffled back to work.

Dean frowned in confusion and gave him a "WTF" look when Derek started laughing. Dean finally demanded, "What?"

Derek chuckled, "Well, I'm not positive but I think she just imagined a threesome with both of us and her in the middle." Dean smirked as he shook his head and turned away. Derek wondered hesitantly, "I didn't mess up or anything, did I?"

Dean huffed irritably, "Hell, yeah, you did." Derek frowned in concern but Dean let him sweat through the next shot which, of course, Dean made. In a better mood in spite of another hacking cough, Dean amended wryly, "You just ruined my rep as the best kisser in the county."

Derek laughed then consoled, "Well, I'm leaving soon so no worries. Soon you'll be back to number one."

Dean just smirked and shook his head slightly while he checked his watch again. He quickly won the game then stated reluctantly, "I gotta go. Have to pick someone up. I had a great time, Derek. Thanks."

"See ya around, Dean," Derek offered as they shook hands again. "I'll try to hang around a day or so and see if I can get some of my money back."

"Yeah, right. Good luck with that," Dean taunted with amusement as he left the bar, grabbing his jacket on the way out.

He scanned the room again as he went. He still couldn't shake the feeling of eyes watching him. He'd thought it was Derek at first but he'd still felt eyes on him while he and Derek had played. He walked out into the night with heightened senses and no small amount of frustration. Everything within him yelled out that he was being watched. He just didn't know by whom.

"That him?"

With an annoyed sigh, a beautiful brunette eyed the perfect platinum blonde who slipped into the booth beside her. The brunette huffed, "Don't you have anyone else in the universe to annoy right now? Why does it always have to be me?"

The blonde smirked and countered pertly, "'Cuz you're always doing stupid stuff?"

The brunette started to argue when a red head plopped down across from them and interrupted, "You know better than this, sister."

"What do you mean?" The brunette demanded with narrowed eyes.

"Getting involved with them. Haven't you learned your lesson yet? They aren't worth it," The redhead stated firmly.

"I'm not. . ."

"Yea, you are," The blonde insisted.

"What in Hades are you two doing here anyway?" the brunette evaded.

"Stopping you from being stupid," The redhead retorted aggressively. "I mean, look around you, sis. We took a nap and everything went to Hades."

"Hell, you mean," The blonde corrected, earning a glare from both women.

"Yea, things have changed over the past centuries," The brunette agreed then continued, "But I still hear them. Too many have asked for it."

"So curse him and get it over with," The redhead dismissed. "No need the personal approach."

"Unless . . ." the blonde added speculatively, causing the redhead to study both sisters with a wide eyed look.

"No, you can mean . . ." The redhead argued hotly. "You would break your vow? For HIM? Are you mad? You know what Mother . . ."

"Oh, shush, sister," the brunette interrupted briskly. "I would never break that vow."

"So why?" The redhead prodded.

"Because I have to know for sure," the brunette admitted. "I get too many requests, too many contracts, too many . . . different . . . payments. I can't . . . I just have to know."

The blonde and redhead shared a glance then sighed heavily in resignation. Finally, the blonde asked, "How will you know? You can't . . ."

"I can't," the brunette agreed. "But Korey can. She will mete out what is owed the man."

The redhead stood solemnly and warned, "I advised against this, Sister. It's not our affair. Not anymore. If Mother or Father . . .," she trailed off with a slight shake of her head. "Leave me out of it." With that parting command, she turned and disappeared quickly in the crowd.

"Thank, Zeus," the blonde muttered under her breath.

The brunette smirked then reminded, "You brought her here. Are you going to follow her lead?"

The blonde considered her sister then the space that her departed sister had stood in before returning her blue-eyed gaze back to the brunette's deep green eyes. "You know I'll stand with you but I would advise caution as well. We need to check before we act." At her sister's acquiesce, the blonde turned to the remaining man at the pool tables. "What of him? Want him checked as well?"

The brunette studied the man for a moment before she nodded, "It pays to be thorough."